Cooking dishes from pasta, noodles, and vermicelli is simple and requires a little labor and time. However, you need to be able to cook pasta correctly. There are several cooking methods and with each method the ratio of water to pasta may be different. Today we’ll talk about how to cook long pasta, how long to cook pasta and what cooking method to choose so that it doesn’t stick together.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Butter or vegetable oil

How to cook

To cook pasta, it is better to take a thick-walled container without filling it to the brim. The pasta should have plenty of room when cooking, so for every 100 g of pasta you need to take 1 liter of water.

Bring the water to a boil. Before putting the pasta into boiling water, salt it, and add salt when the water begins to boil. If you add a little milk or meat broth to boiling water, the pasta will taste better.

Place pasta in boiling water. Immerse long pasta in water without breaking it, leaving the ends sticking out.

Then press lightly on them, and they will sink into the water as they soften. As soon as the boiling process is restored, reduce the heat so much that the water boils without splashing out of the pan. Maintain this mode until the end of cooking, periodically stirring the pasta with a spoon.

Cook thick pasta for 20-25 minutes, strips or spaghetti for 15 minutes, noodles for 12-15 minutes, thin noodle-like products for 10 minutes. When finished, they should not have a powdery layer at the bite site.

Place the cooked pasta in a colander to drain the water (the broth remaining after cooking the pasta can be used to prepare dressing soups, pureed soups and sauces).

Quickly transfer the pasta to the same hot pan and add the oil.

And, closing the pan with a lid, shake (do not rinse cooked pasta with water).

Pasta is a universal product. It is eaten as a main dish, a side dish for meat and poultry, and added to salads and soups. Italy is considered to be the birthplace of the product, but, oddly enough, China is fighting with a European country for the right to be considered the birthplace of pasta. Nowadays, pasta is an integral part of the diet. But these products are delicious when prepared correctly. After reading the article to the end, you will learn how to cook pasta.

Pasta is divided into groups and types. In Russia, it is customary to divide products into three groups (according to the type of flour that is included in the product).

1. Group A: durum wheat flour of all varieties.
2. Group B: soft wheat flour of the highest, first grade.
3. Group B: baking flour of the highest and first grade.

The most common are products of the first group. Solid varieties are long-lasting carbohydrates that do not provoke sudden spikes in blood sugar, take longer to digest and do not turn into fat. They also contain less gluten - an ideal choice for allergy sufferers and those who are concerned about their health.

Pasta is divided not only into groups, but also into types according to shape and size.

1. Long: bavetti, capellini, vermicelli, spaghetti, spaghettoni, spaghettini, bucatini, maccheroncini, fettuccine, tagliatelle, mafaldine, linguini. Subspecies differ in length and width. The longest are spaghetti, according to the standard their length is half a meter, but for convenience the length was reduced to 25 centimeters. The thinnest are capellini, translated as “hair”, diameter - 1.2 mm.
2. Short: cellentani (spirals), fusilli (three twisted spirals), girandole (small fusilli), maccheroni (shell), penne (tubes with carved sides), pipe rigatti (snails).
3. For baking: cannelloni (large tubes), lasagne (rectangular sheets).
4. Soup: anelli (rings), stelline (stars), filini (noodles).
5. Curly: different shapes from butterflies to letters.

Pasta may include spinach, tomatoes, eggs, and herbs.

Based on the degree of readiness, pasta is divided into two types.

1. Aldente: in Russia - undercooked pasta, cooked on the outside, hard on the inside. Al dente pasta is suitable for main dishes.
2. Pasta that has been cooked until fully cooked is fully cooked.

Cooking time for pasta depends on the group. Products from group A are cooked two minutes longer than B and C. Cooking time for baked products is 25 minutes, for soup - 12. Long ones are cooked until al dente - 7 minutes, until done - 9. Short ones are cooked until half cooked for 5 minutes, if desired cook until fully cooked, then keep the products in boiling water for 7 minutes.

How to cook pasta correctly - basic methods

Cooking pasta is not a difficult task, the main thing is to follow the basic rules and cooking time. Traditionally, the product is cooked in a saucepan, but with the advent of new technologies, new types of cooking have appeared in the lives of housewives.

In a saucepan

The first step is to bring the water to a boil. You need twice as much water as pasta. When the water boils, add pasta to the pan. Cook until the first boil, then reduce the heat and cook for the required time.

