Modern housewives cannot devote much time to the kitchen. Therefore, one of the best side dishes is pasta. Their positive feature is that they require no more than fifteen minutes to prepare, they do not burn, and you do not need to stand near the pan and monotonously stir its contents. The pasta, one might say, cooks on its own (you only need to reduce the heat under the pan in time and stir the product once or twice), and you can start preparing the remaining elements of lunch or dinner.
How long to cook pasta depends, naturally, on what flour it is made from. Manufacturers offer a huge selection of cones, noodles, curls, shells and many others. Pasta, which is made from durum wheat, is of the highest quality, but also costs an order of magnitude more than regular pasta. If the box says “pasta di semola di grano duro”, it means that you have chosen really good pasta that will allow you to enjoy the true taste of an Italian dish. The package also indicates how long to cook the pasta in accordance with its type and the quality of flour used in its production.
When cooking, use large pans. Pasta needs a lot of water so that it doesn't stick together and cooks well. The ratio should be 1:10, that is, at least a liter of water is required per hundred grams of product. When cooked, the product boils, that is, it swells in water and, therefore, increases its volume. You need to remember how long to cook the pasta in order to prevent contamination of the stove and flooding the fire itself (and this, in turn, can lead to gas poisoning). Because the water in which the pasta is cooked can “escape” from the pan if the heat is not reduced.
When the water in the pan boils, you should salt it, add the products and set a timer for how long to cook the pasta. If you want to cook spaghetti, then you should put it into the pan at one end without breaking it, and slowly press it on the other. In boiling water, the pasta will quickly become soft and fit neatly into the pan. How long to cook also depends on the quality of the product itself, but no more than thirteen minutes.
The best way to tell if your pasta is done is to simply taste it. You should not hesitate with this procedure and the first sample can be taken in about eight minutes. Then you should take out a colander and rinse it with boiling water. Almost everyone knows how long to cook pasta, but not everyone is aware that pasta is served in warm dishes and never placed in cold kitchen utensils. You also need to rinse the product with hot water, but good and high-quality pasta should only be rinsed or simply do not completely drain the water in the pan. The plates need to be warmed up and only then the prepared dish should be placed on them. Pasta is usually served with various sauces, meat and vegetables.
In addition, you can make various kinds of casseroles from pasta, which will deliciously diversify your usual cuisine. To prepare the casserole, you only need to bring the product until half cooked. How long should you cook pasta? Just a couple of minutes, just throw them into boiling water and no later than five minutes later, take them out and put them in a colander. In this case, the pasta should be rinsed with cold water. Then we put them in a mold, add meat or minced meat, pre-fried with onions until half cooked and cut into pieces, pour it all with a delicious sauce (you can use it from a bag) and put it in the oven to bake. How long to cook: About half an hour. You can serve the casserole with salad and garnish it with herbs.
As the Italians say: “Buon appetito!”
Today we will tell you how long to cook pasta. As you know, during the cooking process, many people make mistakes by not following the correct recipe. After all, knowing all the nuances and secrets, you can prepare incredibly tasty and healthy pasta. Interesting? Then be sure to read this article.
First of all, the taste and quality of the dish depends on the shape and type of pasta. The assortment is greater than ever: cones, spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli, vermicelli, “bows”, etc.
How and how long to cook pasta?
1. Take a large saucepan, pour 0.5 liters of water into it, place it on the stove and turn on maximum heat. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil (so that the pasta does not stick together in the process) and salt to taste.
2. When the water boils, add the pasta. After the second boil, reduce the heat and cook for 7-10 minutes. Open the lid slightly, but do not close it completely (this way the pasta will turn out whole and not overcooked).
3. Taste it. When everything is ready, pour it into a colander and wait for the water to drain. If you want to save the cooked portion for tomorrow, then be sure to rinse it under cold water to prevent it from sticking together.
How to cook pasta in the microwave? Cooking time 10 min. Fill the pasta with water, add oil (1 tbsp) and salt to the bowl. Close the container, set the power to 500 W and cook for up to 10 minutes. All is ready.
