# Thoughts on breaking spaghetti prior to cooking



## 1006gm (Apr 19, 2012)

Who breaks their spaghetti/linguine prior to cooking it.  My husband and I bicker about this all the time.  He likes me to break it and cook it so it's not messy and so he doesn't have to cut it.  I don't like to break it.  Any reasons as to why I should or shouldn't break it?  What do you do with your pasta?  Thanks!


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## Zhizara (Apr 19, 2012)

I always break mine in half as I add it to the pot.

One reason is that I prefer to cut my spaghetti up before I eat it.  I don't like the spaghetti stain caused by a swing back of a loaded noodle.


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## Andy M. (Apr 19, 2012)

It's your pasta, do whatever you want.

You could also buy a different shape of pasta that doesn't require breaking up to be easy to eat.


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## 4meandthem (Apr 19, 2012)

I grab the pound of spaghetti and slam one end down on the counter to open the pack then break in half and twirl the halves into the water. I like them that length and you don't have 1/4 sticking out of the water untill it softens. I think it cooks more evenly and doesn't stick together as much.

Do what floats your boat though. It's your party.


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## Merlot (Apr 19, 2012)

I never break mine


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## bakechef (Apr 19, 2012)

I find that it twirls better with a fork and spoon if it isn't broken first, so I don't break.  I used to break but then dealt with spaghetti shrapnel flying around the kitchen! 

I use a stir-fry type pan (it's pretty deep) to cook pasta and it is wide enough to take the whole length of spaghetti laying down.

My partner just cuts up his spaghetti to eat it.


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## Addie (Apr 19, 2012)

Like I keep saying, I learned from all the Italian Noni's. So I never break mine. And I learned how to eat it so it isn't too messy. Just take no more than four or five strands of pasta between the tines of your fork and twirl your fork around just about an inch or so above the dish until all of the strands are wrapped around the fork. You now have a reasonable size mouthful that will fit in your mouth very easily. I have taught this to several grandchildren. There are some long pastas that you can not do this with. Bucatini is one of them. It is very thick  like a straw. You can only get one strand on your fork if you are lucky. My mother used to buy it all the time. I always thought it was a fun pasta to eat. You can do it with linguini, but with some difficulty. I am not too fond of linguini and other flat pastas. 

I have never seen an Italian break their pasta.


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## kadesma (Apr 19, 2012)

I'm with Addie, I never break my pasta. I love to twirll it around my fork then eat. My pots are big enough to hold the pasta so no breaking here. You do what is best for you.
kadesma


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## taxlady (Apr 19, 2012)

I never break mine intentionally. My mum used to break it and we thought she was taking all the fun out of eating spaghetti. I learned to twirl the pasta around the fork a long time ago, and no, I don't need a spoon to help twirl it.


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## jabbur (Apr 19, 2012)

Before I got married I never broke the pasta.  Shortly after I got married, DH complained about the long noodles.  Turns out his mama broke hers and he got frustrated trying to eat it long.  So I break it, he's happy and I don't have to listen to the complaints.


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## kadesma (Apr 19, 2012)

taxlady said:


> I never break mine intentionally. My mum used to break it and we thought she was taking all the fun out of eating spaghetti. I learned to twirl the pasta around the fork a long time ago, and no, I don't need a spoon to help twirl it.


Most Italians don't use a spoon either. They would look at you with amusement in their eyes if you tried to use a spoon. I know my late m-i-l told me ever so politely don't do that!!!!. Never tried it again after the first time.
kades


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## bakechef (Apr 19, 2012)

I guess my spoon is a "crutch", 

I'm not Italian, so I'll keep using my spoon!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 19, 2012)

I break it for ease of chewing...Shrek won't wear his dentures, so he wants it broken so he can handle it.  Since there is no difference in taste...


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## roadfix (Apr 19, 2012)

I break them because my mother used to to that.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 19, 2012)

No breakage here, but whatever floats your boat.  It all tastes the same!

BTW, welcome to DC!


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## CharlieD (Apr 19, 2012)

I have no idea how I do it. I mean I know I do it both ways, but could not tell exactly how often. I do try to use big pot to cook it whole, because that it's what they made for. But sometimes if I use smaller pot I'd brake them. I do not cut it when I eat it, I twirl around the fork. It's kind of like eating Chinese food with chop sticks.

P.S. Some times Italians just use the bread to help twirl it, but not a spoon that is for sure, big no-no.


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## Kayelle (Apr 19, 2012)

I'm with Bakechef.........I don't want to deal with spaghetti shrapnel flying around the kitchen, so no breaking here anymore.


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## bakechef (Apr 19, 2012)

I wonder what the Italians have against the spoon?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 19, 2012)

bakechef said:


> I wonder what the Italians have against the spoon?



I have no idea, to me anything that gets the food to my mouth is the best thing to use...even if I have to lick off my fingers.


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## Andy M. (Apr 19, 2012)

Italians realize they don't need a spoon to twirl pasta.  I just slide a few strands over to the edge of the plate with my fork and twirl them up with the points of the tines on the plate.  Then it's a short and neat trip from the plate to my waiting mouth.


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## taxlady (Apr 19, 2012)

bakechef said:


> I wonder what the Italians have against the spoon?


I don't even understand about the spoon. I used to do that, but when I tried without the spoon, it was easier.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 19, 2012)

I never break it or cut it anymore, though I used to. Then I got scolded by an Italian friend who told me I ate spaghetti like a "bambino."  Now I just twirl and slurp up the long strands and wear a napkin tucked into my shirt like a bib, which I think makes me _look_ even more like a bambino.


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## bakechef (Apr 19, 2012)

I seem to be better with a spoon than without.  I keep things neater that way.  Maybe I'll practice a bit without a spoon and see how it goes.  Hopefully I don't have to wash the dining room wall afterwards......


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## bakechef (Apr 19, 2012)

Now I'm really craving spaghetti.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 19, 2012)

bakechef said:
			
		

> Now I'm really craving spaghetti.



Me too.


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## taxlady (Apr 19, 2012)

Several people break the spaghetti because their mother did. I don't, partly because my my mother did.


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## Addie (Apr 19, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I have no idea, to me anything that gets the food to my mouth is the best thing to use...even if I have to lick off my fingers.


 
 More coffee on the screen.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 19, 2012)

Addie said:


> More coffee on the screen.



Since my Avatar shows exactly what I look like eating spaghetti...


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## Addie (Apr 19, 2012)

Steve Kroll said:


> I never break it or cut it anymore, though I used to. Then I got scolded by an Italian friend who told me I ate spaghetti like a "bambino." Now I just twirl and slurp up the long strands and wear a napkin tucked into my shirt like a bib, which I think makes me _look_ even more like a bambino.


 

For instructions on how to eat pasta, see Post #7.


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## Addie (Apr 20, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Since my Avatar shows exactly what I look like eating spaghetti...


 
I think this emoticon would be better suitered for you.


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## justplainbill (Apr 20, 2012)

We break ours and I am embarrassed by a friend who asks for a spoon and wears a bib when we eat in a restaurant.  This friend is a second generation Italian who grew up on the lower east side of NYC and is a self proclaimed expert on everything Italian even though he has never been to Italy.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 20, 2012)

*Twirl it around fork in a Tablespoon*

Good Morning,

We do not break the Ribbon Pastas,  if using Barilla ... 

I normally make my own ...

I have always seen Italians, twirl it around a fork in a tablespoon. 

They may, slice it for children ...   

Thanks, interesting post.
Have nice wkend.
Margi Cintrano.


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## vitauta (Apr 20, 2012)

sometimes i do, other times i don't.  both ways is good for me.  i was fourteen years old before i ever tasted pizza or spaghetti.  it seems i've been trying to make up for lost time ever since then with every new food imaginable from every part of the world....


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## CraigC (Apr 20, 2012)

No breaking here. Whether you break or not, just don't over cook please! Gummy isn't good.


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## justplainbill (Apr 20, 2012)

In some cultures the knife is held in the dominant hand during the course of a meal.  Such a custom makes it pretty difficult to use a fork and spoon simultaneously.


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## vitauta (Apr 20, 2012)

are there certain customs that are superior to other customs when it comes to successfully transferring spaghetti strands from plate to mouth, and if so, why?


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## Souvlaki (Apr 20, 2012)

I would not touch a plate with broken spaghetti on it.
If someone wants to avoid the 'mess' cook penne or other short pasta.....spaghetti are ment to be messy and relaxing


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## powerplantop (Apr 20, 2012)

The more traditional way to eat noddles is with chop sticks......


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## vitauta (Apr 20, 2012)

would not touch...really?  even if you were very hungry?  is there a purism of some kind governing legitimate spaghetti eating manners that i'm missing?  for instance, i would never presume to dictate how anyone chooses to cut up, cook or serve their potatoes.  suggestions, maybe, but no draconian rules....


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## lyndalou (Apr 20, 2012)

For cryin' out loud, it's just spaghetti and tastes the same whether you break it or not.


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## taxlady (Apr 20, 2012)

Well, if it's in short (2-4 inch, 5-10 cm) pieces, I find it hard to eat. Too short to twirl.


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## Souvlaki (Apr 20, 2012)

vitauta said:


> would not touch...really?  even if you were very hungry?  is there a purism of some kind governing legitimate spaghetti eating manners that i'm missing?  for instance, i would never presume to dictate how anyone chooses to cut up, cook or serve their potatoes.  suggestions, maybe, but no draconian rules....



sorry if someone got offended, 
it was not what i wanted to happen,  i was just trying to express my point of view. 
it is a free and democratic world


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## vitauta (Apr 20, 2012)

that it is for sure, souvlaki, and we prove it every day here at dc, don't we?  that is so awesome too, i think....


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## LPBeier (Apr 20, 2012)

Professionally I have not broken spaghetti noodles.  However, while Dad was with us I had to break it not only in half, but in even smaller pieces for him.  I found that trying to cut it up after it was cooked was more difficult so I broke it dry and then still gave it a few cuts with a knife after.

Now I am training myself to back to not having to break or cut it at all.  My reasoning - none really.


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## bakechef (Apr 20, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Good Morning,
> 
> We do not break the Ribbon Pastas,  if using Barilla ...
> 
> ...



I fell vindicated!  My spoon and I shall have a happy life together!


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## 1006gm (Apr 20, 2012)

Wow! Thanks for all the feedback!  My children like it broken also because it is easier for them to eat.... and not as messy from a Mom's point of view. I keep the length long enough so I can still get a twirl going but I agree with bakechef.....that's the perfect way to put it.  SPAGHETTI SHRAPNEL! Those flying pieces get everywhere!


