Pasta is incredibly versatile and quick to cook, making it perfect for speedy dinners, fussy kids and busy households. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can end up with mushy macaroni, slippery spaghetti and overly salty sauces. To help you get your dishes right every time, here we reveal the mistakes most people make when cooking pasta – and share the tips and techniques you should be using instead.

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 41 common pasta cooking mistakes, counting down to the one people make the most.

We've based our ranking on how common the mistakes are and how much they can affect your finished dish, taking into account expert advice, research and the experience of our team. This list is unavoidably subjective.

41 common pasta errors every home cook makes