Rinse Spaghetti or NO ?

[Rolla07]

The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I've always heard to rinse it with cold water to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

OK --- after that, how do you get the pasta hot again ?

You don't soak the noodles in cold water... They will still be piping hot after a quick rinse.

That said, I do not rinse my pasta. The sauce immediately gets mixed in and the starch on the pasta helps it stick.

No one likes naked pasta with some sauce on top. You gotta mix it in!

Agree.

Also, while the pasta is draining, I add some olive oil to the pan, then add the pasta back, add more olive oil
and mix, this keeps the pasta from sticking together.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). ...
There it is cold rinse to stop cooking. I form my spaghetti in a roll one direction and pour gravy across at 90degrees; This all on a LARGE dinner plate for individual serving.

I like to spoon a nice vino on after plating to add complexity to the flavours.

Mixing it in? Trailer park &^%$!

This ain't Spaghetti-O's slop.

Go ahead, hate me MORE now!

 

[sleddriver]

No...never rinse!

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.


I don't agree. Pasta doesn't "cook". It re-hydrates. Once you rinse the "cooking" is over.

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.


I don't agree. Pasta doesn't "cook". It re-hydrates. Once you rinse the "cooking" is over.


I mean once you drain, the cooking is over. No more water is available for absorption.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

rinse

 

[Tom NJ]

I always use angel hair as opposed to spaghetti because the greater surface area to volume ratio holds more sauce or oil. Boiled to just al dente, I drain and shake in a colander (no rinsing), then dump into a bowl where I it drizzle with a fair amount of extra virgin olive oil. I then add oregano, basil (fresh when available), and chopped fresh garlic and toss. This is served in its own separate bowl, giving the option of enjoying it as a side dish (delicious!) or for topping or mixing with my home grown tomato sauce.

Tom NJ/VA

 

[Nick1994]

Why would anybody rinse it.

What are you trying to remove from it? It was already boiled in water.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.


I don't agree. Pasta doesn't "cook". It re-hydrates. Once you rinse the "cooking" is over.


You do cook pasta, even if it's freshly made pasta, you cook it.

In your context, if you soak dried pasta in cold water, you'll rehydrate it, but it won't have the texture or taste of cooked pasta.

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.


I don't agree. Pasta doesn't "cook". It re-hydrates. Once you rinse the "cooking" is over.


You do cook pasta, even if it's freshly made pasta, you cook it.

In your context, if you soak dried pasta in cold water, you'll rehydrate it, but it won't have the texture or taste of cooked pasta.


http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html

Take it To The Limit: Soaking Pasta
The folks over at Ideas In Food have written about "1 minute pasta." The trick? Soak dried pasta in water until it is fully hydrated. Once that's done, all you've got to do is cook the pasta—say, by tossing it in hot sauce—and it comes out as if it had been cooked and hydrated all at the same time. The beauty in this method is that by pre-soaking pasta and having it sitting in your fridge, you don't have to bring a pot of water to a boil every time you want to eat it. Pasta prep becomes almost immediate.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.


I don't agree. Pasta doesn't "cook". It re-hydrates. Once you rinse the "cooking" is over.


You do cook pasta, even if it's freshly made pasta, you cook it.

In your context, if you soak dried pasta in cold water, you'll rehydrate it, but it won't have the texture or taste of cooked pasta.


http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html

Take it To The Limit: Soaking Pasta
The folks over at Ideas In Food have written about "1 minute pasta." The trick? Soak dried pasta in water until it is fully hydrated. Once that's done, all you've got to do is cook the pasta—say, by tossing it in hot sauce—and it comes out as if it had been cooked and hydrated all at the same time. The beauty in this method is that by pre-soaking pasta and having it sitting in your fridge, you don't have to bring a pot of water to a boil every time you want to eat it. Pasta prep becomes almost immediate.


Which proves my point, you're still cooking pasta, in order to serve it hot.

What happens if you want to do a cold pasta salad? The cold dressing won't cook the hydrated pasta.

 

[Alfred_B]

Quote:
It's because cooking pasta is actually a two-phase process: Hydration and cooking.


straight from that SeriousEats article.

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
The reason for rinsing it with water is to stop it from cooking (overcooking). If your sauce is ready to serve when ur pasta is ready, dont rinse, serve right away. I sometimes rinse if my sauce is still heating up to prevent pasta from becoming mushy. You can also add sauce and microwave if you are worried the pasta will be too cold.


I don't agree. Pasta doesn't "cook". It re-hydrates. Once you rinse the "cooking" is over.


I mean once you drain, the cooking is over. No more water is available for absorption.


If you let pasta sit for 10-15 minutes after draining, it can become mushy and overcooked. Cold water rinse prevents that.

 

[raytseng]

Unless you're cooking for a group where there pickiness or allergies to the sauce, pasta is not pasta unless you cook the pasta in the sauce.
If you're following the timing on the box when the pasta is boiled to al dente, it is probably not palatable to most. But then you put the pasta in the pan and bring the whole thing back up at least to boiling and the cooking finishes in the pan.
All but the cheapest restaurants cook pasta in a pan before plating.
Even Kraft macaroni and cheese you don't rinse the pasta.

If you do not cook your pasta with the sauce, it's like saying you made "omelettes" by putting toppings on top of scrambled eggs; all the ingredients are right, but the process results in not the same end product.

If you are thinking well I'm doing this because pasta will get mushy in 15min, you've already given up and compromised; because timing is an issue with just about every dish and most need to be eaten within a 15min window to be at their best.

Anyway, end of the day do it however you like! but finishing in a pan with sauce is the proper way.