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## Addie (Apr 20, 2012)

vitauta said:


> are there certain customs that are superior to other customs when it comes to successfully transferring spaghetti strands from plate to mouth, and if so, why?


 
See Post #7 for eating instructions.


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## Addie (Apr 20, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> We break ours and I am embarrassed by a friend who asks for a spoon and wears a bib when we eat in a restaurant. This friend is a second generation Italian who grew up on the lower east side of NYC and is a self proclaimed expert on everything Italian even though he has never been to Italy.


 
And does he say, "Hey yous guys, I'm *I*-talian, so I should know. Does he wear a wife beater undershirt?  I have met a few of them in my life. Geesh, yous guys.


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## justplainbill (Apr 20, 2012)

Addie said:


> And does he say, "Hey yous guys, I'm *I*-talian, so I should know. Does he wear a wife beater undershirt?  I have met a few of them in my life. Geesh, yous guys.


No, he is offended by the term *II*-talian, but carries a switchblade in his back pocket with a clip that can be hazardous to upholstery and furniture finishes.


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## danbuter (Apr 24, 2012)

I always break it, because I got tired of getting sauce on my shirts.


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## LPBeier (Apr 24, 2012)

I decided to defer to my resident noodle expert here - Violet definitely prefers long unbroken noodles (but will eat any in a pinch of course )


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## vitauta (Apr 24, 2012)

i think a fair test to apply here would be wwjd?  (what would julia do?)


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 24, 2012)

I leave it long unless I am putting it into soup or an American baked spaghetti casserole.


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## Addie (Apr 24, 2012)

vitauta said:


> i think a fair test to apply here would be wwjd? (what would julia do?)


 
Is  pasta a French dish?


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## gadzooks (Apr 25, 2012)

Broken only for a cold pasta salad.


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## gadzooks (Apr 25, 2012)

Addie said:


> Is  pasta a French dish?



Chinese. Italy and Europe generally got pasta from Marco Polo on his return from Asia.


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## Addie (Apr 25, 2012)

gadzooks said:


> Broken only for a cold pasta salad.


 
Wouldn't it be easier to use elbows or some other small pasta like penne?


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## Claire (Apr 26, 2012)

I break spaghetti (actually angel hair) when making a meal for myself, so I can use a smaller pot in which to boil.  If I'm cooking for the both of us or a group, I'd not dream of breaking it.


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## 2old2change (May 1, 2012)

no, and no, and NO - never!


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## 1006gm (May 1, 2012)

Thanks so much for all of your input.  I find the answers fascinating.  Is it taboo to actually break pasta prior to cooking it for some?  I never use to, never even thought of it until I met my husband and then had children.  I was very reluctant at first...don't really know why except it is made long so eat it that way.  However, I find it much easier with less mess and worries (children choking) and it tastes just as good.  I am a breaker now and I mostly break it into 1/3 or 1/4 of its original length.  At 1/3's it is still long enough to twirl so I am happy and so is the rest of the family.


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## Andy M. (May 1, 2012)

That's great.  Relax and enjoy.  The spaghetti police won't bother you.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 1, 2012)

Like I said before, sometimes you need to make accommodations for age and ability to chew.  The very young and the elderly (some of us not so elderly) need special treatment in order to survive a meal.  And others because Mama always did.


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## vitauta (May 2, 2012)

hey, elbows?  hadn't thought of using my elbows in eating spaghetti before--might be better even than the spoon....


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## Luca Lazzari (May 2, 2012)

I never break long pasta, I'm a simple 100% Italian pasta eater. I mean, they make them spaghetti long, I eat them long, they make them penne short, I eat them short. Though I'll admit it could be more difficult to lengthen short pasta then to shorten long pasta.
And I always asked for my spoon when eating pasta, but I did it just to look fanciful. Now I don't do it anymore.
However, according to the (disputable) rules of etiquette, long pasta must be eaten only with the fork: you shall not cut it with a knife and you'll not use a spoon. You have to gently rotate the fork clockwise ohmy to collect a reasonable amount of pasta, then carry it to your mouth: no spaghetti long thread must hang from the fork.
However, in my career, I ate spaghetti with my bare hands, with forks, spoons, knives, breadsticks and only with my mouth (the latest option is really horrible, but we were drunken and everyone wanted to win that bet).


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## Addie (May 2, 2012)

Luca Lazzari said:


> I never break long pasta, I'm a simple 100% Italian pasta eater. I mean, they make them spaghetti long, I eat them long, they make them penne short, I eat them short. Though I'll admit it could be more difficult to lengthen short pasta then to shorten long pasta.
> And I always asked for my spoon when eating pasta, but I did it just to look fanciful. Now I don't do it anymore.
> However, according to the (disputable) rules of etiquette, long pasta must be eaten only with the fork: you shall not cut it with a knife and you'll not use a spoon. You have to gently rotate the fork clockwise ohmy to collect a reasonable amount of pasta, then carry it to your mouth: no spaghetti long thread must hang from the fork.
> However, in my career, I ate spaghetti with my bare hands, with forks, spoons, knives, breadsticks and only with my mouth (the latest option is really horrible, but we were drunken and everyone wanted to win that bet).


 
Excellent recitation.


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## Margi Cintrano (May 2, 2012)

Buonasera Luca, 


I have never seen someone slicing up ribbon pasta in Italy ... I have seen this in Spain, and it is Mind Boggling to me ... However, the Spanish are not Italians ! 

And they overcook Pasta horribly ... 

The exception: 

In Madrid, There are only 2 Sardinian Trattorias worth  eating at in the whole country; Scatto Matto and Café Poetti. 

My twin grandsons are 5 yrs old and they twirl their own pasta around the fork ! 

Perhaps, for the elderly ... and then, there is short pasta ! or lasagne or canellones ! 

Kind regards.
Margi.


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## Cerise (May 2, 2012)

I used to put unbroken pasta (Lady & the Tramp style lol), standing up in boiling water around the edges of the pot; but found that the pasta sometimes stuck together - even when I used a large enough pot to accomodate same.

Unbroken pasta (spaghetti, etc.) looks nicer on the plate, but my concern is that the pasta is cooked al dente (not over or undercooked)... so I break it in half, & no twirling with a spoon.


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## Andy M. (May 2, 2012)

Cerise said:


> I used to put unbroken pasta (Lady & the Tramp style lol), standing up in boiling water around the edges of the pot; but found that the pasta sometimes stuck together - even when I used a large enough pot to accomodate same.
> 
> Unbroken pasta (spaghetti, etc.) looks nicer on the plate, but my concern is that the pasta is cooked al dente (not over or undercooked)... so I break it in half, & no twirling with a spoon.




The difference is not becuase of the pasta length.  It's because the unbroken pasta wasn't stirred regularly during the cooking process.

I cook unbroken spaghetti in a 3.5 quart saucier unbroken and it never sticks because I stir it several times during cooking.


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## Addie (May 2, 2012)

I am with  you  on that Andy. You can't put pasta in the pot and then walk away. You have to keep stirring it until it is all under water. Then return several times during the cooking time. You pasta should be dancing in the boiling water. If you can sing a nice polka, your pasta should be dancing in step with your singing.  (Well it works for me!)


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## Andy M. (May 2, 2012)

Addie said:


> I am with  you  on that Andy. You can't put pasta in the pot and then walk away. You have to keep stirring it until it is all under water. Then return several times during the cooking time. You pasta should be dancing in the boiling water. If you can sing a nice polka, your pasta should be dancing in step with your singing.  (Well it works for me!)




You're making me nervous, Addie.  First you invite wild bears into your home then you sing polkas to pasta.


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## Addie (May 2, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> You're making me nervous, Addie. First you invite wild bears into your home then you sing polkas to pasta.


 
  I also sing Latin Hymns while I am doing dishes. I just figure at my age I can do anything I want to. Thanks for the big laugh.


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## taxlady (May 2, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> You're making me nervous, Addie.  First you invite wild bears into your home then you sing polkas to pasta.




My cat is looking at me like I'm nuts.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 2, 2012)

As you can see from my avatar...I do enjoy my spaghetti...still.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 2, 2012)

kadesma said:


> Most Italians don't use a spoon either. They would look at you with amusement in their eyes if you tried to use a spoon. I know my late m-i-l told me ever so politely don't do that!!!!. Never tried it again after the first time.
> kades


That twirling the spaghetti on the spoon always looked awkward to me. I've never done that. I think Emily Post would agree with me that manners are always about avoiding awkwardness. If it's awkward don't do it.

I never broke any spaghetti. Sometimes it doesn't fit in my boiling pot. I stick in whatever fits and poke it again in a minute or so, at which point it's limp enough to all curl in.

There is no need to make this complicated. If you want short spaghetti then break it. I never saw that need. It might even be easier to curl one or two strands and poke a meatball with long spaghetti, than managing several maverick strands.

And while we're at it, how about discussing meatball size? I recently enjoyed dinner cooked by an authentic home chef from Italy, and she cooked the most humongous meatballs I've ever seen, about 2" to 2-1/2" in diameter. I'd cook them myself single bite size, but I'm pretty sure her style is authentic. I had to cut each meatball with fork and knife before I could bite it. I would have preferred smaller meatballs, perhaps 1" size.

In the end you just have to cook this stuff (strand length, meatball size) to suit yourself. There are no rules beyond doing what you like. Except from Emily Post: don't look awkward when you eat it.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 2, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> In some cultures the knife is held in the dominant hand during the course of a meal.  Such a custom makes it pretty difficult to use a fork and spoon simultaneously.



Although I don't condone curling spaghetti with fork and spoon, you hold your fork in your dominant hand and spoon in subdominent hand. There is no problem with the knife because you don't need it when eating spaghetti.

Yet that was part of my post above. If the meatballs are too large you need to use knife and fork to cut them into bite size. Then you shift the fork from subdominant hand to dominant hand to pick up spaghetti and meatball and consume it. Much easier if there is no knife required and then your dominant hand can handle all the action forking the meatball and spaghetti into your mouth.

Your subdominant hand can be used for gesturing or guzzling.


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## kadesma (May 2, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> That twirling the spaghetti on the spoon always looked awkward to me. I've never done that. I think Emily Post would agree with me that manners are always about avoiding awkwardness. If it's awkward don't do it.
> 
> I never broke any spaghetti. Sometimes it doesn't fit in my boiling pot. I stick in whatever fits and poke it again in a minute or so, at which point it's limp enough to all curl in.
> 
> ...


