Cooking Pasta

Oh Mary! Inbe4 this is an 800 mega thread of angry queens discussing. Oh I can't wait to read this on the shitter tomorrow morning!

Don't do it, OP. Pasta should be prepared in a tall pot. It has to be standing up when you place it in the water.

I've only ever used your method, OP.

How’s it done in Italy?

OP, don’t be coy. It isn’t cute, you know damn well what you’re doing.

I believe they use the boiling water method.

Do better OP.

For a pound of pasta, you need 4 to 6 quarts of water. Every recipe I've ever read says to follow the package direction for pasta.

I was watching Lidia Bastianich the other night on PBS, and she said that you can drain your pasta. I instantly thought of DL.

[quote] How’s it done in Italy?

The same as OP. Cooked al dente.

I've never heard of starting pasta in cold water - BUT - you can put pasta into a pot of boiling water, bring it back up to a boil, cover it tightly and turn off the heat. The pasta will still cook in the same amount of time with the same texture as if you kept it boiling for the usual time. This has been verified in many of those test kitchen situations - such as chowhound, cooks illustrated, smithsonian, etc etc. However, I'm linking a site, serious eats, which claims, like OP, that pasta can be cooked starting it in cold water. I remain somewhat skeptical

Thanks for the serious responses. I’m not being coy, I’ve been told this is a method. Link below.

As I posted, I have always cooked pasta in boiling water, al dente.

Well, if Alton says so it must be right.

[quote]Today I was told pasta can be cooked in cold water in a shallow pan.

The recipe doesn't call for "cooking the pasta in cold water," it calls for adding the pasta to the water when it's cold, then bringing the water to a boil, then decreasing the heat till the water is simmering. Anybody who doesn't understand the huge difference between those two things is mentally challenged and should not be allowed anywhere near a stove.

We say, STOP using the annoying construction, "What say you?"

OP I HATE YOU!! I hate your filthy stinking guts. You’re a fucking liar. Read your damn article. Of course the shits going to cook this way. You’re still using HEAT!!

Fuck you OP! Fuck you with sick that is going to give you anal warts.

I hope your goddamn grandma get jumped at the grocery store by a pervert too. Fuck you!

My grandmothers both passed two decades ago. But thanks for the thought r15.

Cook's Illustrated/ATK addressed this a while back. Basically you can do as OP says (start in cold water) BUT -- the problem is that the package directions only give you an estimated cooking time using THEIR method (i.e., start in boiling water), so you have to keep testing the pasta yourself (sooner than the package directions recommend) or it will be overcooked.

If you want to save time, you can make an angel hair pasta, which boils in about 2 minutes.

Somebody please toss a pot of boiling water on r15 for me.

Thanks.

R15 lay off the coke.

There was a woman on chowhound who regularly used to chastise everyone else for not cooking their pasta this way. It was wasteful and anti-ecological.

No, bitch. It takes too long.

How is it less wasteful? You still need water.

Doesn’t heat cause better water absorption?

Or walk into Olive Garden, ask about wait staff genitals, and shove the pasta into my piehole with my fingers.

I can't believe you queens use dried store-bought pasta. It doesn't matter how you prepare it. You are already defeated by that dried out shit. Your sense of shame should be all-encompassing.

I make my own pasta. It's rich and beautiful. Drop it in some boiling water and it's done in 3 minutes. Perfectly done.

Dried pasta? BAH!

I'm sure your homemade cavatappi is stunning, r24.

There's always some sort of pasta fad going on. For a while during the 1980s dry pasta was considered shitty and everybody was supposed to make fresh pasta from scratch.

We have jobs?

I can make my own pasta if I want to. And it is better most of the time, though that's partly because of the sauces I use when I roll my own. When I make some of the simpler sauces, like Marinara or Amatriciana, cavatappi or bucatini from DeCecco is the way to go. Or angel hair.

I prefer dried pasta.

What's the advantage of starting in cold water? Better taste?

Do you drain or not drain?

Tonight I made cavatappi, r29. Strained, not drained.

I couldn't possibly eat spaghetti, do I look Italian?

We should know who Donna is?

The important part is that when the pasta is done, you pluck it from the water using tongs. DO NOT dump it into a strainer!!!! That is SO TACKY!!

How can you boil pasta in cold water, OP?

Oh Dear God. Run for the hills, it's a cooking pasta thread.

well?

0/10, OP. You could at least have tried something non-pasta.

OP, this is yet another of those "We don't know. You try it and tell us" threads.

[quote]No, bitch. It takes too long.

It takes LESS time, not more.

Did you do it?

