We get a lot of questions about pasta–What’s the best way to reheat pasta? Fresh or dried? Penne or spaghetti?–and it’s about time we answered some of those inquires, isn’t it?
Fresh vs. Dried Pasta:
Though fresh pasta is a wonderful treat with very different texture than that of dried pasta (and gosh, it’s awfully tasty!) it’s not always the best choice for your pasta sauce. (Gasp!)
Hand-made egg pasta is indeed a treasure, and if you can find someone to make it for you, marry them! (We’re not kidding!) Since it is more porous and absorbent than dried pasta, we recommend fresh pastas especially for cream and butter-based sauces.
For tomato and olive oil-based sauces, we recommend quality dried pasta. We do not recommend fresh machine-extruded cut pasta shapes (like maccheroni or penne), which tend to be gummy.
Amount of Water:
One pound of pasta requires four quarts of water.
The water should be well salted (not necessarily to the point of sea water, but sufficient enough to flavor the pasta itself); it is not necessary to add oil to prevent sticking if you use sufficient water and high quality pasta.
Cooking Time:
The conventional advice to cook pasta “al dente”, i.e., “to the tooth,” is necessarily imprecise.
Packages will suggest the cooking times, but the only real test is to begin tasting after about five minutes (three minutes for fresh pasta). Italians tend to prefer pasta that is firmer than the American preference, but many Americans have grown to appreciate firmer pasta.
Also remember that pasta will continue to soften as it sits after cooking. As a general guideline, dried string pastas, such as spaghetti, cook in 6-8 minutes, and dried cut pastas, such as penne, will take 9-12 minutes.
Different Shapes for Different Sauces:
Though all pasta is made of flour and water (and sometimes egg) it does taste (or at least feel) different according to its shape.
Generally speaking, smooth pureed sauces work best with string pasta. Chunky sauces with pieces of meat or vegetable nestle nicely in the crevices of cut pasta.
Most recipes will give recommendation for the preferred shapes or the families thereof, but you can also get creative and pick a different pasta shape that you feel will best complement the ingredients and textures within your sauce.
Reheating Pasta:
If there is enough moisture in the pasta and sauce, microwaving can work well. However, we have found that covering a pasta bowl with aluminum foil and reheating in a 350 degree oven best maintains the flavor and texture. It’s a little bit more work (and unfortunately, a longer reheating time, but it’s well worth the wait—we promise!)
Servings per person:
One pound of pasta will make four substantial main-course servings.
We hope this answers some of your pasta questions! Now get to cookin’!
