Pasta -- How much is enough? (serving)

[di reston]

Looking at the thread again, I have the feeling that I missed the point. Here in Italy, a healthy diet with pasta would require portions of 85 to 75 grams per person. However, I'm going to check that out with my friends at It.Hobby.Cucina, and see what they say. Interested? Let me know! I'll post the response.


di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde

 

[Andy M.]

Maybe I lack tact but the shoe appears to fit.

I wish both of us could be 30 again.

Being right doesn't make bad manners acceptable.

 

[tenspeed]

Here in Italy, a healthy diet with pasta would require portions of 85 to 75 grams per person.

That doesn't sound too far off from what we eat. 75 - 85 grams is 2.65 - 3 ounces. I think most Americans don't have too many courses in a typical meal (certainly not the 8 or 9 courses you describe for a dinner party!). When I have pasta, it is commonly a bed for proteins and sauce, with a vegetable or salad on the side. We're right around 70 - 80 grams of pasta in that case. Some dishes (like pasta with bolognese) will typically include more pasta - somewhere in the 85 - 90 gram range.

I never used to measure the amount of pasta, but now that I'm making pasta in a machine and weighing the ingredients, I'm much more aware of how much we are eating. When I eyeballed the amount to cook I usually made too much and ended up throwing some out.

 

[Addie]

Pirate asked me how much Angel Hair pasta was one serving. I showed him how I measured it out for myself. And I also told him two ounces. He didn't believe me. When I place my thumb on the knuckle of my index finger, that is one serving. Then I told him to check out the serving chart that I hade printed out from this thread. Right on the button. Two ounces with my own personal measurement. I made a believer out of that kid!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

The consensus is one serving = 2 ounces of pasta, dry measure. Coincidentally, just what the pasta package nutritional information says.

Now the next question:

What do you add to your boiling water before the pasta?

(1) nothing
(2) salt
(3) oil
(4) salt + oil

Or are there rules?

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

The consensus is one serving = 2 ounces of pasta, dry measure. Coincidentally, just what the pasta package nutritional information says.

Now the next question:

What do you add to your boiling water before the pasta?

(1) nothing
(2) salt
(3) oil
(4) salt + oil

Or are there rules?

If I'm making pasta ahead to use later, say in a soup, I

boil water,
add salt (I use 1Tbsp/lb of dry pasta),
cook pasta as directed,
drain well (DO NOT rinse),
transfer to a bowl, toss with olive oil (just a bit) so that they don't stick together.

I like to add the pasta to soups as I serve it. So I place a portion of the now cooked and lightly oiled pasta to an individual serving bowl and top with the REALLY hot soup.

But rules?
I don't really care for too many rules,
life's a party

 

[Andy M.]

The consensus is one serving = 2 ounces of pasta, dry measure. Coincidentally, just what the pasta package nutritional information says.

Now the next question:

What do you add to your boiling water before the pasta?

(1) nothing
(2) salt
(3) oil
(4) salt + oil

Or are there rules?

Rules, conventional wisdom, etc. Salted water and no oil ever. Oil coats the pasta and prevents sauce from sticking.

 

[Addie]

Always salt the pasta water. No salt in the water and it is just too late after it is cooked. I can't think of any food that taste as bad or flat as unsalted pasta.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Always salt the pasta water. No salt in the water and it is just too late after it is cooked. I can't think of any food that taste as bad or flat as unsalted pasta.

What is the difference between salting before and salting after?

 

[Addie]

What is the difference between salting before and salting after?

Salting after is like all the salt just sits on top of the pasta and never becomes part of the dish as a whole. Salting the water, the salt dissolves in the water is then absorbed into the pasta and becomes part of the food.

Cook first a small portion in unsalted boiling water. Just three or four strands of pasta. When it is done remove the strands and taste them. Then salt the water and repeat. You will see a tremendous difference.

