The CookingBites recipe challenge: pasta

billmarsano said:
I'm hoping to see entries from folks who have tried the new(?) method of putting pasta ascuitta (dry store-bought) in a pot, covering it with an inch of water and cooking until the water has evaporated. Also, has anyone who has made pasta in a pressure cooker?
Click to expand...
Personally, I'm quite happy cooking my "pasta asciutta" in plenty of boiling salted water; but I'm an old geezer who's always done it that way, and I'd be delighted if someone could show me how the inch of water method works. Have you done it? Love to see some pics!
As for a pressure cooker: that sounds a bit drastic to me. Pressure cookers are great for cooking stubbornly tough items faster, like chickpeas, beef skirt, pig's trotters, etc. Pasta only takes 5-10 minutes to cook anyway. Why would a pressure cooker help? By the time you've got the pressure up, you could have cooked it normally.
 
karadekoolaid said:
Personally, I'm quite happy cooking my "pasta asciutta" in plenty of boiling salted water; but I'm an old geezer who's always done it that way, and I'd be delighted if someone could show me how the inch of water method works. Have you done it? Love to see some pics!
As for a pressure cooker: that sounds a bit drastic to me. Pressure cookers are great for cooking stubbornly tough items faster, like chickpeas, beef skirt, pig's trotters, etc. Pasta only takes 5-10 minutes to cook anyway. Why would a pressure cooker help? By the time you've got the pressure up, you could have cooked it normally.
Click to expand...

Also, is there a benefit to cooking pasta in an inch of water until the water is gone? Is it supposed to be better, in some way?

CD
 
vernplum said:
Kenji's Food Lab article on this topic makes an interesting read:

A New Way to Cook Pasta? | The Food Lab
Click to expand...

I have a hard time sitting through a J. Kenji Lopez Alt article or video about anything because his explanations are even more complicated than his name. If I were to meet him, my first question would be, "What do I call you?" Then, I'd ask if he could explain something to me in less than ten minutes, of show me how to cook something with less than ten steps.

CD
 
medtran49 said:
I think Alton Brown also advocates a minimal amount of water.
Click to expand...
I know of one ATK recipe I made (for what, I don’t remember) that called for cooking the pasta in a very small amount of water, lid on, because the super-starchy pasta water was a key component of the dish.
 
caseydog said:
I have a hard time sitting through a J. Kenji Lopez Alt article or video about anything because his explanations are even more complicated than his name.
Click to expand...
Have you tried watching one of his Kenji At Home videos, where he cooks something and records it with a camera on his head?

Geez, it’s annoying! He jerks his head in every direction…I don’t think he ever stops moving it, and not only does it induce motion sickness, you can never really tell what he’s doing, because it’s rarely pointed at one thing long enough to be helpful.
 
TastyReuben said:
I know of one ATK recipe I made (for what, I don’t remember) that called for cooking the pasta in a very small amount of water, lid on, because the super-starchy pasta water was a key component of the dish.
Click to expand...
I remember that too, but same with not remembering the dish, though I'm thinking it involved pasta water making the sauce.
 
Last edited:
karadekoolaid said:
That's two of us. I find his recipes annoying because I feel he goes into excessive detail. Just gimme the recipe and the method and get on with it!
Click to expand...
I know, at least in his heyday, that it was a capital offense to say anything negative about food science geek Alton Brown, but I always felt the same way about his stuff - save the science for the lab, just tell me how to make it.

…which leads me to one of my all-time favorite quotes (as someone who’s generally not a “details” person): “I don’t need to know how a clock works, I just need to know what time it is.”
 
I guess I am a geek. I like the science behind a recipe. Understanding the science behind ingredients and methods makes me a better cook/baker.
I love Marcella Hazan's cookbook. She has an entire chapter on what herbs play well well together and what herbs work best with a tomato sauce or a butter/oil sauce. My mind is blown. I have been doing so many things the American way instead of the Italian way.
My go to baking site is @sallysbakingaddiction.com. She explains the science behind her ingredients and methods. The first time I try a new recipe on her site I always read the article before jumping to the recipe. Understanding the science allows me to apply that knowledge to other dishes.
 
First part of my initial recipe is to make some spicy sundried tomato “pâté”

IMG_7400.jpeg


I normally refuse to make a recipe that directs me to a pre-recipe recipe, though this one didn’t do that, it simply assumed I could go to my local market and buy some, which I can’t, so I’m in a forgiving mood today, I suppose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom