Pasta cooking methods

To make the pasta cook a bit faster I sometimes add some salt to the water as it raises the boiling point and so (I think) it makes it cook a bit faster.

If I'm having a pesto sauce I then drain the pasta and stir in the pesto, capers (yum!) etc. Tomato sauces I cook up in a separate frying pan and I serve the pasta and the sauce next to each other for me and the sauce on top of the pasta for everyone else, but not stirred through.

I hardly cook any more actually, but I used to cook a lot, particularly pasta.

Fav pasta recipe of the moment - a risotto made with half aboro rice and half orzo pasta. Brown and use bugger all water, when that has nearly evaporated away, add a tin of coconut milk and let the rice/pasta cook in that until it has absobred in.

I usually make it vege with lots of pine nuts., though I've made it for others with fish/prawns.

Bacon is easy to make in the microwave, though: put two paper towels on a plate, then the bacon on top of them, then put another paper towel on top, and cook it for 1:15ish per slice (so two pieces = two & a half minutes).

Apparently the water you boil it in should be as salty as the Mediterranean Sea.

the trick here is how you drain the pasta - one of my friends used to just take the pot full of boiling hot water and pasta and turn it upside down onto a plate. if he was lucky, some of the pasta would land on the plate. the rest, along with the boiling hot water, would fly everywhere obv., scorching his hands and face.

he insisted that this process resulted in the best pasta and what did not fall on his plate was not "worthy" anyway

meanwhile, in a wok, I have fried some vegetables and put in some tomato puree. then I drain the pasta and tip them into the wok, stir everything up, serve, and eat. yum yummm yum.

I have always made sure the pasta is boiling vigorously, but someone in the paper pointed out that you can actually turn it down to a simmer once the pasta is added as it's scientifically impossible for any more heat to make a difference to the cooking, as simmering=boiling point.

Yep I tend to boil the water, then throw the pasta in. And while the water is boiling or maybe a little before I even put it on I do all the vegetables and stuff. I'm actually quite good at cooking but so so lazy that I don't do it too often, I feel very good about myself when I do actually bother. Capers=classic. I always find a spoonful of sugar helps the..er, I mean makes your sauce a bit nicer.

Potatoes in pasta comes about because the starch from the potatoes coats the pasta, making sauce stick to it a bit better.

my sauce is mostly red wine now! is drinking asahi on the side fusion cooking gone too far?

Gnocchi fried with onion, garlic, and sundried tomato paste is the king of all foods.

Sickie, come on over and make me some. PRETTY PLEASE WITH CHEESE ON TOP

oh god that makes me want to pick up gnocchi on way home.

i boil it till it gets cooked enough, it's dope

I do rinse it off though. That's VERY important.

no way

unless you're serving it cold, never do that.

I adore pasta, but to get the really good thick stuff you have to get the expensive Italian kind.

Why is it important to rinse gnocchi? I never did that.

DONT RINSE PASTA

ex-girlfriend used to make gnocchi from scratch, mmm

Pasta is all about the sauce. The reason brits and Yanks are so fat is cos they misunderstand the way Italian pasta dishes work. ALL SAUCE, LESS CARBS.

Gnocchi is AWESOME & CHEAP & EASY to make at home. Kind of time consuming but way better than store-bought potato gum.

http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2008/02/potato-gnocchi-primer.html

I bought a bunch of potatoes last night with the intention of making gnocchi, and I think maybe I'll start right now! At least peel & cut the spuds.

I am thinking sweet potato gnocchi might be interesting, but also possibly the height of all folly bcz those things are so moist it probably wouldn't work.

but in italy they use like no sauce, or is that what you mean? xp

My sauce = butter + garlic + parsley lol Amurricans.

Actually I'm with you on that, Sick. It's all about the sauce.

I was told (ages ago, by whom I do not recall) that Italians had much less pasta per dish than we did, and thus took in less carbs, whereas we have huge bowls of pasta. Whether they have MORE sauce or less of each (but use a tastier) sauce I am now not so sure.

where i was in italy, it seemed like a lot of pasta and hardly any sauce (just enough to coat most of the noodles and add some flavor, but not like SAUCE)

Don't put olive oil in the pasta water, you want the surface of the pasta pieces slightly rough so they grabs sauce. Oiled pasta is too slippery.

Remove pasta from water by scooping it out with tongs or a skimmer -- SAVE THAT PASTA WATER. If your sauce comes up short, the starchy pasta water will be GOLDEN for saving/extending the sauce. It's nice and thick and won't thin your sauces as much as plain water.

