Do you break spaghetti when you cook it?

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:04 pm

fearfaoin wrote:
djm wrote:Spoon, schmoon. What's with these thin, weak, runny spaghetti sauces?
What's the spoon got to do w/ sauce?
The spoon is supposed to be used to
help roll the spaghetti onto one's fork.

Yeah, they use the spoon in Italy. That's where I learned to use it. It helps, some.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:32 pm

The Weekenders wrote: Yeah, they use the spoon in Italy. That's where I learned to use it. It helps, some.

In parts of Italy - the proper way of eating spaghetti is a matter of regional difference, serious debate, and some acrimony in Italy.

fel bautista · Post by **fel bautista** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:10 pm

No break, no spoon and not too much sauce.
There!

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:46 pm

I don't, but then I've used 12 inch north american pasta my whole life. [Some] Europasta is close to twice as long - 50 cm, maybe? That's long enough to require breaking to get it into the pot.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:53 pm

Doc Jones wrote: Then of course there's the old trick of running the loop of spaghetti in the mouth and out the nose (or is it the other way round?). That works best with unbroken noodles (sorry Susan).

Nasal floss is a venerable yoga manouver, although usually done with a shoelace-like piece of leather.

It's one of the few yoga moves that Lululemon hasn't made designer equipment for!

chas · Post by **chas** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:14 am

gonzo914 wrote:Break spaghetti? Only if someone is watching.

But I prefer to buy the fresh, soft stuff. Angel hair alfredo made with butter and cheese and cream, not that starch-thickened crap in a jar. Toss in a bit of ham for an extra tasty treat; add some sauteed shrimp or lobster pieces and it's better than sex.

Tonight is pasta jambalaya night. Homemade sauce from grandma's back-yard tomatoes. A little spice, shrimp in the pot for the non-pork eaters, andouille in the pot for me. Served over linguine with ample amounts of cheese and homemade bread.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:17 pm

susnfx wrote:Always. And what's worse, I cut through it with knife and fork before eating. I'm sorry. I realize that makes me a Neanderthal, but I freely admit it. Being able to eat my spaghetti cleanly and neatly instead of worrying about wearing it on my blouse is part of the enjoyment for me.

Susan

My wife does this. I try not to draw attention to it. She knows I disapprove. She can only barely use chopsticks, too. She always ends up wearing the spaghetti sauce on her blouse anyway. "Neatly" and "cleanly" have no association with spaghetti. Or fettucini. Actually, I think the knife is just an indication of nervousness. It doesn't do any good. If you learn to use the fork properly it is less messy.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 5:45 am

Bloomfield wrote:You can always tell people who secretly break their spaghetti and lie about it by how they misspell "Neanderthal."

Someday I'll learn to proof read my posts.

I put the noodles in the pan of boiling water leaning against the edge and gently push them with a spoon or spatula until they are fully within the water.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 5:48 am

Flyingcursor wrote: I put the noodles in the pan of boiling water leaning against the edge and gently push them with a spoon or spatula until they are fully within the water.

Yes, precisely.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 6:49 am

emmline wrote:
Flyingcursor wrote: I put the noodles in the pan of boiling water leaning against the edge and gently push them with a spoon or spatula until they are fully within the water.
Yes, precisely.

Now, everyone by now should know that in cooking any pasta, when it comes to water, abundance is your watchword. The cool thing about that is that if you have abundant water, you usually have a pot tall enough to submerge all of your spaghetti.

The drawbacks are that some people don't have large pots; also, large pots take longer to come to a boil. So if you're impatient and barbaric like I am, or just don't have a large pot, then you use a smaller pot where the spag sticks out of it. Please don't tell Mario Batali. He'll give me that look, and I don't think I can bear that.

To stave off pasty clumpage, I vertically set my little bundle of uncooked pasta joy in the center of the pot, release my grip, and the bundle falls fanning out radially against the pot's brim, usually quite nicely. Almost never any clumpage, ever, and it's kind of fun to do if you've run out of other ideas.

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:34 am

Nano wrote:The drawbacks are that some people don't have large pots

Silly boy! That's what bathtubs are for.

djm

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 3:51 pm

djm wrote:
Nano wrote:The drawbacks are that some people don't have large pots
Silly boy! That's what bathtubs are for.

djm

Unless he's referring to large pot-bellies.

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:26 am

break spaghetti??? I won't even start on it.....
spoon? ahh no...........that's for beginners.........fork only please.
practice practice practice....eat lotsa pasta.......
sauce? do what the italians do........so, lots of flavor and long stewing with little meat (NO MINCE).

am I a snob now? well, thank you!!!

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:34 am

Berti66 wrote:break spaghetti??? I won't even start on it.....
spoon? ahh no...........that's for beginners.........fork only please.
practice practice practice....eat lotsa pasta.......
sauce? do what the italians do........so, lots of flavor and long stewing with little meat (NO MINCE).

am I a snob now? well, thank you!!!

beginner my hindquarters! I've been cooking pasta since Hector was a pup. I use a spatula. With a spatula I can tell the instant it's done.

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:39 am

come on.......was just kidding.