By Michael Russell
Have you ever noticed that when you go out to eat at an Italian restaurant, or even to your favorite grocery store, the choices of pasta is nearly limitless? There is every kind of different shape and size of pasta that you can imagine. Truly, it can be overwhelming at times trying to figure it all out. What are all these different kinds of pasta for? How can you determine what is what? Let's take a closer look at all the various kinds of pasta and what they are used for.
Spaghetti. This is an easy one. It's one food that we all know and love. Spaghetti comes in a box, or a bag, in long thin strands. You cook it in boiling water and mix it into your favorite spaghetti sauce recipe.
Ravioli. Here is another pretty easy one for everybody. Ravioli is a small, square shaped pasta that is stuffed with several different fillings like meat, cheese, mushrooms, sausage, etc. Ravioli can be topped with tomato sauce and can even come toasted.
Macaroni. One of the all-time favorites! Macaroni is a small, hollow tube pasta. It is used mainly in cooking macaroni and cheese.
Cannelloni. Cannelloni is also a hollow tube pasta, but it is much larger than macaroni. Cannelloni is stuffed with different meat sauce mixtures and also will have various cheeses baked in the middle.
Linguine and Fettuccine. These pastas are know as ribbon noodles due to the fact they are long, stringy and flat. They can come in many different lengths. These noodles are a delicious food with creamy sauces mixed onto them such as Alfredo sauce.
Tortellini. Tortellini is yet another type of stuffed pasta. They come in half circle pieces that are folded over and stuffed with meat, cheese, sausage, or other ingredients. You can also pour your favorite sauce over the top of this delicious food.
Vermicelli. Vermicelli is a very fine, thin string of pasta. It is also known as "angel hair" pasta. It can be used with a creamy sauce of your choice, or used with other items such as crab, or shrimp. Many times vermicelli is formed together to form a type of nest that will hold the crab, or shrimp on top of it.
Conghiglie. This pasta is shaped like small shells. There are many different sizes of conghiglie. From tiny pasta shells that are good for using in soups, to larger sizes that can be stuffed. This type of pasta is a favorite food in pasta salads.
Farfalle. Farfalle is a pasta that is bow shaped and also used mainly in different pasta salads.
Fusilli. Fusilli is a thin spiral shaped pasta that is good in pasta salads. It is also good with different styles of sauces.
Lasagna. Lasagna is perhaps the best of all the different pastas. These are long, wide strips of pasta that are layered with fillings between them. These fillings can include meat, sausage, cheese, mushrooms and about anything else you can think of. More cheese is piled on top and then baked in the oven.
This list should help you the next time you see a pasta that you're unfamiliar with. No matter what shape or size, pasta is a favorite on everyone's list of great tasting foods!
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Food
Do You Know Your Pasta?
Friday, September 12, 2008
Ramen Noodle Tips
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
By Cristie Will Awe...those quick, easy and inexpensive Ramen noodles. There are so many ways to cook these long and curly noodles. Take a package of the chicken flavored Ramen noodles and follow directions on package. Remove noodles after cooking and place them in an airtight container, but before closing the lid place 3 slices of Velveeta cheese (3 thin individually wrapped slices). Let set for 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir thoroughly and you have one of the most quick delicious meals that's similar to Mac 'N' Cheese, but better. Another way is to take two packages of the chicken flavored Ramen noodles and follow directions on package. Remove noodles and drain most of liquid; add flavor packets then add a small can of Rotel tomatoes and chili's; next add 6 individually wrapped slices of Velveeta cheese. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir thoroughly; serve warm. It's absolutely delicious. One more great way is to take one package of the chicken or beef flavored noodles and follow directions on package. Drain noodles and rinse; add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and toss to coat well; serve warm. This is so simple but absolutely delicious. This is just a few ways to fix Ramen noodles. Let your taste buds decide new creations. Cristie has many more simple, but great tips at Cristie's Cookin. Be sure to check her spices out and submit your favorite recipe for a chance to win a free "Gotcha Covered" apron. Cooking lessons for Cristie began at 8 years old with the best teacher in the world -- her Mom! Later, she cooked for the restaurant the family owned, and her love of the "trade" has grown ever since. Cristie's creative cooking has continued for over 40 years. Her creations can soon be on your kitchen table. Check out Cristie's books at http://www.cristiescookin.com and http://www.tjstokes.com
The Secret Art Of Noodles
Monday, September 8, 2008
By Matt Robinson
Noodles are a form of staple food very popular among the Chinese. They can be made either by hand or by machine and are divided into “cut noodles” or “dried noodles” by the way they are made. Made in whatever way, they maybe of different widths varying from ribbons to threads. As a prepared dish, they can be served warm or cold, dressed with chilli oil or not, eaten with fried bean sauce, port or chicken sauce, duck chops, any soups, etc.
