what did you have for dinner today ?

@kevcvs57 said
Last night
Peppery oniony salad with cured ham and baby potatoes, then I kept squirting the mayo on top until I could only see mayo.

And your bypass surgery is slated for when?

Repost so you see it...GBS changed the page.

Wolfy,

What is the reason for salting the water before boiling pasta? I know a lot of people do that, just don't know why. There has to be a reason.

-VR

@great-big-stees said
And your bypass surgery is slated for when?

Takes years for that to happen! 😉

-VR

@very-rusty said
Repost so you see it...GBS changed the page.

Wolfy,

What is the reason for salting the water before boiling pasta? I know a lot of people do that, just don't know why. There has to be a reason.

-VR

Pasta cooks better in salted water (it raises the boiling point of the water) and absorbs the flavour as it cooks.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Pasta cooks better in salted water (it raises the boiling point of the water) and absorbs the flavour as it cooks.

Who says an old dog can't be taught a new trick, I always put the salt in afterwards.

I bet it tastes entirely different. How much salt should be put in, to how much water?

-VR

@very-rusty said
Who says an old dog can't be taught a new trick, I always put the salt in afterwards.

I bet it tastes entirely different. How much salt should be put in, to how much water?

-VR

1238 grains. Add them individually. 😆


(Actually need to add quite a lot, so use kosher salt).

@ghost-of-a-duke said
1238 grains. Add them individually. 😆

Silly goad!

-VR

Edwards sausages, spring greens and baked potato topped with onion gravy followed by a crumble made with blackcurrants and apple from our garden.

@drewnogal said
Edwards sausages, spring greens and baked potato topped with onion gravy followed by a crumble made with blackcurrants and apple from our garden.

Your making me hungry and I just ate 3 hours ago! 😉

-VR

Plain white rice to soak up all the bad goop from drinking too much. 😞

@wolfgang59 said
Before freezing them?

Haven't tried that yet (freezing dumplings after microwaving them) but I am aware of the studies re: resistant carbs from a few years ago.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
1238 grains. Add them individually. 😆


(Actually need to add quite a lot, so use kosher salt).

There is no such thing as "kosher" salt - that's just a marketing trick to sell you large-grained salt at higher prices. Much like that pink himalayan salt that's supposed to be better than sea salt. Bull. All salt is sea salt, the only difference is how ling ago the sea water dried up and how much mud was in it. (Yes, if your salt isn't white, you're eating dirt. Accept it.)

And it doesn't matter at all what salt you put in your pasta water. It'll be dissolved before the water boils, anyway.

The main tricks to making pasta are:
- Buy good pasta. It doesn't need to be expensive, but you're more likely to get a good result if the packet says "cottura 10 minuti" and expects you to know the rest, than if it has full instructions that end with "for firmer ("al dente" ) Mi Mamma Spaghettili(c), boil for two minutes less".
- Use plenty of water. The pasta needs to be able to move easily under boil, without stirring. Two liters minimum, for one portion.
- Add plenty of salt, a teaspoon per liter. Best to add at the start; it should be dissolved and mixed in when you add the pasta. What kimd does not matter at all.
- Add the pasta when the water boils, not before. Boil for as long as the packet says. Don't listen to internet tough guys who say you should always boil it less than that, unless you're baking it or cooking it further - not just warming it through - in the sauce. If you bought decent pasta, trust the producer to know his produce.
- To finish off, almost always mix the pasta into the sauce. This point is less critical, and must be reversed in a few cases, most notably carbonara sauce (which has to be cooked by the heat of the spaghetti).
- On which note: bolognese goes with tagliatelle, penne, stuffed pasta, bakes, but never spaghetti, which is too thin. (Try ragù Napoletana instead.) Conversely, carbonara goes witj spaghetti, and does not contain boiled eggs or cream.

A "New York strip steak" with chopped red onion and sliced button mushrooms.

Lately I have been trying to eat on the carnivore/paleo end of the spectrum. If my sensor scale is to be believed, my body fat percentage has gone from about 30% to less than 20% in two weeks.

Luckily there are economical ways to do this, such as Mapo Tofu (pork pan sausage works really well for this; I also have three stores nearby where I can get the hot broadbean paste and black-bean paste) and "Hamburger Bowl" (hamburger with everything except the patty shape and the bun; I like mine with ketchup, yellow mustard and pickles, or with blue cheese and hot-wing sauce).

@shallow-blue said
There is no such thing as "kosher" salt - that's just a marketing trick to sell you large-grained salt at higher prices. Much like that pink himalayan salt that's supposed to be better than sea salt. Bull. All salt is sea salt, the only difference is how ling ago the sea water dried up and how much mud was in it. (Yes, if your salt isn't white, you're eating dirt. Accept ...[text shortened]... tana instead.) Conversely, carbonara goes witj spaghetti, and does not contain boiled eggs or cream.

, a teaspoon per liter.

Thank you best explanation so far.

-VR