Stir the pasta several times to prevent sticking.

Before boiling again, cover the pan with a lid, and then cook without it. After the time has passed, the water is poured through a colander. The pasta is ready.

In a slow cooker

First, pasta is poured into the bowl and filled with water. Set the mode to “Pilaf”, “Cooking”, “Pasta”, “Steam”. Add two minutes to the standard cooking time. For example, long al dente pasta will cook for 9 minutes.

In the microwave

Cook pasta in the microwave only in glass containers. First you need to boil water - pour the required amount of liquid into a bowl, put it in the oven at full power for 10 minutes. Pour pasta into boiling water. There should be a little more water than when cooking on the stove. Turn on full power, set the timer for 7 minutes.

After the time has passed, leave the pasta to “cook” in the idle oven for 5-10 minutes.

In a steamer

The pasta is cooked not in the usual cooking compartment, but in the water container itself. Immerse the pasta in cold water, set the temperature to 80-85 degrees, close the lid. Cook for 5-10 minutes longer than on the stove.

Do I need to rinse pasta after cooking?

It is believed that pasta must be washed in order for it to be crumbly. This method appeared in Soviet times, when pasta was of poor quality and quickly boiled. The modern product does not require additional washing.

But if the pasta is accidentally overcooked, or it is of poor quality, you can correct the situation in a proven way. The cooked pasta is poured into a colander and then washed under running cold water. But there is one drawback - the side dish will cool down under water, you will have to eat the dish cold, or reheat it additionally.

Pasta can be washed when the main dish is not yet ready, but the side dish has already been cooked - this will stop the process of further cooking. The longer a hot product sits on the stove, the higher the likelihood of overcooking.

Overcooked, sticky pasta is the worst thing to serve on the dinner table. You can prevent sticking by knowing simple rules.

1. Boil in sufficient amount of water. The approximate ratio of pasta and water is ½, you can also calculate it using the formula for 100 g of pasta - liter of water.
2. Throw products only into boiling water. If you throw in too early, the pasta will boil and stick together.
3. Add salt to the water until it boils. How much seasoning is needed is determined by taste. The approximate ratio is half a teaspoon per 100 g of products.
4. Pour vegetable oil into the pan with pasta after boiling again. One or two teaspoons per liter of water will be enough.
5. Choose pasta made from durum wheat, they are much harder than other varieties.
6. Stir the side dish constantly while cooking. Be sure to stir immediately after the pasta gets into the water.

If the pasta does stick together, several simple methods will help correct the situation.

1. Add a few tablespoons of melted butter to the prepared pasta and mix well.
2. Fry the side dish in a frying pan, separating the pasta.
3. Add sauce or broth and stir.

Secrets of cooking pasta

Pasta is good as a side dish and as an independent dish. A few simple rules will help you make pasta even tastier.

1. Cook products only in purified, drinking water. The product absorbs from 25 to 30 percent of liquid. If you eat pasta cooked in plain tap water, you risk introducing an infection into your body.
2. Pasta will taste better if you cook it in milk.
3. After cooking, the product should be immediately discarded in a colander and the unnecessary water should be drained. But you need to leave a little broth in the pan in which the side dish was cooked. The water will prevent the pasta from drying out. How much water to leave depends on the amount of pasta.
4. Ready-made pasta is usually mixed with a piece of butter - the side dish will not dry out even after a while. It’s tastier not just to mix pasta with a piece of butter, but to first melt it in a saucepan and add a side dish to the already melted butter.

TOP 3 recipes for an unforgettable side dish

In addition to answering the question of how to cook pasta, a real housewife should know recipes for delicious side dishes.

1. Tomato and basil will help diversify the usual dish. Diced tomatoes are mixed with vegetable oil. Add some water. Simmer until the tomato releases juice. Add seasonings. Mix the prepared pasta with the resulting sauce.
2. Sprinkle the finished pasta with grated cheese and mix well. It is best to add the cheese directly to the pan where the pasta was cooked. The cheese will melt a little and you will get a delicious, sticky independent dish that goes well with all types of meat.
3. Cut vegetables: zucchini, eggplant, tomato. Simmer a little with vegetable oil. Add pasta, pour soy sauce, add spices. Great option for an Asian style dinner!

Conclusion

Now you know how to properly cook pasta of different groups and types. This product goes well with various sauces, vegetables, and is suitable as a side dish for fried and stewed meat. Don't be afraid to experiment - sweet pasta with added milk, sugar or jam is a favorite dish for those with a sweet tooth. Bon appetit!

