4 Things We Didn't Know About Pasta

Photo: France Ruffenach

By Lynn Andriani

Fresh Pasta Is Not Always Better Than Dried

"There is nothing like fresh, homemade pasta," Domenica Marchetti, author ofThe Glorious Pasta of Italy , says, "but I won't say one is better than the other." Many supermarkets now carry artisan boxed pastas. They're a little more expensive, but they're still comparatively cheap, and since they are cut with bronze dies (instead of Teflon dies, which some lower-quality commercial brands use), they have a rougher surface to which sauce clings well (like mafalde, which is a natural for a roasted-tomato sauce). Cheaper brands also cook less evenly and can turn mushy before they're cooked all the way through.
Get the recipe: Mafalde with Roasted Tomatoes, Robiola and Crushed Fennel Seeds

RELATED: 31 Fresh Summer Pasta Recipes

Keep Calm, Know Your Allies

If you are going to make fresh pasta, take a deep breath and call upon the help of two kitchen workhorses: your food processor and your freezer. Marchetti says, "The key is to just relax. The more you do it, the more you familiarize yourself with the dough's tactile quality, and the easier it'll get." A food processor saves timeand still turns out tender dough (even Marchetti's Italian-born mom uses one). And if you aren't going to eat the pasta right away, the freezer is your ally. Marchetti learned the hard way that some hand-shaped pastas—like these codette (which look like string beans but are actually pasta)—cannot be dried before cooking; they just crack, splinter or won't even cook through. So to be safe, either boil the pasta immediately and eat it right then, or roll it out and stash it in the freezer. When you're ready to eat it, take it directly from the freezer to the pot of boiling water.
 Get the recipe: Spinach Codette with Sausage and Peas

RELATED: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy

Whole Wheat Needs the Right Sauce to Be Delicious

Something about the chewiness of whole wheat pasta doesn't mesh well with lighter tomato sauces. But its earthy flavor and texture can work in certain recipes, especially those involving the hearty heft of cream or beans. Marchetti pairs whole wheat fettuccine with Savoy cabbage, cream and caraway seeds; whole wheat shells with fresh cranberry beans and braised radicchio; and whole wheat orecchiette with broccoli and cream.
Get the recipe: Orecchiette with Creamy Broccoli Sauce

RELATED: Jessica Seinfield's Afternoon Snack Ideas for Kids

Pasta Is Surprisingly Versatile

When Marchetti was a child, her family had a beach house on Abruzzo's Adriatic coast. A casual restaurant there served spaghetti with mussels, shrimp, saffron and curry. It seems un-Italian, but Spaghetti al Farouk was the signature dish at the seaside restaurant.
Get the recipe: Spaghetti al Farouk

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It's National Farmers' Market Week. Which one's your favorite?

Photograph: Leah Greenstein

The USDA has declared this week, August 7th through 13th, National Farmers' Market Week. We celebrate farmers' markets just about every week here, especially this time of year. But maybe we haven't given your local market proper attention.

Please tell us about your favorite market, or maybe it's a favorite vendor that keeps you coming back (the adorable egg man, anyone else?) or just a favorite piece of fruit or loaf of bread.

If you're looking for a market in your area, here's a national directory. As noted in our food policy news roundup today, more than 1,000 new farmers' markets have cropped up in the United States over the last year, making for a grand total of 7,175 reported markets in the country (about ten percent of which are in California). The USDA also noted that 12 percent of them are accepting SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

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Dessert Crepes

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 10 Min

Ready In: 20 Min

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.
2. Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

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Chefs Thoughts

Hi Yall,
 I love food and cooking and baking. i have been doing it for twenty eight years.
I am new to blogging. I am trying this out to connect to you all.  I want to learn from you and trouble shoot any problems you may have. If this blog goes nowhere its ok, but if we can start an exchage about the love of food and cooking, AWSOME!
Chef Hall
Hattisburg, Mississippi

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6 Uses for a Toothbrush in the Kitchen

Brush your cheese grater
Give the teeth of a cheese grater a good brushing with an old toothbrush before you wash the grater or put it in the dishwasher. This will make it easier to wash and will prevent clogs in your dishwasher drain by getting rid of bits of cheese or any other item you may have grated.

