How do I cook whole wheat spaghetti?

[SeanCan'tCook]

OK, so I bought some whole wheat spaghetti, and a cool glass container to store it in. Stupidly, I threw out the original packaging, with the cooking directions on it.

My brand new non-stick pasta pot with the locking strainer lid is raring to go. Can anyone help me?

 

[larry_stewart]

Any time ive cooked whole wheat pasta, did it the same way as other pasta. The only difference Ive found is that the consistency may be a little different . A little harder, and a little more grainy. Get the water to a boil, add the past a, and the cooking time is 10 minutes ( + or -). Usually, I start tasting it at about 7 or 8 minutes to see if its done. Some people like it firmer that others. Even though its a nonstick pasta pot, id still stir the pasta occasionally while its cooking as not to let it stick to each other or the bottom of the pot. Us a lot of water to boil it in, and add some salt to the water too. For a full box of pasta ( which is usually a pound) use about 5 quarts of water with about a tablespoon of salt in it. Once again, there are many varieties of pasta, and people have different likes and dislikes. Its not an exact science so the amount of water, salt , cooking time may vary. Tasting is really the best judgment of how much salt, how long to cook ....

larry

 

[BreezyCooking]

Since I use whole wheat & whole wheat/legume pastas frequently, I just checked my pantry to see if I could help you, but alas, I apparently need to go shopping - lol!

What I can tell you is that whole wheat pasta does take just a minute or two longer to cook that regular semolina pasta. I'd follow Larry's suggestion to start taste testing after about 8 minutes, & each minute thereafter until it reaches the particular "al dente" stage you like it at. Then write that timing down.

And in the future, here's what I do with the few pastas I - like you - have stored in glass cannisters. After you put the pasta in the cannister, cut out the cooking/timing instructions from the box & scotch-tape them to the bottom of the cannister. Just remember that if you change the type or brand of pasta in that canister to change the instructions as well!

 

[mcnerd]

On my box of wholewheat spaghetti, it states:

"Bring 4 cups of water to a rpaid boil. Add salt to taste (optional).
Add 1 box (12 oz) of spaghetti into water and return to a boil. Stir frequently.
Cook until 'al dente' (firm to the bite) for approximately 9-11 minutes.
Remove from heat and drain."

 

[larry_stewart]

On my box of wholewheat spaghetti, it states:

"Bring 4 cups of water to a rpaid boil. Add salt to taste (optional).
Add 1 box (12 oz) of spaghetti into water and return to a boil. Stir frequently.
Cook until 'al dente' (firm to the bite) for approximately 9-11 minutes.
Remove from heat and drain."

Cups or Quarts ???

 

[mcnerd]

Ooops! Quarts.

I was working on another recipe at the same time and had a cup brain freeze.

 

[larry_stewart]

I kinda figure that , just want to make sure i wasnt doing wrong all these years .

 

[SeanCan'tCook]

Thanks for the advice. Last night, while I was waiting for replies, I decided to give it a go.

I brought 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil, then added 3 tsp of salt and a little bit of olive oil (is the olive oil necessary? Does it add taste, or just keep the pasta from sticking)

I stirred the pasta ever 60 seconds, or so. It seemed to cook pretty quickly, passing both the "chew on it" test and the "throw it up against the cabinet door and see if it sticks" test in about 5 minutes. I had the heat wide open, was that too much? Is there a benefit to lowering the heat and letting it cook slower?

I drained it and peppered it to tast (no more salt). It was pretty good. The whole wheat pasta doesn't taste as good as regular pasta, but I need to stick with the whole wheat pasta for the health benefits.

 

[Andy M.]

No need for oil at all. If you use enough water (and you did) and stir frequently (and you did), the pasta won't stick.

Generally you are directed to cook the pasta at a rolling boil. So, no that wasn't too much.

 

[larry_stewart]

Yeah, my wife had me try multigrain pasta last night. The taste was better than i thought it would be, but the consistency, although not bad, was ' different' Im glad things worked out for you.

 

[queensqueeze]

I cook for kids for a living and to help them get used to whole wheat pasta I give them a mix (using the same shape but plain and whole wheat types). just throw the whole wheat ones in a couple of minutes earlier than the plain. It is also a good option for a gradual change over to whole wheat and can actually become quite an interesting variation for many pasta salads.