How to cook in a slow cooker? Fill the pasta with water, add butter (1 tsp), set the “steaming” mode and cook for up to 10 minutes.
How to cook pasta in a double boiler? Fill the bottom container of the steamer with water. Then pour the pasta into a bowl, add water, salt, add vegetable oil, cover with a lid and cook for up to 15 minutes. Place in a colander and drain off excess liquid.
How long to cook pasta?
– spaghetti (8-9 min)
– vermicelli (3-5 min)
– pasta horns (7-9 min)
– fettuccine (up to 10 min)
– tagliatelle (up to 5 min)
– lasagna sheets (up to 5-6 minutes)
– noodles (5-7 min)
– ravioli (4-7 min)
– “bows” (up to 10 min)
– pasta (8-10 min)
7 Secrets on how to cook delicious and healthy pasta
- If you don’t cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes, then it will have less calories.
- To prevent the pasta from sticking together during the process, be sure to add vegetable oil (1 tbsp) and stir occasionally.
- Do not close the lid during cooking
- If the pasta turns out to be overcooked, don’t worry, everything can be fixed. Rinse under cold water.
- If you are preparing a complex pasta dish, which must later be cooked, then you should not finish cooking it.
- To ensure that the pasta is warm when serving, you must first pour hot water into the colander.
- To make the dish tasty and tender, then do it as follows: put 60-80 grams of butter in the saucepan where you cooked the pasta and melt it. Then lower again and stir. All is ready!
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Pasta is a versatile dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. Depending on the type, the preparation may differ, but the cooking principle is the same everywhere. Of course, there are a number of features that experienced chefs have noticed. So, if you want to know, then you definitely need to read them.
What is the main advantage of pasta? The fact is that they cook quickly and taste quite pleasant. Especially if you season them with some sauce or ketchup. Men love this dish for its ease and speed of preparation, and women for the huge number of recipes and varieties. In addition, they are much healthier than ordinary semi-finished products, and are much cheaper, so you can safely refuse doshiraki and start learning how to cook pasta.
You will need:
Before cooking
Be sure to read the instructions (if any) located on the package. The manufacturer knows best how long his product takes to cook. But it’s better not to leave the stove, especially if you’re cooking for the first time.
Keep in mind that depending on the type of pasta, you may need a different amount of time. This indicator also depends on the wheat variety and composition. It’s better to further verify the result by asking a search engine query like “ how to cook pasta horns correctly».
If you are going to cook spaghetti, keep in mind that they stick to the walls of the pan and other pasta much more strongly than others. Therefore, it is recommended to constantly stir the products until they are completely cooked. In addition, it is recommended to cook them in small portions. If the length of the pasta is not of fundamental importance to you, then it is recommended to break it into two or three parts before cooking.
Remember to keep an eye on three main things: making sure your pasta is not overcooked, undercooked, or sticky. You need to determine these indicators by eye, but there is nothing difficult about it. Just try to do this at least once and you will easily begin to distinguish between cooked and undercooked pasta. Don't forget to taste them.
1. First, prepare the pan. You can grease it a little with oil to make the pasta less sticky to the sides and bottom. Fill about three-quarters full with water. No more is needed because the volume will increase after the pasta is put in there. Moreover, the water will begin to boil and may splash out over the edges.
2. Place the pan on the stove. Turn on the heat and wait until the water boils. To make this happen faster, cover the container with a lid. You can also increase the heat. Then add salt and mix it well. In addition to taste, the presence of salt also reduces the “stickiness” of our products.
3. As soon as the water boils, immediately reduce the heat. Then add the pasta to the water and stir a little. Don’t look at the fact that the water has stopped boiling - this is normal. After a while everything will resume. Then you can start timing. It is best to focus on the indicators indicated by the manufacturer on the pack. In any case, if you are cooking for the first time, do not leave the pan.
4. Take a long spoon or any other utensil and start stirring the pasta. For at least the first three minutes you must do this without stopping. This is recommended for those who want to find out how to cook pasta correctly so that it doesn't stick together. Then you can slow down a little. But this does not need to be done everywhere (only for horns, shells and spirals).
