Expensive Pasta

[tp4tissue]

According to the internet,  Expensive pasta should

-use coarse ground semolina wheat instead of the wheat flour

-have a rough surface texture (indicative of metal die extrusion instead of teflon die)


epic p00r and epic curious, Tp4 decided to buy a few boxes of the store-offbrand, and a few staples like barilla.   Price difference ~50 cents per pound

The expensive pasta lists semolina, then duram wheat flour

The off brand just lists, semolina.

After intensely mo1esting the pasta,  both have a rough outer surface.

Both produce Aldente texture when cooked.


Is internet pasta expert Bullsh##... ??

[CaesarAZealad]

Expensive pasta makes a difference. Switched to Raos recently and never went back. I'm poor but when it turns a bowl of butter and pasta into a decent meal on a weeknight then yeah, I can **** with it.

[tp4tissue]

what better characteristic are you able to extract from the expensive vs budget ?

[CaesarAZealad]

Three things
- Better taste
- Better texture
- and it plays with sauces better.
First two are self explanatory, but the last one is a bit complicated.
Because of the way it's cut it absorbs the sauce you put it in, and it really gets the flavors into the pasta itself, and leads to less watery pasta. (Or if you're using butter, it catches the butter amazingly and makes it less "oily")

[chyros]

a bowl of butter and pasta

wat

[fohat.digs]

a bowl of butter and pasta

wat

Your kind of meal - no vegetables !

[CaesarAZealad]

a bowl of butter and pasta

wat

Buttered pasta is exactly what it sounds like, but it's pretty good if you do it right. Kinda a last minute dinner/lunch. Perfect for after you get off a shift at 11 PM and have literally no other option.

a bowl of butter and pasta

wat

Your kind of meal - no vegetables !

Don't worry, I'd usually wash it down with an entire jar of olives, 1 or 2 cucumbers, or a half bag of carrots.

[chyros]

a bowl of butter and pasta

wat

Your kind of meal - no vegetables !

0% meat D; . That means there are no ingredients, where are they?!

[CaesarAZealad]

I mean if you want meat you could also make carbonara, it takes like 10 extra minutes and is just a bit of pecorino romano, an egg, and pancetta

[phinix]

Pasta with butter. That's it? How do you make it - just boil pasta, then add butter to melt in and serve?

Fact is, in UK recently, pasta prices went up (like everything else) by 60%, so all cheap crap pasta like asda or tesco brand, now is like all good high quality ones.

[chyros]

I mean if you want meat you could also make carbonara, it takes like 10 extra minutes and is just a bit of pecorino romano, an egg, and pancetta

I make a decent carbonara, if I do say so myself. I use two different types of meat; guanciale and pancetta. Also upped the egg count and upgraded the cheese content a bit. It's not cheap to make it in this way though.

[Findecanor]

a bowl of butter and pasta

wat

I get reminded of "Honey Booboo".... *shudder*

I mean if you want meat you could also make carbonara, it takes like 10 extra minutes and is just a bit of pecorino romano, an egg, and pancetta

I make a decent carbonara, if I do say so myself. I use two different types of meat; guanciale and pancetta. Also upped the egg count and upgraded the cheese content a bit. It's not cheap to make it in this way though.

Kudos! Cooking proper Carbonara is an art. I've only succeeded once, and failed multiple times... (Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian versions with fake pork, that is) When making the real deal, you don't add butter or oil: the pork's rind melts and everything fries in that. Then you heat the egg gently to thicken the sauce - it must not scramble.

Restaurants over here tend to cheat by using cream, and then adding a raw egg yolk on top  .... 

[fohat.digs]

I make a decent carbonara, if I do say so myself.

Cooking proper Carbonara is an art.

I haven't done this in years, but you make me hungry for it. Now that the price of eggs has tripled, I suppose that it is even more special.

[chyros]

I mean if you want meat you could also make carbonara, it takes like 10 extra minutes and is just a bit of pecorino romano, an egg, and pancetta

I make a decent carbonara, if I do say so myself. I use two different types of meat; guanciale and pancetta. Also upped the egg count and upgraded the cheese content a bit. It's not cheap to make it in this way though.

Kudos! Cooking proper Carbonara is an art. I've only succeeded once, and failed multiple times... (Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian versions with fake pork, that is) When making the real deal, you don't add butter or oil: the pork's rind melts and everything fries in that. Then you heat the egg gently to thicken the sauce - it must not scramble.

Restaurants over here tend to cheat by using cream, and then adding a raw egg yolk on top  .... 

Yeah, I don't use oil or butter or cream. And traditionally you only use guanciale, but I found that that made the dish rather overpowering, and not really "meaty" enough, so I use 1:2 guanciale and pancetta to balance the flavours and textures. I also considerably up the egg and cheese count. I dislike cooking side dishes, so one plate of my carbonara is designed to fill you right up.

[CaesarAZealad]

Pasta with butter. That's it? How do you make it - just boil pasta, then add butter to melt in and serve?