Anyone who thinks that dry pasta is for some reason inferior to fresh pasta knows nothing about pasta.. They are two different products. Made from different ingredients with a different texture and flavour. In Italy dry pasta is probably 8O% of what is consumed. Pasta is added to boiling watger because it must cook from the outside in, in order to keep it al dente at the center. Starting with cold water means that the pasta cooks through evenly . You don't want that. Also: salt disolves better in hot water and long cuts of pasta like spaghetti need bend quicky in order to fit in a pot and properly.

Please excuse the typos.

Nessun problema, r42.

Bravo. Grazie.

This will end in tears

Cathy Mitchell swears by the microwave Pasta Boat.

[quote]I can't believe you queens use dried store-bought pasta. It doesn't matter how you prepare it. You are already defeated by that dried out shit.

Certain types of pasta are prepared fresh, certain types are bought like spaghetti. When you make pasta you always let it dry a bit anyway so...

I once shared an apartment with an Italian friend and everything R41 wrote is true. He was very specific with everything and teach me all the title tricks like only adding the salt when the water is boiling and to never press down spaghetti into the pot (it should just go with the heat). I do think other methods can save energy and time but there is a reazon things are done the way they are donne. I trust the real Italian method for flavour and centuries of trying and testing how to cook pasta.

I grow my own grains. I only use all natural fertilizers. No pesticides or herbicides. I work the soil to reach the exact correct ph and nutrients. Then I use only the grain seeds that have been passed down generation to generation by my family of grain growers. We are descended from the original Neolithic agrarians in the Fertile Crescent. We thresh and pound our grains into upma, breads, pasta, couscous and grain alcohol.

I cannot wrap my head around such things as “dried pasta” and “store bought goods.” We trade our grain products for meat, eggs, fruits. We feast upon wild berries in summers and drink our alcohol beverages in winter, warmed by a fire in our stone hearths.

I honestly can’t believe people don’t grow their own foods and trade for delicious goods from one’s neighboring communes. Disgusting.

R49 how do you wipe your ass?

What R41 said, and if your pot is boiling you should be able to push the spaghetti into the water with your hand and it will bend in place.

But Italian people are not considered white!!!

This pasta draining Thea’s is Tearing is Apart!!!

I love R49.

[quote]I cannot wrap my head around such things as “dried pasta”

Can you not wrap your head around things such as dried shiitake or pickles? Same idea.

But if you create "upma" you live in a tropical environment so you've never had to prepare for winter. Not sympathetic.

Wherever one can grow semolina, one can make upma.

Cold water cooked pasta.OMG....you harlots can't cook.First calling GRAVY sauce...now this madness. You all are killing traditions,like reckless whores.

Upma is from India. So why would you make it in Italy?

Upma is made of semolina. Rava is cream of wheat.

Regardless, R60, porridge is boring. Next.

May as well have sorghum tastelessness. Next.

Porridge was made before bread was

Porridge is fucking boring as fuck. Next.

Buy or make fresh pasta. It cooks in 2 - 3 minutes and tastes way better, especially if it's made with egg yolks. And you do add it to water at a full boil after the boiling water has been salted. All pasta can either be drained in the sink (always save a cup or two of the pasta water before you dump it out. Even better is to get it out with tongs or a spider and add it to what you are cooking to go with it, like shrimp, or meatballs, or just sauce .

Polenta is underrated here in the States.

You. Can't. Make. Fresh. Spaghetti. R65.

Do you have a giant machine and bronze dies at home to help you with that?

[quote]like shrimp, or meatballs, or just sauce .

Jesus christ.

I serve meatballs with bread.

[quote]r8 I was watching Lidia Bastianich the other night on PBS, and she said that you can drain your pasta. I instantly thought of DL.

And I'm not Italian, so it also comes with mashed potatoes, as well as a green veg and non-green veg and sometimes salad if I'm not lazy.

It's true.

I made pasta for a friend last night. Linguine.

I sauteed half a diced onion in olive oil and butter, added garlic, pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and then GOOD ground beef (as Ina would say) to brown.

Then I put in 2 coarsely chopped peppers (red and yellow) and, after a bit, lots of small halved mushrooms. I did not let the vegetables get overly soft and turn to mush ... as can sometimes happen. I wanted them just very slightly [italic]al dente.[/italic]

Stirred it all into a jar of Trader Joe's red vodka pasta sauce, and they loved it. Even though I made them clean the mushrooms, which is tedious.

R34, apparently you add the pasta to a pan then heat to a boil. I’ve never tried it, but was told it was no different from adding pasta to boiling water. I didn’t believe that.

Thank you r41. That makes perfect sense.

"Trader Joe's"

What is this shit? And why do so many people work for this dollar store brand?

