Pasta

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I've worked in restaurants where all the pasta is pre-cooked and then put in hot water briefly before tossing through the sauce. Obviously, Italians are really not fans of this method, but it definitely makes for a quick and easy meal.
Also, there are some really awesome pasta sauces that you can whip up in 10-15 minutes, that will help you combat the loss of appetite. I can share some if you would like.
Hope you are feeling better.

yes, please share your pasta recipes.

i'm not a big fan of barilla pasta. it tastes like it's trying too hard to stay al dente. kinda chewy or a bit grainy when cooked to package directions, or if ypu let it go longer, it suddenly becomes overcooked at some point. there's no middle ground, or perfectly cooked.
 
Buon Giorno,

Re: BARILLA BRAND

Unfortunately, up until two years ago, I had to make all my own pasta because Spain had not imported Barilla ...

However, now they are also importing other Italian brands, so it is less time consuming to use dry pasta verses the Pasta Machine & Hand Kneaded, which I reserve for Saturdays and special occasions ...

I have tried two others, Del Cecci is one of them ... They have some unique shapes and treatments or flavours, for example: Funghi Mushroom Flavoured or Squid Flavored ...

Have Nice Wkend.
Ciao, Margi.
 
You guys will probably think I'm crazy but. ...
I have a sandwich maker (the kind that toasts the sandwich & cuts it in half). Whenever I have leftover spaghetti, or any pasta that's already sauced, I put it in the sandwich maker and it comes out with crispy edges like baked Mac n cheese gets. I especially like cream sauce pastas this way. It cooks a lot of fat out of the sauce & leaves the machine greasy but it wipes out & seasons the cooking surface. Start to finish "cooking" time is less than five minutes.
 
You guys will probably think I'm crazy but. ...
I have a sandwich maker (the kind that toasts the sandwich & cuts it in half). Whenever I have leftover spaghetti, or any pasta that's already sauced, I put it in the sandwich maker and it comes out with crispy edges like baked Mac n cheese gets. I especially like cream sauce pastas this way. It cooks a lot of fat out of the sauce & leaves the machine greasy but it wipes out & seasons the cooking surface. Start to finish "cooking" time is less than five minutes.

Hmmm ... I might try this!
 
The best way to measure an exact amount of pasta is to weigh it on a digital scale.

When husband started having medical problems, I had to start counting this and that and the other thing. Then I just stopped. Told him you will not ruin cooking for me by turning it into a math problem. I hated math when I was a kid, and still do now. Not gonna start weighing and measuring and turning the entire kitchen into a lab rather that a fun place to be. So I wind up with too much pasta. That's why I buy barilla, it re-heats better than others, that is to say, doesn't turn into mush. The restaurant practice of re-boiling pasta .... well, I never order pasta in a restaurant. It is one of the least expensive meals to make at home,, and is my "go to" several days a week. So I save dining out for meals that are too much of a p/a to make at home.
 
When husband started having medical problems, I had to start counting this and that and the other thing. Then I just stopped. Told him you will not ruin cooking for me by turning it into a math problem. I hated math when I was a kid, and still do now. Not gonna start weighing and measuring and turning the entire kitchen into a lab rather that a fun place to be. So I wind up with too much pasta. That's why I buy barilla, it re-heats better than others, that is to say, doesn't turn into mush. The restaurant practice of re-boiling pasta .... well, I never order pasta in a restaurant. It is one of the least expensive meals to make at home,, and is my "go to" several days a week. So I save dining out for meals that are too much of a p/a to make at home.

I understand completely Claire. I hated math as a child and I still do. Give me a mental math problem, and my mind blanks. I refused to help my kids with their math homework. As a diabetic, you are supposed to measure and weigh. How many carbs? How much protein? I don't know and I don't care. I just know how much to eat of certain foods. It is an inner skill you develop over time. I refuse to have a bunsen burner and flasks in my kitchen. I am not a scientist and have no desire to develop a new occupation. Weighing out two ounces of pasta too much trouble? You bet it is. Who do you know that keeps an accurate scale on their counter? Not me. If I were to measure everything I want for a meal, I would have no time to cook or eat. Or do anything else. right now I don't even know what cabiinet my scale is in. If you find it, let me know. You can have it. I only use it to weigh packages for shipping and mailing.
 
