What type of spaghetti should I use?
There are a lot of types of pasta out there. There’s fresh pasta and there’s dry pasta.
While some pastas are made with eggs, others are made simply with flour and water.
We’re going to concentrate on the most popular type of pasta that you can buy at the grocery store. It’s a dry pasta made from water and Semolina flour.
Since it typically comes in one-pound packages, the recipe in this article will call for one pound of dry spaghetti.
Semolina pasta is made from Semolina flour. And semolina flour is made from Durum wheat.
When comparing semolina flour to all-purpose flour, which is more widely used, you’ll see that the former is whiter.
When do I put my spaghetti in the water?
After putting the stove on high heat, watch for it to fully boil. Add your pound of pasta to the pot of water once it quickly comes to a boil. Place it whole, being careful not to break it. It’s okay if it appears excessively long because a portion of it protrudes above the water.
The water temperature decreases slightly when the uncooked pasta is added, causing the rolling boil to decrease. That’s ok.
As soon as the spaghetti is submerged in water, the bottom portion will soften and become suitable for stirring with a long spoon. Now you should have all of your spaghetti in the boiling water.
Stir your spaghetti in the boiling water frequently to prevent it from sticking together. To prevent my spoon from sticking to the bottom as well, I make sure it is in contact with the pot’s bottom.
Others prefer to add a small amount of olive oil to the water to prevent the spaghetti from sticking. Don’t do it. Later on, when we want the sauce to stick to the pasta’s surface, it will be difficult.
Why taste testing pasta matters
Do you cook and drain your pasta without tasting it? It’s important to check the texture of your pasta before draining it. How else do you know it’s truly done- ‘al dente’?.
How to properly taste test pasta:
- A minute or two before you believe the pasta might be done, begin tasting it every 20 seconds. I usually test twice.
- If the pasta is added to a hot sauce, it will also continue to cook. When it’s al dente, add it to the sauce and let it cook for an additional minute or two. Taste again for flavor and Mangia! (eat!).
