Perfect Pasta-
Pasta is a staple in our home and my menopause middle is proof of that,giggle. Today I am sharing some of my “perfect pasta” methods. If you have any pasta making tips please share them with me in the comment section. I hope these little tips will help you to have perfect pasta every time-
- YES-Use plenty of water, the ideal amount is 4 to 6 quarts per pound of pasta. This allows the pasta enough room to cook without sticking together.
- YES- Stir pasta when you first add it to the water to prevent it from sticking together and to the bottom of the pot. Clumped pasta is avoidable if you stir within the first 2 minutes of cooking before the starches are released into the water.
- NO- There is no need to add oil. If you have enough water, you won’t need to add oil to prevent sticking.
- YES – Add salt for flavor but not too much; remember that your sauce will also add flavor.
- NO-Don’t throw noodles against the wall to test for “doneness” (not even if you’re angry) remember you’ll just have to clean your wall later. Instead, use the cooking time on the package directions as a guide. Then try a piece to see if it’s the right texture. I like my pasta “al dente” (a little chewy), but you might like it softer.
- Yes- Drain in a colander as soon as it is ready.
- NO- Don’t rinse cooked pasta; you’ll rinse away the starch, which actually helps the sauce stick. Only rinse pasta if it will be used in a cold salad.
for my marinara sauce recipe please click HERE
I plan to make pasta from scratch soon and I look forward to sharing that experience with you too. Do you have a from scratch pasta recipe you would like me to try?
Do you have any perfect pasta tips to share?
I look forward to seeing you at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop. ( you can link up starting tomorrow night at 8 pm MST).
Wonderful tips! Thanks for sharing. I’ll surely try these tips for my pasta recipe.
Great tips, now I’ll stop adding oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
Sweet Sandra, did you try my tips? hugs
I love this! Pinned. Lou Lou Girls
Thank you for pinning xo
Great pasta tips – and your marinara sauce looks wonderful. Thanks for hosting the #ThursdayFavoriteThingsBlogHop!
Thank you Susan, I look forward to to the hop every week. Thursday Favorite Things, is one of my favorite things. Hugs
I remember when I was little I read in a novel that throwing the pasta at the wall….well you know! Yeah right, it’s just messy and doesn’t tell you much! LOL You are trying to tempt me with pasta…I really want some alfredo!
I hope you had that alfredo pasta you were craving my friend. xo
great! I love making pasta from scratch, in fact, it’s the only way it’s eaten around my house! Making lasagna from scratch is my absolute favorite, it takes a while but the result is so delicious and lasts for so long it’s definitely worth it!
Rachel I must say I am a bit envious. I look forward to trying it . Hugs
I have always wanted to make fresh pasta – even bought the attachment for my mixer, but never used it!
Pam I hope you ill share when you do make it. I am looking forward to giving it a try too. Hugs
My wife and I have always wanted to try making our own pasta. We’d like to do one with spinach in it.
Spinach pasta is so delicious! Please let me know how it turns out. You know I will share when I make our pasta from scratch. Hugs!
Katie, this was great! I have only one suggestion for people who need to eat gluten-free pasta like I do. Don’t make more than you can eat at one meal! Leftover GF pasta is NOT good at all! It doesn’t have that “spring” in the noodles that regular pasta does even for leftovers and has kind of a grainy consistency.
Blessings!
~Anna
Hello sweet Anna, wonderful tip about the gluten free pasta my friend. xo
Thanks for your tips… I thought that pasta had to be rinsed after cooking but I rarely do and know you have explained why and it makes perfect sense!!! I have recently found a recipe to make pasta using pesto and veggies….I’ve made it with red pesto and also green pesto, lots of flavor!! The next time I make it, I would add some crumbled feta (a suggestion offered by my son!).
Your pasta dish sounds fantastic Michele. Sorry for the delay in replying. Hugs P.S. your son has a great idea about the feta cheese too.
Looks so yummy, its fun to throw noodles 😉 xx
giggle, I think we would have fun throwing noodles together, giggle. xo
Love your tips and big pasta cooker here, so thank you for sharing!! 🙂 xoxo!!
Thank you, I make every kind of pasta. I look forward to experimenting with making pasta from scratch. xo
Katherine ~ LOL ~ “don’t throw the noodles at the wall, even if you’re angry” – BUT IT’S SO FUN!!! 🙂 The only suggestion I have, is that instead of adding salt to the water I add one chicken bouillon cube to the pasta water.
Hope you’re having a good week! Julia
Hi Julia, I love your bouillon cube tip. I can’t use bullion cubes because of the MSG. But I do use homemade chicken broth for white rice instead of water. Hugs!