Is there a way to cook and hold pasta for an hour or two? I have always thought restaurants must do this as they couldn’t make a fresh pot of pasta for every order...or maybe they do! Any help you can provide would be... (11 replies, last updated by Tripper September 27, 2009)

Yes. Seems Alain Ducasse does that; not quite cooked like a risotto, but more like stewed in a little bit of sauce; it probably work best with “meatier” pasta and not Orzo. Look at this link (warning, big food images):... (11 replies, last updated by operagirl February 9, 2008)

I’ve used the precooking technique for large groups. I take the pasta out when extra-al dente. It seems to cook even when refrigerated. Toss in olive oil to keep from getting gummy and reconstitute in boiling water before... (15 replies, last updated by dano October 14, 2005)

A friend who is not a good cook insists that it is unnecessary to keep the water boiling. She brings water to a boil, adds the pasta, and once the water returns to boiling, stirs it, covers it, and turns off the burner, setting... (53 replies, last updated by alkapal July 10, 2009)

Readers of this board and Harold McGee will already know that it is not necessary to cook pasta in large amounts of water. Also, once the pasta is added and at a boil, the heat can be shut off, and the pasta will cook through in... (11 replies, last updated by Phurstluv April 29, 2009)

actually i a little worry of overcooking this live baby octopus. i think total 20 mins of cooking this live baby octopus may toughn its texute so making it a little chewier even though i am going to use wine corks just detached... (1 reply, last updated by hae young September 20, 2009)

Keeping in mind that asking food safety questions on this site is not the best way to get good advice, my thinking is that all the ingredients you mentioned are things that sit unrefrigerated in the grocery store. And if you... (11 replies, last updated by kchurchill5 March 18, 2009)

I was always under the impression that you do not rinse cooked pasta if you are going to put a warm sauce over it. A recipe for Baked Ziti I will be making tonight calls for “rinsing” the pasta after cooking to al... (12 replies, last updated by Paul Trapani August 6, 2005)

Please help with my experiment on pasta cooking! 1) How much water do you normally use to cook a pound of pasta? The box for many types of pasta recommends 4-8 quarts. 2) How little do you think it is possible to use, and still get... (8 replies, last updated by Honey Bee September 28, 2007)

This has been bothering me for some time. Many recipes advise reserving pasta cooking water to loosen up a sauce. Why is pasta cooking water superior to plain old water? Does the pasta starch leach into the cooking water & have... (12 replies, last updated by small h March 10, 2007)

This may or not be a dumb question, but........as I was making pasta last night, I thought why can’t I cook the pasta in the sauce the whole time? I had ample sauce and know it was enough for a pound of pasta. I know that... (10 replies, last updated by rien October 19, 2004)

i was watching the food network the other day (shocker! :)) and i saw michael chiarello make a spaghetti and broccoli rabe dish where he cooked the pasta in red wine, zin i think. has anyone ever tried this? makes for a very... (11 replies, last updated by Funwithfood April 15, 2006)

Often wondered. I’ve always been told that after draining the starchy water used to cook pasta that the pasta should be rinsed. Does it really matter? (16 replies, last updated by RiJaAr November 14, 2006)

I hate sticky pasta. I have read that using an electric teapot requires much less fuel than stovetop cooking; perhaps you could boil your water there. I think I’d go for a larger pot, unless you spend a lot of time agitating... (12 replies, last updated by MakingSense October 1, 2007)

I was just curious what the explanation is for using large amounts of water in large pots to cook pasta. I was recently a bit impatient while cooking a small amount of pasta and decided to use a medium saucepan instead of a large... (2 replies, last updated by coconutz March 11, 2007)