Important topic: Noodles cooked without boiling water?

[Bob]

Can you "prepare" noodles without using boiling water?  You just get the wet for a certain amount of time, maybe stirring them occasionally to simulate the motion that boiling water would cause.

Does that work?  Sounds like an experiment is in order..... 





Said from the guy who is now eating raw dough.      ... and realizing isn't essentially... not even essentially... it IS just flour and water....   ... and doesn't taste as good as it did at first but now I have raw dough that I don't want to go to waste.... 

[m1469]

haha ... Bob, poor Bob.  It is indeed basically flour and water, and although I used to love pasta and might have my eyes opened wider to it sometime in the future, it's just not as good-seeming to me anymore.  Okay, it's still good.  

But, sometimes I just throw it in the water before it's boiling and it does get soaked and it will even cook all the way ... but, did you use fresh pasta?  I'm talking about dried pasta.

Your thread made me think though that we could start a mythbusters thread here on PS.  I keep meaning to write into mythbusters with a myth that I heard about.  If you are smoking a cigarette (or whatever) when laying in a sleeping bag, and then you fall asleep with the smokey still in your mouth, and then it falls into your sleepy bag, you will bake overnight.  

[birba]

Alright, make way, I'm the expert here on Italian cooking.
The only pasta you don't have to boil is certain brands of lasagna pasta that you can put directly in the oven with the sauce or whatever ingredients your recipe calls for.
You cannot, I repeat CANNOT just wet the noodles in water and wait until they get soft before putting the sauce on them. I feel my stomach turning just thinking about it...
What you are going to get doing it this way, is just a soggy mushy mess.  the water must be boiling before putting it in.  The time on the package begins from the moment the water begins to boil again.  When it's done, before draining it, put some cold water in the pot to stop the cooking of the pasta.  Egg noodles take much less time for cooking.  Maybe  3-5 minutes.  Depending on if they're fresh or not.
Any more questions? 

[mistermoe]

Me wants lasagna now!!

[mistermoe]

before draining it, put some cold water in the pot to stop the cooking of the pasta. 

doesn't that result in cold paste?

[m1469]

Me wants lasagna now!!

Lately I make lasagna with thinly sliced eggplant instead of noodles.  As a matter of fact, I might make that for dinner this very evening  .

[Bob]

Show off...

I'm boiling water.  That's the edge of my food preparation.

What does the boiling have to do with it?  The heat?  It must be the heat.



Hot date at Bob's house...
Bob:  Here.  I made you some noodles and raw dough.  I'll have you know I did put in the time to boil the water before cooking those noodles too.  Also, I washed the dishes, i.e. A lot of effort in the preparation of these noodles and raw dough.  *Bob hands plastic silverware.*

[mistermoe]

Hot date at Bob's house...
Bob:  Here.  I made you some noodles and raw dough.  I'll have you know I did put in the time to boil the water before cooking those noodles too.  Also, I washed the dishes, i.e. A lot of effort in the preparation of these noodles and raw dough.  *Bob hands plastic silverware.*

how romantic!

[birba]

doesn't that result in cold paste?

Not THAT much!
The eggplant dish sounds like eggplant parmesan.  One of my specialties! 

[m1469]

Not THAT much!
The eggplant dish sounds like eggplant parmesan.  One of my specialties! 

I've never made egglpant parmesan, though I would like to sometime.  The dish that I make actually is pretty much lasagna.  I thinly slice the eggplant and put them in the bottom on top of some sauce, and then I make a mixture of tofu (sorry), egg, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and garlic and mix those all together with fresh herbs.  Layer that over the eggplant slices with sundried tomatoes on top, then another layer of eggplant slices over that.  Then, more tofu/cheese mixture, then either a layer of fresh spinach or mushrooms and topped with sauce and then mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  It's pretty great.

[ahinton]

I've never made egglpant parmesan, though I would like to sometime.  The dish that I make actually is pretty much lasagna.  I thinly slice the eggplant and put them in the bottom on top of some sauce, and then I make a mixture of tofu (sorry), egg, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and garlic and mix those all together with fresh herbs.  Layer that over the eggplant slices with sundried tomatoes on top, then another layer of eggplant slices over that.  Then, more tofu/cheese mixture, then either a layer of fresh spinach or mushrooms and topped with sauce and then mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  It's pretty great.

