How to make good pasta?
Do you like to eat good pasta with tomato sauce, Alfredo or carbonara for dinner? The preparation of the pasta and the cooking is very important for a successful pasta.
Does the word Al Dente inspire you a lot in the kitchen? Here are 10 tips and tricks for cooking and making good homemade pasta.
Tips for cooking good pasta:
1. Respect the pasta cooking time
Regardless of the food and the type of dough to be cooked, the cooking time is one of the most important elements for a successful dish to perfection.
It is therefore always necessary to respect the cooking time indicated on the packaging of your pasta… No to improvisation!
To be even more certain of the success of your cooking, cut a pastry in two and if you see a small white dot in the middle, it means that your pasta is not cooked enough.
2. Put the fire of the round to the maximum
When your water is boiling, dip your pasta in it and quickly put the heat back on to maximum.
The water must come back to a boil quickly to cook the pasta properly.. Stir the pasta once in a while and above all, do not put a lid on the pan.
3. Salt the water to cook good pasta
It is often said that you have to cut down on salt, but here, to succeed in making good pasta, salt is an important ingredient during cooking.
- Add the water to the pan and bring the water to a boil.
- Then add table salt to boiling water.
- Finally add the desired quantity of pasta and continue until the desired doneness.
It takes about 10 g of salt for each liter of water.
4. Follow the right formula for successful pasta
Did you know there is a mathematical formula for making good pasta? ? Indeed, there is a formula with the following numbers: 1, 10 and 100.
It is therefore a question of putting for 1 liter of boiling water, 10 g of salt and 100 g of pasta. A simple formula for making good pasta!
To know the right amount of leather paste, here is a practical guide accompanied by photos: Quantity of pasta per person.
5. Use a large saucepan to cook pasta
Pasta needs a lot of water to cook perfectly and evenly (better to have too much water than not enough)!
As it takes about 5 times more water than pasta, the use of a large saucepan is important for the perfect cooking of homemade pasta.
6. Drain the pasta, but not too much
Once the pasta is perfect and al dente, it must of course be drained. On the other hand, do not drain them too much because the slight trickle of water which remains lubricates the pasta somewhat.
It’s an effective little trick so that the pasta is not too sticky once on the plate.
7. Save the pasta cooking water
Do you usually pour all the cooking water down the drain after the pasta has drained? Well for my part I reserve a small glass of cooking water.
Indeed, with the pasta cooking water you can dilute the tomato sauce if you wish or even add it to your stir-fries afterwards.
8. Make pasta ahead of time
To save precious time on weekdays, why not cook your pasta in advance?
So here’s how to make pasta ahead of time:
- Cook the pasta for half the required cooking time.
- Then, let the pasta cool and then store it in the fridge.
- When you eat them you just have to cook them for the remaining time in boiling water (a few minutes).
Whether in a salad or as an accompaniment, cold pasta is always excellent with a good homemade sauce or marinade.
Here’s how to make your cold pasta:
- Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl.
- Add a little olive oil and let cool and store the pasta dish in the refrigerator.
- When serving, add a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste.
10. Things to do and avoid to make good pasta
- Never add vegetable oil to water while cooking pasta.
- Never rinse pasta with water after draining. On the other hand, you can keep a little cooking water that you add to the sauce when serving.
- If the choice is offered to you, choose artisanal pasta rather than industrial pasta.
- There is no need to break the pasta as this will not speed up the cooking time.
- Long pasta is ideal with tomato sauces with ground beef or pork.
- Fresh, purchased or homemade pasta is ideal for filling.
Do you like to eat a good big spaghetti on occasion? The sauce is very important so here is how to make it well: Make homemade spaghetti sauce.