Thoughts on breaking spaghetti prior to cooking

[Greg Who Cooks]

No more posting for me after midnight, over tired and without my glasses/contacts.

There's a lot of Internet posting after midnight done with glasses, and I don't mean eyeglasses!

I don't see any good reason to break the spaghetti but I don't care either way.

 

[Luca Lazzari]

I never break mine either. I'm very superstitious so breaking it would be a big no no and I also throw salt over my left shoulder, never walk under ladders etc lol!

Ciao Odette!

And don't forget broken mirrors...

 

[vitauta]

okay, i think i get it. if you're italian, you don't, won't, or at least can't admit to, breaking those pasta sticks. if you're not italian, you might or you might not, for a lot of different nebulous reasons that you may or may not be able to articulate, but they don't usually involve your heritage....

 

[Dawgluver]

okay, i think i get it. if you're italian, you don't, won't, or at least can't admit to, breaking those pasta sticks. if you're not italian, you might or you might not, for a lot of different nebulous reasons that you may or may not be able to articulate, but they don't usually involve your heritage....

Exactly. Vit, you have a way with words.

 

[Rays]

I break my spaghetti into 3cm bits but now I have been reading about twirling it round the fork, I might go back to leaving it whole. I don't want to be called a Bambino ; )

 

[Matts girl]

With me it's yes at times and no at times....and those times do not revolve around pot size or number being served. It is directly related to my MOOD at the time!!!

 

[1006gm]

There's a lot of Internet posting after midnight done with glasses, and I don't mean eyeglasses!

Ha! I love it. Perhaps I should of had a few glasses!!!! Thanks!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

And just remember that it's always after midnight somewhere.

I prefer angel hair pasta and always order it as my pasta preference at Italian restaurants. One reason is that it's so easy to twirl on a fork and not get an overly large clot of food that's messy to eat.

I don't know how prevalent that spoon and fork twirling thing is. I'm aware of it, I tried it, I suppose I could say it worked but it didn't do anything productive for me. Depending on size of pasta and length I pick up a few or several strands with my fork and stab a piece of meat or sausage or whatever is mixed with the pasta, then twirl that. The piece of whatever keeps the spaghetti from falling off the fork on its way to my mouth.

Like a lot of topics on this forum there will be no final agreement. Name anything: some people will like it, some love it, some hate it, and some are indifferent. In this current discussion I'm passionately indifferent. Break it or not and I'll eat it. But I can't be bothered to break my own pasta.

 

[Addie]

okay, i think i get it. if you're italian, you don't, won't, or at least can't admit to, breaking those pasta sticks. if you're not italian, you might or you might not, for a lot of different nebulous reasons that you may or may not be able to articulate, but they don't usually involve your heritage....

Vit, I personally think there are closet Italians out there that break their pasta. They take it out into the woods and then tells the family she found it that way.

 

[Luca Lazzari]

Vit, I personally think there are closet Italians out there that break their pasta. They take it out into the woods and then tells the family she found it that way.

No way Addie. They can't tell this to the family, or the family will make them an offer that they cannot refuse.
They go to the campsites on the sea and serve them to German and Scandinavian tourists. Along with cheap mortadella slices breaded and fried in fuel oil, pushed as true cotoletta alla milanese.

 

[vitauta]

what?

 

[Austral]

I hate broken pasta. I tried it for a while and found it boring and then I couldn't remember why I started breaking it in the first place.
If you don't like long pasta, have something like Rigatoni or Penne. You will find that a lot more convenient. Spaghetti, Fettuccine and Linguine should be served the way they were intended to be. Twirling is half the fun.

 

[didiod]

One has to wonder why there aren't packs of half the length spaghetti/linguine - or are there ? Trying to eat little bits of spaghetti/linguine is like trying to eat spare ribs with a knife and fork!

Besides, (depending on the mood/setting of course) messy food can be so sexy !

 

[LPBeier]

This is still going? Hilarious!

I have to say, though it has gotten me thinking every time I cook pasta. I have to break DH's rice pasta because it is hard enough trying to keep it from sticking short. Long would be a horror story. It releases so much starch you have to keep stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.

With my regular pasta I sometimes break and sometimes don't. When I worked I didn't break but we were using much bigger pots. At one job, I worked as a prep cook in an organic pasta restaurant. They made their own pasta at another location. Some was fresh and some was dry. The spaghetti and linguini were dry and were twice as long as regular dry pasta. We did not cut it, but I par-cooked it in large pots, shocked it with ice and rinsed it, then tossed it in olive oil with salt and pepper. We would place it in bins in the prep area for the cooks to finish a la minute. I actually loved being a prep cook but didn't stay there long as my catering apprenticeship came shortly after. I did learn a lot about Italian cooking though....from the Armenian Chef!

 

[LindaM.]

I started breaking when I had children. It's shorter that way and less chance of a problem for them to eat it. I never stopped since. It's easier to use a smaller pot and I can still twirl. Don't like the mess though. There is always a few strands that seem to fly into some hard to reach kitchen spot no matter how hard I try. It tastes the same also. Yummy, I am getting hungry!

 

[no mayonnaise]

If the pasta were meant to be broken, why doesn't it come in the "proper" size already?
Answer: Because it's not meant to be broken.

It may taste the same, but I think there's a big textural difference. Pasta texture is everything, or else there wouldn't be so many different shapes--shapes that have been made and perfected over time and shouldn't be trifled with.
It's extremely easy to eat stringy pasta neatly when it's full-length. Easier than if it's broken! If it's REALLY a problem, I say modify the technique, not the pasta.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

There is no right way or wrong way. It's a personal preference, just like when someone likes their steak, well-done, medium or rare.

 

[Addie]

Breaking pasta for a child to me is depriving the child having a fun meal. Half the fun of long spagetti is trying to wind it like the adults. And when they fail at that they get to slurp it up.

Allow them to play with their food. It will build a happy memory. If you don't believe me, take a look at PF's avatar. She certainly had fun that day eating her pasta.

 

[Addie]

No way Addie. They can't tell this to the family, or the family will make them an offer that they cannot refuse.
They go to the campsites on the sea and serve them to German and Scandinavian tourists. Along with cheap mortadella slices breaded and fried in fuel oil, pushed as true cotoletta alla milanese.

Thank you for my laugh for the day.

Don't mess with an Italian and their pasta. Lesson learned. BTW, my son brought me a big piece of imported Mortadella with pistachios. It is my very favorite cold cut. I am so glad I live in an Italian neighborhood.

 

[no mayonnaise]

There is no right way or wrong way.

On this particular topic, I disagree; it's wrong to break the pasta, but that's just my opinion.

The steak analogy would work if we were discussing pasta doneness.

Do you cut your steak into small pieces before cooking it?