Eggplant?! Oh, you're SO American! (aubergine for us Eurpeans, s'il vous plaît)...

Best,

Alistair

[m1469]

Eggplant?! Oh, you're SO American! (aubergine for us Eurpeans, s'il vous plaît)...

Best,

Alistair

sorry 

[ahinton]

sorry 

No need to apologise! I don't apologise for being Scots either...

Best,

Alistair

[birba]

Eggplant?! Oh, you're SO American! (aubergine for us Eurpeans, s'il vous plaît)...

Best,

Alistair

I've never made egglpant parmesan, though I would like to sometime.  The dish that I make actually is pretty much lasagna.  I thinly slice the eggplant and put them in the bottom on top of some sauce, and then I make a mixture of tofu (sorry), egg, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and garlic and mix those all together with fresh herbs.  Layer that over the eggplant slices with sundried tomatoes on top, then another layer of eggplant slices over that.  Then, more tofu/cheese mixture, then either a layer of fresh spinach or mushrooms and topped with sauce and then mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  It's pretty great.

Have to try that.  I wonder if ricotta cheese could be substituted for cottage cheese.  I think I can get the tofu from one of the oriental markets in Rome.  Sounds really good!  Thanks!  Are you talking about a tomato sauce?

[m1469]

Have to try that.  I wonder if ricotta cheese could be substituted for cottage cheese.  I think I can get the tofu from one of the oriental markets in Rome.  Sounds really good!  Thanks!  Are you talking about a tomato sauce?

Sure, you can use ricotta -- I've substituted cottage cheese for ricotta, originally.  You don't have to use tofu, of course.  I originally learned of using tofu as a kind of lasagna filling instead of cheese when I was vegan, but as it turns out I really enjoy the texture and I like that it gives the filling some other protein without it being meat (though I'm not fully opposed to meat, at this point in my life).  When it's all mixed with cheeses and with eggs added (as a binding substance), you don't think about it at all.

And, yes, I'm talking about marinara sauce.  Of course you can use various sauces though. 

[birba]

I've never made egglpant parmesan, though I would like to sometime.  The dish that I make actually is pretty much lasagna.  I thinly slice the eggplant and put them in the bottom on top of some sauce, and then I make a mixture of tofu (sorry), egg, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and garlic and mix those all together with fresh herbs.  Layer that over the eggplant slices with sundried tomatoes on top, then another layer of eggplant slices over that.  Then, more tofu/cheese mixture, then either a layer of fresh spinach or mushrooms and topped with sauce and then mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  It's pretty great.

Do you cook the eggplant before?  I was thinking of trying this tonight.  Without the tofu.
Or maybe if I just slice the eggplant and put them under salt for a few hours.  That way, they're soft but uncooked.   well, if I don't have your answer before dinner, I'll do it that way. 

[birba]

Wait!  Am I correct in assuming you bake this casserole in the oven?  Maybe not...

[m1469]

No, I don't cook the eggplant before and yes, I bake the casserole in the oven.  The first time I ever made it, I overcooked it.  You want it to bubble through the casserole, like with a regular lasagna.  I don't think I would recommend cooking it before, but you can try anything you want, obviously, just be ready to deal with the results, of course .

[birba]

THanx!  I'll let you know tomorrow!

[m1469]

THanx!  I'll let you know tomorrow!

*waaaaaiiiiiiitttttt*  Now I'm nervous!  I can't remember if I solved the problems of it yet or not, and I didn't make it recently as I had hoped.  Now I am obsessing over the softness and consistency of the eggplant!  My ideal would be to be able to cut through the casserole with only a fork, similarly to a regular noodle one, without it being problematic.  Do you cook eggplant before making eggplant parmesan?  Whatever you do with that, do it with this.  Of course, I have never breaded the eggplant in this, though that might be yummy .  AND, I cut the eggplant the long ways, not in rounds, so it better resembles lasagna noodles.  And yes, I would love to know how it turns out and whatever you found out in the process.

[birba]

I'll let you know.  It's in the oven now.  I think I made too much ricotta sauce.  And there was no spinach in the house and someone doesn't like mushrooms, so all it is, is eggplant, dried tomatoes, the ricotta sauce, tomato sauce, parmesan, and mozzerella on top.  It should be good.  I didn't cook the eggplant.  I sliced them thin (the long way) and put them under salt for an hour so they drain out the bitterness.  So there pretty much cooked anyway.
Get back to you!