Thin and long spaghetti is the basis for many delicious dishes. They can be served with thick meat or vegetable sauces, meatballs or cutlets, added to broth, or eaten with butter and grated cheese. To make any of the selected dishes tasty, long pasta need to be cooked correctly.

Choose your recipe

You will need

• water;
• pasta made from durum flour;
• olive or butter;
• salt.

Instructions

Select the ones that suit you pasta. It is advisable to choose brands made from durum wheat - such spaghetti does not boil over, retains its shape and elasticity, looks beautiful on a plate and has a delicate taste. You don’t have to buy Italian pasta – it’s excellent pasta They are also produced in other countries, including Russia.

Boil water in a tall saucepan. Add salt. Place the required amount of pasta in boiling water - it is calculated depending on the portions. Do not place them in a container in a tight bunch, otherwise the finished paste will stick together during cooking. Spread the spaghetti out into a loose fan.

Don't try to lay it down pasta whole into the pan - they will gradually sink to the bottom on their own. To prevent the bottom part from boiling, you can help a little by gently pressing them with your hand. Don't press too hard - the fragile spaghetti may break.

When pasta completely immersed in boiling water, pour a little olive or refined sunflower oil into the pan and stir gently with a wooden or silicone spoon. This prevents the paste from sticking together later.

The cooking time for spaghetti is indicated on the package. But a minute before the recommended time, it’s worth catching one pasta and tasting it. Ready spaghetti should remain elastic, and in the middle there should be a thin “thread” of hard, uncooked dough. This stage of readiness is called “al dente” (to the tooth) - this is exactly the kind of pasta that Italians prefer. If you prefer soft pasta, cook them for another minute.

Carefully remove the pan from the stove and drain the cooked pasta in a colander. Do not rinse them with water. Better yet, add a little butter or olive oil directly into the colander and give the pasta a quick stir. Now you can put it on a plate as a side dish or add it to the pan where the sauce is being prepared.

To cook delicious pasta, it is not enough to throw the pasta into boiling water and, after a while, drain it in a colander. It turns out that there are many subtleties of this matter, only taking into account which you can prepare real Italian spaghetti.

You will need

• Spaghetti – 400 g:
• chicken breast (fillet) – 400 g;
• mushrooms (champignons) – 300 g;
• sweet pepper – 1 pc.;
• vegetable oil – 150 g;
• green onions – 1 bunch;
• garlic - a couple of cloves;
• greenery
• black pepper - to taste.

Instructions

Spaghetti with chicken and mushrooms consists of pasta and delicious frying. You need to cook both at the same time. Set the water to boil for spaghetti and begin to prepare food for frying.

Cut the chicken meat into small cubes, mushrooms (champignons) into slices. Remove seeds from sweet peppers, wash and chop into strips. Coarsely chop the green onions and squeeze out the garlic.

Put salt and a spoonful of vegetable oil into boiling water to spaghetti did not stick together during cooking. Now lower the pasta into the water so that it gradually becomes flexible and is completely covered with water. At the same time breaking spaghetti it is forbidden.

While they're cooking spaghetti, pieces of chicken breast are fried in vegetable oil until white. Add mushrooms with sweet peppers, onions, garlic to the frying pan, add more vegetable oil and keep on the fire until the vegetables become soft, but in no case are fried to a crust.

Recline spaghetti in a colander without rinsing. Place them on a plate, cover with meat and mushroom sauce on top, sprinkle with chopped herbs and black pepper. Delicious spaghetti can be served.

note

You can cook them every day and you won't get tired of them, because... Every day they will be different, and delicious. It's all in the sauce: spaghetti can be a dessert if you prepare the sauce with nuts, fruits or berries, or it can, as usual, be the main course of the meal if it is prepared with meat, fish or vegetable sauce.

Helpful advice

Try preparing a delicious spaghetti salad with a spicy mustard sauce in 35 minutes. For four servings you need 350 g of spaghetti, three medium potatoes, seven tablespoons of olive oil, two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, two sweet red peppers, 80 g of pitted olives, 400 g of spinach, a teaspoon of mustard and two cloves of garlic.

Surely every housewife knows how to cook pasta. But few cooks think that this simplest process also has its secrets. To ensure that pasta always turns out tasty and does not stick together, it is worth using some tricks.

