Professional chef Nick Stellino offers advice on estimating serving sizes, cooking and storing pasta. He gives various tips on how to make your dishes the most flavorful and how to avoid common mistakes, such as sticky or clumped pasta. He also demonstrates a recipe for leftover pasta.
- To estimate the amount of dried pasta needed for a serving, start with a 1-pound package of pasta. One pound of pasta equals four entrée servings (or six courses). If you are preparing dinner for two, simply divide a box in half. (1/4 pound of dried pasta = 1 entrée serving)
- It typically takes pasta 10 minutes to cook thoroughly. To test, pick up a strand of pasta and hold it in the middle. The ends should fold over like a piece of string. When you bite through the pasta, it should "snap" and be hard in the core. Remember that pasta comes in many different shapes, so there is no blanket rule.
- To avoid clumped pasta when you are ready to refrigerate it, toss two tablespoons of olive oil to each pound of pasta while it is still warm. This will keep it from sticking. The olive oil will also complement the flavor of the pasta.
- Once pasta has completely cooled, the best way to store it is in plastic bags. It will keep as long as three days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze!
