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Tips For Making Pasta

Feel Good Foodie

  In Nigeria, spaghetti and macaroni are the popular brands of pasta that feature once or twice in the weekly menu of most families. Many think it’s one of the easiest meals to prepare but it’s not exactly so. I have made a few mistakes since my pasta making journey started. I’m also happy that my pasta game keeps improving by the day. I came across these tips a few weeks ago. When I tried them for the first time, my family testified that the pasta I made that day was the best they ever had. Since then, it’s been testimony upon testimony.
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Today, I decided to share these tips with you. Please oh, don’t say I can cook pasta. Just keep quiet and read because that sticky, soggy mess that you’ve been cooking and serving your family is not it oh! That said, if you want your own pasta perfecto, here are a few basic tips that can help you:

Bring Water to a Rapid Boil before Adding the Pasta:

Pasta and cold water should not be added to the pot and brought to boil at the same time. Pasta shouldn’t even be added if the water is not boiling hot. Doing either of these will result in soggy, improperly cooked pasta.  If you want your Pasta to cook properly, then bring your water to boil then add the pasta to the pot.

Cook with a Generous Quantity of Water and Salt:

When cooking pasta, it’s important to fill your pot with enough water. This will give the pasta the freedom and space to move freely as it expands. Moreover, you need to season this food with salt. Adding a generous quantity of salt to the water is the only way to flavour the pasta. Don’t worry, the pasta won’t even absorb all that salt. It will only take what it needs.
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Drop and Stir:

We often worry that our pasta will stick together while cooking. So, we add oil to the water. While the oil in the water keeps our pasta from sticking together, it also makes it greasy. A better way to keep your pasta from sticking together is to stir it once it’s added to the pot of boiling water. Also, stir from time to time during the cooking process.

Check the Package for Timing:

Every brand of pasta has its own proper cooking time. This cooking time is indicated in the package. Thus, read the instruction on the package. Start testing your pasta two minutes before the indicated time. Please note that properly cooked pasta should be tender but firm to the teeth. Since that is the case, if your pasta will cook further in a stew or sauce, it should be removed from water slightly before it achieves the tender but firm goal.

Save Some Cooking Water:

This tip is important for cooking pasta in the sauce. Before draining the Pasta, ladle a cup of the cooking water into a bowl or cup. Add this pasta water to the sauce when you add the pasta. It’ll help the sauce to adhere better to the Pasta.

Prepare Sauce and Salad before Pasta:

Pasta should not be cooked then allowed to sit and dry off while the sauce is getting ready. The starches in it will just firm up and the pasta will stick together. If you want the best pasta result, then prepare the sauce and salad for the pasta before you cook the pasta. Keep the sauce warm then add the pasta to it once it’s drained. Finally, it’s the little things in cooking that make all the difference. I hope you try these tips the next time you make Pasta. Source: Chatelaine Featured Image Source: Feel Good Foodie
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