Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [pasta]

Questions about the make, manufacture, preparation, and cooking of all types of pasta, including traditional durum wheat, whole wheat, and gluten-free.

This tag covers Italian and American styles of pasta either made from wheat or intended to simulate the flavor/texture of traditional Italian wheat pasta. Similar products from other parts of the world, such as Japanese Soba or Udon, are more traditionally called "noodles" and should use the tag instead.

428 questions
178
votes
11 answers

Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?

What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?
bryn
  • 2,391
  • 5
  • 19
  • 10
82
votes
31 answers

How can I keep pasta from sticking to itself?

Whenever I boil pasta (specifically spaghetti), it always sticks to itself before I'm ready to use it. What can I do to avoid this without it becoming mushy (which happens if I keep it in the water)? Of course, if I happen to have the sauce done by…
Lee
  • 1,617
  • 4
  • 15
  • 20
68
votes
28 answers

In a tomato sauce recipe, how can I cut the acidity?

It seems that every time I make a tomato sauce for pasta, the sauce is a little bit too acid for my taste. I've tried using sugar or sodium bicarbonate, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
Curry
  • 1,794
  • 3
  • 18
  • 20
45
votes
7 answers

Why are there so many different pasta shapes?

Do the different pasta shapes serve any purpose, or are they just for fun? Some difference appear to be cultural (lo mein vs spaghetti), but there are so many different syles of Italian pasta, is there a reason for this? Clearly there need to be…
DaveParillo
  • 553
  • 1
  • 4
  • 5
44
votes
8 answers

If you add spices to boiling pasta, will it absorb spices/flavours?

If you are cooking pasta via simmering, and you add some spices e.g. pepper to the pot, will the pasta absorb the spices/flavors or will the spices just go to the top of the pot and not really get absorbed?
James Wilson
  • 3,815
  • 15
  • 62
  • 110
42
votes
9 answers

Pasta: is simmering equivalent to roiling boil?

I recently got into a surprisingly heated argument with a friend about what level of boil you should cook your pasta at. He (an engineer) argued that the heat transfer would remain the same regardless of the level of the boil and that anything above…
Chris
  • 700
  • 1
  • 6
  • 8
38
votes
5 answers

Should pasta be started in cold or boiling water?

There are two main methods, either putting the strands into water already at boiling point, or putting them in cold water and then putting on the heat. Which method is the best to cook pasta? Does it make a difference if you add pasta to cold or…
Laila
  • 1,493
  • 5
  • 16
  • 23
35
votes
17 answers

Can I boil pasta in a pasta sauce?

Is it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce? Is there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)?
Tuomas Hietanen
  • 781
  • 3
  • 7
  • 13
33
votes
6 answers

What is the correct water to pasta ratio?

I have heard one should use a lot of water when cooking pasta; how much water should I use?
apaderno
  • 7,052
  • 22
  • 73
  • 106
31
votes
9 answers

What's the numbering system for spaghetti and does it matter?

When I lived in Italy some years ago I remember an Italian friend explaining the numbering system for spaghetti (perhaps also other long pasta). How spaghetti was sold in Italy with a number indicating its fineness. She told me that different kinds…
Tea Drinker
  • 4,170
  • 15
  • 42
  • 57
28
votes
7 answers

What does al dente really mean?

Initially I was told that al dente meant that the pasta was cooked but still firm, definitely not soggy or overcooked. Later, someone told me that it meant not quite cooked all the way through. Actually many people began telling me this. In…
Theorian
  • 648
  • 4
  • 8
  • 13
27
votes
1 answer

What are the tiny white self-moving objects on pasta?

So, a lot of pasta I've bought lately came with some white substance. At first it looked like uncooked starch or something. But when looking closely I noticed it was MOVING ON ITS OWN. After a while this incident repeated a couple times. Even when…
speeder
  • 371
  • 1
  • 3
  • 3
25
votes
5 answers

Test if two foods are the same

I'm Italian, now living in the US for some months. As you may know we like pasta. I tried Barilla here, our best known pasta brand. Well.. the taste seems a little bit different to me. It is actually produced here and not imported, so it could be…
rok
  • 393
  • 4
  • 6
24
votes
10 answers

Why add pasta water to pasta sauce?

I've noticed that many Italian chefs add to their pasta sauces some of the water they used to cook their pasta. What is the purpose of this?
David Latt
  • 241
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
24
votes
17 answers

How long should I cook pasta sauce?

I recently made pasta sauce, and every couple of minutes decided to add something more... More tomatoes, more pepper, more garlic... After that I let it sit on a small flame for a bit more. As a result, the sauce set in the pot for a fairly long…
hizki
  • 1,163
  • 6
  • 15
  • 27
1
2 3
…
28 29