Boiling Over:
Butter the rim of a pan in which you cook rice or pasta so it won't boil
over.
Cooking Lasagna Noodles: Use lots of water so the pasta has plenty of room to
expand. To prevent tearing, cook at a moderate yet constant boil. Use a wood or
plastic spoon, or heat-resistant rubber spatula to stir occasionally while
cooking. Stir gently. Always boil pasta less time (the short end of the cook
time) if it will continue to cook in a baked dish or in a recipe on the stove
top. This also reduces the chance of tearing. Drain pasta carefully! Slowly pour
water from pan so that pasta slides gently into a colander. Rinse pasta
thoroughly in cold water and drain well. Place in a covered container right away
to prevent pasta from sticking together.
Cooking Perfect Pasta: To prevent pasta from sticking together use plenty of
water, cook at a constant boil, and stir occasionally. There is no need to add
oil to pasta while it's cooking. Once pasta has been added to boiling water,
start timing when the water returns to a boil. There is no need to rinse cooked
pasta. If you do, the sauce won't cling. Rinse pasta only if it will be used for
a salad or will be set aside or stored for later
use.
Cutting Pizza: No pastry wheel? You'll find that kitchen shears cut
through pizza - stringy cheese and all - more quickly and cleanly than a knife.
Besides, they won't scratch or mar your pizza pan.
Freezing Pizza Dough: Make pizza dough in double batches and freeze half.
You can even roll out the extra dough, fit it into a pizza pan, and freeze it
flat for a head start on a fast meal.
Making Better Pizza Sauce: Intensity of tomato sauce may be adjusted by amount of
garlic and crushed peppercorn used. "Bite" of sauce may be increased by adding
Balsamic vinegar. Create oil sauces using extra virgin olive oil, herbs/spices,
and fresh garlic.
Making Better Pizza Crusts: Use high-gluten flour such as
Pillsbury Bread Flour and Gold Medal
Better for Bread. Use 1 oz. dough portion or less per 1" pizza diameter (for
example, 7 oz. dough = 8" pizza). Store individual raw dough portions dusted
with flour in Ziploc bags in
refrigerator up to a week or in freezer up to a month. Bake on pizza stone or
pizza screen for crisper crust.