I can’t wrap dried pasta around my head

[quote]Then I put in 2 coarsely chopped peppers (red and yellow) and, after a bit, lots of small halved mushrooms.

Why the fuck would you do that?

Take a pound or two of mushrooms, add them after you start with butter, garlic and parsley. (Insert Italian here that means "in the way you make truffles") You wouldn't want "sweet" peppers for that, then use that as a base and add something to create a sauce.... or use just that and finish with a blend of cheeses after you toss it with the pasta. Much tastier.

You could even finish with some tomato and then toss gnocchi in it, not leaving out the cheese of course.

Cream would also work.

Then add a blend of parmigiano and romano for depth. Or just parmigiano in this case because the mushrooms should have enough of that.

WASTE

I hope that the mushrooms were either thinly sliced or chopped according to the shape of the pasta.

What r77 said. And if you do use peppers, put them in with your onions, at first. Then your mushrooms.

R77-80*

And you should either use roasted peppers so that you have full flavour and add them after or use fresh peppers with the skin peeled off so you get adequate browning if you're going to start with them. But you aren't going to brown them adequately if you have mushrooms because of the liquid that they contain.

Trader Joe’s is the worst

No peppers. Ever.

Lately, I've been starting my tomato sauce with a mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery). Anybody else do that?

[quote]r77 Why the fuck would you do that?

Because I wanted the 2 vegetables to be recognizable, and retain their own individual tastes in bites.

Maple syrup in tepid brackish branchwater heated by wind power makes perfect pasta for my family unfailingly.

Placing pasta in pot of cold water and then bringing it to boil . . . I can't, I just can't.

Also, what R86 said with mushrooms. It doesn't work. It's almost as bad as someone cooking mushrooms and dumping them on top of uncooked lettuce and calling it a "salad".

Some people can cook. Some people can't cook.

Everyone can f-ing [italic]lay off[/italic] my mushroom and sweet pepper concoction. It was very good.

Some people lack vision... you don't have to cook things the exact same way every single time.

Serve pasta while wearing earrings and caftans

Nonetheless, r93, it pays to do things [italic]correctly[/italic] every single time.

And "f-ing" is pussified. Just say "fucking." If cooking—or should it be "c-ing"?—is too much for you, you can at least swear correctly.

These shallow pan and one pot meals give you mushy overcooked pasta.

Most Americans like overcooked pasta and if you are one then make it mushy.

I’m with R95 on this one.

Thanks for opening a can of worms, OP.

R67, I've had this pasta maker for about 2 years. It is amazing. I got it figuring it might be okay, but it makes every shape of pasta quickly, with no fail directions. It actually weighs the ingredients as you put them in and will tell you to adjust quantities if it isn't right. Makes a pound of pasta in a couple of minutes.

R32, yes, Jake. You should know who Donna is. Though I think she was originally talking about pizza.

[quote]r95 Nonetheless, [R93], it pays to do things correctly every single time.

The "correct" way to cook, every single time, is so the dish tastes good, is (at least somewhat) nutritious, and makes people happy.

[quote]And "f-ing" is pussified. Just say "fucking."

F you! AND the caftan you rode in on! It saves me key strokes.

[quote]Non-martinet

Big fucking moron, though.

Listen, watch yourself. I am on the VERGE of adding chocolate chips to my next pasta sauce and delivering it to your door, just to give you a heart attack.

Yeah, and I'll know it's not your ganache because it'll say Nonna's Salsa del Ginzoid.

I bought real maple syrup from Trader Joe’s and it was disgusting. I’ll stick with chemically laden Aunt Jemima which tastes good.

^^ Thanks for the heads up. I'll use it in the special sauce I'm making for r104

I agree r90 and r96. That is why I asked.

Best Quick Italian Dinner:

Make your pasta, then

Add it to a sauté pan that's simmering in olive oil and garlic.

Next, toss in frozen breakfast sausages of your liking. I like Jimmy Dean. Just chop them up beforehand, a nickels thickness is plenty.

Next, toss in one half cube of dried chicken buillion, or however it's spelled.

Stir.

Once it smells like it's done, put on a plate and add fresh grated cheese.

It is so good.

What's wrong with straining your past? Seriously. This is what I always do.

I heat the water to a boil with salt and butter in it, put in the pasta, cook it for as long as it says on the package that I should cook it, strain it, and voila, edible food.

I strain my past, but not my future

Well as long as you rinsed it, the pasta should be fine.

I don't rinse it.

[quote]Some people can cook. Some people can't cook.

Yan can cook! And so can you!

No need to put oil in with the boiling pasta. Stupidest thing ever. If anything, it blocks the sauce from soaking into the pasta.