5. Periodically check the pasta for doneness. This can be done 8-10 minutes after the start of mixing (or preferably 3-4 minutes before the end of the period indicated on the package). Catch one or two noodles in the water, blow a few times and taste it. They should not be too soft, but not too hard. In general, it is better to focus on your own taste preferences. Once the pasta reaches its optimal taste, you can turn off the heat.
6. Next, place the colander in the sink or any other drainage area. Pour out the contents of the pan and shake lightly. Do not overdo it so as not to turn the products into mush. Then let them sit for two to three minutes. Here you have a choice: leave the pasta simply cooked or continue cooking (for example, fry). In the first case, you just need to pour the contents back into the pan, and in the second, rinse them under cold water.
7. Next, place a piece of butter on the pasta and let it melt. You can lightly stir the products to thoroughly coat each pasta. This will prevent the cooled products from sticking together, and will also give a unique creamy taste. On average, this all takes no more than one or two minutes.
8. You can also immediately add some sauce, cheese or ketchup - it all depends on your taste preferences. And that’s it, the pasta can be served. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this process. You just need to follow the instructions and you will succeed. But be sure to try these tips in practice. This is how you can fully understand how to cook pasta correctly.
note
Pay special attention to the volume of water in the pan and the salting procedure. The water should be salted before the pasta is placed in the container. The volume of water must be below three quarters, otherwise you will flood the kitchen. If you do not intend to continue cooking, then there is no need to rinse the products under cold water, as this can seriously damage the taste. Many novice cooks do not pay attention to this and the end result is not the most pleasant.
It is also recommended to cook in the presence of someone for the first time. An experienced person can give recommendations, and an inexperienced person can try the pasta with you and draw a conclusion about its readiness. Besides, cooking together is much more interesting. Just don’t get too distracted by conversations, otherwise you might ruin the dish.
By the way, the Italians, true masters of making pasta (not only spaghetti, but also cones, shells, spirals, nests and others) serve a fresh dish on hot plates. This allows the product to retain its taste characteristics longer. It’s interesting how Italian waiters get out of this situation. Most likely, they use special stands.
If you have any questions, tips or suggestions about how to cook pasta correctly, be sure to write them in the comments.
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2 years ago
Pasta has become a frequent guest in the kitchen of Russian housewives, because it is one of the easiest products to prepare, and at the same time it is also healthy, because they are a source of complex carbohydrates. However, due to their wide assortment on store shelves, the question often arises - how much pasta should be cooked so that it does not stick together, but is cooked until done. Is it possible to tell time by eye?
What determines the cooking time for pasta?
For a long time, only 3 types of pasta were known in Russia: horns, web (small short vermicelli for soup) and spaghetti. Of course, they also required finding out the exact cooking time, but it was always approximate - most housewives pierced the product with a knife or took a bite. And often it was possible to overcook it a little. Mostly focused on a period of 7-10 minutes, while the pasta was cooked over medium heat and covered.
When the assortment of them in stores grew, they started talking about the fact that each type of pasta (or pasta, if you use Italian names) requires a certain approach to preparation. This applies to the duration of cooking, the volume of the pan, the amount of water in it, as well as the power of the burner.
If we talk directly about Italian pasta, you can safely even keep it in water: made from durum wheat, it will not boil or stick together, so no oil is added to the pan.
Several factors influence how many minutes to cook pasta: firstly, the composition. If you use spelled flour rather than wheat flour (such fitness pasta is very popular today), the product will take longer to cook. The same applies to products made from whole grain flour and amaranth. Secondly, it is important to pay attention to the shape and thickness: the thinner the pasta, the faster it will be ready, and the denser it is, the longer it will take to cook. Thirdly, it is important to take into account the power of the burner (the water is actively boiling or barely gurgling).
There are also several subjective points: what kind of result you want to get - soft pasta, suitable for casserole, or al dente (“to the tooth”, as they like in Italy). It is also important whether the pasta will then be simmered in sauce, fried or baked.
Each manufacturer with a good reputation, especially Italian (for example, the brands Molisana, De Cecco, Casa Rinaldi), usually indicates the cooking time on the packaging with a specific type of pasta, so there is no need to look for additional information in third-party sources. In the absence of such information, it is better to refuse the purchase.
