Chinese lo mein noodles

[lmw80]

I picked some of these up to make a peanut butter noodle dish with. In the past I have always used spaghetti. I tried these noodles out last night. The instructions state to dip into boiling water for 40 seconds. I did this, tasted one and it was chewy...so I left it in longer...20 more seconds..shut off the burner, tasted again, still chewy! Put them in the microwave with water for 2 mintes...still chewy! What gives?

[jkath]

I found this for you - hope it helps:

The noodles need to be softened in boiling water before cooking. Dried noodles are parboiled in boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes before using, while fresh egg noodles only need to be boiled for 2 to 3 minutes. The exact amount of cooking time will depend on the thickness of the noodles, so be sure to follow the package instructions if available. But whether you're working with fresh or dried noodles, the goal is to boil them until they are just cooked but not too soft (what the Italian's call "al dente," or "cooked to the tooth").

[BreezyCooking]

Lmw80 - I fully agree with Jkath. Have been there, done that. Even with rice noodles, which are supposed to be nice & tender after just soaking in boiling hot water for several minutes - were still unappetizingly stiff. I now make it a point to cook all these noodles (except for the extremely fragile transparent bean-thread types) in boiling water just like regular pasta. I just make sure I stand right there & test them every 2 minutes or so, & then drain quickly.

[lmw80]

Great, thanks, that helps a lot guys!