Pasta myths--debunked

GREAT INFORMATION. WE ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN BETTER WAYS TO PREPARE FOOD, ESPECIALLY WITH THE PRICE OF GROCERIES.

From the kitchen of the Ungourmet. For me it's ALL ABOUT THE SAUCE! My pasta is better than any restaurant and I ONLY USE SAUCE FROM A JAR! I will return to the U.S. soon after being in China for 3 years. Here 3 months, state side 1 month.

Here I use Newman's own garlic & peppers, but it's quite pricey. At home I use Francisco Renaldi, the cheapest, but the best. I don't like the major brands at all.

I always bring 3-4 packages of Hot Italian Sausage to China, which is the key to the sauce! I add chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, a little olive oil and a few dashes of hot chili sauce. (Tapatillo is best.)

After the sausage is sauteed, it goes into the sauce to simmer for an hour on the lowest heat. Then I turn off the heat to let the flavor intensify while I cook the pasta.

Even the Chinese love it, as do friends and family at home.

It's fast and easy, but if you didn't know you would think I am a gourmet chef!

Soon to come the Ungourmet web site with all of my non-diet receipies, from pot roast to chicken to Mexican. By the way the Chinese also love my burritos and award wining chili con carne.

To quick rinse the pasta (spaghetti) in boiling hot water is ofte used by chefs in Italy. I´seen that done many times,

I love the first "tip." Um, how about if your pot is too small to fit the noodles as they come? Some of the "advice" they write on here is idiotic and worthless.

This is a terrible article. As many of you stated, most of these are a matter of preference. Not only that, most real Italians - not some restaurant chef - but all of us whose Italian mothers and grandmothers taught us the right way to cook pasta, cook their pasta with a splash of olive oil, rinse it with cold water, cook it to preference, and put how ever much sauce we want on our dish. The real way to cook anything is in the kitchens of families. If you wanna break your spaghetti in pieces as you drop it in the water, so be it.

Giuliano Hazan not only gives great advice, but his pasta recipes are excellent, too. You won't be disappointed.

I read this article several months ago; the same article.. I guess recycling is good.

I agree. Why cover up a good pasta dish with tons of sauce. I don't do jar sauce either. Home made is always the best way to go. Especially if the ingredients are from my garden. Then a little parmesan or white truffle cheese. Yum yum!

It's not sauce it's GRAVY!!!!!! LOL Sauce is made from a non-meat base, Gravy is made with meat, the juices from the meat is what gives it the flavor. Just thought I would educate the non south philly people. LOL

I rinse my pasta if I am precooking it for use later. That way it doesn't stick and I reheat it quickly by submerging it in boiling water.
I don't like my pasta al dente (it's tough) I like it cooked a little more and it tastes just fine! I also like to break the angel hair in half before cooking. I enjoy eating it that way rather than trying to take a big hunk and twirling it around a fork with a spoon to eat.
As far as the sauce goes - I like lots of meat sauce!

My dad taught me to throw my pasta up against the wall to see if it's done. I'm not really all that surprised that it's wrong given the general quality of his cooking skills, haha. I usually taste it anyway because I prefer the al dente texture to a mushy one.

What a stupid, useless blog. There was nothing new or helpful with this article. Just old info that everybody knows or should know. Breaking the pasta makes it easier to fit in the pot AND easier to eat! Stupid blog!

try Dreamfields pasta 5grams sigestable carbs it is great wheat pasta sucks

Dittoing Jennie. I prefer my pasta in small pieces. I put olive oil in the water more out of habit, I find my pasta doesn't stick together if i put it in the water when I put the water on the stove, not when the water's already boiling (I know, blasphemy!). I rinse my pasta because I prefer to have less starch and don't care about the pasta sauce sticking to it, in fact often I don't use pasta sauce, just a sprinkle of salt and parmesan, or nutritious yeast, or a tablespoon of pesto and then mix in vegetables.

You guys have it all wrong. If you throw the pasta on the wall, it should stick for a second or two max, and then fall off. If it bounces off, its not done yet, and if it sticks and stays there you over-did it. Generally though, it's less work to just pull a piece out of the pot and eat it (and tastier too!)

This article is the myth
Anyone that believes this article is an idiot. Everything she mentions is incorrect except breaking spaghetti into smaller pieces. No Italian would do that. Adding a bit of olive oil to the bottom of the pan keeps pasta from sticking and improves the taste a bit. And certainly you must rinse the pasta in a strainer with HOT water (who would use cold water?) If you don't just look at all the white streaks in the gravy from the starch. It tastes tons better when rinsed and is better for you. Plus rinsing would get rid of all that imaginary oil on the pasta from a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Also Italians don't want the gravy to soak in to the pasta anyway. Thats why we don't like angel hair pasta. It soaks up too much gravy like a sponge. Having Rachel Ray tell Italians how to make pasta is like having Rachel Ray tell Chinese people how to make Chinese food. This article is worthless and insulting.

I love to throw pasta against the wall, it's like throwing your champagne glass into the fireplace, it's tradition.

Wow! Good to know that ;) thanks!

Myth: Burger King's fries are better than McDonald's

Charita, my darling, do you have room for a hillbilly to come by and eat some of that Baked Meaty Beef Macaroni? I can be there in a flash! YUM!