The difficulty lies in the fact that even within one type of pasta variations are possible: so spaghetti from the Molisana brand takes 8 minutes, but from the Barilla brand it takes 9-10 minutes. Both involve cooking until al dente, when the center remains firm. That is why all the figures presented below are indicative and are adjusted for each manufacturer.
So, how long should you cook pasta in boiling water without covering it with a lid if you want to try a real Italian dish?
Small varieties of pasta that are used in soups and salads (thin short vermicelli, “grains”, “letters” and the like) are cooked very quickly - in 2-3 minutes, so they are added at the very end of cooking the main dish.
Pasta that is not eaten alone deserves special attention: lasagna (sheets), cannelloni (wide hollow tubes) and conciglioni (large shells). They are boiled in order to then be stuffed and baked, so they are never kept in water until completely soft: they must remain dense, otherwise they will lose their shape. Lasagna sheets are not boiled at all (unless this is indicated on the package), cannelloni is often the same, but it is possible to immerse them in boiling water for 3 minutes. The conchiglioni are boiled for 5-7 minutes, after which they are stuffed, placed in a mold, poured with sauce and baked for another 10 minutes until they are completely cooked.
It is not enough to know how many minutes it will take to cook pasta - you also need to take into account the method of preparing it. In order for the dish to turn out no worse than in Italy, you need to know the following:
- First, choose the right pan: long pasta needs a large and wide one, otherwise it will have to be broken or put in parts, which will lead to uneven cooking.
- Secondly, cooking is carried out at the maximum power of the burner - the water should constantly boil.
- Thirdly, salt is introduced after the pasta is dipped into the water.
- Fourth, calculate the amount of water correctly: for every 100 g of dry product, at least 1 liter.
If you plan to boil the pasta and then fry it or stew it with sauce, reduce the cooking time indicated on the package by 2 minutes, otherwise after all the manipulations you risk getting a product that is too soft. But as for adding olive oil, as already mentioned, high-quality pasta does not stick together, so this step does not make much sense.
Boiled pasta is a familiar and traditional side dish that is simple and quick to prepare. Knowing a few simple rules, even a novice housewife, a child and a husband waiting for his wife and newborn to return from the maternity hospital can cook correct, non-sticky pasta.
To make the pasta tasty, elastic and beautiful, you need to cook it in a large volume of water, which requires a rather large saucepan. The formula for calculating products is simple - 100:1000:10. This is the proportion of weight, volume and mass. That is, for every 100 grams of dry pasta you need to take a liter of water, salt, of course, add everything to taste, 10 grams is not an axiom.
The best pasta is made from durum wheat, so it holds its shape well and requires some effort to make the finished pasta stick together. It is necessary to take into account the fact that pasta perfectly absorbs the taste of the water in which it is boiled, so it makes sense to use bottled or filtered water for cooking.
The cooking process begins from the moment you place the pasta (remember, we don’t break long ones, spaghetti or noodles are placed vertically in the pan and will gradually submerge themselves) into boiling water. The pasta is cooked in boiling water, so if you turn down the heat, then only slightly.
The cooking time for pasta depends on its shape, size and the dish being prepared. Usually the packaging indicates an approximate time, often two options, until fully cooked and al dente(to the teeth). Pasta cooked al dente is usually then supplemented with sauces, from where the pasta will “get” the necessary moisture.
You can check the readiness of the pasta by tasting it, or, if these are long types of pasta that are not very convenient to remove from boiling water, by pressing on the pasta. If the pasta can be easily separated, then it is ready; if some effort is applied, it needs to be cooked for another minute or two.
After cooking, the pasta should be placed in a colander and washed only if the finished pasta was intended for salad. After draining the water, return the pasta to the pan and add oil - or, to taste. Shake the pan thoroughly, after closing the lid tightly. The ideal way to serve pasta is immediately after cooking; if this does not work, after 8-10 minutes, shake the pan with pasta again to ensure that it does not stick together.
Properly cooked pasta will never harm your figure, of course, if you don’t eat kilos of it.
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