More water than you think

Yes. The secret is volume — of water, not pasta.

Most sticking happens because there isn’t enough water to dilute the starch. For a crowd, you need at least 1 gallon of water per pound of dry spaghetti. That sounds like a lot, but it’s the difference between separate strands and one giant noodle blob.

Don’t bother with oil in the cooking water. It just coats the pasta and makes sauce slide off later. What actually helps: drop the pasta in all at once, give it one good stir after 30 seconds, then don’t touch it for the first 2–3 minutes. The starch needs time to set before you start agitating again.

If your pot is full, you’re better off cooking in two batches. Overcrowding is what gets you. And once it’s drained, toss immediately with a little olive oil or sauce. Letting it sit in a colander is how you get a clumpy mess.

A bigger pot and enough water. That’s the whole trick.