There are also a variety of “instant noodles”, which are precooked, dried and commercially packed. Before eating, all you have to do is soak them in hot, boiled water for a few minutes. This makes them very handy for a quick meal.
As noodles are always in the form of long strings, they are symbolic of longevity and are therefore indispensable at Chinese birthday parties.
Two types of noodles stand out among the rest and require professional skill. The “hand-pulled noodles” are probably unique to China and can be made only by a trained cook. He prepares the paste by stretching it in his hands, holding it stretched and shaking it gently up and down four or five times. He then drops down the middle of the long paste and swings it in such a way that it twists around itself. He repeats the stretching, shaking and twisting many times until he feels the paste is firm enough. Then on a work board he starts pulling the paste with his arms stretched. He folds the thick string of paste in two, pulling again. This is then repeated many times over and the strings of paste become longer, more numerous, thinner and thinner, turning finally into very fine noodles. The whole process of making “hand pulled noodles” is done with such magical dexterity that to watch an experienced cook doing it is like watching a juggler’s show.
Another specialty that takes years to perfect are longxu mian (dragon beard noodles). Commercially they are available fried, so they are golden in colour, crisp to bite and with a distinctive flavour. “Dragon beards” are also hand pulled but are made extraordinarily fine. It has been calculated that a piece of paste prepared with 1.5 kilograms of wheat flour can make 144,000 hair thin noodles, each 17 centimetres long, which means a total length of 2 kilometres.
At the beginning “dragon beards” were simply called “beards” but since they caught the fancy of an emperor and as the dragon was the symbol of all emperors, they have come to be known as “dragon’s beards”.
Matt owns Secret Chinese Recipes that helps people with chinese cooking recipes
Pasta Variety
Saturday, September 6, 2008
By Jonathon Hardcastle
Pasta has to be Italy's greatest contribution to world cuisine. Most people usually associate pasta with noodles, but pasta actually refers to a wide assortment of flour and grain concoctions that come in a variety of shapes. Macaroni is one such pasta that is not in noodle form. The word pasta comes from the Italian word for paste or dough.
Pasta also refers to dishes that have pasta as the main ingredient and which are usually spruced up with sauce or a type of seasoning.
There are two ways to cook pasta- by extrusion and by lamination. Extrusion mashes the ingredients through a die, which is a plate with holes. Lamination calls for the dough to be kneaded and folded, later rolled to achieve a thick mixture before it is cut with the use of slitters. Fresh pasta is easy to cook and is ready quickly but it spoils easily as well since its content is mostly water. Dry pasta lasts longer because it has only around 10% moisture.
There are now Italian pastas as well as American pastas. The Italian pasta, which has a yellow color and a chewy texture, comes from durum wheat semolina. American pastas are made from farina and semolina, with a texture and flavor that are inferior to Italian pastas and are used mostly in casseroles. There are also Asian noodles, which are thinner than pasta and come from wheat flour.