Clean silk from ears of corn
Before cooking shucked corn, take an old toothbrush and gently rub down the ear to brush away the remaining clingy strands of silk. Then you won't have to brush them out from between your teeth after you eat the corn!

Clean and oil your waffle iron
A clean, soft toothbrush is just the right utensil to clean crumbs and burned batter from the nooks and crannies of a waffle iron. Use it to spread oil evenly on the waffle iron surface before the next use too.

Brush away espresso

If you're a fan of espresso, you're also familiar with how finely ground Italy's favorite coffee is. To keep it from clogging up the filter screen on your espresso maker, scrub the screen gently after each use with a soft toothbrush. If any bits remain, remove them with a straight pin.

De-pulp your juicer

It's easy to forget that electric juicers are traps for all manner of fruit (and therefore, food) particles. Keep it clean as a whistle to prevent bacteria buildup (and illness!) by cleaning it thoroughly: disassemble it, wipe out the pulp and discard it, and fill your kitchen sink with hot, soapy water. Soak everything but the motor casing for 10 minutes, remove the pieces from the sink, and scrub with a soft toothbrush. Dry well, reassemble, and juice for all you're worth!

Toothbrush as veggie cleaner

Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean mushrooms and other sensitive vegetables before cooking. A medium- or hard-bristled brush is more suitable for potatoes.

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Smoothie Operator! 7 brain-boosting smoothies for back-to-school

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Simple Mango Acai Smoothie

A great source of essential fatty acids, amino acids, and antioxidants, acai adds a super-nutritional boost to this smoothie. Bonus: Its delightfully chocolaty texture will ensure that every last drop is sipped up.

Make mango acai smoothie

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8 No-sweat ways to stay slim

Who doesn't want a flat belly, stat? Yet hours of crunches, cardio, and superstrict dieting aren't realistic—or a whole lot of fun—for many of us. Luckily, it is possible to flatten your belly and look slimmer almost immediately. 

"Your stomach is the one part of your body that reacts quickly to dietary changes—good and bad. If you want to look thinner fast, avoid gassy veggies, chewing gum, salt, carbonated beverages, and any foods with sugar alcohols," says Erin Palinski, RD and certified personal trainer. These foods will lead to water retention and bloating, she explains. If you normally eat three larger meals a day, Palinski recommends cutting those portions in half and eating smaller meals every two to three hours. Want more instant fixes for a flatter belly? Here are 8 ways you can feel trimmer and slimmer—in some cases, nearly overnight.

1. Stand Up Straight Standing up taller can make you look 5 pounds slimmer, says Deborah L. Mullen, a certified strength and conditioning specialist in San Luis Obispo, CA. How can you make it a habit? Try Pilates. According to a 6-month pilot study of 18 chronic back pain sufferers, Pilates is one of the best ways to improve posture and strengthen your ab and back muscles.

Jessica Cassity, Prevention's senior fitness editor and a certified Pilates instructor, suggests two moves you can actually do while you're still in bed that will set you straight for the day:

Belly Ins: Draw belly to spine. Slowly, flattening lower back to bed by using your core (not your butt or legs), press belly down on an exhale, release on an inhale. Do 10 times.

Roll and Reach: Sit upright with legs bent and pressed together, feet flat on the bed. Reach forward over knees, palms down. Slowly, roll halfway down, then twist right. Reach right fingertips to the low back diagonal (if you're facing the foot of your bed, you'll reach toward to top right corner), while stretching left fingertips forward. Twist back to center, bringing right arm front and rolling up to sit. Repeat to left for one rep. Do 8 reps. 

Try This Bed-Based Yoga Routine To Sleep Better Tonight


2. Dress In Belly-Flattening Fashions The right outfit can pull off a multitude of belly-flattening miracles. Meg Goldman (meggoldman.com), a New York City stylist who dresses women of all shapes and sizes—including curvy Weight Watchers success stories—shares her best belly-flattening tips.

• Choose fabrics wisely. Avoid lightweight knits, Lycra, and other stretch fabrics that highlight and emphasize rolls or bulges. Opt for woven fabrics (like woven cotton, silk or rayon blends, and lightweight wool blends) that skim the body rather than cling to it.