The main question in the process of preparing the most popular side dish: how long to cook pasta? The exact time depends on which cooking method is chosen, as well as on the type and quality of the product. It is important to choose the right utensils for cooking pasta.

In a saucepan

Most often, pasta is cooked in a saucepan. It is best to use a thick-bottomed container for this process. First, the pan is filled with filtered water. Ideal proportions: liter of water per 100 g of product. If there is not enough liquid in the container, the dish will turn out too sticky. Typically, for a family of three people, take 300 g of pasta and 3 liters of clean water.

The product is lowered into actively boiling water. You need to salt it to taste in advance. The heating of the stove should be maximum. Immediately after immersing the pasta in the liquid, cover the pan tightly with a lid. After boiling again, remove the lid and reduce the heat.

Immediately after adding the pasta to the water, stir it well to prevent sticking. Next, the side dish is prepared for 10-12 minutes.

In a slow cooker

Ingredients: 1 cup pasta, 380 ml filtered water, salt, seasonings to taste, a piece of butter.

1. First of all, the prepared liquid is poured into the bowl of the “smart pan”. Salt is immediately poured into the water and the selected seasonings are added.
2. The “Pasta” mode is set in the menu. After the signal for the liquid to boil, pasta is placed in it. Next, the dish cooks for 8 minutes. If in the end it turns out to be not ready, you can extend the process for the same amount of time.

The resulting side dish is placed in a colander and flavored with butter.

In the microwave

Ingredients: 220 g pasta, 2 times more filtered water, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of refined oil, table salt to taste.

1. To prepare pasta in this way, you need to choose a deep dish suitable for the microwave oven.
2. First, the container is sent into the device at maximum power for 12-15 minutes until the liquid boils.
3. You can salt the bubbling water and pour oil into it. Pasta is immersed in the mixture. The oil will prevent them from sticking together.
4. The products are mixed well and the container is returned to the oven for 20 minutes at medium power.

All that remains is to drain the pasta in a colander and you can take a sample.

In a steamer

Ingredients: 350-370 g pasta, 1 tbsp. a spoon of refined oil, salt, seasonings, water.

1. First, water is poured into the steamer container intended for rice. There should be enough liquid so that its level is approximately 1.5 cm higher than the pasta layer.
2. Salt, seasonings and oil are immediately added to the water.
3. The pasta is immersed in the liquid, after which the device is closed and turned on.

The dish takes 20-25 minutes to prepare. All that remains is to rinse the pasta with warm water.

Al dente pasta - how long to cook?

Slightly undercooked al dente pasta is used in compound dishes. For example, when spaghetti ends up being combined with sauces or separately cooked meat. If you add ready-made pasta to a boiling sauce, it will end up boiling quickly. The al dente state allows for the perfect preparation of a compound pasta dish. An additional couple of minutes of simmering will bring them to full readiness.

The selected pasta is immersed in actively boiling salted water. Next you need to time 3-4 minutes. After this, the semi-finished product is left to stand in water for a couple of minutes, placed in a colander and rinsed with water.

Secrets of cooking different types of pasta

The hardest part is figuring out how to cook pasta nests. This base allows you to prepare a delicious dish with vegetable and meat fillings.

The nests are carefully lowered into boiling water and cooked like regular pasta until tender. The main thing is not to stir them and carefully remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon. You can remove the undercooked nests from the container, cover them with filling and send them to finish baking in the oven.

Spider web vermicelli is cooked very quickly and easily. If it becomes part of the soup, then you can add it to the pan with the first dish 5 minutes before it is ready. Separately, the product is boiled for the same amount of time in salted water with a small amount of vegetable oil.

Do I need to rinse pasta after cooking, and with what water?

Experienced chefs from Italy consider the habit of Russian housewives of washing pasta with cold water to be a big mistake. During the process, the product cools down and loses its taste, and, in addition, the starch necessary for excellent absorption of sauces is washed off.

Each housewife will have to decide whether to rinse cooked pasta on her own. Be sure to rinse the product with water if the pasta is intended for making salad.

What should I add to prevent them from sticking together?

To prevent pasta from sticking together during cooking, you need to stir it frequently with a wide spoon or spatula. Subsequent rinsing with water also prevents sticking.

But these precautions are not enough. To definitely protect the dish from sticking, you just need to add vegetable oil to the water during cooking. 1-2 teaspoons is enough.

