How to Cook Pasta

I wish I could say that cooking pasta was difficult and required the sharpest eye and mind to cook properly, but I'd be lying. Cooking pasta is pretty simple. You just boil it.

Sort of. If you want to get the best results, you do have to pay some attention to it.

When cooking for four people, use about 1/4 pound of dry pasta, or one pound of fresh pasta. Don't mix the two. Trust me. You won't like the results.

Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. That may seem like a lot of salt, but it's not. For pasta, you want the water “salty like the sea.” Add the pasta, cover, reduce the heat to medium low and set your timer. Most dry shaped pasta will cook in 10 to 15 minutes. Fresh pasta takes no time at all, only 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how thick it is. Stir the pasta often while it's cooking to keep it from sticking together.

Just before the time is up, lift out some pasta with a fork or slotted spoon and bite into it (let it cool first, please). It should be tender, but retain some of it's “bite.” That's what “al dente” means: “to the teeth.” You don't want to under cook pasta, or it will be inedible. Overcooking is just as bad. Mushy pasta is a terrible thing to inflict on others and just think, why make a great sauce only to serve it with bad pasta? (Trust me. I learned this the hard way.)

Remove the pot from the heat and drain the pasta in a large colander. Shake it to drain off as much liquid as possible. Shapes like penne, macaroni, and conchiglie trap water so take extra care draining them. A very small amount remaining is okay. It helps “loosen” the sauce and lets it spread more evenly.

One way to make sure you don't overcook pasta is to cook it until not quite done, drain it, mix it with the sauce, and return it to the stove, over medium low heat. This way, the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce, and absorbs some of its flavor. Of course, you've got to have a fairly "moist" sauce to start with.

While the directions above are great for shaped pasta, such as penne or fusilli, cooking dried spaghetti and other long dry pastas requires just a bit more care at the start. Most long pastas aren't going to fit in the pot all at once, and have to soften a bit before they can be completely submerged. Fresh spaghetti's already soft, so that doesn't count.

I've found a couple of methods to deal with the problem, including breaking the pasta in half, but I like this method. Once the water boils, hold the pasta bundle in one hand and set the pasta upright on one end, in the very center of the pot. Quickly let go of the pasta and pull your hand away. The pasta will fall to the sides, spiraling out almost like a flower. This covers the water and forces the rising steam onto the pasta, softening it more quickly. As the pasta softens, carefully nudge the tops down to allow the pasta to coil into the water until fully submerged. Now set your timer. Continue as above, stirring often.

Sometimes people will add olive oil to the boiling water. My wife claims it stops the pasta from sticking together, but that doesn't make sense to me. The oil is going to sit on top, not down where the pasta is. What it can do is help stop the water from boiling over, because the oil provides a film that boils at a much lower temperature, forcing the water to break up as it pushed through the film. It's not perfect, but I have noticed a slight difference when I do this. Normally, I save the olive oil to toss with the pasta.

Chinese egg noodles (ramen) are even easier. They usually come packed in dry, flat sheets or rectangles. About 1 1/2 pounds are sufficient for four people. There are as many ways to cook ramen as there are brands. One very simple way is to bring plenty of water to a boil in a large pot, add the noodles, and then remove from the heat. Let the noodles soak in the hot water for about six minutes and drain thoroughly in a colander. You can also get pretty good results in the microwave. Put the noodles into a large microwave safe bowl. Add enough water to cover the noodles. Microwave on high for 5 minutes and drain. Either way, you can toss the noodles with a teaspoon or two of sesame oil afterward, if you like. That will keep them from sticking together and add a wonderful nutty flavor to the noodles.

Enjoy!

Picture by Klaus Post. Used by permission.

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Peanut Butter Pasta - Hold the Jelly

Peanut butter is a staple food for me. I love it's taste, texture, and smell. “Man cannot live by bread alone,” my mother would say. “He has to have peanut butter.” Now that I'm grown, I've become a bit of a peanut butter connoisseur. We don't buy any old peanut butter around this house. Oh, no. We buy the natural stuff that you've got to stir up when you get home. It's more expensive, but it's much better tasting, and better for you, than that no-stir crap that has hydrogenated vegetable oils mixed in with it.

One of my favorite pasta dishes, and a favorite of my children as well, is spaghetti with peanut butter sauce. Yep! Peanut butter pasta.

The first time I saw this recipe was in Jeff Smith's “Frugal Gourmet Whole Family Cookbook.” I loved the “Froog.” As a young man, I watched “The Frugal Gourmet” on PBS religiously. It's only natural that I picked up a thing or two from him.

As always, I've modified this recipe to fit my own tastes. It's simple enough that you might just get embarrassed telling anyone about it.

