Thoughts on breaking spaghetti prior to cooking

[Andy M.]

I never use oil. Theory is that the oil coats the pasta and the sauce wont cling to it. Regardless, as you've proven for yourself, it's a waste of oil.

Boiling with lots of water and stirring regularly will do the trick.

 

[CraigC]

Going off at a tangent - when boiling pasta do you add oil to the cooking water or not.

I always used to because the books I'd read and the odd television programme said I should but the aforementioned Mrs Susca laughed at me when she came into my kitchen and caught me at it. Her theory was that if you have a goodly supply of boiling water in the pan in the first place you don't need oil. I tried it without found she was right so haven't done it since but there have been a number of times on FN lately when the demonstrators have insisted that with oil is the only way to go.

For us, only highly salted water (seawater like), no oil for dried pasta. Lightly salted for fresh, especially pasta that has added ingredients. Such as andouille gnocchi.

 

[Andy M.]

I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you. When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork. Is that wrong? They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners. I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones. Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.

If you need a knife to cut your meatballs, you're making them wrong. Meatballs should be soft and tender.

 

[Addie]

I always break off a piece of the meatball or sausage with the side of my fork.

And I have never put oil in my pot of pasta water. And I don't know any Italian grandmother or mother that did either. Some folks do it to keep the pasta separate when you drain it, thinking that all the oil will coat it. Not so. If you immediately put a small bit of sauce over the pasta and toss, it will keep the pasta from sticking to itself. Putting oil in the water is just a waste of good olive oil.

 

[Dawgluver]

Fork only. No oil.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Anyway I can get it in my mouth...

 

[Mad Cook]

I always break off a piece of the meatball or sausage with the side of my fork.

And I have never put oil in my pot of pasta water. And I don't know any Italian grandmother or mother that did either. Some folks do it to keep the pasta separate when you drain it, thinking that all the oil will coat it. Not so. If you immediately put a small bit of sauce over the pasta and toss, it will keep the pasta from sticking to itself. Putting oil in the water is just a waste of good olive oil.

"Putting oil in the water is just a waste of good olive oil." My view entirely

 

[bakechef]

If you are at home without an audience and if your partner doesn't mind you can eat your spaghetti and meat balls with your fingers if you like. If you're in a restaurant it's unlikely you'll have a knife for the pasta course but in any case (on my side of the pond, at least) so it's considered perfectly good manners to cut your meat ball with your fork. In Italian restaurants over here, in my experience, the waiter often takes away the knife and leaves you a spoon and fork if you choose pasta.

Am I right in thinking that in America you cut up your food and then transfer fork to right hand and scoop? (Source=Old black and white film where the American secret agent in France was given away because the Gestapo saw him do this) whereas we cut as we go so have knife in right hand and fork in left with points pointing down throughout the meal. Would a Brit in America be considered uncouth for doing it like this?

Aren't good manners and perceptions thereof odd.

Yes some do eat this way. I was taught the continental style, fork in left hand tines pointing downward and the knife in the right, cutting the food as you go. Once you start doing it this way it makes a lot of sense, no switching back and fourth and the utensils feel more like an extension of your hands.

My husband cuts up all of his food at once when we are at home but in a restaurant he eats continental style, I only noticed this recently.

 

[taxlady]

...

We had a Danish exchange student once who I think was a little OCD about it. I noticed that he would cut and shape his food into little rectangles that fit perfectly on the fork. He even ate a burger with a knife and fork.

Danes prefer to eat their sandwiches with a knife and fork. This what the sandwiches look like:

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you. When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork. Is that wrong? They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners. I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones. Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.

You worry too much. Just cut them in half or make them smaller. Most spaghetti joints I been have pretty big balls.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

If you are at home without an audience and if your partner doesn't mind you can eat your spaghetti and meat balls with your fingers if you like. If you're in a restaurant it's unlikely you'll have a knife for the pasta course but in any case (on my side of the pond, at least) so it's considered perfectly good manners to cut your meat ball with your fork. In Italian restaurants over here, in my experience, the waiter often takes away the knife and leaves you a spoon and fork if you choose pasta.

Am I right in thinking that in America you cut up your food and then transfer fork to right hand and scoop? (Source=Old black and white film where the American secret agent in France was given away because the Gestapo saw him do this) whereas we cut as we go so have knife in right hand and fork in left with points pointing down throughout the meal. Would a Brit in America be considered uncouth for doing it like this?

Aren't good manners and perceptions thereof odd.

You are obsessed with knives. Here in America they set the table and then they leave it the freak alone. No taking back stuff.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

We were always served the meat and pasta courses separately during our meals in Italy. The exception seemed to be seafood pasta and pasta that had pancetta or guanciale in them.

Most Sunday Gravy is served with the sauce and pasta as a separate course from the meats cooked in the gravy. The sausages, meatballs and braciole and/or pork were removed from the gravy and served.

I think it's better to serve them separately unless the pasta is a side.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

..., as a little girl I learned to twirl spag with a spoon and fork at an early age then when I'd mastered that I graduated to using just a fork against the curve of the dishor plate, which is what I do now. Is it "correct"? No idea but it works.

Spoon and fork seems to be the internationally accepted standard.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Yes some do eat this way. I was taught the continental style, fork in left hand tines pointing downward and the knife in the right, cutting the food as you go. Once you start doing it this way it makes a lot of sense, no switching back and fourth and the utensils feel more like an extension of your hands.

My husband cuts up all of his food at once when we are at home but in a restaurant he eats continental style, I only noticed this recently.

That's all wrong. With pasta the spoon goes in the left hand and fork in right.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

No mayo, even if you're right, the decision to break pasta for a wide variety of reasons is not the end of the world. Not suggesting you should do it. Others prefer it that way and that's OK.

I go with this. It's the chef's prerogative. In the end the chef is responsible for how the meal turns out.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

In our case, a household with no natural teeth left, breaking the spaghetti is a new learned behavior. Pasta is also now cooked past al dente. It's true, as you age and certain things befall you, you regress back to childhood.

How do you cook it al dente if you ain't got no dente?

 

[Andy M.]

Spoon and fork seems to be the internationally accepted standard.

Actually, I never use a spoon. All you really need is a fork and the edge of the plate.

 

[bakechef]

That's all wrong. With pasta the spoon goes in the left hand and fork in right.

This was referring to dining in general, not eating spaghetti, a question that was a little of topic.

 

[Lize]

Who breaks their spaghetti/linguine prior to cooking it. My husband and I bicker about this all the time. He likes me to break it and cook it so it's not messy and so he doesn't have to cut it. I don't like to break it. Any reasons as to why I should or shouldn't break it? What do you do with your pasta? Thanks!

My boyfriend is the same as your husband, he'd also like me to break it. I always eat spaghetti with a fork and a spoon and it would be much more difficult to eat broken spaghetti in my opinion. Then you might as well buy some other shape of pasta from the beginning.

 

[Rocket_J_Dawg]

Up until I saw this on TV, I too left my spaghetti long. I didn't realise how dangerous it is. Someone could loose an eye.

New TUMS commercial - SPAGHETTI - YouTube