Have you ever eaten a large handful of pasta or macaroni in a first-rate restaurant and wonder why it is richer and softer than what you make at home? Of course, most butter, cream or cheese is added more than you dream of using in the kitchen. But they also rely on some clever cooking techniques to trick the best texture in pasta. Some people even give up dairy products altogether in favor of some surprising alternatives.
It's easy to replicate their magic at home. Here are five genius techniques for making creamy and delicious pasta without adding heavy ingredients.
1. Don't cook pasta in advance.
Raise your hand if you have cooked the noodles before the seasoning is complete. When this happens, you might just drain the pasta and put it in a colander until the sauce is ready, right?
Lorenzo Boni, executive chef at Barilla America, said it was a big mistake. The starchy liquid contained in freshly cooked pasta, once absorbed by the hot sauce (we call it marinara, not Cholula), can have some serious cream magic. However, if you leave the pasta to rest for a few minutes, the pasta will begin to evaporate in the colander and all the precious moisture will evaporate. The result is a drier, tougher dish.
This may require some planning (and practice), but try to arrange time so that you can prepare the pasta and sauce at the same time. Because the next step is ...
2. Finish the pasta in the sauce.
Unexpectedly, when draining the noodles, your pasta should actually be slightly undercooked. Boni said, think of the cooking time on the box being two minutes shorter. If it looks a little too hard, don't worry. Because once it is drained, you should place the pasta directly into the pot until the sauce is still boiling, and then toss the pasta for two to three minutes under high heat.
This step not only helps your pasta absorb the flavor of the sauce, but also releases the starch inside the pasta, creating a thicker cream. More importantly, when you toss, toss, toss, friction will occur, which will stimulate the starch in the pasta and the fat and liquid in the sauce to gather together. Boni says that both factors result in thicker and stickier sauces.
3. Keep pasta cooking water.
Whatever you do, don't dump all these things. Pasta also releases starch into the water while cooking, and starchy liquids play a key role in helping the sauces stick together. "The taste of cream comes down to an emulsion of water, fat and starch. By adding extra starch, you can reduce fat." Boni said.
How much cooking fluid do you actually need? Every recipe is different, and through practice you will better understand the effective methods. But a good rule of thumb is to keep about a cup of cooking fluid. (Pour the liquid into a heat-resistant measuring cup with a ladle.) For one pound of pasta, add about half a cup of cooking water immediately after mixing the pasta with the sauce. Let the sauce thicken for a minute or two. If that looks correct, then you are finalized. If it looks a bit dry, add another 1/4 cup and cook the pasta for a minute or two until the sauce has the desired consistency.
4. Finally add cheese.
You may want to add soy sauce, pasta and pasta water to the pan while adding the last sprinkled parmesan cheese. This ensures that the cheese melts and makes everything fatter, right?
In fact, no strong heat will separate the cheese and make the soy sauce greasy instead of velvety. Instead, hang on the cheese until the pasta and sauce are fully cooked. Then heat the pan and let stand for 20 seconds to allow the pasta to cool slightly. Bonny said, then stir the cheese.
5. Skip dairy products altogether.
Remember: the ingredients are not the only butter, cheese and cream. There are many plant-based options to meet your needs. In CHLOE's New York vegetarian restaurant, special chef Jenne ’Claiborne uses soaked raw cashew nuts or sunflower seeds as the basis for cream cheese sauce. Soaking nuts or seeds overnight makes them soft and easy to mix.
There is also avocado, which Claiborne mixes with oil to make a dairy-free pesto. She adds lemon juice to balance its richness and prevent the avocado from turning brown.
Want to lose weight? Try butternut squash. Claiborne uses soy bean flour (or corn starch) and nutrient yeast to boil soy milk until thickened, then mixes it with buttered butternut squash. "I will roast pumpkins in advance to bring out the natural sweetness, but you can also use steamed or canned pumpkins," she said.
It's easy to replicate their magic at home. Here are five genius techniques for making creamy and delicious pasta without adding heavy ingredients.
1. Don't cook pasta in advance.
Raise your hand if you have cooked the noodles before the seasoning is complete. When this happens, you might just drain the pasta and put it in a colander until the sauce is ready, right?
Lorenzo Boni, executive chef at Barilla America, said it was a big mistake. The starchy liquid contained in freshly cooked pasta, once absorbed by the hot sauce (we call it marinara, not Cholula), can have some serious cream magic. However, if you leave the pasta to rest for a few minutes, the pasta will begin to evaporate in the colander and all the precious moisture will evaporate. The result is a drier, tougher dish.
This may require some planning (and practice), but try to arrange time so that you can prepare the pasta and sauce at the same time. Because the next step is ...
2. Finish the pasta in the sauce.
Unexpectedly, when draining the noodles, your pasta should actually be slightly undercooked. Boni said, think of the cooking time on the box being two minutes shorter. If it looks a little too hard, don't worry. Because once it is drained, you should place the pasta directly into the pot until the sauce is still boiling, and then toss the pasta for two to three minutes under high heat.
This step not only helps your pasta absorb the flavor of the sauce, but also releases the starch inside the pasta, creating a thicker cream. More importantly, when you toss, toss, toss, friction will occur, which will stimulate the starch in the pasta and the fat and liquid in the sauce to gather together. Boni says that both factors result in thicker and stickier sauces.
3. Keep pasta cooking water.
Whatever you do, don't dump all these things. Pasta also releases starch into the water while cooking, and starchy liquids play a key role in helping the sauces stick together. "The taste of cream comes down to an emulsion of water, fat and starch. By adding extra starch, you can reduce fat." Boni said.
How much cooking fluid do you actually need? Every recipe is different, and through practice you will better understand the effective methods. But a good rule of thumb is to keep about a cup of cooking fluid. (Pour the liquid into a heat-resistant measuring cup with a ladle.) For one pound of pasta, add about half a cup of cooking water immediately after mixing the pasta with the sauce. Let the sauce thicken for a minute or two. If that looks correct, then you are finalized. If it looks a bit dry, add another 1/4 cup and cook the pasta for a minute or two until the sauce has the desired consistency.
4. Finally add cheese.
You may want to add soy sauce, pasta and pasta water to the pan while adding the last sprinkled parmesan cheese. This ensures that the cheese melts and makes everything fatter, right?
In fact, no strong heat will separate the cheese and make the soy sauce greasy instead of velvety. Instead, hang on the cheese until the pasta and sauce are fully cooked. Then heat the pan and let stand for 20 seconds to allow the pasta to cool slightly. Bonny said, then stir the cheese.
5. Skip dairy products altogether.
Remember: the ingredients are not the only butter, cheese and cream. There are many plant-based options to meet your needs. In CHLOE's New York vegetarian restaurant, special chef Jenne ’Claiborne uses soaked raw cashew nuts or sunflower seeds as the basis for cream cheese sauce. Soaking nuts or seeds overnight makes them soft and easy to mix.
There is also avocado, which Claiborne mixes with oil to make a dairy-free pesto. She adds lemon juice to balance its richness and prevent the avocado from turning brown.
Want to lose weight? Try butternut squash. Claiborne uses soy bean flour (or corn starch) and nutrient yeast to boil soy milk until thickened, then mixes it with buttered butternut squash. "I will roast pumpkins in advance to bring out the natural sweetness, but you can also use steamed or canned pumpkins," she said.