Post #12 PASTA! (yes, that's a reference)

If it wasn't clear from the title, I love Italian food! Pasta, Calzones, Pizza, you name it and i'll eat it. I grew up eating tons of homemade pizza and Grandma's spaghetti was something I commonly looked forward to as a child. For this post, i'll be detailing the basic types of pasta and how to boil your own pot of noodles.

Fresh Pasta can be created at home using a pasta roller, semolino flour, water, and eggs. Though it tastes better, it can be harder to shape and make than dry pasta from the supermarket




There are three basic types of pasta:

Ribbons: Long, straight, flat noodles
(Include Spaghetti, Lasagna, Linguine, Fettucini and Capellini


Tubes: Round, tube-like pasta, usually plump and short
(Rigatoni, Ziti, Manicotti, and Spiri)


And Shaped (a kid's favorite)
(Conchiglie, Farfalle, Orzo, Rotelle)


Asiatic noodles have far less variety and aren't as flavored as their Italian counterparts. These noodles are made of different flour types, often the type of what grain they come from dictates their flavor and color

• Wheat

• Rice

• Buckwheat 

Cooking Pasta:

Cooking Pasta follows 4 simple steps:

• Boil
• Submerge and Salt
• Stir
• Strain

Equipment:

• A wide bottom pot able to cook your average serving of pasta 
• A Colander (needs to be effective, not fancy)
• Timer
• Wooden Spoon
• Serving Utensil

Tips: 

• Don't use Oil! It's a common myth that oil helps keep pasta from sticking to the pot, but oil sits above water. Not only does this not help keep things from sticking, but it wastes perfectly good oil.
• Don't mix Pasta! Different Pastas have different cook times written on the box and you can end up with over-cooked or undercooked pasta
• Have some pot holders on stand by so you don't burn yourself straining the pasta after it boils
• Don't break the pasta. If you leave the pasta alone, it will naturally sink into the pot, no matter how large the noodles are
• Remember the 1/2, 1/2, 2 Rule (Half Gallon of Water minimum per Half Pound of Pasta alongside two tablespoons of salt)

Cooking:

1. Bring your pot of water to a rolling boil, suggested a half gallon of water minimum per every half pound of pasta
2. Dump your pasta into the pot alongside some salt to taste (about two (2) tablespoons per half pound of pasta
3. Stir thoroughly then stir every 15-30 seconds for about 3-4 minutes or until the pasta is Al Dente (soft yet firm noodles, not hard, not mushy)
4. Dump pasta and noodles into the strainer inside your sink and wait for pasta to cool (an ice bath is highly suggested)
5. Serve!