Heh. I am talking store-bought (dried?) spaghetti here.... so sue me!

The cooking "destructions" say that it should be cooked in boiling
(salted) water (with a tablespoon of oil added to the water) for 10-12
minutes...

Yeah right!

Mine always takes *at least* 25 minutes before it's "al dente" i.e. it's
not "soggy".
And yes, before anyone asks, the water is *boiling* the whole time...

Is it just me or...???

Comments welcome
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Garlic: the element without which life as we know it would be impossible

ChattyCathy wrote:
Heh. I am talking store-bought (dried?) spaghetti here.... so sue me!

I surely won't sue you. I don't make pasta from scratch. I sometimes buy
"raw" pasta from the refrigerator section at the store, but not often.

The cooking "destructions" say that it should be cooked in boiling
(salted) water (with a tablespoon of oil added to the water) for 10-12
minutes...

Yeah right!

Mine always takes *at least* 25 minutes before it's "al dente" i.e.
it's not "soggy".
And yes, before anyone asks, the water is *boiling* the whole time...

Is it just me or...???

Comments welcome

Cathy, I've never had dried pasta take that long to cook. In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti (broken
into 3rds for manageability) then simply remove it from the heat and cover
it. It cooks 'al dente' in 10, maybe 12, minutes without further ado and
I've freed up a burner for other things. I have noticed some pastas
labelled "whole wheat" (an oxymoron? they do look more brown in colour) take
a little longer to cook, but not by much.

Jill

In article ,
ChattyCathy wrote:

Heh. I am talking store-bought (dried?) spaghetti here.... so sue me!

The cooking "destructions" say that it should be cooked in boiling
(salted) water (with a tablespoon of oil added to the water) for 10-12
minutes...

Yeah right!

Mine always takes *at least* 25 minutes before it's "al dente" i.e. it's
not "soggy".
And yes, before anyone asks, the water is *boiling* the whole time...

Is it just me or...???

Comments welcome

What is your altitude?

It has a bearing on the temperature of the boiling water.

We used to live at 8,000 feet, above Denver in Colorado.
That is where a pressure cooker _really_ comes in handy. ;-)

Not sure I'd use it for pasta tho'!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down." -- Steve Rothstein

jmcquown wrote:


Cathy, I've never had dried pasta take that long to cook. In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti (broken
into 3rds for manageability) then simply remove it from the heat and cover
it. It cooks 'al dente' in 10, maybe 12, minutes without further ado and
I've freed up a burner for other things. I have noticed some pastas
labelled "whole wheat" (an oxymoron? they do look more brown in colour) take
a little longer to cook, but not by much.

Here's what it says on the package:

1. Fill a medium to large pot 2/3 full with water, and bring to the boil

I do that

2. Add a tablespoon of oil and salt to taste

I do that too - BTW, I use olive oil

3. Add pasta and boil, uncovered for 10-12 minutes until tender but
still firm, stirring a few times during cooking.

I do that too

(Trust me, it's not *done* yet. It's still "hard" in the middle and
tastes like... 'raw flour' (is there such a thing??) - blech!)

4. Drain water from pasta and serve with a sauce of your choice....

this works well after about 25 minutes

OK - one other thing - we live at an altitude of approx. 1600 meters
(about 5000 feet) above sea level - so our water boils at a little under
100 Deg C. Wonder if that has anything to do with it??

FWIW, the brand name is 'Fatti's & Moni's'
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Garlic: the element without which life as we know it would be impossible

On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:53:17 +0200, ChattyCathy
wrote:

Heh. I am talking store-bought (dried?) spaghetti here.... so sue me!

The cooking "destructions" say that it should be cooked in boiling
(salted) water (with a tablespoon of oil added to the water) for 10-12
minutes...

Yeah right!

Mine always takes *at least* 25 minutes before it's "al dente" i.e. it's
not "soggy".
And yes, before anyone asks, the water is *boiling* the whole time...

Is it just me or...???

I'm wondering what elevation you're living at! I have to cook my
packaged pasta for a minute or three less than the package suggests or
else I'll get mush.

sf @ "sea level"
--

History is a vast early warning system
Norman Cousins

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
Cathy, I've never had dried pasta take that long to cook. In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti
(broken
into 3rds for manageability) then simply remove it from the heat and cover
it. It cooks 'al dente' in 10, maybe 12, minutes without further ado and
I've freed up a burner for other things. I Jill



I caught onto this trick from my m-i-l. It works well with most thinner
pasta. I don't test my luck with the method with penne's etc.