Fact is, in UK recently, pasta prices went up (like everything else) by 60%, so all cheap crap pasta like asda or tesco brand, now is like all good high quality ones.

Boil pasta, add salt to taste. Boil in a bit less water than you usually would. Cook normally but before straining take 1/4th a cup (60ml) of the pasta water and set it aside. Strain and re add to the pan with a little bit of butter. Add the pasta water and stir around until the pasta is coated in a nice, buttery sauce. Since you already added salt you shouldn't need to add more, but if you're dying for a heart attack like me you can add and extra sprinkle.

[CaesarAZealad]

I mean if you want meat you could also make carbonara, it takes like 10 extra minutes and is just a bit of pecorino romano, an egg, and pancetta

I make a decent carbonara, if I do say so myself. I use two different types of meat; guanciale and pancetta. Also upped the egg count and upgraded the cheese content a bit. It's not cheap to make it in this way though.

Kudos! Cooking proper Carbonara is an art. I've only succeeded once, and failed multiple times... (Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian versions with fake pork, that is) When making the real deal, you don't add butter or oil: the pork's rind melts and everything fries in that. Then you heat the egg gently to thicken the sauce - it must not scramble.

Restaurants over here tend to cheat by using cream, and then adding a raw egg yolk on top  .... 

Yeah, I don't use oil or butter or cream. And traditionally you only use guanciale, but I found that that made the dish rather overpowering, and not really "meaty" enough, so I use 1:2 guanciale and pancetta to balance the flavours and textures. I also considerably up the egg and cheese count. I dislike cooking side dishes, so one plate of my carbonara is designed to fill you right up.

God I wish I could go to the north end for some carbonara now. :Drool:

[phinix]

Pasta with butter. That's it? How do you make it - just boil pasta, then add butter to melt in and serve?

Fact is, in UK recently, pasta prices went up (like everything else) by 60%, so all cheap crap pasta like asda or tesco brand, now is like all good high quality ones.

Boil pasta, add salt to taste. Boil in a bit less water than you usually would. Cook normally but before straining take 1/4th a cup (60ml) of the pasta water and set it aside. Strain and re add to the pan with a little bit of butter. Add the pasta water and stir around until the pasta is coated in a nice, buttery sauce. Since you already added salt you shouldn't need to add more, but if you're dying for a heart attack like me you can add and extra sprinkle.

Sounds good!

[fohat.digs]

I make a decent carbonara, if I do say so myself.

Cooking proper Carbonara is an art.

Holy mackerel! I just finished my dinner, I made it tonight. I had forgotten how RICH it is and I seldom have pasta-heavy meals like this any more anyway.

I feel like TP4 after he eats a couple of kilos of Oreos.

[tp4tissue]

/triggered

[CyCo]

Use the generic Blue brand and get any local brand, its pretty night and day.
The chewiness + texture, big difference.

[noisyturtle]

Cheap dry pasta VS expensive dry pasta is 100% a waste of $$ - The only thing that matters is the type of flour it's made with changes texture and firmness.
Dry is all the same. Unless you are getting the absolute cheapest $1 egg noodles or macaroni that's like 9 years old and turning white.

Now if you are buying FRESH pasta, well that's the way to go! Get the refrigerated stuff, then you'll taste the difference.

[tp4tissue]

Cheap dry pasta VS expensive dry pasta is 100% a waste of $$ - The only thing that matters is the type of flour it's made with changes texture and firmness.
Dry is all the same. Unless you are getting the absolute cheapest $1 egg noodles or macaroni that's like 9 years old and turning white.

Now if you are buying FRESH pasta, well that's the way to go! Get the refrigerated stuff, then you'll taste the difference.

is it just me or does anyone else not like the way egg noodle smells.  like herbal medicine.

[noisyturtle]

nah, I hate egg noodles too. only use is for stroganoff or kugel imo

[CyCo]

Try indian hakka noodles. Its closer to ramen noodles, dried. But chewiness of egg noodles. Deeelish.

[phinix]

Cheap dry pasta VS expensive dry pasta is 100% a waste of $$ - The only thing that matters is the type of flour it's made with changes texture and firmness.
Dry is all the same. Unless you are getting the absolute cheapest $1 egg noodles or macaroni that's like 9 years old and turning white.

Now if you are buying FRESH pasta, well that's the way to go! Get the refrigerated stuff, then you'll taste the difference.

is it just me or does anyone else not like the way egg noodle smells.  like herbal medicine.

I dont know what you mean, but in Polish cuisine we eat egg noodles and it tastes and smells great.

[CaesarAZealad]

Just made carbonara with expensive pasta, was delicious even if I completely scrambled the eggs lol.

[chyros]

Just made carbonara with expensive pasta, was delicious even if I completely scrambled the eggs lol.

Your pan was too hot and you probably didn't add enough pasta water to the sauce.

[fohat.digs]

Your pan was too hot

I often forget how much cooking can continue after you turn off the heat, especially if your cookware is heavy.

[CaesarAZealad]

Yeah, it was definitely the heat. Still though, that night I went to bed with a stomach full of spaghetti, completely content