Can I cook pasta without heating it up... ever?
More of a survival question than anything.
I have a bag of dried pasta, a plastic container, a can of tomato sauce, and some salt, and I find myself out in the wilderness with no heat to speak of.
Is there some way I can get that pasta decently edible by just leaving it in the plastic container with either salt water, or the tomato sauce, or a combination of both for an extended period of time?
Thanks.
Best Answer
Pasta (by which I infer you mean dried, Italian-style semolina pasta) is edible raw, right out of the package. It is not, however, palatable.
If you soak it in water, it will hydrate and soften over time, but that is not the same as cooking it.
True cooking also cooks the proteins and takes away that raw starchy taste. There is no way to achieve that without the application of some heat above about 180 F for at least a few minutes.
See also:
Preparing spaghetti without boiling water
Note that in one of the answers to that question, Rumtscho points out that supermarket ramen noodles are precooked (they are generally par-fried, sometimes par-baked) and are much more palatable eaten straight from the package, or simply soaked.
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Quick Answer about "Can I cook pasta without heating it up... ever?"
If you soak it in water, it will hydrate and soften over time, but that is not the same as cooking it. True cooking also cooks the proteins and takes away that raw starchy taste. There is no way to achieve that without the application of some heat above about 180 F for at least a few minutes.Can pasta cook in cold water?
"Although you can definitely cook pasta in cold water, you risk overcooking (it) because the starch has more time to release," she told TODAY. "It's not as precise. In other words, the pasta had more time to absorb water, causing it to be mushy. "Pasta cooked too long also can have an increase in glycemic index.Can you just soak pasta?
Because starch needs to be heated to gel properly, soaking pasta in cold water will allow you to hydrate it without worrying about it sticking together. Once it's fully hydrated, you've just got to finish it off in your sauce and you're ready to serve.What happens if you leave pasta in water?
If you leave the pasta in the water for a long time, the noodles will eventually soak up moisture and become soggy.Can you cook pasta and let it sit?
More pasta. According to senior food editor Rick Martinez, you can cook your penne or gemelli or bucatini up to 48 hours before you want to serve it, but really, any time that day is fine.Why I stopped boiling my pasta water.
More answers regarding can I cook pasta without heating it up... ever?
Answer 2
Kraft macaroni and cheese is made perfectly palatable just by letting the macaroni soak in hot tap water for 15 minutes or so (keep stirring it)
Overhydrating until its mush is not a problem because if you are making mac & cheese this way, chances are you're pretty hungry and you will be checking it for correct tendeness.
It does taste noticeably starchy, but with a little extra salt it not bad (especially if you are hungry!)
I dont know if cold water would work, but I expect it would.
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