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What to avoid when cooking pasta Do not add salt to the cooking water before the latter comes to a boil. Doing so will increase the boiling time of water.
Do not add olive oil to the water while cooking pasta. Doing so will make the pasta slippery and therefore prevent the sauce from sticking to it.
Do not overcook pasta. Italians eat their pasta al dente, which means 'to the tooth'. Pasta cooked al dente is cooked but still firm when bitten. Remember that cooked pasta continues to cook, even after it is drained from the cooking water.
| How to cook pasta Start by adding cold water to a pot, large enough to hold about 1 quart of water per 100 grams of pasta. Place the pot over high heat.
When the water comes to a boil, add salt (about 1 teaspoon per 100 grams of pasta). Immediately add the pasta and cook according to directions on the packaging. The proper way to cook pasta is al dente (which literally means, 'to the tooth'). Depending on the brand and type of pasta, the usual cooking time for dried pasta lies between 6 and 12 minutes.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and reserve a cup of the cooking water.
For best results, return drained pasta to a pan and add about half of the sauce to it. Heat the pasta and sauce, stirring constantly, over a medium to high heat for 1 or 2 minutes, until the pasta and sauce are well blended and heated through.
Serve with the remaining sauce on top. If the pasta looks dry, use some of the reserved water to moisten it.
| How much pasta per person Use around 100 grams of dried pasta and 80 grams of fresh pasta per person.
| | Cooking with black-eyed peas Before cooking black-eyed beans you have to hydrate them first by soaking them in water. There are two ways to do this, the overnight way and the quick way. For the overnight method, add the beans to a bowl, cover with cold water, cover and put in the refrigerator overnight. Drain and discard water and cook. To quickly soak them, pour the beans in boiling water and boild for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. Discard water and cook. | Using blackberries When using whole frozen berries for baked goods such as muffins, used them frozen - do not thaw. Gently fold them into the mixture to avoid crushing them. If serving frozen berries alone, partially thaw them and sprinkle them with sugar to bring out their taste and juices.
| Cooking with black beans Black beans can be soaked before cooking. This process hydrates the beans and makes cooking easier. Soak beans in cold water for 3 to 4 hours, changing the water 2 or 3 times in between. Drain and use the beans as per recipe.
To cook beans add 2 parts cold water per 1 part beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly for about 2 hours.
| Preparing fresh beans for cooking To prepare fresh beans for cooking, wash them thoroughly in clear, cool water.
Beans can be
cooked whole or cut crosswise, diagonally, or along the length of the
bean. For a better result, older beans should be cut lengthwise.
| How to reduce the heat from a hot food To reduce the heat from a dish that is too hot, add some dairy product (such as sour cream or yogurt), some sugar or pieces of potato. That should take care of some of the heat.
| How to reduce the heat from chili peppers To reduce the heat from chili peppers, slice them in half and remove the seeds and veins.
| | Seeding tomatoes
Cut tomatoes in half crosswise. Gently squeeze each
half to remove seeds. To keep the tomato juice, squeeze into a strainer that
is held over a bowl. |
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