A Gallon of Water to a Pound of Pasta: A Cooking Myth That WILL NOT DIE! (and a BONUS RECIPE!)

[joeekaitis]

 



Seeking a way to prepare a baked Chili Cheese Mac entirely in a 5-liter Corning Ware Pyroceram Dutch oven, I scoured the web and found many sites that challenged and debunked the time-honored "a gallon of water to a pound of pasta" tradition.  A few claimed a mere 1 1/2 quarts does the job but I prefer more room to stir and find 3 quarts works just fine and produces a slightly richer pasta water (an all-too-often wasted recipe enhancer).

 

As regular users of vitroceramic stovetop cookware know, water superheats to well past 212F/100C by the time it's at a full boil.  Pour a gallon of water into a 5-liter Dutch oven and you have barely enough clearance for a pound of pasta.  When the elbows meet the H2O, the reaction is like piranhas on a fallen capybara.   Start with 3 quarts of water and there's no danger of the teeming school overflowing the pot.   That said, let's travel back in time to Corning Ware's glory days when, as James Lileks puts it in his book "A Gallery of Regrettable Foods", dinner in most mid-20th Century cookbooks published by the packaged food industry was either "A meaty cheese dish your family will love!" or "A cheesy meat dish your family will love!", calories and carb counts be damned.

 

Your humble AWer presents:

 

ONE- POT BAKED CHILI CHEESE MAC

 

1 lb. elbow macaroni

2 15 oz. cans chili with or without beans

1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese, mild or sharp as desired

 

Combine chili and 12 ounces of the cheese in a large mixing bowl, set aside.

 

Cook elbow macaroni 2 minutes shy of al dente in 3 quarts of water in a 5-liter vitroceramic Dutch oven.  Before draining, ladle 1 cup of the macaroni cooking water into the mixing bowl.  While the macaroni drains, stir ingredients in mixing bowl until well blended (the cheese does not need to melt completely).  Add drained macaroni to mixing bowl, stir until thoroughly blended.

 

Allow Dutch oven to cool for a couple minutes then spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Dump chili cheese macaroni mixture back into the prepared Dutch oven.   Evenly sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

 

At this point the Dutch oven can be covered and refrigerated as long as overnight.

 

Place uncovered Dutch oven in a cold oven, set the thermostat for 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes (override your oven's fast preheat feature if so equipped).

 

Let stand 10 minutes before digging in.

 

Fire-eaters are invited to liberally douse their portions with hot sauce.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the Dutch oven tip.   Even though I've used Corningware on the stove top and witnessed its superheating properties, it never occurred to me to use the Dutch oven to speed up the boiling process. 

 

Next time I cook pasta, I'll reach for the Corningware.  For the two of us I usually cook 8 oz. of pasta, so the Dutch oven will handle that just fine, and it's good to know I can use it for a full pound if needed.

 

[combo52]

Water Boils At 212F at sea level

I have never been able to get it hotter than about 212F, How much hotter are you talking about?

 

[earthling177]

John, I guess Joe is talking about the phenomenon of water that is heated above the boiling point without actually boiling because of lack of nucleation sites.

While it is rare and difficult to get it to happen, most of the times it does work is with very clean glass or ceramic and water in the microwave. Particularly if you boiled the water for a minute or so and let it rest (so most of the dissolved air is expelled) and then heat it again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheating

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_OXM4mr_i0

 

[sudsmaster]

I also think there's a tendency to specify far more water than is actually required for pasta.

As far as I can tell, and I'm no expert, the motivation is to provide enough thermal mass so that when the pasta is added, the temperature drop is better controlled and the pasta doesn't become like a slow boiled frog, limp and soggy without any tooth.

I address part of this equation by adding that pasta a handful at a time. When the water resumes the start of boiling, I add more, until it's all in. A heavyweight pot helps as well, adding more thermal mass. And of course a high output burner or element. This is probably where induction ranges shine... they put all their power into heating the ferromagnetic pot, not into the surrounding air.