EP be hanged, if it works for you go with it. my grand kids like their getti short so I cut it after plating it. makes more work but the smiles are worth it. Just do what you want and let others do the same
kades


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 2, 2012)

Well I think Emily Post was right. I think manners are all about not appearing awkward. Anything you do is fine if you can do it without sticking your elbow in your eye or in your fellow diners' eyes. Or the converse, if you hold every utensil in the correct hand and still appear awkward then you're doing something wrong.

Manners is always about appearing comfortable and facile. Nobody looks at you if you accomplish that. Everybody looks at you when bits and drops of food fly off and tableware falls on the floor.

I don't subscribe to her book but I do subscribe to the idea of not appearing awkward. That's IMO what manners are all about. You are at ease and you put your fellow diners at ease. To me that is the essence of manners.

And no, my little finger never sticks out.


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## Andy M. (May 2, 2012)

I solve the happy kid problem by giving my grandson forkable pasta shapes like penne.  No twirling necessary.  

Of course, that's really because I'd like him to feed himself without my having to clean the kitchen after he eats.


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## Cerise (May 2, 2012)

Addie said:


> I am with you on that Andy. You can't put pasta in the pot and then walk away. You have to keep stirring it until it is all under water. Then return several times during the cooking time. You pasta should be dancing in the boiling water. *If you can sing a nice polka, your pasta should be dancing in step with your singing.*  (Well it works for me!)


 
I prefer "'*O sole mio.*"


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## Luca Lazzari (May 3, 2012)

Addie said:


> I am with  you  on that Andy. You can't put pasta in the pot and then walk away. You have to keep stirring it until it is all under water. Then return several times during the cooking time. You pasta should be dancing in the boiling water. If you can sing a nice polka, your pasta should be dancing in step with your singing.  (Well it works for me!)



I always use the pot in the photo to cook all of my short and long pasta (height 5.8 inches -this is the eight of the "body" without the inner colander-, diameter 8.5 inches). I obviously adjust the amount of water depending on the quantity and type of pasta.







Short pasta I don't need to stir it so much, I just keep the water boiling and stir two or three times. Long pasta: I put the long pasta in the boiling water, after about a minute I gently stir the pasta to completely submerge it, after about a minute I stir it again, then I leave on its own in the boiling water, with just another stirring towards the end. Sometimes I stir it just for the pleasure of fiddling with my food 
I never had any problem in preparing a good _piatto di pasta_, even without so much emphasis on stirring. I think you just need a proper pot, good old boiling water, high quality pasta brand and a good choice of Italian opera arias to sing along wink: according to a recent scientific study by the MIT (Mad Italians Tablespoons), Italian pasta dances better in the water with Italian music.

Buon appetito!


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## Margi Cintrano (May 3, 2012)

*@ Luca: That´s It Luca, The Way To Go !*

Good Morning Luca,  

You would be a fine Italian Regional Culinary Instructor and Humorist ! 

My pastas dance and sing to Eros Ramazotti, Luciano Pavoratti. Laura Pausini, Il Divo, Barbara Streisand & Celine Dion ... Truth !  I have been doing this for years ... and whatever you bake, comes out better too ... 

Have lovely Day,
Margi Cintrano.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 3, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Good Morning Luca,
> 
> You would be a fine Italian Regional Culinary Instructor and Humorist !
> 
> ...



Thanks Margi!
Maybe one day I'll publish some website of mine to further pollute the cyberspace, after all everyone on planet Earth is doing it...
But I'm one of the worst procrastinator ever baked under the sun. So sad. What a disgraceful waste of talent and intelligence.


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## Harry Cobean (May 3, 2012)

Luca Lazzari said:


> Thanks Margi!
> Maybe one day I'll publish some website of mine to further pollute the cyberspace, after all everyone on planet Earth is doing it...
> But I'm one of the worst procrastinator ever baked under the sun. So sad. What a disgraceful waste of talent and intelligence.


hello again luca!
personally i never break spaghetti,i just tuck the tablecloth into my collar,restaurants have laundries right!
ok luca,please put the olive oil in the water debate to bed.i see chefs on the tv over here recommending adding olive oil(probably the ones who have their own brand oil on the supermarket shelves-cynical?moi?!) to the cooking water to avoid sticking.
personally i can't see the point,oil floats on the surface so even if the pasta goes through the oil on it's way to the water it won't stay with the pasta & i don't have a problem with pasta sticking anyway.
harry


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## 2old2change (May 3, 2012)

Just as a side dish.....................


*On top of spagetti (on top of spagetti)*
*All covered with cheese (all covered with cheese)*
*I lost my poor meatball (I lost my poor meatball)*
*When somebody sneezed (when somebody sneezed)*

*It rolled off the table (it rolled off the table) *
*And onto the floor (and onto the floor)*
*And then my poor meatball (and then my poor meatball) *
*Rolled out of the door (rolled out of the door)*

*It rolled in the garden (it rolled in the garden) *
*And under a bush (and under a bush)*
*And then my poor meatball (and then my poor meatball) *
*Was nothing but mush (was nothing but mush)*

*Alright now *
*I'll tell you the words *
*And you sing it back to me*

*On top of spagetti (on top of spagetti)*
*All covered with cheese (all covered with cheese)*
*I lost my poor meatball (I lost my poor meatball)*
*When somebody sneezed (when somebody sneezed)*

*It rolled off the table (it rolled off the table) *
*And onto the floor (and onto the floor)*
*And then my poor meatball (and then my poor meatball) *
*Rolled out of the door (rolled out of the door)*

*It rolled in the garden (it rolled in the garden) *
*And under a bush (and under a bush)*
*And then my poor meatball (and then my poor meatball) *
*Was nothing but mush (was nothing but mush)*

*Oh, the mush was as tasty (oh, the mush was as tasty)*
*As tasty could be (as tasty could be)*
*And early next summer (and early next summer)*
*It grew into a tree (it grew into a tree)*

*The tree was all covered (the tree was all covered) *
*With beautiful moss (with beautiful moss)*
*It grew lovely meatballs (it grew lovely meatballs) *
*And tomato sauce (and tomato sauce)*

*So if you eat spaghetti (so if you eat spaghetti) *
*All covered with cheese (all covered with cheese)*
*Hold on to your meatball (hold on to your meatball) *
*And don't ever sneeze (and don't ever sneeze)*
*And don't ever sneeze *

On Top Of Spaghetti - YouTube


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## Luca Lazzari (May 3, 2012)

2old2change I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thanks for the video and, most of all, thanks for the transcription!


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## Luca Lazzari (May 3, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> hello again luca!
> personally i never break spaghetti,i just tuck the tablecloth into my collar,restaurants have laundries right!
> ok luca,please put the olive oil in the water debate to bed.i see chefs on the tv over here recommending adding olive oil(probably the ones who have their own brand oil on the supermarket shelves-cynical?moi?!) to the cooking water to avoid sticking.
> personally i can't see the point,oil floats on the surface so even if the pasta goes through the oil on it's way to the water it won't stay with the pasta & i don't have a problem with pasta sticking anyway.
> harry



Harry, we need to open another thread. But, before of that, I need to gather irrefutable evidence supporting my personal idea.
And maybe some funny video!


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## taxlady (May 3, 2012)

One of my favourite TV chefs said that if you add oil to the pasta cooking water you get non-stick pasta. So, don't! You want the sauce to stick. In fact, if it doesn't stick well enough, add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the sauce for the starch. She calls that an "Old nonni trick".

And I believe her.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 3, 2012)

taxlady said:


> One of my favourite TV chefs said that if you add oil to the pasta cooking water you get non-stick pasta. So, don't! You want the sauce to stick. In fact, if it doesn't stick well enough, add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the sauce for the starch. She calls that an "Old nonni trick".
> 
> And I believe her.



Taxlady, I believe her too. Oil in the water is not an option in Italy.


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## taxlady (May 3, 2012)

Luca Lazzari said:


> Taxlady, I believe her too. Oil in the water is not an option in Italy.


She's of East Indian descent. She spent a few years in Italy as a chef.


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## Harry Cobean (May 3, 2012)

taxlady said:


> One of my favourite TV chefs said that if you add oil to the pasta cooking water you get non-stick pasta. So, don't! You want the sauce to stick. In fact, if it doesn't stick well enough, add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the sauce for the starch. She calls that an "Old nonni trick".
> 
> And I believe her.





Luca Lazzari said:


> Taxlady, I believe her too. Oil in the water is not an option in Italy.


hey luca/taxlady
i don't have a problem with pasta sticking so can't see the point,maybe we cook better than the celebs......now there's a thought,wadda they know anyway!
harry


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 3, 2012)

taxlady said:


> One of my favourite TV chefs said that if you add oil to the pasta cooking water you get non-stick pasta. So, don't! You want the sauce to stick.


Coincidentally I just recently asked that question to an expert chef who grew up in Italy and she told me the same thing. Oil it if you want slippery pasta, don't oil it if you want the sauce to stick. It makes sense too.


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## Dengirl (May 3, 2012)

bakechef said:
			
		

> I find that it twirls better with a fork and spoon if it isn't broken first, so I don't break.  I used to break but then dealt with spaghetti shrapnel flying around the kitchen!
> 
> I use a stir-fry type pan (it's pretty deep) to cook pasta and it is wide enough to take the whole length of spaghetti laying down.
> 
> My partner just cuts up his spaghetti to eat it.



I never heard of anyone doing it this way.


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## Andy M. (May 3, 2012)

Dengirl said:


> I never heard of anyone doing it this way.




Which?  Cooking pasta in a deep wide pan or cutting up pasta to eat it?


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## Skittle68 (May 3, 2012)

My mom always broke the noodles so they would fit in the pan. It drove me crazy!! I like twirling my pasta, and it's more fun with long noodles. This thread inspired me- I'm going to whip up some grilled chicken and have chicken Alfredo tonight! No broken noodles please!

Oh and this thread reminded me of an old joke- I asked my mom why she always cuts the top off her ham and she said, "Well, because that's how my mother always did it." So I asked my Grandma, and she said because that's how her mother did it. So I asked my great grandma and she said, "I cut the top off because my pan was too short!"


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## 1006gm (May 9, 2012)

Ok, here's a good one. A friend  comes from an Itanian background and so does her husband.  They have my family over for dinner.   It was delicious!  Unfortunatelly my 5 year old spills a drink in the middle of the kitchen floor.  I demand to clean my childs mess.  I  notice dried spaghetti pieces all over the corners and sides against the cabinets on the floor.  When I took her aside to ask her she said she likes it smaller but her husband likes it long so she just breaks it in half without him noticing basically b/c it is still long. Is this phenomea so sided that they cant admit to being flexible? AS stubborn as I once was (out of ignorance)  I do feel there is a happy medium.  Taste the same and convienient to all.  Thoughts?


