BASIC: COOKING PASTA

BASIC: COOKING PASTA

Pasta should not be scary nor intimidating.  Weather your buying basic pasta or exotic pasta, guess what they all cook the same.  Once you learn to cook one type your one your way too cooking all types. 
 And here is some important tips to keep in mind.
1. The smaller the pasta is the faster it will cook.
2. The thicker the pasta is the longer it will take to cook.
3. The water does not have to come to a rolling boil, before you put the pasta in.
4. Once the pasta start to cook, you can turn down the temperature to medium, this is the trick to keeping the water from boiling over.  

Ok here is the basic run down of cooking pasta.

1.  Fill a large pot a little more than half way full of water, turn on high.   Adding salt is optional

2.  When you see small bubbles accumulating on the bottom you can add your pasta.  It does not matter if there is a little or a lot of bubbles.  Add the noodles or if it's spaghetti break it in half.

3. Keep and eye on your pot of cooking pasta and stir often this keep the pasta from sticking together. 

4. As soon as you see the water start to boil really good, turn down the heat to medium high. Now if that is still seems too hot and the water is still rolling, turn it down to medium low.  Basically turn it down to a simmer.  You see the water bubble a little, but not rolling boil. Keep stirring often.

 5. Foam 1 and Foam 2. 
 5a.  Foam 1 is a slight layer of very tiny bubbles that lay on top of the water, this is the starch that is released from the pasta and let's you know that their almost done.
  5b.  Foam 2  When you see lot's of large bubbles and their popping and being replaced by for large bubbles this means you need to add more water to the pot.   This is perfectly fine.   Get two cups of either hot or cold water add it to the pot.  Turn to high and let the boiling start all over again and adjust the temperature according to step 4.

6.  Testing the pasta.  You can take some out of the pot and cool it down and eat it.   How do you determine?   Pasta should be soft, but not mushy.  If it is chewy, it probably needs to cook longer.
All bags of pasta have cooking times on them to help you judge doneness.  With thicker pasta it is possible to cut into the pasta and see the uncooked area,  when that little line of uncooked pasta disappears, you can cook it a minute or two more and it should be done.  

7. You can also cook your noddles al dente like the French like it.   A bit on the chewy side.  That is perfectly fine. But keep in mind when I say chewy, it still should be easy to eat. 

8.  Draining your pasta.  NEVER DRAIN BOILING WATER DOWN THE SINK!  Some houses have plastic pipes, this will melt them and end up costing you money.    Put a strainer in a large bowl and dump pasta into it.  Remove the pasta and let the water cool.

9. Hot pasta does not need to be cooled.

10. Cooling Pasta fast.  After you cool and discard cool pasta water, put the pasta in a large bowl add cold water and ice cubes, swish around.  All the ice cube should melt.  Strain again and you have instant cold pasta.

11.  Sadly noddles do not freeze well.  However if you freeze then in soup they do survive the trip.

I hope this helps with your exciting Pasta Adventures.  :)