I can't imagine Lidia saying it's okay to rinse your pasta. I think she meant you can pour it into a colander in the sink instead of using tongs or a spider to go directly from the pot to the pan of whatever sauce you're making. I don't think she meant run it under water. That would ruin it.

A long time cook will be able to tell when the pasta is done either way. It will be al dente, "to the tooth". BUT - if you are a beginner, use the package directions to the letter. Improve your cooking ability and eventually you won't have to time anything but cakes and cookies.

Skip the butter, r109. Who told you to do THAT?

I'm curious, R49, where do you harvest the hydrogen to make your own water?

I wouldn't reccomend puttting your hand completely in the boiling water, R51. Just to the knuckles sho uld do it.

Nô more cooking threads for me. They bring out the loonies. 🤪🙄

If someone can't figure out pasta, dry or fresh, then you have no business being anywhere near boiling water.

Pasta is the key to a truly gay lifestyle

It´s a bottoms dish, acording to Sophia.

[quote]Skip the butter, [R109]. Who told you to do THAT?

I figured it out on my own. The butter prevents the pasta from sticking together too much.

No, r124. It doesn't do anything.

Why can't someone make spaghetti at home? They have these racks that fit on a counter that you use for longer homemade pasta.

You can, r126.

When you people out there in the dark are done with the drowning, can we move on to discuss deep fried pasta?

Pasta fritta! Si!

Are you Napoletano, r128?

nope i´m kraut and strudel

I've always wanted to try this:

I've never understood the whole "save some pasta water and use it to thin out the sauce." My sauces don't need thinning.

Draining it in a colander is just fine. However, care must be taken to drain the majority of the boiling water slowly so it has a chance to escape down the drain before the pasta is poured into the colander. Nothing is more disgusting than seeing pasta in the sink being flooded by whatever backwash bubbled up from the drain when a careless cook mindlessly dumps the contents of the whole pot in at once.

Here’s my pasta recipes, bitches

[quote]Here’s my pasta recipes, bitches

Um, you're linking to a video of how to make noodles, dumbass!

[quote]I can't imagine Lidia saying it's okay to rinse your pasta.

Perhaps because she didn't?

[quote]I was watching Lidia Bastianich the other night on PBS, and she said that you can drain your pasta.

[Quote] When you people out there in the dark are done with the drowning, can we move on to discuss deep fried pasta?

And then can we move on to talking about deep fried Mars Bars because they're fucking delicious.

Pasta is like a baked potato ... you can add a variety of things to it to dress it up, and they're almost all good.

There are no hard and fast rules.

There. I've said it.

I had to share this impromptu recipe that I whipped up tonight. It was a "what can I cook for dinner" moment. Here is the "method" I used: Use a medium skillet with a lid. Cook on med. 2 tbsp of butter and 2 T veg oil, slice thinly 1/2 huge onion or 1 reg. Throw in skillet and cook on medium heat until the onions are translucent and almost browning. Next - Throw in an entire container of cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, italian seasoning, pepper, and put lid on. Lower heat to just above low and pop the lid back on and go somewhere with your timer set for 10 min. Keep resetting timer in 10 min increments and when the tomatoes have burst, it is done. Suggested wine - Two Buck Chuck - any white.

I poured this over a plain baked potato that I had in cooked in microwave. You could boil some pasta as another alternative. I also could have sprinkled parmesan on top. but I forgot. The sauce with tomato/butter was delish. I am out of EVOO, but would have used it if I had any.

(132) Pasta water is used to thicken the sauce, since it contains the starch left from the pasta. I agree with the prev poster who comment on pouring the pasta into a colandar in the sink. I much prefer a sieve with a handle and pulling the pasta out in batches, leaving the water in pot. I have years and years of experience, but some things are always the same. I have some recipes direct from someone's nonna from Italia.

[quote]r139 I poured this over a plain baked potato that I had in cooked in microwave. You could boil some pasta as another alternative. I also could have sprinkled parmesan on top. but I forgot.

Did you know you can cook a single serving of pasta in a dish of water in the microwave?

A good trick to know.

When I want a small serving of pasta, I cook 2 oz. of cavatappi (or something similar) in a half-filled 2 quart saucepan of boiling water. It takes ten minutes. Toss w/sauce and cheese.

I make a lot of one pan pasta meals where you brown the meat first in a skillet/frying pan, add all of the other ingredients (including the uncooked pasta) over it, bring it to a boil, stir, cover and simmer, and it all cooks at once. The liquid is usually a mix of milk (or milk and cream), vegetable stock or chicken stock, and some water. Along with a small can of tomato sauce. If it's linguini or a spaghetti, you have to separate out the pasta so it doesn't cook clumped together. The results tend to be delicious.

I love one pot pasta

I love two pots, but I need pasta