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How do you measure and handle your pasta?

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in Cooking

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

The spiky thing is for lifting spaghetti. Once you get used to it it works like a charm.

 

I have a well-used plastic one with holes in the centre to measure dry noodle portions, not that I ever use that function. I do use it all the time for retreiving not only Chinese noodles, but also for pasta and even for lifting boiled eggs out of their pan. Wouldn't be without it. They are very common here.

 

I've never see a wooden one here.

 

pastaspoon.thumb.jpg.afc3f94a72a844d2f292045e7824b59d.jpg

 

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, liuzhou said:

I always weigh my pasta portions.

I always do with short pasta but the Spaghetti would always roll off the scale. And those pasta measures with holes in them are a big PIA.

But as I said before, too soon old, too late smart.

However, I am still learning.

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chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Only for the well coordinated. I would have it in my hair and over half of the kitchen.

I mostly use tongs, but I drain the pasta first. I'm notably clumsy - see my "I shall never again" post about cutting myself on sugar - and so far, the worst that's happened is a few pieces falling to the counter or floor (and we have dogs, so I don't even need to clean it up).

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, chromedome said:

I mostly use tongs, but I drain the pasta first. I'm notably clumsy - see my "I shall never again" post about cutting myself on sugar - and so far, the worst that's happened is a few pieces falling to the counter or floor (and we have dogs, so I don't even need to clean it up).

I'm even out of luck there. My last dog died last November and my cat won't stoop to touch human food.

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Annie_H

Annie_H

Posted
Posted

I always weigh my pasta now. I used to eye-ball a half pound but it has been way too much---even left-over lunches and next night frittata/lasagna-ish bake is too much carbs in a row. 1/3rd pound still gives a light lunch or two next day. Or an easy quick baked dinner--eggs and vegetables/cheeses.

I use just enough water needed for pasta. Then drain in the sink in a colander over a small bowl in case I need some starchy water. If I need that pot of water for some blanching, I'll use tongs into the sauté pan depending on the dish. 

We don't have water supply issues in NY but many across the country have to be very careful. Pasta and bean water can be used for stocks and soups. 

Our beach home has a rare hand dug well in the basement and a modern dug well but both can run dry if we have too many house guests. Our shower head is a bird bath mister, lol. My sister showers twice a day and needs a fresh towel every time. Tough titty princess. 

For long pastas like spaghetti and linguini I caught Ina swirling the handful in the hot boiling water to let it soften before releasing into the water after a minute. Good tip I guess.

 

 

 

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DesertTinker

DesertTinker

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, Annie_H said:

Our beach home has a rare hand dug well in the basement and a modern dug well but both can run dry if we have too many house guests. Our shower head is a bird bath mister, lol. My sister showers twice a day and needs a fresh towel every time. Tough titty princess. 

Had to separate this from the rest of your reply. 
🤣🤣🤣 Privilege and princess status don’t work everywhere.

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Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted (edited)

I seem to be totally incapable of cooking just a little bit of spaghetti. Short pasta, noodles, no problem. But give me a package of spaghetti and I'm going to make enough for us, the neighbors and the dog. And I don't even have a dog anymore. I've used measurements from the internet, those stupid little things with holes in it and every other trick. It just seems like when I get the spaghetti in my hand it just doesn't look like enough and I just have to throw in some more. So, now that I figured out how to weigh it on the scale how many ounces should I use for two small portions?

Edited by Tropicalsenior (log)
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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

So, now that I figured out how to weigh it on the scale how many ounces should I use for two small portions?

However much you like 🙃

When I'm making something that has at least as much veg as pasta, I go with 2 oz for a main dish serving. 

If it's pasta-centric, like carbonara, I bump it up to 3 oz for a main dish. 

I consider those very ample servings, not small. 

 

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JAZ

JAZ

Posted
Posted

I used to run the "Cooking for Two" site for About.com back when About.com was a thing, and also wrote a couple of books on cooking for two. What I told my readers was that in most cases, 2 oz. per person (so 4 oz. total for two) was a modest portion, 3 oz. per person was a generous serving, and 4 oz. is large. But that also depends on the sauce and what else is in the dish. If we're doing something like carbonara, we do 6 oz. for the two of us, unless we're adding a deep fried poached egg, in which case we lower it to 4 or 5 oz. With a really rich sauce like mac and cheese or alfredo, 2 or 2.5 oz per person is usually enough. But with a light sauce and a few shrimp and vegetables, we generally go with 6 oz. total for the two of us, and sometimes that also results in a lunch for one of us the next day. I have found that many if not most commercial recipes call for 4 oz. of pasta per person, which in my experience is just way too much. (All of this, of course, assumes that you're weighing your pasta.) 

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think it also depends on what course the pasta is being served at.  If truly a primi (after an antipasto), then 2 oz. per person is good. Leaves room for a secondi.


If it (the pasta) is a main course, I make 8 oz.  Depending on sauce, there may be a decent amount left over, or barely any.  But, you gotta have a green or something along with it.

 

Cooking for two in my above examples.  

Edited by weinoo (log)
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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted

We weigh our pasta.  I spent many years eyeballing it and don't know why it took me so long to avoid the guesswork. If my husband didn't have a hollow leg we could get away with a half pound for the two of us. But often he likes to weigh out .55 lbs or a few sticks more, just to complicate matters ; of course that means there's always a partial box in the cabinet. In our house if we have pasta it's the main event.

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