Sorry to say, and I don't mean to offend you, but that's ridiculous. Particularly for somebody with diabetes. It's like saying it's too much bother to test your blood sugar level. Ignore these things at the peril of your health and your survival.
 
Sorry to say, and I don't mean to offend you, but that's ridiculous. Particularly for somebody with diabetes. It's like saying it's too much bother to test your blood sugar level. Ignore these things at the peril of your health and your survival.

Well I must be doing something right. I am no longer on medication for my diabetes. I now control it by diet alone. And my A1c has gone down. Which is a good thing. It 6.0. Which is perfect. The number every diabetic strives for. But I do test my blood twice a day. :)
 
I'll agree that if you have diabetes and you've gotten it under control by diet alone then you are doing something right.

Maybe you just have an instinct or knack for doing it right without measuring.
 
I'll agree that if you have diabetes and you've gotten it under control by diet alone then you are doing something right.

Maybe you just have an instinct or knack for doing it right without measuring.

It was all trial and error. Learning the hard way with determination. :):)
 
I'm glad you have not taken offense to my comments. I'm a scientist at heart. I embrace science and mathematics, and because of my calling I find it easy to apply scientific methods, including weighing and taking detailed notes, to my cooking endeavors.

Many who are intuitive rather than scientific succeed well in cooking. Fortunately for me I have both science and intuitiveness working for me, although I prefer to allow my scientific side to rule in taking notes and making records. My intuitive self tells me which ingredients to use and how to balance them.
 
I'm glad you have not taken offense to my comments. I'm a scientist at heart. I embrace science and mathematics, and because of my calling I find it easy to apply scientific methods, including weighing and taking detailed notes, to my cooking endeavors.

Many who are intuitive rather than scientific succeed well in cooking. Fortunately for me I have both science and intuitiveness working for me, although I prefer to allow my scientific side to rule in taking notes and making records. My intuitive self tells me which ingredients to use and how to balance them.

I have yet to see or read any post by any member of DC that is mean or hurtful. Sometimes when I am talking to a person, I tend to raise my voice. I hear myself and immediately apologize. I think it comes from yelling at my kids for years. And I still yell at them when they do something stupid. Which is often. When will they learn?

I learned that if I pig out with more than one baked potato it would raise my sugar. So I always eat my protein food first. Then I am no longer able to eat two potatoes. I make all the desserts for the family. But I never eat any of it. I was willing to give up any item of food that had sugar in it as long as I could continue to have sugar in my coffee. It has worked out for me. Also in exchange for that, I limit my carbs to a small helping. I will eat my protein, then the veggie and last any carb that may be on my plate. Most of the time I leave the carb untouched. I also learned not to eat a carb unless I have protein first. Trial and error. I hate the feeliing I get when my sugar goes above 150. I try to keep it to 135 tops. I succeed about 95% of the time.
 
You have learned the lesson that carbohydrates particularly starches metabolize to sugar. IMO baked potatoes are almost as evil as sugar. Starches (and sugar) metabolize quickly and raise our blood sugar level to alarming levels. Proteins are much more difficult to digest, so they have a much longer effect but less peak effect. I think of eating protein as eating building blocks, while eating starches and sugars as eating fuel. This is a very important distinction: building blocks vs. fuel.

And fats, but I'll save that issue for another day. Fats too are difficult to digest and thus they contribute less to peaking blood sugar levels. It is starches and sugars that diabetics need to concern themselves with, although I am no authority nor do I have that disease.

I think far too many people obsess over fat content while ignoring the main offender: starches.
 
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