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 9, 2012)

1006gm said:


> Ok, here's a good one. A friend  comes from an Itanian background and so does her husband.  They have my family over for dinner.   It was delicious!  Unfortunatelly my 5 year old spills a drink in the middle of the kitchen floor.  I demand to clean my childs mess.  I  notice dried spaghetti pieces all over the corners and sides against the cabinets on the floor.  When I took her aside to ask her she said she likes it smaller but her husband likes it long so she just breaks it in half without him noticing basically b/c it is still long. Is this phenomea so sided that they cant admit to being flexible? AS stubborn as I once was (out of ignorance)  I do feel there is a happy medium.  Taste the same and convienient to all.  Thoughts?



Years ago, we used to be able to get the packages of 2 foot long spaghetti. Awkward to cook, but Dad liked it.  Then they quit selling it. He was devastated, but did agree that the shorter tasted just as good, it just wasn't as fun.

Everybody does things differently, doesn't matter who they are.  I suspect many Italians break their spaghetti, just like many Americans do.  How many people do you know that will not pick up their fried chicken with their fingers?  I know one or two.  Are they nuts?  Of course they are, but it's how they do it.


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## Addie (May 9, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Years ago, we used to be able to get the packages of 2 foot long spaghetti. Awkward to cook, but Dad liked it. Then they quit selling it. He was devastated, but did agree that the shorter tasted just as good, it just wasn't as fun.
> 
> Everybody does things differently, doesn't matter who they are. I suspect many Italians break their spaghetti, just like many Americans do. How many people do you know that will not pick up their fried chicken with their fingers? I know one or two. Are they nuts? Of course they are, but it's how they do it.


 
I am one of those nuts. If I am out in a restaurant, I will cut the meat off with my knife. The same with ribs. So now I save those foods for home. I was leaving too much meat on the bone. I am a quick learner. 

Good morning.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 9, 2012)

Addie said:


> I am one of those nuts. If I am out in a restaurant, I will cut the meat off with my knife. The same with ribs. So now I save those foods for home. I was leaving too much meat on the bone. I am a quick learner.
> 
> Good morning.




See, I told you they were nuts!  Here's one now!

Oh!  Good Morning Addie!


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## 1006gm (May 9, 2012)

Good morning all!  Yikes!  I can't spell after midnight...too tired.  Plus I didn't even use my little friend spell check.  What was I thinking??  Shame, shame.  My apologies for spelling Italian wrong.  My husband would be mortified being he is Italian or should I say "Itanian" like I did last night.  Here's the rest of the conversions:  unfortunatelly=unfortunately, phenomea=phenomenon and convienient=convenient.  Ok, perhaps it would make alittle more sense now.  No more posting for me after midnight, over tired and without my glasses/contacts.

Yes, I have seen the broken pieces in the stores.  Too short for me I like to twirl.  I guess you can't please everyone! However, that's what my friend purchases now and they love it.

Have a great day everyone!


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## Snip 13 (May 9, 2012)

I never break mine either. I'm very superstitious so breaking it would be a big no no and I also throw salt over my left shoulder, never walk under ladders etc lol!


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 9, 2012)

1006gm said:


> No more posting for me after midnight, over tired and without my glasses/contacts.


There's a lot of Internet posting after midnight done _with_ glasses, and I don't mean eyeglasses! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I don't see any good reason to break the spaghetti but I don't care either way.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 9, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


> I never break mine either. I'm very superstitious so breaking it would be a big no no and I also throw salt over my left shoulder, never walk under ladders etc lol!



Ciao Odette!

And don't forget broken mirrors...


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## vitauta (May 9, 2012)

okay, i think i get it.  if you're italian, you don't, won't, or at least can't admit to, breaking those pasta sticks.  if you're not italian, you might or you might not, for a lot of different nebulous reasons that you may or may not be able to articulate, but they don't usually involve your heritage....


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## Dawgluver (May 9, 2012)

vitauta said:
			
		

> okay, i think i get it.  if you're italian, you don't, won't, or at least can't admit to, breaking those pasta sticks.  if you're not italian, you might or you might not, for a lot of different nebulous reasons that you may or may not be able to articulate, but they don't usually involve your heritage....



Exactly.  Vit, you have a way with words.


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## Rays (May 9, 2012)

I break my spaghetti into 3cm bits but now I have been reading about twirling it round the fork, I might go back to leaving it whole.  I don't want to be called a Bambino ; )


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## Matts girl (May 9, 2012)

With me it's yes at times and no at times....and those times do not revolve around pot size or number being served. It is directly related to my MOOD at the time!!!


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## 1006gm (May 9, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> There's a lot of Internet posting after midnight done _with_ glasses, and I don't mean eyeglasses!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 9, 2012)

And just remember that it's always after midnight somewhere. 

I prefer angel hair pasta and always order it as my pasta preference at Italian restaurants. One reason is that it's so easy to twirl on a fork and not get an overly large clot of food that's messy to eat.

I don't know how prevalent that spoon and fork twirling thing is. I'm aware of it, I tried it, I suppose I could say it worked but it didn't do anything productive for me. Depending on size of pasta and length I pick up a few or several strands with my fork and stab a piece of meat or sausage or whatever is mixed with the pasta, then twirl that. The piece of whatever keeps the spaghetti from falling off the fork on its way to my mouth.

Like a lot of topics on this forum there will be no final agreement. Name anything: some people will like it, some love it, some hate it, and some are indifferent. In this current discussion I'm passionately indifferent. Break it or not and I'll eat it. But I can't be bothered to break my own pasta.


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## Addie (May 9, 2012)

vitauta said:


> okay, i think i get it. if you're italian, you don't, won't, or at least can't admit to, breaking those pasta sticks. if you're not italian, you might or you might not, for a lot of different nebulous reasons that you may or may not be able to articulate, but they don't usually involve your heritage....


 
Vit, I personally think there are closet Italians out there that break their pasta. They take it out into the woods and then tells the family she found it that way.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 10, 2012)

Addie said:


> Vit, I personally think there are closet Italians out there that break their pasta. They take it out into the woods and then tells the family she found it that way.



No way Addie. They can't tell this to the family, or the family will make them an offer that they cannot refuse.
They go to the campsites on the sea and serve them to German and Scandinavian tourists. Along with cheap mortadella slices breaded and fried in fuel oil, pushed as true _cotoletta alla milanese_.


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## vitauta (May 10, 2012)

what?


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## Austral (May 12, 2012)

I hate broken pasta. I tried it for a while and found it boring and then I couldn't remember why I started breaking it in the first place.
If you don't like long pasta, have something like Rigatoni or Penne. You will find that a lot more convenient. Spaghetti, Fettuccine and Linguine should be served the way they were intended to be. Twirling is half the fun.


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## didiod (Jun 6, 2012)

One has to wonder why there aren't  packs of half the length spaghetti/linguine - or are there ? Trying to eat little bits of spaghetti/linguine is like trying to eat spare ribs with a knife and fork!

Besides, (depending on the mood/setting of course) messy food can be so sexy !


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## LPBeier (Jun 6, 2012)

This is still going?  Hilarious! 

I have to say, though it has gotten me thinking every time I cook pasta. I have to break DH's rice pasta because it is hard enough trying to keep it from sticking short.  Long would be a horror story.  It releases so much starch you have to keep stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.

With my regular pasta I sometimes break and sometimes don't.  When I worked I didn't break but we were using much bigger pots.  At one job, I worked as a prep cook in an organic pasta restaurant.  They made their own pasta at another location.  Some was fresh and some was dry.  The spaghetti and linguini were dry and were twice as long as regular dry pasta.  We did not cut it, but I par-cooked it in large pots, shocked it with ice and rinsed it, then tossed it in olive oil with salt and pepper.  We would place it in bins in the prep area for the cooks to finish a la minute.  I actually loved being a prep cook but didn't stay there long as my catering apprenticeship came shortly after. I did learn a lot about Italian cooking though....from the Armenian Chef!


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## LindaM. (Sep 7, 2012)

I started breaking when I had children.  It's shorter that way and less chance of a problem for them to eat it.  I never stopped since.  It's easier to use a smaller pot and I can still twirl.  Don't like the mess though.  There is always a few strands that seem to fly into some hard to reach kitchen spot no matter how hard I try.  It tastes the same also. Yummy, I am getting hungry!


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## no mayonnaise (Sep 8, 2012)

If the pasta were meant to be broken, why doesn't it come in the "proper" size already?
Answer:  Because it's not meant to be broken.

It may taste the same, but I think there's a big textural difference.  Pasta texture is everything, or else there wouldn't be so many different shapes--shapes that have been made and perfected over time and shouldn't be trifled with.
It's extremely easy to eat stringy pasta neatly when it's full-length.  Easier than if it's broken!  If it's REALLY a problem, I say modify the technique, not the pasta.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 8, 2012)

There is no right way or wrong way.  It's a personal preference, just like when someone likes their steak, well-done, medium or rare.


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## Addie (Sep 8, 2012)

Breaking pasta for a child to me is depriving the child having a fun meal. Half the fun of long spagetti is trying to wind it like the adults. And when they fail at that they get to slurp it up. 

Allow them to play with their food. It will build a happy memory. If you don't believe me, take a look at PF's avatar. She certainly had fun that day eating her pasta.


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## Addie (Sep 8, 2012)

Luca Lazzari said:


> No way Addie. They can't tell this to the family, or the family will make them an offer that they cannot refuse.
> They go to the campsites on the sea and serve them to German and Scandinavian tourists. Along with cheap mortadella slices breaded and fried in fuel oil, pushed as true _cotoletta alla milanese_.


 
 Thank you for my laugh for the day. 

Don't mess with an Italian and their pasta. Lesson learned. BTW, my son brought me a big piece of imported Mortadella with pistachios. It is my very favorite cold cut. I am so glad I live in an Italian neighborhood.


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## no mayonnaise (Sep 8, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> There is no right way or wrong way.



On this particular topic, I disagree; it's wrong to break the pasta, but that's just my opinion.

The steak analogy would work if we were discussing pasta doneness.

Do you cut your steak into small pieces before cooking it?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 8, 2012)

no mayonnaise said:


> On this particular topic, I disagree; it's wrong to break the pasta, but that's just my opinion.
> 
> The steak analogy would work if we were discussing pasta doneness.
> 
> Do you cut your steak into small pieces before cooking it?




