How do you know when pasta or spaghetti is ready to serve?

Sweetkymom said:
I recommend getting your water to a boil before putting pasta in. I usually add a little bit of salt and vegetable oil to the water also. The veggie oil keeps the noodles from bunching up and sticking together.
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Hmmm ... thanks I might try the oil trick! :)
 
Okay I know this really really ridiculous trick that my cousin's friend taught me. After cooking it for a while and you think it's done, just take a strand out and throw it on the wall. If it sticks, it's ready and if it doesn't, depending on how long it stuck to the wall for, then you'd cook it for a bit more.

I've done this and it's always worked for me!
 
Different pastas take different times to cook, especially wholewheat, so if I mix the pastas, I add white pasta later on. I usually add some oil to it so it's coated when I drain, but I test by trying to cut the pasta with the wooden spoon and I can tell how much longer it will take. It also depends on the size of the pasta and how much you are cooking, after 5 minutes I test and then know how much longer to keep an eye on it.
 
I take a bite out of the pasta and also look at it. Sometimes it'll still be hard on the inside still and I'm not the best judge of spaghetti noodles or smaller pasta noodles and shells by taste alone. In addition, I'll also use the fridge-method. To be honest, I'm really paranoid about getting it just right.
 
I've seen people throw spaghetti at the wall too. It must be a fair indicator if so many people do it. I usually just take a small piece out of the pan and try it. Different shapes definitely require different boiling times and I'm another one who would recommend bringing your water to the boil before adding the pasta.
 
Pasta is ready when it's at the right texture. The only way to find out if it's done is to take a piece out of the pot, cool, (cut if necessary) and bite into it. If it's too firm you can wait a bit longer to take the pot off the heat. You just have to keep checking it; once it's where you want you can look at the appearance to help recognize when it's done the next time.
 
I try it out! I would like to think pasta is my specialty just because I rarely get it wrong. I like mine al dente, so I will try them once or twice to make sure it's not hard, but not mushy and soft. I like it right at that point before it gets soft. People I make it for seem to enjoy it that way as well!

So I would say just grab one with a fork and try it out.
 
It's ready when I am and that can be anytime depending on my mood. I know I won't ever let them get too soft and I will always drain and set aside. I'll never leave them swimming in water or anything like that. If I have set some aside, when I am ready I will run some water on them to make it nice and separated to use with whatever sauce that's available.
 
tangela said:
Okay I know this really really ridiculous trick that my cousin's friend taught me. After cooking it for a while and you think it's done, just take a strand out and throw it on the wall. If it sticks, it's ready and if it doesn't, depending on how long it stuck to the wall for, then you'd cook it for a bit more.

I've done this and it's always worked for me!
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My husband would kill me if I threw food on the wall :ohmy:
 
ChowDownBob said:
Mine is often waterlogged, rubbery and on the fat side (probably because I worry too much about under cooking it) - how do you know when it's ready?
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Can't you just take out a noodle and try it? That's how both my mother and I always cook pasta...We aren't Italian though so take that with a huge grain of salt :D
 
:cook:I cooked virtually tons of spaghetti, in the army, at home, at all places I worked as a chef. But I had also the luck to be trained by a Italian chef who knew his pastas really well.
You always start off with pot of boiling water first. Ratio 1 to 10, in other words, 1 kg of spaghetti in 10 lit of water. You add a generous handful of salt to the water. Once water boils, add the spaghettis loose in to the water, fan them out around the rim of the pot. You see the spaghetti sinking slowly in to the water, stir regularly so they don't stick together. Now, as one of your colleagues mention before, 7 minutes is a good rule of thumb but read the instructions on the pack first. I always cook my spaghetti al dente, meaning they are just a micro touch underdone. Don't leave the pot out of your sight when you cook spaghetti. Now do the taste test. Remove a strain of spaghetti and try it. That is the safest way.
Here is one more tip if you want to keep some of your Cooked spaghetti for a later use. After your spaghetti are ready, strain them and hot as they are, spread them out on to a tray and let them cool down as they steam away. Do not throw cold water on them. By cooling them down naturally, you remove all water from them, so they are nice and dry. Once cooled down, put them in to a re sealable container and refrigerate them. You will find that your spaghetti keep easy up to a week without going off. This way you avoiding the spaghetti soaking themselves up with water and make them go off faster. The second reason is, when you add them in to your spaghetti sauce, they won't make your sauce watery. Good luck next time cooking spaghetti.
 
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