Like Paulo said, superheated water is generally not an issue with stovetop utensils. I have seen it the microwave, using a glass coffee much and soft water. That fizz when one adds whatever to the water could scald and burn if one is not careful.

Hmmm. Starting to visualize a nice tuna-mushroom-rotini-jalapeño casserole...

 

[mikael3]

I use a lot less water for pasta now than I used to.  With heavy pots and a vintage Frigidaire range, I don’t have any trouble getting the water back to a boil after the pasta goes in.  I actually love boiling water on an electric range.  Sometimes I try to think of a recipe that needs a pot of boiling water, just to do it!!

 

[mattl]

Personally I hate pasta cooked in smaller amounts of water, always seems gummier to me.  I like to use a LARGE pot of water for just about any amount of pasta, I like it to move freely.  Not quite sure why the big push to use less water, you use more water to flush a toilet so it's not a cost issue.  Might save a minute or two in heating the water, but I can spare that.

 

[combo52]

Cooking Pasta

I use a lot less water than they generally suggest for several reasons

 

It is safer to use a smaller pan

 

It saves time and energy

 

Less nutrients are flushed away from the pasta

 

I do add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil [ keeps the pasta from being sticky ] and do use enough water and large enough pot so the cooking pasta is moving easily in the water as it boils however.

 

Hi Paulo, thanks for the link about super-heating water, I have had this happen in the MWO, and was familiar with this phenomenon, but as you mentioned I dough this can happen on a stove top.

 

[washman]

I like pasta.

 

[panthera]

There was a detailed

discussion of all of this on Slate a while back. A food reviewer had the opportunity to eat the same dish twice in one day - early in the afternoon and later in the evening. She noticed that the simple pasta dish that evening was markedly better tasting than earlier in the day - it had been heavenly the first time around and beyond words good later.

So, she asked - and they explained: They just keep the same water for the pasta, topping up. It improves the taste a lot.

Sure works with <span style="font-size: 12pt;">the cacio e pepe I like to make as a side dish to go with a more elaborate pasta meal.</span>

[this post was last edited: 2/7/2017-09:09]

 

[joeekaitis]

Three quarts, three minutes

 

 

 

This method has never failed with dry pasta whether it's spaghetti, fusilli, elbow macaroni, white or whole wheat. Dump a pound of dry pasta into 3 quarts of water at a full boil (boiling all over, not just at the center or edges). Without waiting for the water to "return to a boil", stir nonstop (about one turn per second) for 3 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for the full labeled cooking time.  Don't deduct the 3-minute stir. Test after the shorter time but usually the longer time is perfectly al dente. Deduct 2 minutes from the shorter time for a baked pasta dish. If you don't like the result, you've only gambled the price of a pound of pasta and the energy and water to cook it.

[this post was last edited: 2/7/2017-15:32]

 

[retro-man]

Speaking of Pasta

Since a medical issue last year arose, I have had to cut back on a variety of items that I used to enjoy. One of them is pasta. Doctor explained I can still have it but stop with the white stuff. Use the whole wheat or a mixed grain pasta. I bought spaghetti, macaroni, shells etc. Once I tried it I was sold. The white pasta basically has no flavor. The others I am now eating have a subtle flavor to it. I really enjoy it so much more. I cooked up 2 batches, 1 the white and the other new ones. Both my wife and I tried them and she even preferred the whole wheat. Much better for you since it doesn't digest in the stomach so that keeps your sugar levels down. Not an issue with me. It is also a lot less fattening since it doesn't break down in the stomach. Digestion is done in the intestines. So if you haven't tried it, purchase a box and see how it tastes.

Jon

 

[appnut]

Jon,  terrific.  Since I had my GI surgery fall 2001, I've been on high-fiber diet and WW pasta is a staple, as is bread, brown rice, ...  I disdain white flour and grain based items now.  It's almost like an addictive drug encouraging one to eat more than you want/need.

 

[combo52]

Whole Wheat Pastas Etc

Amen, Jon, I don't know why they even make non-whole wheat pasta and floor etc, it is all I have bought for years, I would much rather get used to eating healthy now than have to do it later after things really start going wrong when it will do little good anyway, LOL.