Sticky pasta is a nuisance that happens to many housewives, both experienced and new to the culinary arts. To avoid such mistakes, check out these tips on how to cook long pasta.

Pasta is an elementary dish if you know some secrets about choosing products and cooking technology. Traditionally, Venice, or even the whole of Italy, is considered the birthplace of pasta, although thin threads of dough, which were popular in Arab, Indian and Chinese cuisines of the 12th–13th centuries, are known from the chronicles of that time.

Today, macaroni is a common cheap dish, which when cooked is called pasta. There are many types and varieties of pasta (short, long, curly), which are served with different sauces, seasonings and additives.

Long pasta - spaghetti - is very popular. This is the general name for pasta that appears in the form of long strings, 1 to 2 mm thick. Initially, the length of this type of paste was 50 cm. On the shelves of modern stores there are specimens no longer than 27 cm.

If you don't know how to cook pasta correctly, here are 10 steps to create the perfect pasta:

Step #1. When choosing pasta, give preference to products made from durum wheat.

To do this, you will need knowledge of paste labeling. On the manufacturer’s packaging, look for the letter A, the indication “premium flour,” class 1 or “durum wheat.” Imported products are marked semolina di grano duro/durum.

Step №2. To prepare an appetizing dish, you need to know how to cook pasta. To cook spaghetti properly, use a large pan (about 5 liters) to avoid the pasta sticking together. In a large container, the elements will be separated from each other, this will ensure readiness and prevent the formation of a lump.

Step #3. If you don’t know how to properly cook long pasta, then stick to the gold standard: 100:1000:10. This means that 100 grams of dry product will require 1 liter of water and 10 g of table salt.

Step №4. Pour 1 liter of water into a large container and add salt, close the lid and set to maximum. Bring to a boil.

Step №5. To prevent spaghetti from sticking together, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the water.

Step №6. Place the pasta into the boiling water without breaking it. Place it vertically or slightly inclined towards the edge of the pan and wait 10-15 seconds until the part that is in the water softens and sinks lower.

Step №7. During cooking, stir the food every 2-3 minutes with a wooden spoon.

Step №8. The most important question is how long to cook pasta? To find out the answer, read the instructions on the package. On average, it takes 12 minutes to cook 100 g of spaghetti. Pasta is considered ideally cooked al dente - “to the tooth”. To bring the spaghetti to this state, 10 minutes is enough. The pasta will be soft on the outside, elastic, and firmer on the inside.

Step #9. Forget the colander. Leave grandma's tool on the shelf; it won't be useful for making durum wheat pasta. To rinse such food is to hopelessly and irrevocably spoil the product. Drain the water into a container where you will prepare the sauce. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter to the spaghetti pan and stir.

Step #10. Serve spaghetti freshly cooked and hot. Complete the dish with sauce.

For the bolognese sauce you will need:

1. Minced meat - 500 g.
2. Tomato juice/paste - 200 ml/ 3 tablespoons per 200 ml of water.
3. Dry red wine – 100 ml.
4. Onions and carrots - 1 pc.
5. Garlic - 3 teeth.
6. Hard cheese (Parmesan) - 150 g.
7. Greenery.

Chop the onion and carrots and sauté for 10 minutes. Add minced meat, fry, pour in wine. Simmer for 10–15 minutes and pour in tomato juice. Bring to readiness for 10 minutes, place on spaghetti, sprinkle with cheese and herbs.

For bechamel sauce use:

1. Minced meat - 500 g.
2. Milk - 700 ml.
3. Onion - 1 pc.
4. Butter - 50 g.
5. Flour - 3 tbsp. l.
6. Garlic - 2 cloves.

Fry the onion and minced meat in vegetable oil. In a separate frying pan, melt the butter and add flour to it, stir the resulting mixture until a thick mass is obtained. Gently pour warm milk into the pan in a thin stream. Don't stop stirring so that the fried flour doesn't clump together. Add chopped garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper (to taste) to the resulting mixture. Mix the sauce with the minced meat and place on the spaghetti. Garnish with chopped herbs and grated cheese.

This hearty and tasty dish will be enjoyed by family and guests. Experiment with sauces: make a simple tomato dressing or cream cheese sauce with mushrooms and cream.

Don't be afraid to gain weight: durum wheat pasta is a source of healthy carbohydrates. This lunch is healthy, satisfying and safe for your figure.

Bon appetit!