Pasta survey

[I_am_Canadian]

Well...Call this instant gratification but I just made pasta for perhaps the second or third time. I recall making it at least once before because who wouldn't at least try that if they like pasta?

The first time my noodles got waterlogged and just tasted like pasta-ish cylinders full of water about 8 years ago.


Fast forward to today. I read a few websites on how to do dis and even went on Quora to figure out how long to boil it for reading other people's opinions and STILL my pasta ended up barely palatable.


When my mother makes it (usually) it's great. Something I can eat without any sauce and just a little bit of butter and some parmesan and it's tasty but just feels like a lot of empty carbs.


I'll probably petition her to make me some and "data mine" her for how to do it myself but I'd like to hear from you all.

I'm not talking about the dish itself (tomato sauce, alfredo, meat etc.) just the noodles.


I suppose I could try an experiment twice a week noting down what portions I use and that may work but shortcuts are nice


P.S I did salt the water with a few shakes of some himalayan salt. Brought it to a boil and then added the spaghetti and stirred every two minutes and it was probably on the stove for 7-8 mins. Still watery...

Perfect past a is el dente, its not tough and chewy but its not water logged and mushy either' its that perfect balance right in between.

If you have culinary skills you can always make your own sauce.

 

[Mii]

Ok 2023 update!

I failed. Alas. I see on the first page a tip to not have the noodles stick together (a bit of olive oil to the water) so I may try that. Problem is I DID stir and I had at least two mutant 4-5 pastas stuck to each other. One single noodle was even a tad crunchy at the end?!?

They were all submerged and I taste tested before I poured them so Idk on this one.

I also seem to have no idea on how to make store bought alfredo sauce taste better. I added parm (and accidentally WAY too much sage) and a little bit of feta but it only marginally improved the taste.

I proceeded to add some rosemary and unfortunately I just taste the little sticks.



My 2022 attempt:

About a month ago but it made me over-confident for my latest attempt clearly...

Super great pasta but apparently when the alfredo jar says 6 servings and the pasta says 6 servings...what the alfredo jar "means" is that it's 6 servings or 3 servings no idea where they got their metric from but it hardly had any sauce for a whole box of fettuccine

The noodles were good though like I said, I added cooked onions and chicken and it was "leftoverable" but it had to basically be spruced up with each serving.





So a new question...if you've made it this far that is...will white wine add anything to alfredo sauce? Everything I've tried has just come out pretty bland...there's no "kick" to speak of. If that will work, can I use red instead or no? My Mom has made some good spaghetti sauce with red but it seems like it'd look super weird to have orange sauce but I'm open if it's tastier.

Yet the few times I've had it at a restaurant it's MUCH better than what I made.




Good part? I'm no longer hungry.

 

[Magenta]

Happy New Year Mii!! I tried making Alfredo sauce once (without a recipe haha) and it was so expensive with all the
cheeses I put in it, I never tried it again! I looked just now and found this recipe for it.... was yours anything like it?

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ Cup Butter
• ▢ 1 ½ Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• ▢ 2 Teaspoons Garlic Minced
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
• ▢ 2 Cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

• Add the butter and cream to a large skillet.
• Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper for one minute.
• Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until melted.
• Serve immediately.

 

[shittim]

Perhaps a little blue cheese in the alfredo sauce?

 

[Mii]

Happy New Year Mii!! I tried making Alfredo sauce once (without a recipe haha) and it was so expensive with all the
cheeses I put in it, I never tried it again! I looked just now and found this recipe for it.... was yours anything like it?

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ Cup Butter
• ▢ 1 ½ Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• ▢ 2 Teaspoons Garlic Minced
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
• ▢ 2 Cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

• Add the butter and cream to a large skillet.
• Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper for one minute.
• Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until melted.
• Serve immediately.

No it was a 4 blend pre-made thing that attempted to "salvage" because it's super cheap.


I suppose I'll try the pre-made shredded package and see if that turns out alright first since it's probably half the price of block Parmesan.


All I know is what I'm using now is apparently "too cheap"

 

[maxwel]

Pasta was an insidious bio weapon created by the Chinese, and then foisted on the Europeans, to make them fat and unfit for battle.

If you wanna know where I got this information.... the aliens told me.

I rest my case.
.

 

[Mii]

Pasta was an insidious bio weapon created by the Chinese, and then foisted on the Europeans, to make them fat and unfit for battle.

