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Questions tagged [pasta]

Questions about the make, manufacture, preparation, and cooking of all types of pasta, including traditional durum wheat, whole wheat, and gluten-free.

This tag covers Italian and American styles of pasta either made from wheat or intended to simulate the flavor/texture of traditional Italian wheat pasta. Similar products from other parts of the world, such as Japanese Soba or Udon, are more traditionally called "noodles" and should use the tag instead.

436 questions
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What is the correct water to pasta ratio?

I have heard one should use a lot of water when cooking pasta; how much water should I use?
apaderno
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Test if two foods are the same

I'm Italian, now living in the US for some months. As you may know we like pasta. I tried Barilla here, our best known pasta brand. Well.. the taste seems a little bit different to me. It is actually produced here and not imported, so it could be…
rok
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How much water does pasta absorb when it is cooked?

How much water will dry semolina pasta absorb when it is properly cooked? For example, how much water would one pound of farfalle or spaghetti absorb? I am guessing the shape of the pasta doesn't matter, just the absolute weight. I am not looking…
SAJ14SAJ
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Can anybody help make homemade pasta foolproof?

I can't even count the number of times that I have followed recipes for pasta using a food processor, only to discover that no matter the care I took with the measurements, my dough was just a bit too dry (add water). Now it's too wet, (add flour).…
Jolenealaska
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Can I use ocean water to cook my pasta?

It is said, that the water you use to cook pasta should be as salty as ocean water. So can I simply use ocean water to cook my pasta without adding salt to it?
Sandro
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14
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What are some good reasons for why people make homemade pasta?

What are some good reasons for people to make their own pasta? Does it make it cheaper? Does it taste any better?
Victor
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Why do different pasta shapes taste different?

I've noticed that even when I buy two different pasta shapes of the same brand (and so presumably the exact same recipe), they still taste subtly different, to the point that I consistently prefer the tastes of certain shapes of pasta. Is there any…
Ryan C. Thompson
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How do I stop all the sauce from being absorbed and the pasta going soggy?

I have to make a pasta bake for 20 people take it to the meeting 6 hours before it will be reheated for dinner. How do I stop all the sauce from being absorbed and the pasta going soggy. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. As a trial I have made…
kerry
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How to prevent Orecchiette from sticking to each other while cooking? How to separate in water?

This shape of pasta easily nests inside each other. A lot of times if you just pour it directly from the bag/box into boiling water, you will get stacks of them together. Once they are cooking this way it is a major endeavor to separate them. The…
milesmeow
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Why does my homemade pasta stick to itself whilst cooking?

I make a fair amount of homemade pasta (Mostly Tagliatelle or Linguine), and I tend to cook it fresh, rather than drying it and cooking from dry; however, it tends to clump and stick together in the pan when cooking. What can I do to minimise this,…
Rowland Shaw
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Is It Possible to Make Elbow Pasta At Home?

I love making egg, semolina, and wheat pasta at home, but my home pasta maker (a KitchenAid attachment with a roller and two cutter blades) does only basic fettucini and spaghetti shapes plus whatever I cut the sheets to myself. Is it possible…
justkt
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What are the advantages of homemade pasta over store-bought?

I am thinking about getting a pasta maker. Of course it takes more time to make your own pasta but it seems like it would be fun and nutritious. What are the real advantages to making your own pasta from scratch with a pasta maker, as opposed to…
Jason
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What Old World Europe countries (apart from Germany and Italy) have their own unique pasta traditions?

I was doing some research on websites and came upon a site where a German pasta company had been trying to sell their products into the US (the site is down, looks like the enterprise was not successful). There is a list of their pasta types…
Wyatt Mann
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Tools for making Pasta

I am exploring the world of home-made pasta. My first experiments, cutting the dough into stripes using a knife and throwing the stripes into the boiling water - eatable but with rather plump results, and a very cumbersome process! - show that if…
Pekka
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How much water to put in my pasta pot?

My pasta pot/steamer did not come with directions telling me how full to make it. It seems to boil over or not have enough water to cover the pasta. It is a large pot with the pasta strainer included.
Marlene
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