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Post by gyro on May 14, 2009 19:37:50 GMT
without a lid on ?
Is it to stop it cooking too fast or something ?
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Post by lagatta on May 14, 2009 19:40:07 GMT
Because it is supposed to be cooked at a "full, rolling boil". So if you have a lid on the pot, it will boil over. It is fine to put a lid on the pot BEFORE putting in the pasta, to make the water boil faster and use less energy.
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Post by gyro on May 14, 2009 19:42:00 GMT
Do you not simmer it once it has come back to the boil again ? A simmer is less than a rolling boil to me.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2009 19:46:15 GMT
A lid will always make it boil over.
I do turn the heat down once it is boiling.
I also confess that I am one of those people who puts oil in the water to keep it from foaming in case I get distracted.
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Post by lagatta on May 14, 2009 19:50:26 GMT
Yes, a simmer is less than a rolling boil. I might do that with some very delicate pasta I'm afraid of overcooking, and I'd be hovering over it then, so no lid.
I've also learnt a technique in which the pasta is deliberately undercooked (boiled), then a flavourful liquid (stock, wine, dilute sauce etc) is added little by little and simmered very slowly, but that is only for certain effects. Simmering can result in sticky pasta.
Kerouack, I'm usually chopping up garlic or herbs while the pasta is boiling. Sometimes I do reduce the heat a little, but never to an actual simmer.
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Post by bazfaz on May 14, 2009 19:52:33 GMT
t needs a good boil to keep the pasta separate. A little olive oil, as K suggests, is a good idea.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 14, 2009 20:16:12 GMT
I always put the lid back on, but slightly open so it will come back to a boil faster. Then I walk away, forget about it, the lid wiggles closed, and I get foamy mess all over the stove!
I don't simmer my pasta, but let it get almost cooked, then turn off the fire & cover the pot. The pasta will be completely done in a few minutes.
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Post by gyro on May 15, 2009 4:21:00 GMT
I've never put oil in the water, and never have sticky pasta. It's ok to say it may separate the pasta, but in general, you want to the sauce to stick, and having the pasta all oiled up doesn't encourage this.
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Post by gyro on May 15, 2009 4:22:11 GMT
Would you not cook it so vigorously if it is fresh pasta ? Apart from it obviously being a lot quicker, I tend to go to simmer mode very quickly with pasta I have just made.
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Post by happytraveller on May 15, 2009 6:41:41 GMT
Funny... they have just said on the radio that putting oil in the water has absolutely no effect.
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Post by gyro on May 15, 2009 6:57:21 GMT
Dunno. I know that NOT putting oil in the water works fine.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2009 6:57:58 GMT
No effect on what? On the foaming or on the stickiness? It definitely gets rid of the foaming in my kitchen.
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Post by gyro on May 15, 2009 7:28:05 GMT
Foaming isn't an issue without a lid and if you turn it down a little once it's boiling. Maybe you have funny water in Pareeeeee ?
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Post by happytraveller on May 15, 2009 7:31:25 GMT
They didn't say. But I reckon they meant the stickiness. I have never heard before that the oil reduces the foaming. Will have to try.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2009 7:31:42 GMT
No, my problem is that I put the water on and run back upstairs to the computer instead of staying in the kitchen. Water on the stove is one of the least severe problems. What I don't like is being upstairs and thinking "do I smell smoke?"
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Post by spindrift on May 15, 2009 7:33:07 GMT
I add a little olive oil to my water as well. Perhaps it's just a habit.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2009 7:36:40 GMT
Sometimes I use sesame oil if the pasta is going to become part of a simulated Asian dish.
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Post by hwinpp on May 15, 2009 7:45:36 GMT
I've also heard oil or not makes no difference. That said I always add a dash of oil and I cook in a lidded pot until it's boiling hard then take off the lid and simmer. I also add salt.
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Post by gyro on May 15, 2009 7:52:08 GMT
Blimey. How much can you do in the scant minutes it takes to cook pasta, K ?
And also, do you have it on it's own then ? I would say the time it takes to cook pasta is the IDEAL time to whip up a quick and simple sauce in most cases.
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 19:52:34 GMT
K K K ... to get the water to a boil faster, do as follows:
put a tiny bit only of water in the pan, put it on the cooker and start heating whilst most of the water is being boiled ... .by the kettle.
once the kettle has boiled the water, pour it in the pan. Let it regain boiling vigour. add the salt. careful... it's going to roll and boil for 1 minute or two.
add the pasta. check the time. water should have calmed by now. get the colander, prepare the table, open the wine and make sure the sauce is ready to eat (should really have done this before).
time's up! bon appétit.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2009 20:00:38 GMT
My sauce is ALWAYS ready before the pasta. No problem there.
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 20:23:45 GMT
t'was a note to myself, K! ;D
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Post by Jazz on May 15, 2009 20:43:37 GMT
Because it is supposed to be cooked at a "full, rolling boil". So if you have a lid on the pot, it will boil over. It is fine to put a lid on the pot BEFORE putting in the pasta, to make the water boil faster and use less energy. I do this as well ,for the same reasons. Leaving the lid on only leads to disaster. I may lower the temperature a touch, set the timer and it is always perfect. If I am going to use a sauce it is prepared before or during the pasta cooking. I never add oil during the cooking, only after. Especially if it is a special oil such as sesame...too much of the flavour is lost in the cooking of the pasta. In certain dishes, I cook the pasta in a chicken or fish stock and that is when I will lower the temperature and cook it much more slowly.
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 22:09:50 GMT
fresh pasta might actually disintegrate in rolling boiling water. So yes, cook fresh pasta in a bit more than a simmer but before it boils.
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Post by imec on May 15, 2009 23:01:42 GMT
You guys are killin' me.
Rolling boil all the way. If it disintegrates, it ain't made right (or it ain't pasta but a dumpling of some sort). If the temperature drops too quick, you ain't using enough water (or your fresh pasta is too cold).
Oil: Forget it.
Walking away: For god's sake, give the pasta some respect! If it's good pasta surely it deserves a few minutes of your time to ensure it reaches it full, glorious potential. Keep the heat high, keep the lid off and stir often enough to ensure it doesn't stick to each other or the pot.
And before someone suggests it...
Rinsing: DON'T!!! The fine layer of starch on the pasta is essential to allowing the sauce to stick.
There, I've said it and I'm glad.
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Post by auntieannie on May 15, 2009 23:09:15 GMT
Yippie for imec!
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Post by lagatta on May 16, 2009 0:38:00 GMT
Yes, imec is right, but I would be inclined to turn the heat down a bit for fresh pasta, which is more delicate. Certainly for dumplings,including gnocchi which are a miniature dumpling. I made the Viennese kind with a friend from Vienna and they are exactly like the gnocchi I make, just much bigger.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2009 2:21:54 GMT
Thank you imec. A refreshing voice of reason!
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Post by gyro on May 16, 2009 7:59:32 GMT
I dunno; we were killing him, so it sounded like a voice of pain, in all honesty.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2009 16:16:06 GMT
Actually, potatoes, pasta and rice are all comfort foods from our deepest past, so even if we have always prepared them incorrectly, the way we were brought up to enjoy them is usually the way they taste the best.
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