MAPLE PASTA MEASURE

£3.95, souschef.co.uk THIS simple maple wood measure has different hole sizes depending on whether you’re cooking for one to four people. However much dry spaghetti fits through the hole is the correct portion.

EXPERT VERDICT: Most people serve themselves too much pasta — it’s easy to eat 200 calories more than you need without really noticing.

even if you’re not trying to lose weight, it can be tricky to judge how much spaghetti to cook.

The portion size that fits through is around 80g of dry spaghetti per person, which works out as around 180-200g of cooked pasta, and 285 calories, which is about right for spaghetti bolognese.

You may already have a spaghetti portioner at home — if your draining spoon has a single hole in the centre, this is approximately the right circumference to pass your dry spaghetti through for the correct adult portion. 6/10