The most popular pastas are certainly the noodle-type pastas such as spaghetti and vemicelli. Macaroni is the most popular short tube pasta, followed by penne. Fettucine and linguine are pasta that are shaped like ribbons. There is also pasta made from tiny grains such as couscous and orzo as well as pasta made from large sheets like lasagna. Ravioli, tortellini and manicotti are an entirely different pasta group, as they are hollow pasta that is filled with stuffing.
Here's a little known fact about pasta. Did you know that it was Thomas Jefferson who first brought macaroni to America? Upon returning to the US in 1789 after a stint as the ambassador to France, Jefferson brought with him a macaroni machine, which was the first such recorded contraption in the United States.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Cooking, Home Improvement, and Outdoors
Read More......Pasta, one of Italian cuisines
Friday, September 5, 2008
When we hear the term Italian cuisine, the first name that comes in our mind is pasta. Though it was originated in Italy, it is famous worldwide. Pasta is like noodles, made from certain grain flours with water and/or eggs mixtures. Among the different shapes and forms of pasta there are string shaped pasta called spaghetti and vermicelli. There are also ribbon shaped fettuccine and linguine, short tube shaped elbow macaroni and penne, tiny shapes like couscous and orzo and large shapes like lasagna. There are hollow pastas also like ravioli, manicotti and tortellini.
You can have them stuffed with fillings. The paste is kneaded to give different shapes and forms. Pasta can also be the dishes where pasta is an important ingredient and served with sauce or different seasonings. Gnocchi is one of these pasta dishes. But here different ingredients are used and cooking process is also different.
You can also find frozen pasta all over the world. More varieties of pastas are mainly found in the places where the Italians and their culture have deep impact. There are companies that produce packed pastas that can be fresh for 7 weeks. According to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of US, half cup of cooked pasta per day helps a person to meet the necessary folate level per day with an extra amount of 220 micrograms or more folate. Boiling pasta is the basic of recipes of all the pasta dishes. The sauces and the other ingredients make all the differences. There are obviously some exceptions like soups, gnocchi, lasagna and manicotti. But, as you know, exceptions cannot be the examples. There are some secrets for cooking pasta like cooking in salted water, adding the paste after the water starts boiling, stirring occasionally and fast draining and serving. Pastas do not need undercooking or overcooking. If there is any assistance that you need, always remember our website is only a click away.
Dave Fooder runs a premiere exchange recipes network online. Visit his site http://www.cookscentral.com for Fast Free & Easy Cooking Collections and enjoy exchanging recipes.
Delicious Modern Rice Noodles
Thursday, September 4, 2008
By Jeya Lakshmi
The Noodles is not a modern food item it is eaten from 4000 years ago in China and then it is slowly spread to Northern America and rest of the world. At first Noodles were made only by millets. In Northern America Noodles are made by Wheat & Rice. The communication develops all people made Noodles as per their taste with using items like Wheat, Rice, Millets etc.
A Noodles is a delicious dish and also it is a item of fast food. Noodles were invented 4000 years ago in China. Mainly Noodles are made from Wheat, Millets etc. Wheat & Millets are high contents of carbohydrates, proteins etc therefore Noodles also high contents of carbohydrates, proteins & other nutrients. Noodles are made faster in cheap rate. This shows that eating Noodles is a cheap and good for Health also. The native dishes derived from Malaysia and Indonesia take full advantage of vegetables.
Rice noodles are noodles that are made from rice. Their principal ingredients are rice flour and water. Rice noodles are most commonly used in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia, and are available fresh, frozen, or dried, in various shapes and thicknesses. This is a good salad for a hot day.
N- Noodle
O- Omni (in all ways)
O- Optimal (best)
D- Delicious and
L- Loved
E- Everyone.
Noodle is Omni Optimal with Delicious and Loved by Everyone
Rice noodles is a very simple dish. Rice noodles are lovely to use and very light and easy to digest, take care not to leave in the boiling water too long otherwise they over cook. Vegetable rice noodles is a very flavor and very tasty and preparation is very easy. There are a few different kinds of rice noodles. The ones referred to here are flat, dried and about the width of linguine. Please purchase online www.indomunch.com in NewYork city.
