This is something that used to drive me nuts. Inevitably, while cooking pasta, the boiling water would bubble over the sides of the pot and create a big mess. Then, I discovered this trick.
If you put a few teaspoons of cooking oil in the pasta water, the pot will NOT boil over.
- Canola Oil works wonders, here.
- If you forget and catch the pot about to boil over, quickly add cooking oil to the boiling pot. It will calm right down.