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Cooking
pasta is easy, but how much water to use, which pot, and the
right combination of pasta and sauce must be chosen carefully
in order to prepare a perfect pasta meal.
Pasta should be prepared just before serving it.
● Use a tall, large pot filled no more
than 3/4 with water. If there is too much water in the pan it
may boil over and too little water will not allow the pasta
to cook properly.
● Use a 6-8 quart capacity pot to prepare
one pound of pasta.
● The temperature of the water used to
fill the pot does not affect the end result of the pasta and
its performance. However, using hot tap water will allow the
water to come to a boil faster.
Salt the water.
● Salting the water brings out the natural
flavor of the pasta.
● Salt must be added once the water has
started to boil. If the salt is added too late, it will not
be absorbed correctly into the pasta. Adding salt too early
may lengthen the boiling time.
● Allow the salt to dissolve before adding
the pasta.
● If you are on a sodium restricted diet,
please follow your doctor’s orders. Adding salt is optional
and a matter of taste.
Add the pasta and quickly return the pot to a boil.
● Pour in the pasta and increase the
heat source to bring the water back to a boil.
● Do not cover the pot.
● Stir the pasta gently several times
while it is cooking, approximately every three minutes.
Do not add oil to the water.
● If the pasta use of premium ingredients,
the pasta guarantees superior quality and performance. When
poor quality wheat is used, the pasta releases too much starch
and sticks together.
● Olive oil does nothing for the taste
of pasta and its usage will make the pasta slippery, allowing
the sauce to “slide” off the pasta.
● Italians do not use olive oil when
cooking pasta.
Follow the cooking times on the package.
● For perfect pasta, simply follow the
cooking times on the package, even though it is a good idea
to taste the pasta just before draining to make sure it suits
your taste.
● Pasta has been cooked properly when
it is soft on the outside, but the inside is still a little
hard. In authentic Italian cooking, this is called al dente.
Drain pasta immediately after it is done cooking.
● Drain pasta into a large colander and
toss it gently to remove excess liquid.
● The pasta should remain moist but not
dripping wet.
● Pasta should not be rinsed after cooking
unless for a pasta salad recipe. The natural starches released
from the pasta complement the pasta meal because they help “bind”
the sauce that is to be used, and allow the sauce to adhere
better to the pasta.
● Always save a couple of tablespoons
of the cooking water; it may be needed to dilute the sauce or
in sautéing the pasta with the sauce before serving.
● In Italy, pasta is usually undercooked
in the water by about 3 minutes. Pasta is then transferred to
a sauté pan with the prepared sauce, and then cooked with the
sauce for the additional 3 minutes—allowing the pasta to absorb
the flavors of the sauce.
Add sauce and serve immediately.
● When pasta is drained it is still cooking.
Therefore, the sauce should be added quickly.
● Pasta should be served hot.
● Italians use very little sauce with
their pasta—just enough to coat it.
● To finish the pasta, top with parmesan
cheese, a little freshly ground black pepper or olive oil.
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