• Shop for a shift dress or wrap dress. The shift is a great way to show off your arms and legs, if they're your best assets, drawing less attention to the midsection. The wrap creates a waistline and shows off a beautiful neck and bust. 

• Pick tops made of woven fabrics as well. Shirts with detailing around the neckline and accessorized by a great piece of jewelry draw the eyes up to the face—and away from the stomach and hips. Blouses and tops with a small ruffle down the center are good for diverting attention away from the midsection as well. Wrap tops also slim quite nicely if they aren't made from thin, stretchy fabric. 

• Cinch your waist with a wide belt in a dark color. This separates the hips and bust, drawing the eyes to the center of the body. Look for one in soft leather that will mold with the body's natural curves. 

• Experiment with small patterns, like florals and geometrics, which tend to disguise bumps and rolls. Wear floral tops with a solid dark bottom to slim your lower half.

See 18 Style Tricks To Help You Look Younger—and Thinner

3. Turn In An Hour Earlier You'll be less likely to overeat the next day. Eating right and exercising regularly help ward off both stress and belly fat, but only if you're getting enough sleep. Skimping on sleep causes levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise, along with levels of deep abdominal fat. "There's a definite association between lack of sleep, increased stress hormones, and weight gain," says Auburn University exercise researcher Michele Olson, PhD. In a 6-year study, Canadian researchers found that adults who averaged just 5 or 6 hours of shut-eye a night were 35% more likely to gain 10-plus pounds and were nearly 60% heavier around the middle than those who slept 7 to 8 hours. Now that's a reason to skip Stewart.

See What a Perfect Day of Weight Loss Looks Like

4. Swap Soda For This Belly Buster A nice carbonated beverage can hit the spot when you're thirsty. But you'll have to skip the bubbles while you're on a middle-shrinking mission—nutritionist Palinski says the gas will make your belly poof up right away. Drink plain old tap water to stay hydrated—and make sure you get at least eight glasses a day. One delicious alternative: Flat Belly Diet Sassy Water (the eating plan's signature drink). The special ingredients aren't just there for flavor, either: The ginger helps calm and soothe your GI tract.

Get the Flat Belly Diet Sassy Water Recipe 

5. Munch More Whole Grains and Protein Trading refined carbs for whole grains is not only healthy, it can actually help you shed belly fat, too, according to research from a Pennsylvania State University study. Dieters in the study who ate whole grains shed more than twice as much abdominal fat as those who ate none. Whole grains reduce the production of insulin, a hormone that encourages fat storage, making it easier to lose belly fat. Add another belly fat–fighting component to your meal by packing in protein-rich foods. In a Danish study of 60 men and women, those following a diet that included 25% of calories from protein lost nearly twice as much fat after 6 months than those eating a diet with 12% protein. Include a serving of lean protein with each meal and snack—eggs for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch, low-fat or fat-free yogurt or milk for a snack, and grilled fish and vegetables for dinner.

6 Protein-Packed Snacks to Stash in Your Purse

6. Have Watermelon For Dessert The amino acid arginine, abundant in watermelon, might promote weight loss, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers supplemented the diets of obese mice with arginine over 3 months and found that doing so decreased body fat gains by a whopping 64%. Adding this amino acid to the diet enhanced the oxidation of fat and glucose and increased lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat does. Snack on watermelon in the summer, and eat other arginine sources, such as seafood, nuts, and seeds, year-round.

Get Delicious Watermelon Recipes

7. Add This Cupboard Staple To Your Diet The primary substance that gives ordinary vinegar its sour taste and strong odor may fight fat, suggests new research presented at a recent meeting of the Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science. In a study of 175 overweight Japanese men and women, those who consumed a drink containing either 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks had significantly lower body weight, BMI, visceral fat, and waist circumference than the control group that didn't consume any vinegar. Researchers credit vinegar's acetic acid, which may switch on genes that pump out proteins that break down fat.

8. Go Slowly At Meals Under stress, we tend to scarf down even healthy food. In fact, research has linked this behavior to bigger portions and more belly fat. But Elissa Epel, PhD, a researcher on stress eating at the University of California, San Francisco, hypothesizes that slowing down, savoring each bite, and paying attention to feelings of fullness may lower cortisol levels along with decreasing the amount of food you eat, thereby shifting the distribution of fat away from the belly.

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