Pasta Shapes Chart
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Source: CNN.Com
| PASTA SHAPES & SIZES | |||
| Long, straight pasta noodles | |||
| TYPE: | SHAPE: | BEST USED: | SERVED: |
| Capellini (Angel hair) | Long, rounded, very thin | Hot | With light sauces, or tossed with olive oil and fresh steamed vegetables |
| Vermicelli | Long, rounded, thinner than spaghetti | Hot, can be used cold | With light sauces, or tossed in pasta salads |
| Linguine | Long, flat, narrow | Hot | Large enough to hold slightly thicker sauces, for example a marinara sauce |
| Spaghetti | Long, rounded, average thickness | Hot | With tomato-based sauces or baked in casseroles |
| Fettuccine | Long, flat, wider than linguine | Hot | Thick sauces, especially creamy sauces |
| Lasagna | Long, very wide, may be flat-edged or have curled edges | Hot | Baked, in lasagna and other casserole-type dishes |
| Curly pastas | |||
| TYPE: | SHAPE: | BEST USED: | SERVED: |
| Rotini (Spirals) | Fairly short spirals | Hot or cold | With thick/chunky sauces or in pasta salads |
| Fusilli | Long, corkscrew-shaped spaghetti | Hot or cold | Very versatile, good with most sauces, in soup or in pasta salad, |
| Tagliatelle (Egg noodles) | Same width as fettuccine or linguine, but not flattened | Hot | Baked dishes, soups, stroganoff |
| Tubular pastas | |||
| TYPE: | SHAPE: | BEST USED: | SERVED: |
| Ditalini | Small, very short tubes | Hot or cold | Soups or pasta salads |
| Elbow macaroni | Curved tubes | Hot or cold | Baked dishes, or in pasta salad |
| Perciatelli (Long macaroni) | Long, thin, straight tubes | Hot | Use in place of spaghetti |
| Ziti | Slightly curved tubes, wider and longer than elbow macaroni | Hot or cold | Baked, in pasta salads, with thick sauces |
| Penne | Straight, medium-length tubes, often ridged instead of smooth, cut on diagonal | Hot | In soups, baked, with a wide variety of sauces |
| Rigatoni | Straight, short tubes, wider than penne, also ridged | Hot | Variety of sauces; ridges hold thick or creamy sauces well |
| Cannelloni | Large, long tubes | Hot | Stuffed |
| Manicotti | Longer and wider than penne, may be ridged | Hot | Stuffed |
| Other shapes | |||
| TYPE: | SHAPE: | BEST USED: | SERVED: |
| Alphabets | Letters of the alphabet | Hot | In soups |
| Anelli (rings) | Small, O-shaped | Hot | In soups |
| Bow Tie Pasta | Squares pinched in the middle to form bow-ties | Hot | In soups and with grains, like buckwheat, in side dishes |
| Conchiglie (Shells) | Shells with one long, narrow opening | Hot or cold | In soups, baked, in pasta salads |
| Conchiglioni (Jumbo shells) | Like regular shells, but much larger | Hot | Stuffed |
| Orzo | Size and shape of grains or cooked rice | Hot | As side dish |
| Radiatore (Radiators) | Ruffled and ridged, like a radiator | Hot; can be used cold | With thick or creamy sauces, in soups, in salad |
| Ruote (Wheels) | Wagon wheels | Hot | In soups, casseroles, with thick sauces |
| Filled pastas | |||
| TYPE: | SHAPE: | BEST USED: | SERVED: |
| Agnolotti | Small, crescent-shaped, may be filled with a variety of meats or cheeses | Hot | With variety of sauces |
| Gnocchi | Dumplings, may have cheese, potatoes or spinach in dough | Hot | As side dish |
| Tortellini | Small, filled, ring-shaped pasta | Hot | Good with a variety of thick or creamy sauces |
| Ravioli | Usually round, with cheese or beef filling | Hot | Baked or boiled, with thick sauces |
The History of Ramen Noodles
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Ramen noodles originated in China, where all noodles seem to have come from, and are called "Lo-Mein" in Chinese, which means boiled noodles.