Many years ago I asked my downstairs neighbor who came from Italy, why she didn't add the salt to the flour when she was making her pasta. Something she did faithfully every day. You would have thought that I cursed God right to His face. When she calmed down she explained to me that it makes the pasta tough and difficult to cook. It would never become soft enough to even chew. That was her explanation. How true it is, I can't say. I took her word for it and have never added salt to any pasta I have made by hand.

 

[Dawgluver]

I never salted my pasta water for many years, but after watching Ann Burell and Rachel Ray, I've done it a few times. Both say to salt it like the sea.

Frankly, I don't notice that much difference, other than it tastes saltier. I wouldn't do the salting after either.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...What do you add to your boiling water before the pasta?

(1) nothing
(2) salt
(3) oil
(4) salt + oil

Or are there rules?

Rules, smools. The rules I follow are the ones I make. My kitchen, my rules.

That being said, I also salt the water. No oil in the water if I'm using it for a pasta meal. However, I will add water if I'm using the pasta for a pasta salad. After all, I'll be adding a dressing that includes oil to the pasta. Therefore, I will put about a Tbsp of oil into the water right as I'm dropping the pasta into the pot.

 

[Andy M.]

Rules, smools. The rules I follow are the ones I make. My kitchen, my rules.

That being said, I also salt the water. No oil in the water if I'm using it for a pasta meal. However, I will add water if I'm using the pasta for a pasta salad. After all, I'll be adding a dressing that includes oil to the pasta. Therefore, I will put about a Tbsp of oil into the water right as I'm dropping the pasta into the pot.

Not sure I understand why. If you're making pasta salad, cook the pasta in salted water, drain, rinse and toss it with the dressing so the pasta absorbs the flavors of the dressing.

 

[GotGarlic]

Not sure I understand why. If you're making pasta salad, cook the pasta in salted water, drain, rinse and toss it with the dressing so the pasta absorbs the flavors of the dressing.

Same here. I don't understand the purpose of adding oil to pasta water before cooking. I do salt it. Dawg, that's exactly the reason for salting the cooking water - to season the pasta while it's cooking.

I've found that sprinkling cooked, drained pasta with vinegar and other seasonings flavors it much better than tossing it with a dressing. I give it a few minutes to absorb the seasonings, then add the oil or mayonnaise, depending on what kind I'm making.

 

[medtran49]

Same here. I don't understand the purpose of adding oil to pasta water before cooking. I do salt it. Dawg, that's exactly the reason for salting the cooking water - to season the pasta while it's cooking.

I've found that sprinkling cooked, drained pasta with vinegar and other seasonings flavors it much better than tossing it with a dressing. I give it a few minutes to absorb the seasonings, then add the oil or mayonnaise, depending on what kind I'm making.

I recently found out you should do that with potatos for potato salad. Cook them, do the above, then let the potatos cool, then add rest of your dressing. It does make a difference, gives it a fuller rounder flavor.

 

[GotGarlic]

I recently found out you should do that with potatos for potato salad. Cook them, do the above, then let the potatos cool, then add rest of your dressing. It does make a difference, gives it a fuller rounder flavor.

Yes, I've been doing it with potatoes, too. Definitely makes a difference [emoji2]

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Thanks for explaining it to me. I think I'll pre-salt and skip the oil from now on.

 

[msmofet]

In my house 1 lb. pasta is 8 servings. So it is 2 meals for the 4 of us.

I always salt the water when cooking pasta.

I find adding the vinegar and spices to hot potatoes, pasta or veggies allows it to absorb the flavors easier and quicker.

 

[Mad Cook]

I have a little plastic thingy which has holes on it indicating 1, 2, 3, etc., portion sizes. You push the spaghetti, etc., through to gauge portion size. It only works with long thin pasta, though.

I don't know where it came from and I've never used it. I just go by eye and people always accept "seconds".

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Msmofet you confirmed the 2 oz serving size.

Mad Cook, around here we call people who eat seconds "weight challenged." Admittedly this varies depending on person. A gowning teenager could probably eat 4-5 oz of spaghetti and burn it up.