We have big bowls of everything!

I wonder if the thing is that Italians eat pasta as one course of the meal, after antipasto and soup courses and before meat and fruit/cheese courses. So the servings are tiny compared to when Amurricans make pasta as a main.

Remove pasta from water by scooping it out with tongs or a skimmer -- SAVE THAT PASTA WATER. If your sauce comes up short, the starchy pasta water will be GOLDEN for saving/extending the sauce. It's nice and thick and won't thin your sauces as much as plain water.

Remind me never to find myself last in the chow line @ Laurel's house.

if you're serving the pasta in bowls, put some of the pasta water in and let it sit for a minute (and dump it out before adding pasta, obviously). this really helps keeps the food hot if you're trying to do a million things at once before serving the meal.

The thing about pasta is that it's a sponge. It absorbs water. If you have too much pasta for yr amount of sauce and the dish ends up dry, adding pasta water back into it won't be noticeable because you're not changing the ratio of the saucy contents, you're just giving the noodles something to absorb.

yeah the pasta water thing is like pasta-cooking 101

not gross at all

man this is making me miss watching molto mario every morning when i was unemployed.

Save that pasta water - OTM. Starchy water helps thin a too thick sauce or extend not enough.

As for the oil or not in the water, The only reason I use it is to keep the water from boiling over as the pasta starch releases. (oil cuts the starch foam) and it doesn't take much. Rinse the pasta if you want to rid it of any oil, and excess starch pluse as mentioned it stops the cooking process to keep it al dente.

like mario taught me, i cook the pasta until it is about a minute from being done and then finish it in the pot where my sauce is.

Remind me never to find myself last in the chow line @ Laurel's house.

-- libcrypt, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 18:55 (28 minutes ago)

Using pasta water is basic Italian cooking. It's done all the time. If it makes you squirmy, you better not eat at a good italian restaurant - usually water for the sauces comes from the pot used to cook every pasta course served (like hundreds of servings per night). That's some starchy water.

God this is a tough room tonight peeps.

Note last in line.

LEARN THE USES OF WATER

TODAY

on ilx

I take pasta cooking VERY seriously. Actually I don't.

I like penne best.

I JUST BOILED RICE

save the water

With Chinese five spice, salt, and teriyaki marinade. To let go cold. To fry up tomorrow with prawns and peppers and beansprouts and egg, and some kind of sauce in a packet.

lidia does awesome things with pasta water :)

I USED THE WATER TO DROWN COSMO

COS THE FUCKER KEEPS TRYING TO EAT THE LETTERS AS I TYPE THEM

I am thinking sweet potato gnocchi might be interesting, but also possibly the height of all folly bcz those things are so moist it probably wouldn't work.

-- Abbott, Tuesday, August 19, 2008 2:38 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link
I tried this once and it was pretty disastrous. I never have the patience to get the moisture out of things.

I believe that would take approx two weeks to happen.

Is it OK to rinse the pasta off with boiling water, that way it doesn't cool off like if you were using cold water? (I don't usually rinse it, but I don't usually add oil either, though if you *were* to rinse it, boiling water would be the way, yes?)

I have a big bag of potatoes to use up and have now been inspired to make gnocchi out of them, so thank you thread (and Abbot in particular) for that.

rinsing pasta never even occurred to me, but you're supposed to rinse rice, right?

before you cook it. yes.

But why would you rinse pasta with boiling water? Maybe if you dropped it on the floor.

To wash the excess starch off? I don't know - I never do it.

I've heard that draining pasta with a colander is a bad thing. Apparently pasta should be scooped out with tongs or similar type method. I can't be bothered.

http://www.branders.com/img/custom_Spoon_Spaghetti_Scoop/Home_Housewares/Spoon_Spaghetti_Scoop-41921_bs.jpg

I have one of these things, which is OK with spaghetti or tagliatelle, but use a colander/sieve for other types. Why is draining bad?

Draining is bad because you are tempted to rinse with cold water and thus lose precious pasta water down the drain.

EVERY PART OF THE PASTA IS PRECIOUS PEEPS

Don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the pasta continues to cook and gets soft and soggy.

Ah, I do not have that problem because I am super-organised and have my pasta ready just in time to serve, and my sauce does not need thinned with water because I am an excellent cook. Er....

libcrypt, this may be surprising to you, but some people see cooking as a craft and are interested in hints for getting the best results. There are even people who devote their whole lives to developing technique and expertise in cooking.

xpost

Dude, I'm just funnin folks. No hard ones, K?