It was not a direct analogy...it's an opinion and a preference, there is no right or wrong about any of it.


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## LindaM. (Sep 8, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> It was not a direct analogy...it's an opinion and a preference, there is no right or wrong about any of it.


 
PrincessFiona is right!  There is no right or wrong way...just opinions.  Obviously some pretty strong ones.  So, isn't Giada De Laurentiis Italian? She has a show on the Food Network and is quite the chef right? Don't tell anyone but this Italian Chef has a recipe where it says to break spaghetti.  So do many other Chefs as well, some don't. However, there are many recipes out there that tell you to break up the pasta. Just cook it the way you like it and eat it!

As for depriving my kids of twirling and slurping.  I didn't.  We all know you can still twirl and slurp pasta broken in half or thirds.  The fork is less full which was my goal to prevent choking. That's all. 

No Mayonnaise, yes at times I do cut my steak before cooking.  For stir fry! Ha!  Back to spaghetti..the texture is the same if it is a full strand or half. Texture and shape are two different things. So, do you pick out the broken pieces from the box before you cook them?  If not, can you actually tell the difference when you eat that shorter strand because the "texture" is different? Do you continue eating that piece or spit it out?

Isn't this absurd?  It's spaghetti!  Let's just enjoy it any way we like it.  It's very versatile!  But I do love a good argument for arguments sake.

No pasta for me tonight, dare I tell you what I am cooking and how? Some may disagree with my technique.  I am open to new ways to cook though.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 8, 2012)

Gotta love DC!  Such passion for pasta!


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## no mayonnaise (Sep 8, 2012)

LindaM. said:


> No Mayonnaise, yes at times I do cut my steak before cooking.  For stir fry! Ha!  Back to spaghetti..the texture is the same if it is a full strand or half. Texture and shape are two different things. So, do you pick out the broken pieces from the box before you cook them?  If not, can you actually tell the difference when you eat that shorter strand because the "texture" is different? Do you continue eating that piece or spit it out?



a)  That's cooking a stir fry, not cooking a steak.

b)  No, the way stringy pasta twirls around the fork in long strands has a different texture than the way short strands (don't) twirl around the fork.  The way it feels when you bite into them is different.  Yes, I pick out the broken pieces from the box and avoid cooking them.  But even then, we're talking about a fork-full, not one or two errant strands in a bowl of otherwise whole pasta.

c) @PrincessFiona, You're postulating that my opinion is wrong while espousing the idea that opinions are inherently preference-based and therefore not right or wrong.  Or am I reading that incorrectly?


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## Andy M. (Sep 8, 2012)

No mayo, even if you're right, the decision to break pasta for a wide variety of reasons is not the end of the world.  Not suggesting you should do it.  Others prefer it that way and that's OK.


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## CraigC (Sep 8, 2012)

The real reason I don't break my pasta is the same reason I have my pizza cut into 6 slices. I can't eat eight!


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## Claire (Sep 8, 2012)

I break angel hair in half when cooking just for me, for lunch.  Less water, less time.  For hubby and me, or company, I wouldn't dream of it.  When when I do the former, I'm making a bowl for one, and make a sort of primavera, and want it to be fast & easy.  Otherwise, never.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 8, 2012)

CraigC said:
			
		

> The real reason I don't break my pasta is the same reason I have my pizza cut into 6 slices. I can't eat eight!



  :snicker:


----------



## Skittle68 (Sep 9, 2012)

I just want to comment how much I've enjoyed reading this thread. It's almost as funny as the "funny thread"  I like making my own spaghetti, and making the noodles extra long. So needless to say I don't break my spaghetti. But my mom did when we were kids, and if I had kids, I might too.


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## bakechef (Sep 9, 2012)

My mom always did, and when I went out on my own I did too.  I quit when I would find spaghetti shrapnel around the kitchen when cleaning,   I know lots of people who do it out of habit.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 9, 2012)

In our case, a household with no natural teeth left, breaking the spaghetti is a new learned behavior.  Pasta is also now cooked past al dente.  It's true, as you age and certain things befall you, you regress back to childhood.


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## letscook (Sep 10, 2012)

I like it unbroken, but when daughter was little she wouln't eat it if it was left whole so then broke it into 4's then progress to just broke in 1/2  which meant cooking in separte pans. by 7 were up to full and didn't mind twirling it.


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## Addie (Sep 10, 2012)

Sometimes it depends on which pot I have available. I prefer unbroken. but if the tall pan has not been washed yet, I used a shorter three quart saucepan. Break the angel hair in half, toss it in the boiling water, stir and walk away. Tall pan requires more water so that when I place unbroken pasta in it, the wait for the boil is longer. 

When cooking bucattini you can't twirl it whether you have one stand on your fork or several. So breaking it or not has no effect on that effort. Slat pasta is another one that can propose problems for twirling. You wouldn't think so but Linguini can be difficult to twirl. My favorite is Angel Hair. Cooks fast, and easy to eat and twirl I want to have fun with my food. 

When I have stew or soup, I have to decide what the next mouthful is going to have on the spoon. A piece of meat or all veggies. Should I save the meat for last or mix it with the veggies. Just shoving an eating untensil into my mouth with whatever I pick up on it, makes for a boring meal. Since I eat alone every day, I would like some excitement in my meals. Some folks live to eat. Other eat to live. I want to live to eat. And if you don't believe me, take a look at my waistline.


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## cherylanne (Sep 14, 2012)

I break my pasta.  It's easier for me and tastes delicious.  No one I ever served over the years ever had a problem with it.  We entertain often and our company gets quite boisterous and honest.  If they found it to be a flaw it would be made fun of, trust me.  Also, a bunch of us are Italian.  Perhaps next time I will bring it to their attention to see if there is a reaction.

First time here.  I like the discussions!  Looking forward to checking things out.


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## Siegal (Sep 15, 2012)

This thread was funny. I remember a few years ago when my husband and I first got married I broke the pasta in half to put it in the put and I hear my husband running towards me screaming "no!!!!.... Sacralige!" haha. I prefer mine with a fork and in a bowl to twist it but it takes forever id it's too long if I don't break it. My husband sits patiently with the unbroken pasta and twirls it with a fork  on a spoon eating from a plate.... Yet we somehow managed to stay married nearly 5 years despit all that. We shall see who the baby takes after but right now she just shovels it in her mouth with her hands and throws it on the floor.


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## Luca Lazzari (Sep 15, 2012)

Siegal said:


> This thread was funny. I remember a few years ago when my husband and I first got married I broke the pasta in half to put it in the put and I hear my husband running towards me screaming "no!!!!.... Sacralige!" haha. I prefer mine with a fork and in a bowl to twist it but it takes forever id it's too long if I don't break it. My husband sits patiently with the unbroken pasta and twirls it with a fork  on a spoon eating from a plate.... Yet we somehow managed to stay married nearly 5 years despit all that. We shall see who the baby takes after but right now she just shovels it in her mouth with her hands *and throws it on the floor*.



Nooooo!! Pasta on the floor!! Sacrilege!!!


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## Addie (Sep 15, 2012)

Siegal said:


> This thread was funny. I remember a few years ago when my husband and I first got married I broke the pasta in half to put it in the put and I hear my husband running towards me screaming "no!!!!.... Sacralige!" haha. I prefer mine with a fork and in a bowl to twist it but it takes forever id it's too long if I don't break it. My husband sits patiently with the unbroken pasta and twirls it with a fork on a spoon eating from a plate.... Yet we somehow managed to stay married nearly 5 years despit all that. We shall see who the baby takes after but right now she just shovels it in her mouth with her hands and throws it on the floor.


 
My money is on your husband. Kids love to play with pasta. Kids love to play with any food. 

And welcome to DC.


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## Addie (Sep 15, 2012)

Luca Lazzari said:


> Nooooo!! Pasta on the floor!! Sacrilege!!!


 
 Don't worry Luca. The dog will clean it up!


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## justplainbill (Sep 15, 2012)

Five or six inches (of spaghetti broken in half) wrapped around 1" wide fork is enough. unless you come to dinner with a sleeveless undershirt and use a spoon to twirl your spaghetti.


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## Luca Lazzari (Sep 16, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> Five or six inches (of spaghetti broken in half) wrapped around 1" wide fork is enough. unless you come to dinner with a sleeveless undershirt and use a spoon to twirl your spaghetti.



I agree.

Maybe I'll make a video about this 
I mean, if you can learn to use Chinese sticks, you can surely learn how to roll good old spaghetti, whole length, on a fork.
You don't really need to know it. But maybe it comes a moment when you decide to come to Italy. And you will go eating in restaurants. I mean, I cannot see any other reason for coming here 
In this case, if you learned the skill, you'll avoid to be laughed at by us bunch of pasta bigoted cumpà


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## vitauta (May 1, 2013)

old thread alert, hello!  to break pasta before cooking spaghetti or to leave it whole--this was the question at hand.  it was an interesting topic with many interesting and divergent views being expressed.  i came away from this discussion with one lingering question still on my mind, still begging for resolution.

my question is this:  what is at the core of the question of broken vs. unbroken pasta that makes it such a vital and emotionally divisive matter? why is the practice of breaking pasta into one, two, or many pieces seen by some an almost blasphemous act--described variously as ignorant, contemptible, boorish, disrespectful, etc., etc...

i fully expected people to be all over the place on this topic, for a myriad of reasons, as we usually tend to be.  what i wasn't at all prepared for, however, was the intensity of the objections to pasta breaking expressed in many cases, and the unexpected forceful push back at what seemed to me a simple matter of a rather innocuous personal preference.

i am seriously looking for answers, here.  i am not looking for another battle over which way pasta should be cooked or consumed.  i welcome all of your thoughts....


----------



## Andy M. (May 1, 2013)

In my opinion, which is how every post here should begin, the reason for the debate is "That's the way the do it in Italy".

...or "That's the way my mama did it."


----------



## vitauta (May 1, 2013)

i agree that on some level culture is at the basis of most of the preferences we form through life.  we are all steeped in our cultures. but, i don't feel the need to insist that pirogies be made my way only, or that pirogies made by other people in different countries from mine are therefore unauthentic, undesirable or somehow inferior to mine.


