Little beats the comfort of carbs, especially in the form of pasta. Whether it’s a squiggle of spaghetti, a tangle of rotini or a pile of penne, I’m all in when it comes to noodles.
And I’ve been munching a ton of them this summer. Lunch today was cavatelli and chicken in a creamy spinach sauce. And I didn’t have to fill my already overheated kitchen with a bunch of extra steam to cook that pasta thanks to a technique I’ve incorporated into some of my cooking recently.
Dried pasta can be soaked in water to achieve much of the hydration that normally occurs in a boiling pot. The approach is similar to the way many cooks soak rice before cooking to speed up the process.
There’s some science here, which I came across in the excellent book “The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science” by J. Kenji López-Alt. Essentially, when you boil pasta two things happen: the carbohydrates in the pasta absorb moisture, while the proteins denature and give the pasta structure. Soaking it in advance breaks those processes into two steps, where they would normally occur simultaneously in a boiling pot of water.
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In practice, what you get is perfectly hydrated pasta — soaking time will depend on the thickness of the pasta shape — that only needs a minute or so of cooking time to let the protein do its thing. That can be in boiling water, or, as I tried, in a simmering skillet of creamy sauce.
The biggest benefit I’ve found is not fogging up my windows with heat and steam from a pot at a rolling boil in a house where the air conditioner is already cranking overtime to keep things cool during this blazing San Antonio summer.
The presoaked pasta technique takes a little trial and error. Leave it in the water (warm tap water works best) too long, and your noodles get mushy. Not long enough, and you may still have crunchy bits after a minute of cooking.
Macaroni, for example, takes about 30 minutes to hit peak saturation according to López-Alt. My chunky cavatelli needed closer to 40 minutes in its bath.
On ExpressNews.com: The 4 perfect pasta shapes to make at home
This is a handy trick to have in your pocket with any kind of baked pasta dish as well. Whether it’s a beefy ziti bake or a cheesy lasagna, there’s no need to parboil any of the noodles. Just let them soak, assemble the dish and slide it into the oven.
A big perk here is that because the pasta is already hydrated, it won’t soak up all your sauce while baking and place an overly dry dinner on the table. And none of your family or friends digging in will be able to tell the difference.
In other kitchen exploits, I recently completed the third leg of our four-week Summer Kitchen Travels series. Previous stops found us in New Orleans and Miami, while Napa Valley was the latest destination. Try any of these recipes for a taste of California’s wine country.
Recipe: The French Laundry’s Gazpacho
Recipe: Solbar at Solage Calistoga’s Bay Scallop Ceviche
Recipe: Joseph Phelps Vineyards’ Braised Beef Short Ribs
Recipe: Bottega’s Zinfandel Spaghettini with Spicy Rapini
Recipe: The Model Bakery’s English Muffins
Recipe: Goose & Gander’s Cucumber Collins Cocktail
Paul Stephen is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Paul, become a subscriber. pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen
The Link LonkAugust 01, 2020 at 04:00PM
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Paul’s Cooking Tips: Soak your pasta to speed cooking and reduce steam - San Antonio Express-News
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