When I put the spaghetti into the pan of boiling water, I usually leave it
whole, but encircle it around inside the pan until it melts down into the
water and gets to boiling again, then time it from there.

Dee

"ChattyCathy" wrote in message
. ..
Heh. I am talking store-bought (dried?) spaghetti here.... so sue me!

The cooking "destructions" say that it should be cooked in boiling
(salted) water (with a tablespoon of oil added to the water) for 10-12
minutes...

Yeah right!

Mine always takes *at least* 25 minutes before it's "al dente" i.e. it's
not "soggy".
And yes, before anyone asks, the water is *boiling* the whole time...

Is it just me or...???

Comments welcome
--

Angel hair takes 4 mintutes. Macaroni takes 8-11, IIRC. I have found that I
like pasta done the time suggested on the box or less. But then I don't
generally
cook BIG HONKING NOODLES.

lol

TWENTY FIVE MINUTES FOR PASTA???

cybercat wrote:


TWENTY FIVE MINUTES FOR PASTA???


Yep.

Cathy just finished eating her pasta with meat sauce

Altitude: 5000 feet


--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Garlic: the element without which life as we know it would be impossible

jmcquown wrote:
In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti (broken
into 3rds for manageability)

clutching chest in pain
Oh no no no, Jill. Don't do this! This is horrible. Just twirl a few
strands on your fork to make a compact package you then can lift to your
mouth. It isn't hard, and is a more grown up way of eating.
Short broken pieces of spaghetti don't twirl worth a shit.

On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:16:52 +0200, ChattyCathy
wrote:

OK - one other thing - we live at an altitude of approx. 1600 meters
(about 5000 feet) above sea level - so our water boils at a little under
100 Deg C. Wonder if that has anything to do with it??

Altitude is your problem!
--

History is a vast early warning system
Norman Cousins

"Goomba38" wrote in message
. ..
jmcquown wrote:
In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti
(broken
into 3rds for manageability)

clutching chest in pain
Oh no no no, Jill. Don't do this! This is horrible. Just twirl a few
strands on your fork to make a compact package you then can lift to your
mouth. It isn't hard, and is a more grown up way of eating.
Short broken pieces of spaghetti don't twirl worth a shit.

Why are you telling anyone how to eat pasta, FFS? I like mine
the way you like yours, but I make my husband's the way HE likes
it--broken in to thirds.

"ChattyCathy" wrote in message
. ..
cybercat wrote:


TWENTY FIVE MINUTES FOR PASTA???
Yep.

Cathy just finished eating her pasta with meat sauce

Altitude: 5000 feet



ohhhhh.

Well.

Never mind.

ChattyCathy said...

Heh. I am talking store-bought (dried?) spaghetti here.... so sue me!

The cooking "destructions" say that it should be cooked in boiling
(salted) water (with a tablespoon of oil added to the water) for 10-12
minutes...

Yeah right!

Mine always takes *at least* 25 minutes before it's "al dente" i.e. it's
not "soggy".
And yes, before anyone asks, the water is *boiling* the whole time...

Is it just me or...???

Comments welcome


Cathy,

That sounds like too long for spaghetti. Are you making it in a pot with
LOTS of water or are you crowding the spaghetti into "shallow waters?"

My vermicelli takes 8-10 minutes.

Good luck,

Andy

Goomba38 wrote:
jmcquown wrote:
In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti
(broken into 3rds for manageability)

clutching chest in pain
Oh no no no, Jill. Don't do this! This is horrible. Just twirl a few
strands on your fork to make a compact package you then can lift to
your mouth. It isn't hard, and is a more grown up way of eating.
Short broken pieces of spaghetti don't twirl worth a shit.

They aren't that short and they still twirl

On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:39:44 -0400, Goomba38
wrote:

jmcquown wrote:
In fact,
sometimes after I get the water to a rapid boil I add the spaghetti (broken
into 3rds for manageability)

clutching chest in pain
Oh no no no, Jill. Don't do this! This is horrible. Just twirl a few
strands on your fork to make a compact package you then can lift to your
mouth. It isn't hard, and is a more grown up way of eating.
Short broken pieces of spaghetti don't twirl worth a shit.

I'm turning into a stabber. I just don't like to twirl anymore unless
it's linguine and clams. So, intead of spaghetti - I prefer rigatoni
with my meat sauce.
--

History is a vast early warning system
Norman Cousins