2BaCook wrote:

> 3. How can I make pasta ahead of time and then keep it to serve later?
> How do I warm it back up? How about leftover pasta, keeping it (with
> or without the sauce) and then best way to warm it up?

Do what restaurants do. Cook the pasta, drain it (DON'T RINSE) and
immediately toss it with oil or butter. Figure 3 or 4 tablespoons per
pound. This will keep the pasta from sticking together and accentuate
the flavor of the pasta. Serve it with whatever sauces you normally
would. Refrigerate any leftovers in covered containers to prevent
dehydration.

Restaurants don't mix sauces with pasta until time of service for
several reasons. It stains the pasta and doesn't present as well. It
typically glues it together after a little while. The pasta absorbs a
good bit of the moisture in the sauce and makes it seem drier and
makes the pasta mushier. Better to sauce hot pasta with hot sauce at
service.

To reheat one portion, put into a mike-safe dish or bowl, top with as
much sauce as you would normally use and nuke it. Typically, the best
way to do that is on reduced power. Otherwise, you get hot spots and
some areas won't be as well-warmed. So rather than a minute and a half
at full power, maybe try 3 minutes at 40% power and check it about
halfway through. It sometimes helps to stir it part way through.
You'll have to see how your mike handles it.

> 4. How do I warm up bread to serve?

Depends on what kind of bread and what effect you want. For crusty
bread, wrap in foil and give it a few minutes, like 6 or 8, in a 350F
oven. Uncover for another two or three to crisp up the crust. For soft
dinner rolls, a few seconds in a mike will do it. Seconds. A few. Too
much time will toughen the bread. Better to underdo it than overdo it.

Happy dinner...

Pastorio