Peanut Butter Pasta

Ingredients

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup hot water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/3 cup milk
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
2/3 pound spaghetti, cooked.
Dried parsley for garnish

Combine peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper (leave it out if you don't like spicy food) in a small saucepan. over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until hot, smooth, and creamy. Stir in the milk and mix well. Toss with cooked spaghetti and serve, garnished with a bit of parsely.

Serves 4 to 6.

This dish works well for almost any pasta. It almost seems more at home over ramen noodles than spaghetti, probably because the flavors are straight from the Far East. My kids like it best over angel hair pasta. I like serving this dish with a side of corn, seasoned with butter and curry spice, and a tossed salad of lettuce and julienned cucumbers.

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What Pots and Pans Should I Buy?

As much as I like my new pasta roller, if you're going to cook pasta, you need a good cooking pot.

Pots and pans are some the most important pieces of equipment in your kitchen so, buy the best you can afford. You might be surprised at the quality you can get, at affordable prices, these days. Even so, don't go cheap. You want to buy quality pans that will last you for years, saving you wasted time and burned food.

What Pots and Pans do I Need?

Start off with about three deep pots, and one shallow pan. A saute pan is going to be the most versatile of the shallow pans. Most of the time, measurements for pans are taken across the top, not the bottom. Keeping that in mind can save you from buying a pan with a huge top, and a very small cooking surface on the bottom.

I like stainless steel pots and pans, with “sandwich” bottoms, because of the great balance of clean up, durability, cost, and heat distribution. A “sandwich” bottom is a heavy base made from a metal filling, sandwiched between stainless steel. Good heat conductors include copper, copper - silver alloy, and aluminum. They're slightly more expensive, but they will last for years.

For families, a large 9 1/2 inch pot is a great size for a large pot. Get one with two short metal handles that will allow it go into the oven. Then it can double as a casserole dish. It'll hold about 5 1/2 quarts and is large enough to hold an open steamer basket. They're useful for most cooking purposes, included sauces, soups, pot roasts, and, of course, pasta. They should come with a tight fitting lid. I prefer glass lids so I can see what's going on inside after I cover it.

A medium pot, about 7 inches in diameter, is essential. They hold about 3 quarts and come with either two short metal handles, or one long one. I use mine for cooking rice, and many pasta sauces. Just like the large pot, you want a tight lid.

A smaller sauce pan, about 5 3/4 inches in diameter and holding one quart, is the last starter pot. I have two: one with a stainless steel dual bottom, and one stainless steel with a copper-bottom jacket. Non-stick sauce pans are popular for making sauces with milk or cream, because of their tendency to stick, but I've not found that to be issue if you don't use too high of heat. I use these for sauces, or other dishes, where I don't need quite so much. I also use them when boiling eggs for breakfast. Once again, a tight lid is important.

I prefer a good 10” non-stick saute pan, with deep, straight sides and, again, a tight lid. Make sure the handles will hold up to high heat so you can put them in the oven, just like your pots. Mine has a short metal handle on one site, and a long metal handle on the other. This is really the work horse of my kitchen pans. It's excellent for frying, boiling, and most stir-frying.

What Other Pots and Pans Should I Get, Later?

Once you've got your three deep pots and a saute pan, consider getting an omelet pan. These are shallower than a saute pan, and have a curved edge. The curved edge makes it easier to “flip” the food in the pan.

Measuring across the base is important with an omelet pan, although most of them I've seen in stores report the size by measuring across the top. A 6 1 /2 inch bottom will be good for two-egg omelets, where a 9 inch bottom (my favorite) will be better for larger Spanish or Italian omelets. These pans are also useful for most frying tasks, including cooking pancakes. Some people prefer non-stick omelet pans because they can be easier to use.

A stove-top grill can be a great addition, as well. They make it easy to achieve a lovely grill mark indoors, without having to fire up the outdoor grill. Choose a pan with well defined ridges. It should be heavy, but not so heavy that you can't lift it easily. Some have folding handles that make them easier to store.

A griddle can be a good addition, as well. I've moved to a larger, electric, one for making pancakes, but I used a smaller, stove-top one can be good for making pancakes (you can get more on them than in an omelet pan). Many stove-top grills can be flipped over to double as griddles.

A steamer basket is a must for steaming vegetables or fish. Collapsible stainless steel ones are very popular, and very affordable. If you cook a lot steamed dishes, though, you may want to consider upgrading to a large, more expensive, bamboo one at some point. I certainly enjoy mine.

If you really like to stir-fry, at some point you'll want to get a wok. Get a large one, around 13 1/2 inches in diameter, if you've got room for it. Smaller ones can be had, but they won't hold as much. Good ones are made of pre-seasoned carbon steel and are easy to take care of. A wok with a slightly flat bottom are going to work well with both gas and electric burners. Many come fully equipped with a lid, ladle, spatula, and shovel.