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## Addie (May 1, 2013)

Unforunately, TV chefs have had a major influence on our choice of cooking ethnic foods. You often will here statements saying " In Italy, they never ...." "In France they always ...." They make it sound that if you don't do it 'that' way, you dish will fail. Which ever way the individual does it, is the right way. If you are allergic to one of the ingredients, you omit it. That doesn't make the dish the wrong way to make it. It is just your way. We see there dish come out perfect. What we forget is that in spite of the fact that the show is only 30 minutes long, they swap out foods that take longer than the show allows. So we expect the recipe that we have followed faithfully, to come out the same way in the same time. 

Some pastas take longer to cook than others. Angel Hair cooks in just a matter of a couple of minutes. Whereas bucatinni can take as long as twenty minutes. So if breaking it up makes it cook quicker, we break it up. That doesn't make it wrong, just different.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 1, 2013)

Some believe their "Authenticity" is the only way to go and they are going to defend it, no matter what.


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## pacanis (May 1, 2013)

I grew up eating unbroken spaghetti. Even the spaghetti I ordered in a restaurant was never broken. I would then make two or three cuts with a knife through it. Obviously it could never be broken when cooking, even by me, because then my habitual 2-3 slices through the pile of pasta would render it too small.

I have since outgrown that. Now I twirl the pieces whole, in their entirety. Now I will drag out one of my large pots just to be able to cook it whole and not have to stand there and wait for the bottom to soften so I can push the rest in.

Maybe I should post this under quirks, too.


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## Oldvine (May 1, 2013)

However it fits in the pot is how it  is in our kitchen since the cook is the boss.


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## Cooking Goddess (May 2, 2013)

You're right Oldvine, the cook IS the boss!

The "right" way is YOUR way no matter who YOU are.  You shouldn't worry about what a TV Chef or a restaurant chef or a social forum chef tells you is right or wrong, what works in your kitchen and for your family is what is important.  I like wider pastas because they collect more sauce, pappardelle being my favorite.  Pappardelle tends to be shorter so they don't get broken.  That doesn't mean I'm above cooking farfalle or rotini to catch even more sauce, it just means that I want to collect more sauce!  And believe me, you don't need to break farfalle or rotini!   Plus, any extra of either of those can be set aside for a "macaroni" salad.  Come to think of it, I never _use_ macaroni in a macaroni salad...


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## buckytom (May 2, 2013)

for me, it's the size of the pot that i grab.

when time allows, i'll go for a pot big enough to accomodate enough water for long pasta.

i rarely have such a luxury with time.

so, long pasta gets cracked in half more often than not. 

in volume on a plate and on a fork, there's so little difference that it almost couldn't matter any less.

who the hell eats only a couple of strands of pasta to really care?


----------



## CarolPa (Sep 29, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Although I don't condone curling spaghetti with fork and spoon, you hold your fork in your dominant hand and spoon in subdominent hand. There is no problem with the knife because you don't need it when eating spaghetti.
> 
> Yet that was part of my post above. If the meatballs are too large you need to use knife and fork to cut them into bite size. Then you shift the fork from subdominant hand to dominant hand to pick up spaghetti and meatball and consume it. Much easier if there is no knife required and then your dominant hand can handle all the action forking the meatball and spaghetti into your mouth.
> 
> Your subdominant hand can be used for gesturing or guzzling.




I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you.  When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork.  Is that wrong?  They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners.  I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones.  Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.


----------



## CraigC (Sep 29, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you. When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork. Is that wrong? They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners. I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones. Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.


 
If you need a knife to cut a meatball, I'd be worried for my teeth eating said meatball. Besides, I think most Italians would serve the pasta and sauce as a separate course from the meatballs.


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you. When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork. Is that wrong? They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners. I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones. Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.


 
If you are at home without an audience and if your partner doesn't mind you can eat your spaghetti and meat balls with your fingers if you like. If you're in a restaurant it's unlikely you'll have a knife for the pasta course but in any case (on my side of the pond, at least) so it's considered perfectly good manners to cut your meat ball with your fork. In Italian restaurants over here, in my experience, the waiter often takes away the knife and leaves you a spoon and fork if you choose pasta.

Am I right in thinking that in America you cut up your food and then transfer fork to right hand and scoop? (Source=Old black and white film where the American secret agent in France was given away because the Gestapo saw him do this) whereas we cut as we go so have knife in right hand and fork in left with points pointing down throughout the meal. Would a Brit in America be considered uncouth for doing it like this?

Aren't good manners and perceptions thereof odd.


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

CraigC said:


> If you need a knife to cut a meatball, I'd be worried for my teeth eating said meatball. Besides, I think most Italians would serve the pasta and sauce as a separate course from the meatballs.


Really? My elderly Italian neighbour at my old house used to serve the lot together.


----------



## CraigC (Sep 29, 2013)

Mad Cook said:


> Really? My elderly Italian neighbour at my old house used to serve the lot together.


 
We were always served the meat and pasta courses separately during our meals in Italy. The exception seemed to be seafood pasta and pasta that had pancetta or guanciale in them.

Most Sunday Gravy is served with the sauce and pasta as a separate course from the meats cooked in the gravy. The sausages, meatballs and braciole and/or pork were removed from the gravy and served.


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

vitauta said:


> old thread alert, hello! to break pasta before cooking spaghetti or to leave it whole--this was the question at hand. it was an interesting topic with many interesting and divergent views being expressed. i came away from this discussion with one lingering question still on my mind, still begging for resolution.
> 
> my question is this: what is at the core of the question of broken vs. unbroken pasta that makes it such a vital and emotionally divisive matter? why is the practice of breaking pasta into one, two, or many pieces seen by some an almost blasphemous act--described variously as ignorant, contemptible, boorish, disrespectful, etc., etc...
> 
> ...


I haven't read the whole thread as I was losing the will to live but doesn't it depend on how small you are breaking it? If it's the 3 foot long sort of spaghetti I break it in half, purely for practical reasons but if you chop it up into very short pieces it falls of your fork.

Anyway, isn't it good for children to learn to eat like grown ups? Why let them learn one way and then have to unlearn it later. IIRC, as a little girl I learned to twirl spag with a spoon and fork at an early age then when I'd mastered that I graduated to using just a fork against the curve of the dishor plate, which is what I do now. Is it "correct"? No idea but it works.


----------



## GotGarlic (Sep 29, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you.  When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork.  Is that wrong?  They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners.  I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones.  Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.



I don't think there's anything wrong or impolite about doing that, and not just because I do it  Miss Manners would say that anyone who said something to you about it was displaying bad manners by making you feel bad.


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

CraigC said:


> We were always served the meat and pasta courses separately during our meals in Italy. The exception seemed to be seafood pasta and pasta that had pancetta or guanciale in them.
> 
> Most Sunday Gravy is served with the sauce and pasta as a separate course from the meats cooked in the gravy. The sausages, meatballs and braciole and/or pork were removed from the gravy and served.


Mrs Susca was quite old and had lived here since 1946 so probably she had let things slide


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

GotGarlic said:


> I don't think there's anything wrong or impolite about doing that, and not just because I do it  Miss Manners would say that anyone who said something to you about it was displaying bad manners by making you feel bad.


 Exactly so.


----------



## GotGarlic (Sep 29, 2013)

Mad Cook said:


> Am I right in thinking that in America you cut up your food and then transfer fork to right hand and scoop? (Source=Old black and white film where the American secret agent in France was given away because the Gestapo saw him do this) whereas we cut as we go so have knife in right hand and fork in left with points pointing down throughout the meal. Would a Brit in America be considered uncouth for doing it like this?
> 
> Aren't good manners and perceptions thereof odd.



I'm left-handed and I don't really pay attention to how others eat unless it's something really unusual. I remember my mom saying that the Continental way of eating is much more efficient because you're not constantly switching utensils around (she and my dad lived in Germany for 2 years when I was a small child). From that, I started using my knife more to help pick up the food. A lot of Americans use a finger to hold food that is pushed to the side of the plate; I find that a bit uncouth.

We had a Danish exchange student once who I think was a little OCD about it. I noticed that he would cut and shape his food into little rectangles that fit perfectly on the fork. He even ate a burger with a knife and fork.


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

Going off at a tangent - when boiling pasta do you add oil to the cooking water or not. 

I always used to because the books I'd read and the odd television programme said I should but the aforementioned Mrs Susca laughed at me when she came into my kitchen and caught me at it. Her theory was that if you have a goodly supply of boiling water in the pan in the first place you don't need oil. I tried it without found she was right so haven't done it since but there have been a number of times on FN lately when the demonstrators have insisted that with oil is the only way to go.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 29, 2013)

I never use oil.  Theory is that the oil coats the pasta and the sauce wont cling to it.  Regardless, as you've proven for yourself, it's a waste of oil.

Boiling with lots of water and stirring regularly will do the trick.


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## CraigC (Sep 29, 2013)

Mad Cook said:


> Going off at a tangent - when boiling pasta do you add oil to the cooking water or not.
> 
> I always used to because the books I'd read and the odd television programme said I should but the aforementioned Mrs Susca laughed at me when she came into my kitchen and caught me at it. Her theory was that if you have a goodly supply of boiling water in the pan in the first place you don't need oil. I tried it without found she was right so haven't done it since but there have been a number of times on FN lately when the demonstrators have insisted that with oil is the only way to go.


 
For us, only highly salted water (seawater like), no oil for dried pasta. Lightly salted for fresh, especially pasta that has added ingredients. Such as andouille gnocchi.


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## Andy M. (Sep 29, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you.  When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork.  Is that wrong?  They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners.  I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones.  Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.



If you need a knife to cut your meatballs, you're making them wrong.  Meatballs should be soft and tender.


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## Addie (Sep 29, 2013)

I always break off a piece of the meatball or sausage with the side of my fork.

And I have never put oil in my pot of pasta water. And I don't know any Italian grandmother or mother that did either. Some folks do it to keep the pasta separate when you drain it, thinking that all the oil will coat it. Not so. If you immediately put a small bit of sauce over the pasta and toss, it will keep the pasta from sticking to itself. Putting oil in the water is just a waste of good olive oil.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 29, 2013)

Fork only.  No oil.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 29, 2013)

Anyway I can get it in my mouth...


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## Mad Cook (Sep 29, 2013)

Addie said:


> I always break off a piece of the meatball or sausage with the side of my fork.
> 
> And I have never put oil in my pot of pasta water. And I don't know any Italian grandmother or mother that did either. Some folks do it to keep the pasta separate when you drain it, thinking that all the oil will coat it. Not so. If you immediately put a small bit of sauce over the pasta and toss, it will keep the pasta from sticking to itself. Putting oil in the water is just a waste of good olive oil.


