This document provides information on cooking pasta and starch dishes. It discusses that pasta should be cooked al dente until it is firm but tender. Cooking time depends on the shape and size of the pasta. Sauces should also match the texture of the pasta shape. The document also discusses common problems that can occur when cooking with starches like thinning, weak gel, or scorching. It provides cooking times for different pasta shapes to achieve al dente texture.

1. COOKING STARCH DISHES -
PASTA

2. Introduction
• There are so many reasons to eat pasta it is
delicious, easy to cook and affordable. It’s
also versatile because it makes a great base
for a wide array of other healthy ingredients
like lean proteins, vegetables, legumes and
fruits. One of the most important things to
keep in mind when cooking pasta is that you
should always aim to cook it until it is firm,
or “al dente,” which means “to the tooth” in
Italian.

3. Let’s have a recap
• What are the uses of starch and cereals in
culinary?

4. Functions of starch in preparing
food and its application to various
recipes.
Functions of
Starch
Type of Food
Preparation
Recipes
Thickening Sauces, Gravies, Pie
fillings
and soups
Sauces: Sweet sour,
lechon,lumpia
Pie filling: mango, buko,
apple, pineapple
Soups: Arrozcaldo
Gelling Puddings, kakanin
Bread pudding, maja
Blanca, sapin-sapin,
kutchinta, cassava
bibingka

5. Functions of starch in preparing
food and its application to various
recipes.
Binding
and filling
Meat loaves and
meat
emulsions
Luncheon meat, hot dogs,
Vienna sausage, chicken
nuggets, chicken balls,
Ukoy,
tempura
Stabilizing
Beverage, syrup,
salad
dressing
Chocolate drinks, fruits
drinks,
yogurt drinks, cooked
dressings

6. Functions of starch in preparing
food and its application to various
recipes.
Moisture
retaining
Cake fillings,
candies
Cake rolls, cream
fillings
Coating or
ducting
Breads,
confectionery,
pastries
Pan de sal, Biscuits,
candies,
espasol
Diluent Baking powder, Cupcake
Coloring
Toasts, bread
crumbs
Polvoron, Lechon
sauce,
Kare-kare sauce,
breadings

7. Common Problems in Starch Cookery
1. Thinning of Gel. This problem is usually
encountered when using acid or acid
ingredients such as lemon or vinegar.
2. Weak Gel. Weak gel results if there is too much
liquid in relation to the starch.
3. Skin Formation. Skin formation is due to loss
of water from the starch and protein molecules
near the surface of the mixture. To reduce this
problem, cover container of the starch gel with
a waterproof cover.

8. Common Problems in Starch Cookery
4. Scorching. This can be avoided by temperature
control and constant stirring so the starch
granules do not settle at the bottom of the
cooking pan.
5. Raw Starch Flavor. This is due to ungelatinized
starch.

9. Principles in Cooking Cereals
In cooking all cereal products, the following points
should be observed:
• Use a double boiler.
• Observe carefully the correct proportions of
cereal, water and salt.
• Cook at boiling temperature (212° F.).
• Watch the time by the clock, and always cook the
full time prescribed, preferably longer.
• Serve attractively.
• Improper cooking and poor serving are largely
responsible for unpopularity of cereal foods.

10. COOKING PASTA
Pasta should be cooked al dente, or ”to
the tooth”. This means the cooking should
be stopped when the pasta still feels firm to
the bite, not soft and mushy. The pleasure
of cooking pasta is its texture, and this is
lost if it is overcooked. To test for doneness,
break pasta into small piece and taste it. As
soon as pasta is al dente, cooking must be
stopped at once. Half a minute extra is
enough to overcook it.

11. COOKING PASTA
Cooking time differs for every shape
and size of pasta. Timing also depends on
the kind of flour used, and the moisture
content.
Fresh egg pasta, if it has not been
allowed to dry, takes only 1 to 1 ½ minutes
to cook after the water has returned to a
boil.

12. COOKING PASTA
Italian practice is to toss the pasta with
the sauce the minute it is drained, the sauce
immediately coats all surfaces of the pasta,
and the cheese, melts in the heat of the
boiling hot noodles.

13. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
There are hundreds of
shapes and sizes of pasta
with each shape used for
different preparations
based on how the sauce
will cling, the texture
desired, or how the
product will be used.

14. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
For example:
• Pasta shapes with holes or ridges, such as
wagon wheels or rotini, are perfect for chunkier
sauces.
Wagon wheels pasta

15. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
For example:
• Thin, delicate pastas, such as angel hair or
vermicelli, are better served with light, thin
sauces.
Angel hair pasta

16. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
For example:
• Thicker pasta shapes, such as fettuccine, work
well with heavier sauces.
Fettuccine pasta

17. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
For example:
• Very small pasta shapes, like alphabet shapes
and acini di pepe, are good for soups.
Alphabet Shape

18. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
Example of flavored pasta:
Spinach Noodles

19. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
It is important to be familiar with
different shapes of pasta so cooking times can
be adjusted. The larger and fuller the pasta
shape, the longer the cooking time. Most
pasta recipes specify cooking times for pasta
cooked al dente, tender but firm.

20. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
Pasta Gets Bigger and Heavier when Cooked
Generally, pasta doubles or triples in
weight when it is cooked. Likewise, the
volume increases 2 to 2 ½ times during
cooking

21. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
When pasta is to be used as an ingredient in a
recipe that will be cooked more, like
macaroni and cheese, it should be slightly
undercooked. This means reducing the
cooking time by about 2 minutes. Pasta that
is not cooked enough is tough and chewy.
Pasta that is overcooked is soft and pasty.
When overcooked pasta is combined with a
sauce, it often breaks apart. Handle pasta the
right way after it is cooked.

22. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
Suggestions for holding Pasta
To serve
immediately Drain, add sauce, and serve.
To hold for a
short time
for service later
Drain, toss with a small amount of oil to prevent
sticking,cover, and hold in warmer.
To serve as part
of a Salad
Cook pasta a day ahead so it will be chilled when
combined with the other salad ingredients. Do not
combine hot pasta with cold ingredients. Drain and
cover with cold water just
long enough to cool. The pasta does not need
refrigeration for a short time, it is cooled in the
water. When pasta is cool,
drain and toss lightly with oil to prevent sticking or
drying out.Cover and refrigerate.

23. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
Suggestions for holding Pasta
To cook a day
ahead for service
in a heated Dish
Drain and cover with cold water just long enough to
cool.When pasta is cool, drain and toss lightly with
oil to prevent sticking or drying out. Cover and
refrigerate. When it is time to use the pasta,
immerse it in boiling water until just heated
through. Drain immediately and use according to
the recipe. The pasta should not be cooked more,
just heated to serving
temperature.
To use in a
cooked dish
Slightly undercook the pasta.

24. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING
PASTA
Pasta Name Cooking Time for al
dente
Pasta Name
Cooking Time for
al
dente
Lasagna 15 minutes Ziti 10 minutes
Bow Ties 11 minutes Fettuccine 8 minutes
Wagon
Wheels
11 minutes Rotini 8 minutes
Linguine 10 minutes Elbow Macaroni 6 minutes
Rigatoni 10 minutes Noodles 6 minutes
Spaghetti 10 minutes

25. Any questions?