[birba]

It was wonderful!  The ricotta mixture was NOT too much it really blended in with the eggplant.  I didn't notice the taste of the dried tomatoes - what I did notice was the blend of the fresh marjorim and thyme that I put in the ricotta mixture.  Really great.  The next time I'm going to fry the eggplant like I do when I make eggplant parmesan.  But I think this way it's better FOR you.
Thankx!

[birba]

Well, I'll have you know, there was a piece of that eggplant dish left over, and today I cut it up into little pieces, and fed it to the dog...NO! only kidding!  I heated it up and served it over a plate of pasta.  It was wonderful!

[m1469]

Well, I'll have you know, there was a piece of that eggplant dish left over, and today I cut it up into little pieces, and fed it to the dog...NO! only kidding!  I heated it up and served it over a plate of pasta.  It was wonderful!

I got a little sad when I thought you fed it to the dog, I'm not going to lie.  I bet it is good over pasta.  Birba, how did you learn about putting salt on eggplant to take the bitterness out?  I want to do that, but how much do I put on it?  I will actually never forget the time a friend of mine introduced roasted eggplant to me ... it was wonderful.  I don't even know if I had ever had eggplant before that at all, but she took it straight out of the oven and gave it to me and it melted in my mouth.  So good.  One of my favorite Thai dishes is an eggplant and basil dish with really wide rice noodles (oh my gosh, SO good).  I actually like rice noodles these days better than most pastas.  Of course, much of that can also depend on what kind of sauce or topping or whatnot you serve with it, but I like the lightness of rice noodles.

[birba]

After you've sliced the eggplant, put a couple of slices on the bottom of colander.  sprinkle generously with salt (they get rinsed off afterwards, so don't worry), put more slices on top, salt again, etc. etc. until you've finished all the eggplant.  Put a round plate on top and put something heavy on top to press it down.  Put the colander in the sink or on a plate.  The brown juice will drip out...After about an hour or two,  rinse the slices real good and pat dry on a towel.
I was a vegetarian for many years.  Last year I got very sick and was ordered by the doctor to start eating some animal protein. (I hate that expression!)  Anyway, things are going better now and I want to get back to my regular regimen.  Your Thai dish sounds great.  Can you give it to me?
Thanks.

[m1469]

After you've sliced the eggplant, put a couple of slices on the bottom of colander.  sprinkle generously with salt (they get rinsed off afterwards, so don't worry), put more slices on top, salt again, etc. etc. until you've finished all the eggplant.  Put a round plate on top and put something heavy on top to press it down.  Put the colander in the sink or on a plate.  The brown juice will drip out...After about an hour or two,  rinse the slices real good and pat dry on a towel.

Thanks!  One question ... I think I am understanding that the plate which sits on top of the colander needs to be small enough to rest directly on the eggplant sitting in the colander, right?  And, it isn't just covering the colander, right?  (BTW, you drain tofu the same way -- minus the salt ).

I was a vegetarian for many years.  Last year I got very sick and was ordered by the doctor to start eating some animal protein. (I hate that expression!)  Anyway, things are going better now and I want to get back to my regular regimen.

Glad you are feeling better .

Your Thai dish sounds great.  Can you give it to me?
Thanks.

It's actually not mine, it's one from a resturant in another city.  I tried to find the resturant online so I could grab the name of the dish off of the menu, but couldn't find it yet so it'll have to wait, I guess.

[birba]

Yes.  (to your first question)
Don't worry about the Thai dish.  But if you DO find it...

[hoodhot]

Definitely need the heat to get the flour in the pasta to not taste... well floury haha.  for more info i defer to the ever clever alton brown in good eats:

[timothy42b]

Back to boiling.

Not necessary.

I used to eat ramen noodles for lunch at work.  My diet has changed, I'm low carb now, but back then I was big on complex carbohydrates. 

Instructions  crumble noodles into flat tupperware bowl.  Pour in water until they just float.  Put in microwave and zap.  Take them out.  No need to drain, you put in exactly the amount of water they will absorb.  Add the flavor packet. 

[m1469]

Back to boiling.

Not necessary.

