Al Dente

Italian for to the tooth. Pasta cooked to the precise window where the starch has hydrated through but a faint, firm core remains at the center. Visible if you snap a strand and look at the cross-section.

The window is roughly ninety seconds wide. Pasta finished in its sauce will continue to cook by another minute, which is why the water is drained early. Al dente is not a preference — it is a structural requirement, because pasta cooked past it cannot hold a sauce.