Pasta is a simple and at the same time versatile side dish, at different times helping out more than one bachelor who decided to diversify his table and instead of preparing dumplings to cook pasta, and a housewife who needs to quickly and nourish a large family. Young housewives, taking their first steps in the diverse world of culinary, sometimes may doubt whether it is necessary to wash the pasta after cooking so that they do not stick together and look presentable.
Is the paste washed only in Russia?
Where did this tradition come from in Russia: rinse any kind of pasta? And why do many of the proposed recipes in which pasta is present (as the Italians call this product) necessarily have the line: "After cooking, pasta must be washed"? At the same time that many countries enjoy the taste of unwashed pasta cooked al dente, people from the former Soviet Union thoroughly washed them several times under the tap. And after such a merciless and unpleasant procedure, they are also fried in a skillet in butter. They do not wonder too much whether it is necessary to wash the pasta after cooking. Grandparents did this, which means it should be so.
Where the roots come from
Let's see where the roots of this tradition are. And why many people (especially the Soviet and post-Soviet period) will answer yes to the question of whether to wash pasta after cooking, in the affirmative. The thing is that in those days, pasta was introduced into the masses. The production of products was put on stream, and, in principle, these products were a cheap and affordable product for all segments of the population. Then the question of whether to wash after cooking pasta was never asked. Everything was obvious: if the cooked pasta is not washed, then in the end you can get just a boiled lump of dough interspersed with former pasta.
Do not wash - do not sing
Why did this happen? The low-grade flour is to blame for everything. So that a product like noodles is enough for everyone, all pasta was made from ordinary baking flour, who would understand its varieties? Such a product, during cooking, released an excessive amount of starch, and water (and with it pasta) became muddy and slippery. It immediately became clear why, after cooking, rinse the pasta with cold water - so that they would cool and not “steam” to each other. Repeated washing helped to achieve a more acceptable result. And after this procedure, the pasta saga continued: someone fried them in oil, someone added a garnish to the cutlet or a piece of fish, and someone poured sugar into it, which would horrify more than one Italian.
Quality, from hard varieties
Nowadays, retail outlets are full of offers. Therefore, choosing better products is not difficult. Among the whole assortment choose products from durum wheat. On the packaging of such pasta it will be written: "From durum wheat." Although instead of this inscription there may be another: “Group A” - these products are much healthier and tastier than other types of flour. In this case, one won’t have to wonder if pasta is washed after cooking: the starch of these products is not released, the liquid remains transparent during cooking. Any additional washing will only spoil the taste and cool the pasta. Moreover, washing removes some useful fibers from products.
To make the finished product more beautiful and tastier, you can add one spoonful of vegetable oil, which does not have a flavor. Oil can be poured directly into boiled salted water before dipping pasta (good quality) into it.
"Group B" and "Group C"
Naturally, the price category of real high-quality pasta will not be low. Good pasta and not too cheap. They are by no means a bachelor’s dish or a product with which you can eat almost everything. Real pasta is gourmet food.
In addition to “Group A”, there is also “Group B” - such a product is produced from soft varieties of high-glassy wheat. A pack of such products is cheaper, but the quality, respectively, is an order of magnitude lower. And after cooking these products will need to be washed in order to eliminate the upper, slightly paste layer.
But there is still a semi-finished product of "Group B" - these products are created from ordinary baking flour. Naturally, they are very boiled, have a not very pleasant taste, and it will be better when, having seen such pasta on a shelf, you pass them by. Even repeated washing of finished products is not able to save them from gluing and boiling.
How to rinse pasta after cooking
It is necessary to immediately drain the clouded water from the finished products. The fact is that, leaving the cooked products in hot water for a minute, we are very at risk: the semi-finished product is simply digested (steamed). By eliminating pasta from a hot environment, we prevent this possibility. Then place the cooked items in a colander. Substitute under a strong stream of cold water and rinse for one minute. Now we return the pasta to the pan again and introduce a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil, which has no aroma, so that they remain friable and do not stick together.
How to cook pasta
Individual instructions for preparing the product are always on its packaging. Do not forget that there are a lot of types of pasta. However, we can recall the main cooking rules.
Products are always prepared in large quantities of water. The dishes in which it is supposed to cook products should be quite spacious. Do not forget that the semi-finished product slightly increases during cooking.
Salt in the water should be added only after boiling it - as experts advise, and we will not argue with them.
Products are poured into boiling salt water. After all the pasta is in the aquatic environment, they must immediately be prevented to exclude the possibility of product sticking to the bottom of the dishes and so that they are evenly covered with boiling water.
Cover the pot, but do not leave it! The water will soon boil again, and then you must definitely remove the lid. We check readiness with a fork - we pierce the product. If there is a white flour layer inside, continue to cook pasta over moderate heat. A more detailed time for each type of product is necessarily indicated on their packaging.
Drain pasta, add a spoonful of vegetable oil, mix. You can start tasting. Enjoy your meal!