If you wanna know where I got this information.... the aliens told me.

I rest my case.
.

Impastable!!!!!!!

 

[Magenta]

Impastable!!!!!!!!

Very in-saucpicious, even!

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Ok 2023 update!

I failed. ......what the alfredo jar "means" is that it's 6 servings or 3 servings no idea where they got their metric from but it hardly had any sauce ....

So a new question...if you've made it this far that is...will white wine add anything to alfredo sauce? Everything I've tried has just come out pretty bland...there's no "kick" to speak of. If that will work, can I use red instead or no? My Mom has made some good spaghetti sauce with red but it seems like it'd look super weird to have orange sauce but I'm open if it's tastier.

Yet the few times I've had it at a restaurant it's MUCH better than what I made.

Good part? I'm no longer hungry.

That was the problem with the recipe.
You used the Metric system.
😄

 

[I_am_Canadian]

Ok 2023 update!

I failed. Alas. I see on the first page a tip to not have the noodles stick together (a bit of olive oil to the water) so I may try that. Problem is I DID stir and I had at least two mutant 4-5 pastas stuck to each other. One single noodle was even a tad crunchy at the end?!?

They were all submerged and I taste tested before I poured them so Idk on this one.

I also seem to have no idea on how to make store bought alfredo sauce taste better. I added parm (and accidentally WAY too much sage) and a little bit of feta but it only marginally improved the taste.

I proceeded to add some rosemary and unfortunately I just taste the little sticks.



My 2022 attempt:

About a month ago but it made me over-confident for my latest attempt clearly...

Super great pasta but apparently when the alfredo jar says 6 servings and the pasta says 6 servings...what the alfredo jar "means" is that it's 6 servings or 3 servings no idea where they got their metric from but it hardly had any sauce for a whole box of fettuccine

The noodles were good though like I said, I added cooked onions and chicken and it was "leftoverable" but it had to basically be spruced up with each serving.





So a new question...if you've made it this far that is...will white wine add anything to alfredo sauce? Everything I've tried has just come out pretty bland...there's no "kick" to speak of. If that will work, can I use red instead or no? My Mom has made some good spaghetti sauce with red but it seems like it'd look super weird to have orange sauce but I'm open if it's tastier.

Yet the few times I've had it at a restaurant it's MUCH better than what I made.




Good part? I'm no longer hungry.

Ok the chewey and crunchy pasta was because it didnt cook evenly, probably using a pot that was too small, Ive made that mistake too.

If your doing 900g of pasta than you probably want to use a large jar of sauce. If one jar isnt enough than you can add more from a second jar the next time. Or you can make it yourself from scratch.

To make it from scratch lightly grease a pot with butter and fry a finely chopped onion, add flour unditl it makes a light roux.

Then add milk with a whisk until you get a light creamy consistancy.
You can season with oregano, parsley, cumin, you can add sage and rosemary, but becareful to go lightly on the strong spices so they dont over power the weaker spices until you get desired flavour.

You dont need white wine. I took a professional cooking course in high school, we never cooked with alcohol.

 

[Karlon]

Well...Call this instant gratification but I just made pasta for perhaps the second or third time. I recall making it at least once before because who wouldn't at least try that if they like pasta?

The first time my noodles got waterlogged and just tasted like pasta-ish cylinders full of water about 8 years ago.


Fast forward to today. I read a few websites on how to do dis and even went on Quora to figure out how long to boil it for reading other people's opinions and STILL my pasta ended up barely palatable.


When my mother makes it (usually) it's great. Something I can eat without any sauce and just a little bit of butter and some parmesan and it's tasty but just feels like a lot of empty carbs.


I'll probably petition her to make me some and "data mine" her for how to do it myself but I'd like to hear from you all.

I'm not talking about the dish itself (tomato sauce, alfredo, meat etc.) just the noodles.


I suppose I could try an experiment twice a week noting down what portions I use and that may work but shortcuts are nice


P.S I did salt the water with a few shakes of some himalayan salt. Brought it to a boil and then added the spaghetti and stirred every two minutes and it was probably on the stove for 7-8 mins. Still watery...

be careful of pasta. lots of carbs turn to sugar. it can clog a person physically & mentally. it'll slow down your memory & thought process. whole wheat pasta is healthy & stay away from "enriched" pasta's.

