Pasta is not merely just a type of food, its tradition, the culture which has been followed by Italians since ancient times.
Moreover, this food is loved and eaten all over the globe with different making styles. I am a dedicated lover of this food and love experimenting with cooking all shapes of Pasta in my choice of sauces, toppings and seasoning.
The pasta comes in so many different flavors and shapes, and there are about 300 types of pasta shapes available for you. They are fettuccine, tagliatelle, angel hair pasta, ravioli spaghetti, penne, farfalle and many more.
1. Angel Hair Noodles
It’s a thin and longer type of Pasta, just like noodles. It takes approx. 6 to 7 minutes to get cooked in boiling water. The angel hair noodles are a bit hollow at the centre of and is also dainty, which makes it absorb any types of sauces like light soupy sauce or dairy-based sauces.
2. Penne
They are the cylindrical type of pasta, and a little harder and so take longer time to get cooked. However, it tastes better when paired with chunky and cream-based sauces and veggies.
3. Ravioli
These are square-shaped sheets of dough stuffed with cheese, figs, meat or vegetables. Ravioli are cooked with light cheese or tomato sauces as the pasta is itself filled with so many ingredients.
4. Farfalle
They are really cute bow ties shaped with slightly pinched in the centre pasta. It tastes well when cooked with any types of sauces, because of its shape, sauces stick appropriately making it more delicious. They took approx. 10 to 12 minutes to cook in boiling water which is more than Angel hair pasta.
How to Cook Your Favorite Pasta?
Since you may use any type or shape of Pasta like dried pasta or fresh pasta, they require different cooking times.
Cooking Dried Pasta.
When you are cooking dried de Cecco angel hair pasta, you have to follow few steps
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- Please put it in hot boiling water in a big stock pot so that it moves freely with enough water in it.
- After 2 minutes, add one tablespoon of salt to the pot.
- You should dip one end of pasta in water.
- When pasta softens, coil it until submerged, then timing is started. It will take about 6-7 minutes for the firm to bite.
- Do stir occasionally to avoid it from sticking.
- When it’s done, take it off immediately and put in a colander and remove all water don’t rinse with water unless you want to use it as a chilled salad.
Tip: Do keep a cup of pasta water to make pasta more flavorful.
Put the pasta in a serving dish and toss with sauce to coat thoroughly and your pasta is ready to be eaten just top it up with seasoning of your choice.
Cooking Freshly Made Pasta
When you use fresh pasta, eat it on the same day when it’s made or freeze it for later use.
The cooking process will be the same as followed for cooking of dried pasta. However, you have to reduce the cooking time for your fresh Angel hair pasta.
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- To check if it’s done, take a wooden fork and bite it.
- It should be impenetrable but not tough.
- Generally, fresh pasta takes 1- 2 minute to get cooked.
Tips for Cooking Perfect Pasta
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- Never add oil to the cooking water as it will prevent sauces from sticking to them perfectly.
- Don’t rinse boiled pasta as cold water removes starch from them which is responsible for adding more flavors to sauces.
- Always serve your Pasta in a warm bowl, just place it in the oven for a few seconds to enjoy the taste.
- When you cook pasta in a skillet, take a larger size to mix correctly.
- Always add pasta to the sauce, not your sauce to pasta for better flavors.
All these steps will make your de Cecco angel hair pasta tasty and just like how Italians make it.
