How long do you cook pasta?

garlichead said:
Cooking (in boiling water) spaghetti for the example for 20 minutes will result in a soft and rather slippery product that has a gummy mouthfeel but will hold together and appear mostly normal (swollen) and not smashed as it has been described as a result of the 20 minute cooking time. It's a preference thing. If that's the way you enjoy eating pasta then by all means continue.

MG you say you follow the package directions but they're always undercooked for your taste, so you've adjusted for your taste basically.
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I assume you were referring to my 'smashed'. Well ok, I used the word smashed improperly, meaning what you wrote instead, the result changes little and personal taste is not in question but the fact that Italian brands write 20 minutes of cooking time on pasta packages.
 
MypinchofItaly said:
I assume you were referring to my 'smashed'. Well ok, I used the word smashed improperly, meaning what you wrote instead, the result changes little and personal taste is not in question but the fact that Italian brands write 20 minutes of cooking time on pasta packages.
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I don't think or remember reading MG referring those were actual written instructions, but I could be wrong.
 
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garlichead said:
Cooking (in boiling water) spaghetti for the example for 20 minutes will result in a soft and rather slippery product that has a gummy mouthfeel but will hold together and appear mostly normal (swollen) and not smashed as it has been described as a result of the 20 minute cooking time. It's a preference thing. If that's the way you enjoy eating pasta then by all means continue.

MG you say you follow the package directions but they're always undercooked for your taste, so you've adjusted for your taste basically.
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I honestly don't find the pasta I eat (boiled for on average 20 mins) gummy or slimy, which is definitely how it is if its overcooked. I hate pasta like that. Its not just me that thinks its undercooked according to package - maybe its a Brit preference? When I write recipes up for pasta I always say 'cook the pasta until it is done to your preference' as I know others may disagree with the length of time.
 
garlichead said:
I don't think or remember reading MG referring those were actual written instructions, but I could be wrong.
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No I didn't say that the packs said cook 20 mins - quite the opposite. I was saying that if I follow package instructions its undercooked to my taste. In fact, quite a lot of the Italian packs don't state cooking times. On those that do it seems to be anywhere from 8 mins to 12 mins.
 
Morning Glory said:
I honestly don't find the pasta I eat (boiled for on average 20 mins) gummy or slimy, which is definitely how it is if its overcooked. I hate pasta like that. Its not just me that thinks its undercooked according to package - maybe its a Brit preference? When I write recipes up for pasta I always say 'cook the pasta until it is done to your preference' as I know others may disagree with the length of time.
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I suspect you don't , otherwise you wouldn't do it. Saying that if I served pasta that was boiling for 20 minutes in the restaurant I would have a serious problem with complaints and even a couple of minutes past is problematic. Each to their own.
 
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Morning Glory said:
No I didn't say that the packs said cook 20 mins - quite the opposite. I was saying that if I follow package instructions its undercooked to my taste. In fact, quite a lot of the Italian packs don't state cooking times. On those that do it seems to be anywhere from 8 mins to 12 mins.
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Right, I though so. Canned pasta is still firmer than a 20 minute boil, and canned pasta is very soft and pasty, but hey, some people love that texture or they wouldn't sell.
 
garlichead said:
Right, I though so. Canned pasta is still firmer than a 20 minute boil, and canned pasta is very soft and pasty, but hey, some people love that texture or they wouldn't sell.
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I don't like canned pasta. Its was all we had growing up and is definitely too soft. The problem here (on the forum) is that we can't really demonstrate the difference in cooking time and texture very easily through photos. Next time I cook some pasta I will take some out at the recommended packet time and then cook the rest how I normally do and take some out and then cook the rest longer until its what I call gummy and unpleasant. Then I'll take a photo of each (maybe with the pasta cut through so the centre shows).
 
I've eaten pasta that I've cooked too long and only by a couple of minutes that was not ideal for me, so like I said if you prefer pasta done that way, you go for it. My gummy and unpleasant will obviously be different than yours and the proof was pasta cooked a few minutes too long, and not close to 20 minutes was what I considered unpleasant. I think the chewiness of pasta is not understood fully and therefore quite a variance in doneness.
 
I have found that what some TV chefs call "al dente" is just plain chewy. I cook to what I consider al dente, and then finish the cooking in a sauce. When I put the pasta on a plate to serve, I want it to be tender, but certainly short of mushy. I don't want to eat, or serve the pasta while it is still al dente.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I have found that what some TV chefs call "al dente" is just plain chewy. I cook to what I consider al dente, and then finish the cooking in a sauce. When I put the pasta on a plate to serve, I want it to be tender, but certainly short of mushy. I don't want to eat, or serve the pasta while it is still al dente.

CD
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How would you know if the pasta was too al dente from a TV program? Everyone has a different interpretation of the term and why there's so much conflict. I've only ever had 1 complaint that the pasta was too al dente over the years, and this was in a high end Italian restaurant and I was the pasta chef 30 years ago. We all in the kitchen disagreed at the time, but I cooked the person a new pasta and I cooked it longer. There is a standard, but not everyone will agree. We'll not solve this with words unfortunately, except I'm pretty sure 20 minutes pasta doesn't exist in Italy. :)
 
On a personal note regarding the doneness of pasta in general. There is a window which I believe I'm close to the standard interpretation based on my experience working in restaurants and serving pasta for a while that a pasta can go from too al dente to overcooked in a fairly short window, and like I said earlier the need to adjust for further cooking in the sauce needs to be considered. Saying that, the window is in and around 90 seconds from my experience for executing consistency that is repeatable. Generally hard pasta is in the 8 to 13 minute window depending on the shape and density of the pasta. Bowtie is my nemesis......all the pasta squeezed into the middle makes it impossible lol...Cheers.
 
garlichead said:
Bowtie is my nemesis......all the pasta squeezed into the middle makes it impossible lol...Cheers.
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I certainly agree with that.

I'm seriously thinking I must be wrong about this. Either that, or I'm and old school Brit with a dubious taste in pasta! Talking of Brits, Yorky cooks pasta sometimes (I think he can only get one sort where he is). I am wondering how long he cooks it?
 
There are pastas here which cook in 90 seconds, others which take 5-6 minutes. The longest cooking time I´ve ever seen was 13 minutes. "0 minutes seems like eternity - just out of curiosity, MG - what was the brand?
Al dente is the rule in Caracas, because we´ve got a huge Italian population and are actually 3rd in the world pasta league, after Italy and Tunisia!
 
karadekoolaid said:
There are pastas here which cook in 90 seconds, others which take 5-6 minutes. The longest cooking time I´ve ever seen was 13 minutes. "0 minutes seems like eternity - just out of curiosity, MG - what was the brand?
Al dente is the rule in Caracas, because we´ve got a huge Italian population and are actually 3rd in the world pasta league, after Italy and Tunisia!
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Yeah, Toronto in Ontario Canada has a large Italian population with over 1/2 million. Apparently the 4th largest in the world. Italian food has always been popular and well understood in Toronto.
 
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