 

[JohnDB]

be careful of pasta. lots of carbs turn to sugar. it can clog a person physically & mentally. it'll slow down your memory & thought process. whole wheat pasta is healthy & stay away from "enriched" pasta's.

I use semolina and eggs for mine....scratch pasta is the best.

 

[Magenta]

Ok the chewey and crunchy pasta was because it didnt cook evenly, probably using a pot that was too small, Ive made that mistake too.

If your doing 900g of pasta than you probably want to use a large jar of sauce. If one jar isnt enough than you can add more from a second jar the next time. Or you can make it yourself from scratch.

To make it from scratch lightly grease a pot with butter and fry a finely chopped onion, add flour unditl it makes a light roux.

Then add milk with a whisk until you get a light creamy consistancy.
You can season with oregano, parsley, cumin, you can add sage and rosemary, but becareful to go lightly on the strong spices so they dont over power the weaker spices until you get desired flavour.

You dont need white wine. I took a professional cooking course in high school, we never cooked with alcohol.

If you are stuck cooking pasta in a small pot, make sure to stir often and keep a kettle of boiling hot water at the
ready to add to the cooking pasta, as the water level lessens with absorption and the release of steam... .

Yes, lifting the lid often also reduces the water temperature, but the
pasta will cook even if the water is not boiling, and only extremely hot .

Better to keep the pasta well stirred and covered with water...

 

[JohnDB]

If you are stuck cooking pasta in a small pot, make sure to stir often and keep a kettle of boiling hot water at the
ready to add to the cooking pasta, as the water level lessens with absorption and the release of steam... .

Yes, lifting the lid often also reduces the water temperature, but the
pasta will cook even if the water is not boiling, and only extremely hot .

Better to keep the pasta well stirred and covered with water...

I usually use at least an 8:1 ratio of water to pasta.
Meaning for every pound of pasta I use 8 lbs of water (aka a gallon)
Fresh pasta cooks quicker....by fresh I mean I made it a day or hour before I cook it. It depends upon how coarse the duram wheat is ground. The finer the grind the less it needs time to absorb the water. Bob's Red Mill semolina is as coarse as it comes....so making it a day ahead and refrigerating the dough is best. Then I get out my Olympia pasta roller and go to town.

Those lovely ribbons of flavor are awesome. (lead bullets in your belly but awesome nonetheless)

Variations are endless....from spinach to beet red to ravioli or tortellini....even lasagne.

 

[I_am_Canadian]

be careful of pasta. lots of carbs turn to sugar. it can clog a person physically & mentally. it'll slow down your memory & thought process. whole wheat pasta is healthy & stay away from "enriched" pasta's.

careful Italy might declair war on you lol

 

[I_am_Canadian]

If you are stuck cooking pasta in a small pot, make sure to stir often and keep a kettle of boiling hot water at the
ready to add to the cooking pasta, as the water level lessens with absorption and the release of steam... .

Yes, lifting the lid often also reduces the water temperature, but the
pasta will cook even if the water is not boiling, and only extremely hot .

Better to keep the pasta well stirred and covered with water...

a little oil stops the pasta from sticking to the pot

 

[Billyd]

I use a tablespoon of butter and a quarter teaspoon of salt in the water, bring it to a boil, then add my pasta. Pasta doesn't stick together.

 

[YWPMI]

I L O V E Pasta too! You did ask HOW to cook just the pasta... so here's how I do it. I boil it on high with just enough water to cover (I break the strands in half to fit the pan). I add a spoon of butter or olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together. I let it boil until they are just soft enough to bend on their own - stirring it every so often to separate them. Then I try eat one to taste it... if it's still kinda not done, I'll let it cook for another minute or so. It usually takes about 7 to 10 minutes (NOT including the time it takes for the water to come to a boil). Then I pour it all into the calendar (not the date book lol) to drain. Enjoy!!!

 

[YWPMI]

I (sort of) followed a recipe last night from youtube... YUK!!!!! I will NEVER use colby jack in mac n cheese again!!! She made it look soooo goood too!

Much as I L O V E pasta... I usually make my own recipes like spaghetti. I LOVE spaghetti. I may use Prago sauce, but I add other ingredients too; to make it my own, ya know.... so to speak. lol. Some times I'll add tooo much of one ingredient and not enough of another, but it always turns out great.

 

[Eli1]

Whoa, how did i miss this topic?
I love pasta !