Pasta recipes can be cooked excellently whether it is light or heavy but with great flavor with little care and knowledge. By learning the know-how and basics of the pasta recipes one can cook from baked lasagna, a pasta salad or a plateful of pasta and pesto incredibly and also with ease. The starch which is coated on the pasta puffs up and rises as they swell when put in a pan of hot water. The excess starch that is given away temporarily coats the pasta which makes it pasty. As it cools down this starch turns into a soft solid on the exterior of the pasta.
Tips to Prevent Pasta from Sticking
Whenever you cook pasta make it sure that u have enough water for the pasta to soak. If the water is less it the pasta sticks to the pot. Always be sure that there is more liquid that can keep the pasta soft and enough space to swell. It is best to boil 4-6 quarts of water for every pound of dry pasta.
Boil the water till it flutters and become wavy. This boiling action cannot be stopped even if it stirred. Add the dry pasta to such boiling water.
Note the time duration after adding pasta to the water and also when the water boils along with the pasta.
Never use oil while cooking pasta. There is a misconception that when oil is added to the cooking pasta it does not stick. But it is not so. The flavor of the pasta is diminished when you add oil to the boiling water.
Keep stirring the pasta lightly while cooking so that the strands do not crowd together. As the starch in the pasta starts puffing up, this shoving helps the pasta from sticking together. A dash of salt to the cooking pasta adds flavor to the dish.
The Matching Duo the Right Pasta and the Right Sauce
Fine and brittle pastas which are very delicate and which can be easily broken go with light and thin sauces whereas thick pastas like the fettuccine taste good with heavier sauces like al fredo. Pastas with folds and cracks like mostaccioli or radiatore go well with thick sauces.
Starters like pasta can be relished only when cooked with good interest and knowledge. With so many varieties of pasta available in todays market one can have a certain kind of pasta of his/her choice. And this choice can be turned enjoyable when cooked properly and following the light pasta recipe perfectly.