"Putting oil in the water is just a waste of good olive oil." My view entirely


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## bakechef (Sep 29, 2013)

Mad Cook said:


> If you are at home without an audience and if your partner doesn't mind you can eat your spaghetti and meat balls with your fingers if you like. If you're in a restaurant it's unlikely you'll have a knife for the pasta course but in any case (on my side of the pond, at least) so it's considered perfectly good manners to cut your meat ball with your fork. In Italian restaurants over here, in my experience, the waiter often takes away the knife and leaves you a spoon and fork if you choose pasta.
> 
> Am I right in thinking that in America you cut up your food and then transfer fork to right hand and scoop? (Source=Old black and white film where the American secret agent in France was given away because the Gestapo saw him do this) whereas we cut as we go so have knife in right hand and fork in left with points pointing down throughout the meal. Would a Brit in America be considered uncouth for doing it like this?
> 
> Aren't good manners and perceptions thereof odd.



Yes some do eat this way.  I was taught the continental style, fork in left hand tines pointing downward and the knife in the right, cutting the food as you go.  Once you start doing it this way it makes a lot of sense, no switching back and fourth and the utensils feel more like an extension of your hands.

My husband cuts up all of his food at once when we are at home but in a restaurant he eats continental style, I only noticed this recently.


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## taxlady (Sep 29, 2013)

GotGarlic said:


> ...
> 
> We had a Danish exchange student once who I think was a little OCD about it. I noticed that he would cut and shape his food into little rectangles that fit perfectly on the fork. He even ate a burger with a knife and fork.


Danes prefer to eat their sandwiches with a knife and fork. This what the sandwiches look like:


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I am reviving an old thread and I have a question for you.  When I get meatballs that are too big for one bite I just cut them with my fork.  Is that wrong?  They aren't so hard that you actually need a knife, but maybe cutting with a fork is bad manners.  I like to cut all meatballs at least in half, even the little ones.  Then I twirl some spaghetti around my fork, stick the tines of the fork in a piece of meatball, and get spaghetti and meatball in one bite.



You worry too much. Just cut them in half or make them smaller. Most spaghetti joints I been have pretty big balls.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

Mad Cook said:


> If you are at home without an audience and if your partner doesn't mind you can eat your spaghetti and meat balls with your fingers if you like. If you're in a restaurant it's unlikely you'll have a knife for the pasta course but in any case (on my side of the pond, at least) so it's considered perfectly good manners to cut your meat ball with your fork. In Italian restaurants over here, in my experience, the waiter often takes away the knife and leaves you a spoon and fork if you choose pasta.
> 
> Am I right in thinking that in America you cut up your food and then transfer fork to right hand and scoop? (Source=Old black and white film where the American secret agent in France was given away because the Gestapo saw him do this) whereas we cut as we go so have knife in right hand and fork in left with points pointing down throughout the meal. Would a Brit in America be considered uncouth for doing it like this?
> 
> Aren't good manners and perceptions thereof odd.



You are obsessed with knives. Here in America they set the table and then they leave it the freak alone. No taking back stuff.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

CraigC said:


> We were always served the meat and pasta courses separately during our meals in Italy. The exception seemed to be seafood pasta and pasta that had pancetta or guanciale in them.
> 
> Most Sunday Gravy is served with the sauce and pasta as a separate course from the meats cooked in the gravy. The sausages, meatballs and braciole and/or pork were removed from the gravy and served.



I think it's better to serve them separately unless the pasta is a side.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

> ..., as a little girl I learned to twirl spag with a spoon and fork at an early age then when I'd mastered that I graduated to using just a fork against the curve of the dishor plate, which is what I do now. Is it "correct"? No idea but it works.


 
Spoon and fork seems to be the internationally accepted standard.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

bakechef said:


> Yes some do eat this way.  I was taught the continental style, fork in left hand tines pointing downward and the knife in the right, cutting the food as you go.  Once you start doing it this way it makes a lot of sense, no switching back and fourth and the utensils feel more like an extension of your hands.
> 
> My husband cuts up all of his food at once when we are at home but in a restaurant he eats continental style, I only noticed this recently.



That's all wrong. With pasta the spoon goes in the left hand and fork in right.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

Andy M. said:


> No mayo, even if you're right, the decision to break pasta for a wide variety of reasons is not the end of the world.  Not suggesting you should do it.  Others prefer it that way and that's OK.



I go with this. It's the chef's prerogative. In the end the chef is responsible for how the meal turns out.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Sep 29, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> In our case, a household with no natural teeth left, breaking the spaghetti is a new learned behavior.  Pasta is also now cooked past al dente.  It's true, as you age and certain things befall you, you regress back to childhood.



How do you cook it _al dente_ if you ain't got no dente?


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## Andy M. (Sep 29, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Spoon and fork seems to be the internationally accepted standard.



Actually, I never use a spoon.  All you really need is a fork and the edge of the plate.


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## bakechef (Sep 29, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> That's all wrong. With pasta the spoon goes in the left hand and fork in right.



This was referring to dining in general, not eating spaghetti, a question that was a little of topic.


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## Lize (Sep 30, 2013)

1006gm said:


> Who breaks their spaghetti/linguine prior to cooking it.  My husband and I bicker about this all the time.  He likes me to break it and cook it so it's not messy and so he doesn't have to cut it.  I don't like to break it.  Any reasons as to why I should or shouldn't break it?  What do you do with your pasta?  Thanks!



My boyfriend is the same as your husband, he'd also like me to break it. I always eat spaghetti with a fork and a spoon and it would be much more difficult to eat broken spaghetti in my opinion. Then you might as well buy some other shape of pasta from the beginning.


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## Rocket_J_Dawg (Sep 30, 2013)

Up until I saw this on TV, I too left my spaghetti long. I didn't realise how dangerous it is. Someone could loose an eye. 

New TUMS commercial - SPAGHETTI - YouTube


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## Fos87 (Sep 30, 2013)

I never break spaghetti and I use only salted water, no oil.


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## Rocklobster (Sep 30, 2013)

No break camp.  I use a tall pot and fill about half. The spaghetti goes in, softens in a minute and then get it stirred up and all totally submerged.


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## 1006gm (Oct 1, 2013)

Wow!  Still going!  I never thought it was such a passionate subject.  I personally didn't like the mess of breaking pasta prior to cooking nor did I ever think of it before I met my husband, very much.  Now, I must say it's official.  I break it.  I came up with a way to break it neatly at any length the family wants which is normally 1/2 or 1/3 (unless I am making some kind of soup then my usual is 1/5) and it still twirls very good. Now the whole family is happy.  As for meatballs, if anything we cut them with the side of a fork.  No knife, but I have learned that's just our preference and what other people do doesn't bother me unless they are complete and utter slobs when eating in a restaurant or are in the company of others. Then I just loose my appetite.  (or not look)


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## Addie (Oct 1, 2013)

I have seen some that spear their meatball with their fork, and gnaw on it like they never learned how to cut into small bite pieces. Sure makes you want to sit at a table with them in an upscale restaurant.


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## CatPat (Oct 1, 2013)

I break it in half. It is easier for DA to eat it, as she is blind. I cut up the meatballs for her and mix it very well on her plate. All she has to do at this time is put her fork in and twirl it until I tell her it is all there.

Your friend,
~Cat


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## mysterychef (Oct 2, 2013)

I was brought up twirling it with a fork into a soup spoon. Till this day my wife says it looks odd.  I tell her thats  the way we did it back when the dinosaurs roamed. To each their own.


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## Addie (Oct 2, 2013)

mysterychef said:


> I was brought up twirling it with a fork into a soup spoon. Till this day my wife says it looks odd.  I tell her thats  the way we did it back *when the dinosaurs roamed. *To each their own.



I remember those days. We had one as a house pet.


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## CarolPa (Oct 2, 2013)

I remember as a kid we used to stick the end of the spaghetti strand in our mouth and then suck it in, while sauce flew everywhere.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 2, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I remember as a kid we used to stick the end of the spaghetti strand in our mouth and then suck it in, while sauce flew everywhere.



Yes, so you look like my avatar!!!  LOL!


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## taxlady (Oct 2, 2013)

I can't think about slurping spaghetti without thinking of a scene from one of my favourite movies, _Tampopo_:

TAMPOPO eat spaghetti noiselessly+subtitles - YouTube


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## Fos87 (Oct 4, 2013)

mysterychef said:


> I was brought up twirling it with a fork into a soup spoon. Till this day my wife says it looks odd. I tell her thats the way we did it back when the dinosaurs roamed. To each their own.


Also my mother eat spaghetti in this way, but it is judged right not even in Italy. Anyway, there are many people who do it.

To whom doesn't know how to face meatball, why don't you choose a good "ragù alla bolognese"? There is meat but no meatball to break


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## Greg Who Cooks (Oct 5, 2013)

Fos87 said:


> Also my mother eat spaghetti in this way, but it is judged right not even in Italy. Anyway, there are many people who do it.
> 
> To whom doesn't know how to face meatball, why don't you choose a good "ragù alla bolognese"? There is meat but no meatball to break



So what is judged right in Italy?

Skipping the issue of whether to cut the meat ball apart. (IMO it's gross to not cut a big meat ball into small pieces before consuming.)


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## Fos87 (Oct 17, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> So what is judged right in Italy?
> 
> Skipping the issue of whether to cut the meat ball apart. (IMO it's gross to not cut a big meat ball into small pieces before consuming.)


You should use only the fork.
About the issue of the meat ball, I agree: we don't use meatballs in the pasta (someone put them in the lasagna, but very small ones), but cutting them with the fork before you eat them seems the only logical thing.


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## bakechef (Oct 17, 2013)

Look what I found in my store today


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## cave76 (Oct 17, 2013)

I almost always break my spaghetti --- agree that the mess from a swinging dangle of a long piece of pasta con sauce is the reason.

If I'm at a friends  house or a restaurant---- I cut it up first. To heck with convention. lol


----------



## Addie (Oct 17, 2013)

bakechef said:


> Look what I found in my store today
> 
> View attachment 18868



Do you think someone there has been reading our discussion, maybe? 

And my store has this. 

Prince - Our Products - Quick Cook<sup>®</sup> Elbows

I bought one box of the Penne. Will let you know how it is. You boil it like you do for Success rice. In a bag.


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## Aunt Bea (Oct 17, 2013)

bakechef said:


> Look what I found in my store today
> 
> View attachment 18868[/QUOTE
> 
> For a dollar seventy-nine I'll break my own!


----------



## Addie (Oct 17, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> bakechef said:
> 
> 
> > Look what I found in my store today
> ...


