Yahoo Finance The Key To Cooking Angel Hair Pasta To Delicate Perfection
Part of the beauty of angel hair pasta is its thin, delicate nature. Unfortunately, achieving the perfectly textured bite of pasta can be tricky when cooking these fragile noodles. Though the chewiness of al dente noodles can be a difficult line to walk, this preferred cooking style isn't impossible. You'll need focused attention to ensure your next batch of angel hair pasta -- also known as capellini -- remains enjoyably toothy and does not turn into a pot of mushy, limp spoonfuls.
As you set out to prepare tonight's dinner, subtract a minute or two from the recommended cooking time on the manufacturer's label. This reduced cooking is an approach that takes into account the additional cooking that will take place as heated sauce is introduced to the noodles. As you combine both pasta and noodles, the steaming sauce you have prepared will result in angel hair pasta that is well cooked and not disappointingly soggy -- ideal for the shrimp and scallop scampi recipe you had in mind to serve.
Read more: 44 Types Of Pasta And When You Should Be Using Them
You'll Feel Like An Angel After Nailing This Dish
Add a splash or two of olive oil to the pot of boiling water you will use to cook the angel hair pasta noodles in. The pasta only needs a few minutes in its boiling bath before it can be fished out with a fork and sampled. Taste a noodle or two for doneness and texture. If you're not planning to pair a warmer sauce with the noodles, the al dente goal you are after will offer a gentle bite, not anything close to a just-out-of-the-package crunch.
Because angel hair pasta is already delicate, these noodles can sing when matched with lighter sauces. You'll want to balance your meals with ingredients and flavors so your dishes remain deliciously fresh. Of course, any plate of pasta can be garnished with grated cheese, fresh herbs out of the garden, and generous sprinklings of cracked black pepper, flaky sea salt, or red pepper flakes. A meal this good can only be described as angelic.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
