First calculate how much macaroni you're going to cook. Then put for every 3/4 cup (100 grams) 4 cups (1 liter) of water in a pan. So for this recipe you use 16 cups (4 liter) of water. Also add 2 teaspoons of salt. Then cook the water until it boils. Add the macaroni to the water and bring it back to the boil. While stirring now and then cook the macaroni for 7 minutes for al dente pasta and up to 2 minutes longer for a softer macaroni. After cooking drain the macaroni, a sieve comes in very handy, and put everything back in the pan. Mix the pasta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.