"Ra-men" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese Characters for Lo-Mein.
 | Lau | Ra |  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Me | |||||||||||
| Mein | N |
This Chinese-style noodle became such a great favorite in Sapporo, the capital of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, that it is now considered to be their regional dish. Ramen is to Sapporo what baked beans are to Boston. In other countries, the word for Ramen may be different, too. For example, they are called "Maggi Mee" in Singapore.
The process for turning the traditional Ramen noodles into the now familiar instant, packaged noodles was pioneered by Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Foods in Japan. In 1970, Nissin Foods introduced Top Ramen to the United States and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Many other companies introduced Top Ramen clones and even such industry giants such as Lipton and Campbell's began to experiment with Ramen-like products. Fierce competition notwithstanding, Nissin still controls slightly less than half of the U.S. Ramen market and fifteen percent of the world Ramen market of about ten billion dollars annually. At this writing, the average wholesale price for a package of Ramen in the U.S. is only twelve and a half cents.
Because of their enthusiastic acceptance in the market place, it wasn't long before instant Ramen skipped over national boundaries and became an international phenomena. Factories that make Ramen noodles can now be found not only in Japan and the U.S., but in Europe, Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Each country's Ramen noodles reflect their own particular flavor preferences. Korean Ramen is highly spiced and often contains packets of black bean sauce. China makes Ramen in Szechuan flavors. Thailand makes very thin, delicate noodles with very hotly spiced packets. Japan prefers the flavor of seafood and mild spices. In the U.S. they are usually available with meat flavors, mushroom flavors or mild spices often referred to as Oriental flavor.
Source: http://www.konzak.com/ramen/ramhist.html
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Introduction to pasta
Friday, August 15, 2008
Pasta originates from the Italian word for paste. Pasta is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates. Pasta made of whole wheat contains more dietary fiber. Most commercially made pastas available on the shelves of stores are prepared from semolina paste. Pasta is an affordable and nutritious base for a good meal - combine it with vegetables, meat, nuts or legumes and you have a great dish going. You can make the pasta dish even more nutritious by adding spinach or asparagus and beans. Italian pasta is a wonderful source of complex carbohydrates. Type of pasta Tips on selecting good pasta
Here is a complete guide to choosing between different types of pasta. Find out the difference between fresh and dried pasta. Dried pasta that is commercially available is available in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Dried pasta is convenient since it keeps for a long time if stored correctly and holds it shape better than fresh pasta. This makes it ideal for heavy sauces. Fresh pasta, as the name suggests, is more tender and chewy since it is not completely dried. Fresh pasta is generally available as ribbons and can be stored for about 5 days in the refrigerator. Fresh pasta goes best with light and delicate sauces since it is highly absorbent.
Pasta comes in various shapes, some of which are a specialty of a particular region or town of Italy. Some fancy pasta makers come up with special shapes. Dried pasta is either made with durum wheat flour (di semola di grano duro) or eggs, flour and salt (pasta all'uovo). Exotically shaped pasta is extruded through dies that give them a unique shape. A popular type of pasta is the long strand variety. You can opt for Spagettti or Spaghetteni or Bucatini. Cylinder shaped pasta is often used in soups and baked dishes. Strips of pasta such as Fettuccine, Tagliatelle and Linguine are used along with tasty sauces made of tomato-mackerel or smoked salmon or creamy mascarpone sauce. Sheet pasta is used in baked dishes. You can get them as lasagna sheets or cannelloni. Snail shell and spiral shaped pasta can help add an extra zing your salad or pasta pot dish. You can go in for tiny bits of pasta to garnish your soup - tiny stars, teddy bear shapes, little seed shapes. Hot peppers, mushrooms, saffron, lemon, garlic and other herbs or spices are popularly used to lend flavors to pasta. Pasta made with eggs has more flavor and is brighter yellow in color.