S'OK, lib.

I don't think there's such a thing as pasta being "too starchy". It's not a potato. You want that starch there, for making the pasta like velcro to the sauce. If it were slick and not covered in lots of starch molecules, things would slide off it because of water's surface tension. Stop rinsing it. Also: if you don't want it to overcook, practice taking it out of the boiling water before it's completely done and let it finish in it's own heat. You'll get the hang of it.

There, that's enough science for me to pull out of nowhere for one day.

am i the only person who actually likes overcooked pasta?

Yes. Next question.

yes

Srsly though I just read somewhere that overcooked pasta is higher on the glycemic index than al dente, because the starch molecules are partly broken down before your body even starts on them. So actually al dente is slightly healthier. Prob not really important if yr eating an American-sized bowl of the stuff, but who knows, maybe every little bit helps.

:/

libcrypt, your funnies were funny

xpost

whole wheat pasta is a lot higher on the glycemic index than non

if you want to stop the cooking, isn't it better to add cold water to the pasta *before* draining it?

i think i recall correctly that adding oil to the water does nothing. i add oil to the pasta after cooking. oil is essentially my sauce, along with other things.

whole wheat pasta also doesnt absorb flavor as well

some whole wheat pasta is a lot better than others

i liked lib's funnies.

i thought oil kept it from sticking together in the pot!

Pasta: Put the pasta in once the water boils. Stir once. No salt or oil are required thereafter to prevent sticking.

Rice: Put the rice in while the water boils (i.e. into cold water). Do not stir or remove the lid. Doing so will break the grains of rice which will release fibrous goo (the sticky crap you get in badly cooked rice).
For basmati rice, use rice(in oz):water(in fl.oz) in the following ratio 2:3 (i.e. half as much water again as rice, eg. 4oz rice, 6fl.oz water.
For brown rice, use twice as much water (in fl.oz as rice in oz).

Easy.

Not salt required to prevent sticking, but it's pretty required for pasta to taste good.

I always drain mine in a colander but I scoop a cup of the cooking water out beforehand.

WAHT Andy? I always let the rice heat to boil in its water (~8 minutes), then turn it to low for 20 minutes. The distance between the water & uncooked rice should come to your first knuckle. That's all there is to it!

Oh and I guess don't stir – I told my husband how to make rice the other day & forgot to mention this, & was STARTLED when I saw, 15 minutes later, that he was stirring it. !!! I had taken this fact so for granted. It was like watching someone make a pb & j and douse water on it for no reason.

Oh wait we said the exact same thing. Nevermind.

oil will also help prevent the water from boiling over, which is useful if you're using a small pot.

Okay if all you have is a small pot. But you shouldn't USE a small pot to cook pasta. The chef's rule is that if the water drops below a boil when you put the pasta in, there's NOT ENOUGH BOILING WATER. You need a way huger pot than you think you do, which is why fancy kitchens have a spout on the wall above the stove for filling the pasta pot because it will soon be so heavy that you couldn't carry it from the sink.

you know who you're talking to, right?

A guy with an old chihuahua?

;_;

he lives with his mom.

Pasta: Put the pasta in once the water boils. Stir once. No salt or oil are required thereafter to prevent sticking.

Rice: Put the rice in while the water boils (i.e. into cold water). Do not stir or remove the lid. Doing so will break the grains of rice which will release fibrous goo (the sticky crap you get in badly cooked rice).
For basmati rice, use rice(in oz):water(in fl.oz) in the following ratio 2:3 (i.e. half as much water again as rice, eg. 4oz rice, 6fl.oz water.
For brown rice, use twice as much water (in fl.oz as rice in oz).

Easy.

-- AndyTheScot, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 21:09 (36 minutes ago) Link

This is EXACTLY how to cook rice. Anyone who says anything else has never eaten properly cooked rice.

What about risotto and paella? That gets stirred as it cooks. Or is the rice different enough to be OK with that?

you want the arborio starchy/broken down.

I think the way to do those ones is to fry the uncooked rice a bit w/onions before adding stock.

I always rince my basmati/jasmine rice in at least 2 changes of cold water before I cook it, and yeah I use about a 2:3 ratio of rice to water, and cook it from cold, to a simmer, simmer without stirring for 10 mins, then let sit with lid still on for another 10.

I do shake the pot with its lid on to stop it sticking though.

I was reading some old 70s cookbooks the other day, daggy old Women's Weekly ones, and they all called for regular spaghetti to be cooked for 15-20 minutes! HOLY CRAP!

whole wheat pasta is a lot higher on the glycemic index than non

Uh, what? Everything I've read says the opposite.

