I hope your spaghetti turned out well, Holly. You got good advice here.
To add to the mix: I've gotten away with not salting my water; I like the
flavor of pasta. I know they say to use a lot of water, but I've gotten
away with doing a whole box of spaghetti in my four to five quart pot with
locking lid. It's definitely important to get the water to a rolling boil
before putting the pasta in. I break the spaghetti in half, standing it in
a mug or glass, add it gradually to the water, and give it a brief stir to
disperse some before putting on the lid. After I taste with a fork after
ten minutes cooking for the regular spaghetti, I drain it, cover with cold
water, and drain, repeating two or three times. I don't like my spaghetti
drowning in sauce, but like some. I doctor up Prego if not making anything
that would have been part of the recipe for a sauce. I haven't tried this
yet, but on her show Rachael Ray says she saves a cup of the starchy water
from when the pasta was cooking, and adds to the noodles, as she claims the
starchy water helps the noodles hold on to the sauce better. At different
times to each serving of spaghetti, I mix on the plate with a little olive
oil, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese; if kept in the fridge, I add just a
little bit of water to my serving and microwave with a cover on, adding the
water so that spaghetti won't dry out. Other times I might just drain the
pasta once, and add minced garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese and stir
in so that the hot pasta absorbs everything, like how you add the fixings
right away to potatoes when making potato salad.
I don't know if they still have it, but Tupperware used to make a spaghetti
keeper that had cut-outs specifically for one or two servings; this was for
uncooked spaghetti; it held a box worth.
Kathy.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole Massey via Cookinginthedark
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2015 10:09 AM
To: cookinginthedark@acbradio.org ; 'Holly Anderson'
Subject: Re: [CnD] spaghetti questions
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
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