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> I generally find the numbers printed on pasta boxes for cooking time far too high: I'll set the timer for a minute below their low-end "al dente" time

Interesting! I generally add three minutes to the recommended cooking time, otherwise the pasta still feels stiff. There's no accounting for taste, is there?

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How hard is your water and how high above sea level do you live?

Very soft. Elevation is nearly sea-level.

Well, objectively very soft water cooks things a tiny bit slower than harder water, but being close to sea level should cook things a little faster. It probably is down to either taste or the labeling on your pasta.

How does water hardness affect it? Mine is on the harder end, I've been wondering if that is giving me trouble.

Hard water will boil at a higher temperature, but it's only a degree or two.

Plus, pasta start cooking at 80 ºC. No need to keep the water boiling like crazy :)

Boiling like crazy or not, it's still just 100C if it's boiling at all isn't it?

I guess at a really low boil there could be cooler parts of the water.

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