You first rinse cold and then hot. Very important. Cold because it stops the cooking.

how much do you tip the pasta rinser?

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2016/apr/11/french-carbonara-travesty-italian-dish-outrage-recipe

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/12/carbonara-recipe-french-website-demotivateur-italian-pasta-maker-barilla

<3 carbonara and the making thereof. Boiling bacon is obviously a crime against nature, onions are totally superfluous, but I do add a dash of cream to the eggs to stop them overlooking. Although we rarely have cream in the fridge so I usually use milk which is probably all kinds of wrong.

i've never had a problem with them overcooking? but i add them off the heat

Hungry now :(

My current partner is very much not a fan of tomatoes/tomato sauce. So a biiiig part of my pasta and italian cooking repetoire (tomato sauces, ratatouille, cacciatore, etc) goes begging, as I'd be the only one eating it. Makes me very sad :(

i've never had a problem with them overcooking? but i add them off the heat

Of course! I do like my scrambled eggs creamy though...

I haven't made fresh pasta in ages but I found a bag of semolina and am going to try out the buzzfeed 1/2 semolina, 1/2 ap today. I no longer have a pasta machine so am going to roll it out with a dowel and then maybe wing some shapes a la this woman on instagram. https://www.buzzfeed.com/mackenziekruvant/pasta-on-instagram?utm_term=.eiNw4xog#.kkq7Q6ep

Pasta: it’s what’s for dinner

It looked great. I did a thick rollout, 1/4 inch by 2 inch cut and a finger press curl over back of my rice paddle that had raised bumps. But something went wrong with the dough. No matter how long we cooked it, it just kept a somewhat rubbery (not al dente) chew. Maybe it was too thick or it was too many eggs (despite what the recipes say). I could still see a dry texture in the middle. So close though.

I must give making gnocchi another go. I only tried it once and they all disintegrated in the boiling water so I mustve made em too sloppy.

There’s gotta be some foolproof J Kenji Lopez-Alt-esque way of making gnocchi.

he's got a ricotta gnocchi that i made ages ago! it was easy, and good

1 large egg to 100g flour, per person

(sorry, for pasta, not gnocchi - I've never made those but want to try)

I made gnocchi once but used the wrong potatos, didn't get all the moisture out and over-kneaded.

I made fresh pasta again. I used less semolina 1/2 cup to 1.5 cups of ap. I rolled it out a lot thinner this time and did knife cut tagliatelle. It came out much better but the texture wasn't right (still more shiratake noodle toothsome than chewy/al dente). I've been watching the Pasta Grannies on youtube trying to get inspired more about trying again and again. I also need a bigger dowel. When I used to use a pasta machine when younger I only used 2 whole eggs so maybe using a lot of egg yolks isn't my thing.

the l'artusi method for gnocchi involves BAKING the potatoes before you rice and form them so you get the moisture out. that also pre-cooks them so you can just toast them in brown butter and salt and sage and whatnot

oh damn. That makes sense. I hate boiling gnocchi in general.

xxp: With experience, I've been sold on just covering dry spaghetti with an inch of cold water and pinch of salt and putting it on the heat. For years I had been bringing the salted water to a roiling boil, thinking this was the right way, but it made no difference and just wasted time and cooking gas.

Woah. That's interesting. I'd expect the pasta to get all stuck together as it comes to the boil.

Pretty sure the physics involved in cooking spuds and getting them to have less moisture is more complicated than just baking. Russets have more starch than yukons, so that is one aspect.but what one does w Spud after it's cooked is just as important. Refrigerators are known to dehydrate. And conversely a warm potato is gonna be exuding moisture whether it's been baked or boiled. Maybe all obvious but that my unasked-for .02
xpost

I still don't know how one keeps pasta from sticking to each other either with the cold water method? I guess I should try. I've cooked pasta in very little water in a pan a lot but not starting out cold.

One of the Pasta Grannies says one must use old, floury potatoes for gnocchi. Another just says floury, dense. I thought I would see them pressing water out but nah.

Welp pasta gammy making gnocchi w tomato sauce is the cutest thing ever. And she boiled then immediately mixed hot, riced spud into her flour!
Can't argue w Gran, eh. I think if you don't boil gnocchi they're gonna have a unpleasant uncooked flour aspect. . . Anyways, if I make a gnocchi I think I'm only really interested in a butternut or sweet potato version fwiw