I was told by the ex-boyfriend of a friend of mine, who was wrong in just about everything else, that to measure spaghetti in terms of number of people you grab a bunch of spaghetti in your dominant hand, with your thumb and index finger circling the pasta. If the ring puts your fingernail at the first joint of your thumb that's pasta for one, the second joint is pasta for two, and the end of your thumb is pasta for three. I've found this works well. Some may say that this varies depending on how big your hands are, but the assumption is that the smaller the hands the smaller the appetite, so you may want to vary it a bit, deciding if you want a loose or tight hold on the pasta. The pasta pot uses less water than you think it does, so trend your water level down a bit. Don't put oil in the water, as it'll prevent the sauce from sticking to your pasta, and don't salt the water until it's boiling or it'll take longer to reach a boil. Sauce is a matter of preference, and it depends on if you want the spaghetti drenched in sauce or if it's just a flavoring element, and also on how much other stuff you choose to put in it, like chopped up vegetables. I find that three or three and a half minutes in the microwave is often enough to heat sauce, so unless you're going for presentation you can heat it in the bowls you're going to serve in. And of course, YMMV, as in all things cooking.
> -----Original Message----- > From: Cookinginthedark [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Holly Anderson via Cookinginthedark > Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2015 8:49 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [CnD] spaghetti questions > > Hi all. Today I’m going to attempt something I’ve never done before, > spaghetti. I know its kind of sad. I’m making spaghetti for 2 people. > I have a spaghetti cooker, it has a section with holes inside a pot > that the spaghetti goes in. So when I lift the section with the holes > out of the pot the water will drain from the spaghetti. My questions > are: > 1. How long do I cook he noodles? > 2. This one is probably depending on how much we eat. but I’m not sure > how much to make for 2 people. > 3. I have a jar of meat sauce, do I just put it in a pot not he stove > and simmer, how long do I cook the sauce, and how much sauce for 2 > people. > > I know these questions seem basic, but I’m new to all this. And it > might just be a trial and error type thing, but I’m kind of nervous. > Any help would be really appreciated. > > Thanks. > Holly > _______________________________________________ > Cookinginthedark mailing list > [email protected] > http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
