A Better Way To Cook Pasta? | Techniquely with Lan Lam

Want to cook pasta faster? Lan shows you how to achieve perfectly cooked pasta in a flash with an easy technique.

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[leslieherring]

We lived on a sailboat for a couple of years, traveling in remote places where propane and water were hard to come by, and expensive. When I made pasta for my husband and I, I boiled a small amount of water, put the dry pasta in a large thermos, covered with boiling, lightly salted water, and closed up the thermos. Let sit for about 15 minutes or so, and the pasta was cooked just fine. You learn to adapt when resources are scarce.

[chowhound]

This is my favorite cooking series on youtube, and it's because Lan is the best teacher I've seen on here. There's other people with know how like hers, but no one is as good at getting to a granular level of detail while explaining things in a simple and engaging way. Please keep this series coming ATK, I've learned a ton from it!

[DrakePitts]

This is most instructive cooking series available. Lan Lam is a great teacher. It's incredible that this is free!

[soffici]

Italian here, learning about pasta from an American genius of SE Asian descent, and loving it
Let’s break some rules

[immatoe]

I love her diction. So calm and clear.

[supergeek]

Lan Lam is such a gastronomical technician it's fantastic. I *ALWAYS* learn something important while watching her videos.

[DannyP...]

Lan Lam is the best thing about this channel! Love the way she presents all these technical details.

[YatriTrivedi]

I'm curious for you to try the soak method... You soak the dry pasta in cold water for a few HOURS in advance of cooking. It rehydrates the pasta but is supposed to be more forgiving in terms of under-/over-absorption. You can then cook it entirely in your sauce, or for carbonara/pesto, you can cook it basically like fresh pasta. A lot of the starch is in the cold water so you can just use that depending.

I've tried it and I really like it! It's less good for larger shapes - cooking rehydrated rigatoni, they end up flat and don't hold their shape entirely. For spaghetti, buccatini, linguini, orzo.. It works very well.

[dodgeball]

I always get excited when there's a new upload featuring Lan Lam. <3 She's the best!!

[hasna]

Forget about boiling, we Moroccans like to steam our Pasta! Whether it's couscous or angel hair, we use a special pot to steam the pasta. The pot has 2 parts. The bottom is a stock pot where the sauce is simmering and the top part is a steamer for the pasta.
This method takes a lot longer than boiling the pasta but the texture is worth it!

[mayonnaiseeee]

I swear Annie Petito is the hidden star of ATK. So many of these videos reference her recipes, from their Blondies to entrees like the one here. She's doing some good work! And Lan Lam is amazing at both teaching and presenting as usual. Thanks for the look into the noodles.

[steviebear]

As a longtime fan of ATK, as much as I love their recipes, the techniques you learn are the absolute gold. This video is a perfect example.

[RandallAIM]

Your presentation style is as close to perfect as it can get. Clear, concise, informative, engaging and straight to the point. Understanding the 'whys' is one of the most important aspects - if I forget a specific I remember the 'why' an adapt accordingly!! Thanks

[donnasalvador]

I’ve made a pot of wonderful sauce, then I’ll add a cup of water and my pasta and cook it entirely in the sauce. Oh my, it’s a wonderful way to get those things (the pasta & sauce) completely incorporated together. I’ve done this very successfully with every shape of pasta. I have only tried this using tomato based sauces though. I did this a long time ago when I was living in a tiny camper, no running water, so if I didn’t feel like walking about an acre uphill to fill a water jug from the well, I decided I’d try a lazy method. I never expected it to be a method I still use today but it is. It does take a bit longer to get the pasta fully cooked and you must check it periodically, because if the sauce becomes too thick, the pasta won’t have enough loose liquid to be cooked. So sometimes you need to add a bit of water.
Also, on the same note, I don’t bother to boil my pasta for a dish that will baked in the oven. I use regular pasta, like any kind of lasagna noodles, not the ones that say you don’t need to boil them first. I don’t actually like the texture of those, so I use the regular ones. I’ve never once, in the past 40 years of doing lasagna this way, I’ve never once had it come out uncooked or gummy or anything bad at all. I make some sort of meat sauce, then I spread each noodle with ricotta cheese, and lay those right on top of the sauce, then another layer of cheese, noodles with the ricotta cheese on them and so on. How ever you want to layer things, I make sure at the end, I’ll drizzle sauce along the sides of the dish to make sure all the noodles will have enough liquid to absorb. Doesn’t need to be flooded with sauce though. Tightly cover it with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. The last 20 minutes, I’ll turn the heat up to 400 degrees and uncover it so the cheese on top can brown. I’ll let it sit outside the over for about 20 minutes before I cut it. Every time it comes out beautifully, each cut square stays together, and tastes heavenly.

[Berkana]

There is a valid Italian method of cooking pasta called Pasta Risotatta, which is basically pasta cooked like risotto, where the water is added a bit at a time to toasted pasta, until all of it is absorbed and all the pasta is done. I don't think of this alternative way as "breaking the rules", it's just a different set of valid rules. If this is even a method found among Italian cooks, I say it is totally valid.

[KelvinsKitchen]

Wow, Lan Lam, this episode of Techniquely blew my mind! Your innovative approach to cooking pasta challenges everything we thought we knew about achieving the perfect dish. I loved how you fearlessly experimented with different cooking methods, showcasing how even small tweaks can make a huge difference in texture and flavor. Your passion for pasta and dedication to finding the best techniques truly shines through in this video. I can't wait to try out some of these unconventional methods in my own kitchen and see just how much they elevate my pasta game. Keep breaking those rules and inspiring us all to think outside the pot!

[CButaud]

I used to do cold start pasta but I've mostly gone back to boiling start for two reasons: it's more predictable when I need to be ready to stir to avoid sticking, and it's more predictable when the pasta will finish. With cold start, unless you use the same quantity of water and pasta every time, the time it takes to cook will vary because it will come to a boil faster or slower. Sometimes that's fine, but usually I'm running around the kitchen prepping the sauce and sides and I want to know exactly when the pasta will be done in advance so it can go on the table within a minute or two.

[jenniferrobbinsmullin]

Yay! There's lots of times when I'm using salty ingredients where I skip adding salt altogether. You need to consider the amount of salt that's already getting incorporated into your dish before you start tossing in more salt. Thank you, Lan, for addressing this issue.

[laraleepn]

Worth testing. I've used a method I learned decades ago. Bring water to a boil, enough to allow the pasta to 'swim' but I it's probably about 2 quarts or less. Add the pasta and stir for about a minute so it softens and will no longer stick to itself. Turn off the heat, put a lid on the pot and cook about the same amount of time you would for pasta being boiled. Has worked fine for me for years.

[opxreal]

Hell yes I'm commenting before even watching. Lan Lam is always a must click.