----------



## bakechef (Oct 17, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> bakechef said:
> 
> 
> > Look what I found in my store today
> ...


----------



## bakechef (Oct 17, 2013)

Addie said:


> Do you think someone there has been reading our discussion, maybe?
> 
> And my store has this.
> 
> ...



We have that same Pasta in the Ronzoni brand.  I was wondering why we don't have Prince pasta here, it's what I grew up with.  Remember "Wednesday, Prince Spaghetti day"?  Apparently Prince and Ronzoni are the same company.


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

Addie said:


> Do you think someone there has been reading our discussion, maybe?
> 
> And my store has this.
> 
> ...


Do you want kill me? Better: "Vuoi che io muoro?" as says an italian comician who mimics Joe Bastianich

If I can ask, how much do you pay pasta?


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## Andy M. (Oct 18, 2013)

1400 lira for 454Gr. fo pasta..


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

Ah, the lira. We miss it.
What brand do you have? Are there also italian ones, like Barilla, De Cecco, Buitoni?


----------



## Andy M. (Oct 18, 2013)

Fos87 said:


> Ah, the lira. We miss it.
> What brand do you have? Are there also italian ones, like Barilla, De Cecco, Buitoni?





I guess I should have used Euros!  0.73 Euro.

Yes, all those brands and more.


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

Andy M. said:


> I guess I should have used Euros!  0.73 Euro.
> 
> Yes, all those brands and more.


They are the most famous.
Do you pay 0,75 euro cent 450 gr of pasta? I thought worst. Here we pay 1000 gr of Barilla from 1,49 to 1,69. De Cecco is more expensive.

Another question: for how much time do you cook pasta? Here there is the firm belif that, outside Italy, everyone cooks it too much.


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## CarolPa (Oct 18, 2013)

I always liked my pasta soft and mushy.  My husband now has me eating it cooked less, with a little crunch to it.  If I make Mac and Cheese, I still like it soft and mushy.


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

CarolPa said:


> I always liked my pasta soft and mushy.  My husband now has me eating it cooked less, with a little crunch to it.  If I make Mac and Cheese, I still like it soft and mushy.


I like you husband!
Mac and Cheese should be a sort of timbal of pasta and cheese, isn't it?


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## cschu485 (Oct 18, 2013)

I work in a restaurant and when we cook the pasta there we leave them in whole. With all the restaurant equipment we have and the larger pots it is fairly easy to just place the noodles in and not worry about the mess. Whoever when I am cooking at home i still chose to break them half the time, just seems to simplify it and have it easier to mix them around. I feel if you break them once they aren't too big or too small. But this is just my opinion.


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

It sounds just a little strange here, but everyone can eat as he wants.
I have a very normal pot and I leave the spaghetti in whole, I wait some second then I lower them with the carving fork.


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## KatyCooks (Oct 18, 2013)

I don't break my spaghetti, but I DO use a spoon and fork for the swirling (which I learnt from watching someone do it on TV).  

And I also have no qualms at all about asking for a fork in a Chinese restaurant - otherwise what is the point of being there?  I can't eat with chopsticks!


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## taxlady (Oct 18, 2013)

Fos87 said:


> Ah, the lira. We miss it.
> What brand do you have? Are there also italian ones, like Barilla, De Cecco, Buitoni?


The only pasta I buy is organic, whole grain, pasta from Italy. These are the two brands they carry at my local health food store: Bio Naturae, and Felicetti. They are both really nice tasting pasta. I cook them al dente, however long that takes.


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

I usually don't ask for a fork, but I can't use chopsticks well. Maybe I hope to learn it, but after so many years...


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## Fos87 (Oct 18, 2013)

taxlady said:


> The only pasta I buy is organic, whole grain, pasta from Italy. These are the two brands they carry at my local health food store: Bio Naturae, and Felicetti.


We usually use Barilla, that is nice tasting and doesn't cost so much, but it cracks and I don't like it. The De Cecco it's really better, but it is more expensive.


taxlady said:


> They are both really nice  tasting pasta. I cook them al dente, however long that takes.


It should be the only way to cook it :p


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## Addie (Oct 18, 2013)

bakechef said:


> We have that same Pasta in the Ronzoni brand.  I was wondering why we don't have Prince pasta here, it's what I grew up with.  Remember "Wednesday, Prince Spaghetti day"?  Apparently Prince and Ronzoni are the same company.



Prince restructured and bought out Ronzoni.


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## Addie (Oct 18, 2013)

Fos87 said:


> Do you want kill me? Better: "Vuoi che io muoro?" as says an italian comician who mimics Joe Bastianich
> 
> If I can ask, how much do you pay pasta?



We pay about $1.00 for a full pound. But at least one week a month you can get pasta for as little as $.89-$.79 a pound. The imported pasta from Italy in cellophane packaging is usually always less than $1.00 a pound for any given brand.


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## Addie (Oct 18, 2013)

Fos87 said:


> I like you husband!
> Mac and Cheese should be a sort of timbal of pasta and cheese, isn't it?



Mac and cheese is often made with a white sauce, melted chees in it and add to al dente cooked elbow macaroni. That is the very basic simplest way to make it. The type of cheese is the cook's option. Some add toasted bread crumbs, or tomatoes, etc.


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## Fos87 (Oct 19, 2013)

Addie said:


> We pay about $1.00 for a full pound. But at least  one week a month you can get pasta for as little as $.89-$.79 a pound.  The imported pasta from Italy in cellophane packaging is usually always  less than $1.00 a pound for any given brand.


Do you pay Barilla and other italian brands $1 for 450 gr? It's not much, considering that $1 is € 0,7 .



Addie said:


> Mac and cheese is often made with a white sauce, melted chees in it and add to al dente cooked elbow macaroni. That is the very basic simplest way to make it. The type of cheese is the cook's option. Some add toasted bread crumbs, or tomatoes, etc.


Bread crumbs aren't a little too much in a plate of pasta? In my family we usually use them for the soups, in place of pasta.
My mother sometimes does "4 cheese pasta", good but a little heavy. The idea is the same of Mac and chesse, but maybe a little lighter: cheese sauce and pasta.

Four cheese pasta - Italian recipe - YouTube


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## GotGarlic (Oct 19, 2013)

Fos87 said:


> Bread crumbs aren't a little too much in a plate of pasta? In my family we usually use them for the soups, in place of pasta.
> My mother sometimes does "4 cheese pasta", good but a little heavy. The idea is the same of Mac and chesse, but maybe a little lighter: cheese sauce and pasta.
> 
> Four cheese pasta - Italian recipe - YouTube



The bread crumbs are ground fairly finely and just sprinkled on top to make a crispy crust as the dish bakes. It makes a nice contrast with the creamy, cheesy sauce.

When we put "bread crumbs" in soup, they're larger, about 1/2 inch square, and we call them croutons.


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## bakechef (Oct 19, 2013)

taxlady said:


> The only pasta I buy is organic, whole grain, pasta from Italy. These are the two brands they carry at my local health food store: Bio Naturae, and Felicetti. They are both really nice tasting pasta. I cook them al dente, however long that takes.



My favorite spaghetti by far is from Trader Joe's, whole grain organic pasta.  It's a little over a dollar a pound.  Heck it may be made by one of the companies that you mention since it is a store brand.

I wasn't crazy about whole grain pasta until I bought this, I guess that it has improved over the years.


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## Addie (Oct 19, 2013)

bakechef said:


> My favorite spaghetti by far is from Trader Joe's, whole grain organic pasta.  It's a little over a dollar a pound.  Heck it may be made by one of the companies that you mention since it is a store brand.
> 
> I wasn't crazy about whole grain pasta until I bought this, I guess that it has improved over the years.



When the whole grains came out, the reviews were not too great. It seems that they have fixed that grainy feeling that it had. That was the main complaint. I have never tried it. Why eat healthy now? A little too late for me. I done all the healthy stuff that I am going to do.


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## taxlady (Oct 19, 2013)

bakechef said:


> My favorite spaghetti by far is from Trader Joe's, whole grain organic pasta.  It's a little over a dollar a pound.  Heck it may be made by one of the companies that you mention since it is a store brand.
> 
> I wasn't crazy about whole grain pasta until I bought this, I guess that it has improved over the years.


I am a dyed in the wool, whole-grain, kinda gal. I had given up on whole grain pasta, because almost all of it (except homemade) had nasty, bitter flavours. Then, as I was shopping in my favourite Italian grocery store, I came across some whole grain pasta made in Italy. "Hmm, let's give this a try. Italians know how to make pasta." This was about 20 years ago. I have always had good luck with whole grain pasta made in Italy.

The one I usually buy costs ~$2.95/500 grams.


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## Fos87 (Oct 19, 2013)

GotGarlic said:


> The bread crumbs are ground fairly finely and just sprinkled on top to make a crispy crust as the dish bakes. It makes a nice contrast with the creamy, cheesy sauce.
> 
> When we put "bread crumbs" in soup, they're larger, about 1/2 inch square, and we call them croutons.


Thank you, I hadn't understood.


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## 1006gm (Oct 20, 2013)

Okay, thanks Bakechef for the Mueller's photo.  I will keep breaking mine because I have a favorite brand. So, here's a question that will get some interesting and/or funny answers for those of you that break your pasta.  

Where is the funniest/crazy place that you found a piece of pasta that went flying when you broke it?  

Mine was in the soft fold of the door seal of the freezer which is the upper part of my fridge.  I also found them on top of the fridge as well.  Burners and floor are quite normal for those who break, I think, as I find them there frequently and learned to look there while cleaning up.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 20, 2013)

I had a piece stuck in my hair when I got done fixing dinner.  Shrek was teasing me about cheap hair adornments.


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## 1006gm (Oct 20, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I had a piece stuck in my hair when I got done fixing dinner.  Shrek was teasing me about cheap hair adornments.



   That's hysterical!!!!  Beats mine!


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## Addie (Oct 21, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I had a piece stuck in my hair when I got done fixing dinner.  Shrek was teasing me about cheap hair adornments.



 Does your wallet squeal when you open it?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 21, 2013)

Addie said:


> Does your wallet squeal when you open it?



Nope. it ziiiiiiiipppppppps!!!!  Moths fly out, though.


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## Roll_Bones (Oct 21, 2013)

I grew up with my mother always breaking it in half.

I now cook it long.  Looks better when presented.


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## 1006gm (May 25, 2014)

So many hits!  It must be a hot topic for some.  I still break and thirds is my preference!  I also now have a "no mess" way to do it!


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## Addie (May 26, 2014)

And yet another old thread brought back to life!


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