Source: Targetwoman.com
Know types of Asian noodles
Noodles are a very important part of Asian cooking. They are a staple ingredient in many recipes and a lot of signature Asian dishes involve noodles. However, it can often be confusing trying to find the right kind of noodles. There is more variety between the types of Asian pasta than Italian pasta so it is not the same to simply substitute another kind of noodle. To make things even more confusing there are many different names for the same types of noodles. Often if you are shopping for these ingredients in an Asian grocery you will not be able to tell from the package what kind of noodles are inside so it is important to know what the noodles look like.
Although people often recommend substituting Italian pastas for Asian noodles in recipes it really isn't the same. Asian noodles vary from their counterparts quite a bit. For instance, many recipes say to substitute linguine for rice noodles but they really aren't comparable. Rice noodles are also known as rice sticks or vermicelli. They are white in color and the texture is a lot like rice. The classic Asian dish, Pad Thai, usually uses rice noodles. There are also many Vietnamese dishes that consist of rice noodles topped with meat and served with a light sauce. Rice noodles are sold dry and come in different thicknesses. The very thin variety are usually used in soups and salads. Since rice noodles are precooked they don't need to be boiled. It is best to simply soak rice noodles for 15-20 minutes and then rinse off the starch before adding them to any dish or soup.
Perhaps the best known noodles are Ramen noodles. They have made a big hit with instant soups but Ramen noodles are not just for soup. You can recognize Ramen noodles easily because they are very curly, long noodles that are dried into a rectangular brick. These noodles boil for 3 minutes and then are ready to serve. They are excellent in soup but can also be added to a wok with sauce, chopped vegetables and meat to make any variety of stir fry dishes.
The most distinctive Asian noodles are cellophane noodles also referred to as bean threads. They are made from mung-bean (bean sprout) starch. Cellophane noodles are very thin, string-like noodles that become almost transparent when cooked. For this reason they are also known as glass noodles or vermicelli noodles. Cellophane noodles are usually stir fried with other ingredients because they do not have much flavor. They are great for picking up the taste of other ingredients and their unique slippery texture adds an exotic element to any Asian dish. This type of noodle also needs to be soaked for about 20 minutes before cooking. You can tell the noodles are done when they become completely clear.
Chinese egg noodles (or E-fu noodles) are probably the most similar to American noodles. They are made from a mix of eggs and wheat. These noodles come in all kinds of shapes and sizes but they are usually a light yellow color. They are sold fresh or dried. Often they are fried and sold in bundles. Then they have to be boiled for a few seconds before adding them to any dish. These are also the same noodles used to make egg rolls and wontons.
Japanese noodles come in three primary types but they can all be served cold with a dipping sauce or in broth. The first kind, Soba noodles, are made of buckwheat and have a distinctive brown color. These noodles are much more hearty and substantial than other Asian noodles. Soba noodles need to be boiled but the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the noodles. When the noodles are first added to water they must be stirred to prevent clumping. Another Japanese noodle is somen. These are made of wheat flour and oil. They tend to be very thin and delicate. Somen noodles are usually sold dried and bundled together with a band. The third kind are Udon noodles. They are also made of wheat but tend to be thick and chewy in texture. This wide noodle looks a lot like fettuccine and is often used in Lo Mein and Chow Mein recipes.
There are many more sub-divisions of Asian noodles and lots of different names for them but this listing is a good general guide. Although you may not be able to find all these types of noodles in your grocery store Asian noodles are becoming more popular. Of course any Asian market is a good place to find out about noodles. However, probably the best way to learn about Asian noodles is to go out and eat them!
Source: Essortment.com
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