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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.

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What causes a tomato sauce to have a bitterness and getting rid of it?

My tomato sauce is coming out great, lots of flavor, especially after I was able to reduce it following the tips here However, it is still slightly bitter. What causes a tomato sauce to have a (in my case, slight) bitterness and how do you get rid…
Matt
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Pouring cold water on pasta after cooking it

Some of my friends pour cold water on pasta after boiling it other don't. What do the professionals do? If they pour cold water on the pasta after the boil, what do they want to accomplish with doing it?
Laserallan
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Can I use ocean water to cook my pasta?

It is said, that the water you use to cook pasta should be as salty as ocean water. So can I simply use ocean water to cook my pasta without adding salt to it?
Sandro
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Is there a way to handmake alphabet pasta?

Is there a way to handmake alphabet pasta? I want to make the small pasta the is shaped into letters that is sometimes used for alphabet soup for kids. It's usually about half a cm in length. And I cannot imagine that if I cut letters out they will…
Lavandysh
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Does traditional Pesto Genovese contain garlic?

.. I'm hoping a native Genoan can tell me. Every recipe for Pesto Genovese I've found out there includes a fair amount of garlic. But I barely cook the sauce. I really just warm it through, tossing with the pasta and a little pasta water to form an…
Robin Betts
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Can I slow cook noodles?

I’m an avid user of slow cooking due to my schedule and need to budget my meals. I haven’t tried but wanted to know if I could slow cook noodles.
Bluebird
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Is there a faster/less messy way to stuff manicotti/canneloni?

I've had all the ingredients for stuffed manicotti sitting around in my kitchen for the past 2 days but keep putting it off because I absolutely dread the whole stuffing process. I usually start off using a spoon but quickly give up on that and…
Aaronut
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What is the difference between noodles and pasta?

Is pasta just a fancy name for noodle? Or is pasta always an Italian style noodle? Is all pasta noodles? Or the other way around? This may be more of a language question than an actual food question...
Robert
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What is 00 flour and when should I use?

I've made pasta before using 00 flour. I was about to use the same thing to make gnocci but I've noticed that none of the gnocci recipes mention the "00". Does it make a difference? Is one better then the other?
ForeverDebugging
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What are some good reasons for why people make homemade pasta?

What are some good reasons for people to make their own pasta? Does it make it cheaper? Does it taste any better?
Victor
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Why do different pasta shapes taste different?

I've noticed that even when I buy two different pasta shapes of the same brand (and so presumably the exact same recipe), they still taste subtly different, to the point that I consistently prefer the tastes of certain shapes of pasta. Is there any…
Ryan C. Thompson
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What is the benefit of a pasta pot with an inset?

All my life I’ve cooked pasta in regular pots. The most fancy thing I had in regards to pasta cooking was a pot with little holes in the lid and a locking mechanism, so that you could use that to drain the pasta: Said pot now broke, and as I am…
Robert
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How well does it work to just throw in all the ingredients and boil?

I'm wondering about this recipe. It tempts me because I'm really lazy. But I'm skeptical because I've always been taught to sauté onions first, then progressively add other ingredients, starting with those that take longer to cook, and saving water…
Alex Hall
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Why is my mac 'n' cheese grainy?

I need to make a large batch (to serve 30) of mac 'n' cheese, and rather than bothering with my standard roux - cheese sauce, I thought maybe I could cheat with a short cut. I dug up an old recipe for crock pot mac 'n' cheese. I have used it with…
Juju
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How to store homemade pasta without freezing

I'm curious how to make pasta (and in this case I'm talking about say, spaghetti, angel hair, shells or lasagna noodles, no filling) and store it dry like I would find in a box at a store. I would try to take a day where I have not much to do and…
Throsby
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