Pasta

Pasta IngredientsPasta:

Made from semolina, which comes from the insides of durum wheat (the most durable type of wheat)

How It’s Made

Commercially:By large machines

At Home:By hand or by pasta machine

Cost

• Most dried, boxed pasta is low in cost (And a little goes a long way!)

• Fresh or gourmet pastas can be more expensive(Think Buitoni pastas in the dairy section)

Storage

• Dried pasta should be stored in an air-tight container, to avoid getting stale or wet

• Stored pasta will keep for about one year

• Never store cookedpasta together with liquid

Why?

Cooking Starches

• During cooking, starch granulesabsorb the water and swell

• This causes an increase in volume and the granules to soften (gelatinization)

• Check pasta package for correct proportion of water to use and cooking time

Preparing Pasta

• Bring 2 quarts of water to boil for every 8 oz. of pasta you’re preparing (2 qts : 8 oz)

• Pasta should be allowed to move freely as it cooks, so use an appropriately sized pot!

• Pasta should be cookeduntil firm, but not hard(al dente: “to the tooth” )

And a Little of This…

Add salt as you’re bringing water to a boil…Why?

Add olive oil to boiling pasta…

Why??

Nutrition

1 cup enrichedspaghetti:

220 Calories1 gram Fat43 grams Carbs3 grams Fiber8 grams Protein

1 cup whole wheat spaghetti:

174 Calories1 gram Fat37 grams

Carbs6 grams Fiber7 grams

Protein

Carbs: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“Good Carbs” = Whole Grain/Complex Carbs

Whole grains, pastas, and breads are high in fiber and nutrients and provide energy

Complex carbohydrates stabilize blood sugar levels instead of spiking them

“Bad Carbs” = Enriched Foods and Refined Sugars (white bread, enriched pastas, candy, soda)