I used to eat ramen noodles for lunch at work.  My diet has changed, I'm low carb now, but back then I was big on complex carbohydrates.  

Instructions  crumble noodles into flat tupperware bowl.  Pour in water until they just float.  Put in microwave and zap.  Take them out.  No need to drain, you put in exactly the amount of water they will absorb.  Add the flavor packet.  

NO!  That's not how it goes, 42 (btw, that was my basketball number).  If you crumble them, then you don't get to deal with really long, hoards of delicious noodles streaming out of your mouth!  That's nearly the best part (except, sometimes the steam is so much you can choke on it).  AND, add the flavor pack before cooking.  Okay, I know, it can obviously go different ways, but I thought I would be slightly contrary in tone just for fun.

[Bob]

I still need to try this.  I plan on dropping a few uncooked noodle in some water and will see what happens to them. 

[birba]

I can' watch this...

[Bob]

Although.... for the amount of effort it takes to make them with just water..... It's the same effort as making them with boiling water.

[birba]

That's exactly why I couldn't figure out this post from the start...

[Bob]

I know of another way I might try.

[birba]

Keep it to yourself!

[m1469]

After you've sliced the eggplant, put a couple of slices on the bottom of colander.  sprinkle generously with salt (they get rinsed off afterwards, so don't worry), put more slices on top, salt again, etc. etc. until you've finished all the eggplant.  Put a round plate on top and put something heavy on top to press it down.  Put the colander in the sink or on a plate.  The brown juice will drip out...After about an hour or two,  rinse the slices real good and pat dry on a towel.

OK, I'm making this eggplant lasagna again today and I'm going to try what you are talking about here.  btw, I googled it and as it turns out, I was not the inventor of substituting eggplants for noodies.  drats.  And, I thought finally I was going to get super rich with that one! 

Also btw, I'm tempted to say that the thai dish might just be phad eggplant, but somehow I want it to be called something different.  Ah well.

[birba]

mmmmmmmmm,  eggplant parmigian.
BTW, to get back to this water thing and pasta.  I just heard the latest from one of the top cooks in Italy.  This is now the way to prepare pasta:
Bring the water in the pot to boiling, throw in the salt (bubble up) and then the pasta.  When the water starts to boil again, get this, turn off the gas (or remove the pot from the electric top).  Leave the pasta in the water the regular time you would if the water was boiling.
Result:  tastier, healthier pasta, and less energy wasted.
How do you like that?

[fleetfingers]

Are you serious? You're supposed to turn it off?  I am going to try it tonight when I make dinner. I wasn't even going to make pasta, but now I have to...I wanna see if he's right...if the noodles really will taste better. 

[birba]

Let me know, because I haven't tried it yet.  I always forget - habit.

[fleetfingers]

I tried it last night, and it worked. The noodles were delish, and I liked not having to worry about the water boiling over. Thanks - I will continue to cook them this way.

[birba]

 

[kelly_kelly]

This thread makes me hungry! And great advice about the noodles. I'm at university, so I haven't cooked for myself in ages, but when I get the chance I will be sure to try this out.

I was a vegetarian for many years.  Last year I got very sick and was ordered by the doctor to start eating some animal protein. (I hate that expression!)  Anyway, things are going better now and I want to get back to my regular regimen.  Your Thai dish sounds great.  Can you give it to me?
Thanks.

And out of curiosity, how did you get sick from being vegetarian? I've been vegetarian for my whole life and I don't know what I would do if someone ordered me to eat "animal protein"!

[birba]

I know, it was hard for me, too, at first.  I was very sick.  Not from being a vegetarian.  I had a grave illness with bone transplant, etc. etc. etc. and the doctor recommended an animal protein diet for a while.  (I still can't get used to that expression!)

[Bob]

mmmmmmmmm,  eggplant parmigian.
BTW, to get back to this water thing and pasta.  I just heard the latest from one of the top cooks in Italy.  This is now the way to prepare pasta:
Bring the water in the pot to boiling, throw in the salt (bubble up) and then the pasta.  When the water starts to boil again, get this, turn off the gas (or remove the pot from the electric top).  Leave the pasta in the water the regular time you would if the water was boiling.
Result:  tastier, healthier pasta, and less energy wasted.
How do you like that?

Culinary genius... or just plain lazy?  Or lazy genius?