Because of this quarantine, it seems like everyone has been enhancing their skills set. right? It may be working out, baking, yoga, social media marketing or . . . yup, cooking! And guilty as charged, I may have cooked pasta five to six times already or once a week.
Ergo, being interested to learn more about it is no surprise. (I got this from webstaurantstore website)
DRY OR FRESH PASTA
- Dry Pasta – It is made from flour and water. The noodles are put through a drying to process to eliminate moisture.
- Fresh Pasta – This is made from four and eggs for extra moisture.
PASTA COLORS
- White – made from 100% durum wheat semolina
- Brown Wheat – made from whole wheat flour (higher nutritional content)
- Tri-Color – This includes spinach and tomato infused noodles.
PASTA SHAPES
- Angel Hair Pasta (left) – cooking time of 3 – 5 minutes and is best suited for lightly tossed sauce such as tomato, olive oil, butter or light cream.
- Capellini (upper right) – cooking time of 3 – 5 minutes and best suited for chunky pomodoro sauce, hearty tomato and meatballs
- Spaghetti (lower right) – cooking time of 9 – 11 minutes best tossed in the sauce matched with tomato, pesto, meat and seafood
- Fettuccine (left) – flat egg noodles with cooking time of 10 – 12 minutes best matched with Alfredo, cream cheese, tomato and meat.
- Linguine (right) – flat noodles with cooking time of 10 – 12 minutes paired with tomato, pesto, olive oil and seafood.
- Fusilli (left) – short thick spiralized pasta with cooking time of 10 – 12 minutes best tossed in a sauce or to make a cold pasta salad. The ideal sauce are Alfredo, thick cream, tomato and meat
- Rotini (right) – Cooking time of 10 – 12 minutes paired with tomato, cream, vinaigrette and meat. The difference between the two is Fusilli is twisted pasta while rotini is produced into a twisted shape.
- YUP. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE THE TWO. HELP ME OUT?
- Penne (left) – small tubed pasta with cooking time of 10 – 12 minutes best paired with chunky tomato meat sauce or heavy cream
- Rigatoni (right) – short tubed pasta with cooking time to 11 – 13 minutes best paired with chunky tomato meat sauce or heavy cream
- Macaroni (left) – with cooking time of 6 – 8 minutes best for baked dishes, salads and soups.
- Ziti (right) – cooking time of 6 – 8 minutes best for baked dishes and light sauces such as tomato and olive oil.
- Cavatappi (left) – cooked in 9 -11 minutes best used in baked dishes with sauces like pomodoro, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, broccolli, mushroom, creamy and hearty sauces
- Farfalle (right) cooked in 9 -11 minutes best used in baked dishes with sauces like pomodoro, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, broccolli, mushroom, creamy and hearty sauces
- Lasagna (left) – cooked in 6 – 8 minutes best for cream, cheese, vegetables and meat
- Pot pie (right) – cooked in 12 – 15 minutes used best for broth, celery, onions, carrots and peas
- Gnocchi (left) – cylindrical shaped usually made with potatoes, cooked in 10 – 20 seconds best with tomato, cream, pesto, cheese and meat.
- Orzo (right) – rice shaped noodles cooked in 10 – 12 minutes best paired with tomatoes, olives, cheese, olive oil and broth.
- Shell (left) – an open cavity shaped noodles cooked in 10 – 12 minutes best for baked dishes and paired with tomato, cheese, meat and vegetables.
- Tortellini (right) – ring shaped pasta cooked in 9 – 11 minutes paired with Alfredo, cream, cheese and tomato
PASTA PAIRING GUIDE
- Light Cream Sauce – use long and thin noodles
- Seafood Sauce – finer noodles like angel hair pasta
- Tomato Based Sauce – Long and Thin shapes
- Vegetable Based Sauce – shorter and chunkier noodles
- Bolognese or Chunky Sauce – tube like noodles
- Oil or Butter Based Sauce – Stuffed Pasta
- Pesto Sauce – curved, textured or rigged pasta
PASTA COOKING TIPS
- Add 1 tbsp of salt per 1 lb of pasta
- Add 1 tbsp of oil per 1 lb of pasta
- Frequently stir pasta while cooking to avoid clamping
Which ones did you use already? Care to share some recipes? ❤