There are many good prepared spaghetti sauces around. I love Newman's Own marinara. Some are even chunky and great with no other additions. I usually add browned hamburger meat or mushrooms. My mother used Campbell's tomato soup and added a bit of garlic. These sauces are all precooked. All you need to do is heat them before you pour them over your already cooked spaghetti. You can do this over low heat in a pot or in a microwave. In both methods stir to heat evenly and avoid sticking. The time this takes depends on how much sauce you are using. By the time Tomato season rolls around, you'll have this down. Then you can make your sauce from scratch. Abby Abby
-----Original Message----- From: Cookinginthedark [mailto:cookinginthedark-boun...@acbradio.org] On Behalf Of Paula and James Muysenberg via Cookinginthedark Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2015 7:43 AM To: cookinginthedark@acbradio.org; Nicole Massey Subject: Re: [CnD] spaghetti questions Hi, all, My name is Paula. I just joined yesterday, and am looking forward to learning from everyone. I've already gleaned some great tips on cooking spaghetti from y'all, even though I've been preparing it for years. I want to mention to Leslie, that if you have difficulty cutting up cooked spaghetti, as I do, you can break up the pasta before you cook it. I get a few spaghetti noodles in my hands, hold them over a bowl or plate, and break them into two or three pieces. You can do this while your water is heating. It doesn't take long, even if you're making a lot of pasta, because you can break up severl at once. Paula On 1/22/2015 9:09 AM, Nicole Massey via Cookinginthedark wrote: > I was told by the ex-boyfriend of a friend of mine, who was wrong in just > about everything else, that to measure spaghetti in terms of number of people > you grab a bunch of spaghetti in your dominant hand, with your thumb and > index finger circling the pasta. If the ring puts your fingernail at the > first joint of your thumb that's pasta for one, the second joint is pasta for > two, and the end of your thumb is pasta for three. I've found this works > well. Some may say that this varies depending on how big your hands are, but > the assumption is that the smaller the hands the smaller the appetite, so you > may want to vary it a bit, deciding if you want a loose or tight hold on the > pasta. > The pasta pot uses less water than you think it does, so trend your water > level down a bit. Don't put oil in the water, as it'll prevent the sauce from > sticking to your pasta, and don't salt the water until it's boiling or it'll > take longer to reach a boil. > Sauce is a matter of preference, and it depends on if you want the spaghetti > drenched in sauce or if it's just a flavoring element, and also on how much > other stuff you choose to put in it, like chopped up vegetables. I find that > three or three and a half minutes in the microwave is often enough to heat > sauce, so unless you're going for presentation you can heat it in the bowls > you're going to serve in. > And of course, YMMV, as in all things cooking. > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Cookinginthedark [mailto:cookinginthedark-boun...@acbradio.org] >> On Behalf Of Holly Anderson via Cookinginthedark >> Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2015 8:49 AM >> To: cookinginthedark@acbradio.org >> Subject: [CnD] spaghetti questions >> >> Hi all. Today I’m going to attempt something I’ve never done before, >> spaghetti. I know its kind of sad. I’m making spaghetti for 2 people. >> I have a spaghetti cooker, it has a section with holes inside a pot >> that the spaghetti goes in. So when I lift the section with the >> holes out of the pot the water will drain from the spaghetti. My >> questions >> are: >> 1. How long do I cook he noodles? >> 2. This one is probably depending on how much we eat. but I’m not >> sure how much to make for 2 people. >> 3. I have a jar of meat sauce, do I just put it in a pot not he stove >> and simmer, how long do I cook the sauce, and how much sauce for 2 >> people. >> >> I know these questions seem basic, but I’m new to all this. And it >> might just be a trial and error type thing, but I’m kind of nervous. >> Any help would be really appreciated. >> >> Thanks. >> Holly >> _______________________________________________ >> Cookinginthedark mailing list >> Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org >> http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark > _______________________________________________ > Cookinginthedark mailing list > Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org > http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
