Spaghetti, pasta shells, penne… doesn’t matter?
No! Our Italian neighbors leave nothing to chance: For each sauce recipe, its pasta type. This is not a simple coquetry, but a real culinary interest according to your recipe. for A light sauce (pesto, for example), prefer long and thin pasta types Spaghetti, capellini, fedellini or spiral pasta. for something Thicker or creamier sauces (carbonara, el ragû…), spaghetti, tagliatelle, And all the pasta in the family Ribbon pasta (linguine, pappardelle…), go very well together. for one simmered recipe With pieces of meat, tuna or vegetables, you will enjoy hollow pasta (orrecchiete, penne, rigatoni, macaroni, conchiglie…) or twisted (farfalle, fusilli…).
Add oil to pasta water
Many cooks add a drop of oil to the pasta cooking water to prevent sticking. It is useless, because water and oil do not mix, The latter is hydrophobic. Correct reflection to avoid oil wastage: Cook the pasta in plenty of water and a container large enough so that they do not shrink and stirring At the beginning of cooking so that the starch is well mixed.
Liked this article?
Law, health, finance, culture, leisure… and if you get Notre Temps magazine your house every month so you never miss any more information you Anxiety?
View membership offers
Do not add salt to cooking water
It is not a question of having a very heavy hand, but Add flavor to your recipe. To cook your pasta like an Italian, Follow the 1-10-100 rule: 1 liter of water, 10 grams of coarse salt, 100 grams of pasta. Add this spice while boiling, not before or after, so that the taste is uniform. Salt will also play a role in preventing starchy foods from sticking Starch limits gelatinization.
Put a lid on it to prevent it from overflowing
It’s a good idea to cover your saucepan while boiling, but take the lid off as soon as you put your pasta in the water, otherwise it will overflow (preferably when you turn the pan). Reason: Pasta starch clumps together and forms a foam that prevents water from evaporating.. Trick to Know: Place a wooden spoon across the casserolePrevent the formation of a foam that is too thick. Take the test, it’s magic!
Overcook the pasta
It all depends on your taste, but From a dietary perspective, al dente cooking is preferred. It’s more digestible and the longer the pasta cooks, the higher its glycemic index skyrockets… As we explained in this article, al dente pasta makes you chew more which is an advantage for triggering feelings of satiety more quickly.
Wash the pasta in cold water
Bad idea! By removing the starch, you will prevent the sauce from sticking And your pasta will stick together.
Discard the cooking water
And Jou, in the sink? Especially not! A recipe with this liquid sauce is worth making. Once the pasta is dry, put it in a pan where your sauce is already simmering (in Italy, it’s in this order and never the other way around: pasta in sauce, not sauce on pasta) and Add cooking water. It is a perfect binder thanks to the starch it contains, guaranteeing smoothness. In Italian, this finishing touch also has a name: The spade
Cut the spaghetti
Sacrilege! When the submerged portion is soft, push lightly with a spatula to submerge. Another solution: Cook them in a dutch oven so they’re cozy.
While tasting, please do not cut them with a knife… We wrap them around the thorn. Claimants of Italian nationality will also deprive themselves of the help of a spoon to scoop them up.
for the future: “We’re going to taste Italy”, François-Régis Gaudry, Alessandra Pierini and Stéphane Soulier, ed. Marabout, 432p., 42€. A “bible” of Italian gastronomy.