Pasta Shapes/Types – Page 3

Torchiette, pasta in a form you don't often encounter. Yet the type of pasta from the Campania region is loved by all of Italy. We are happy to tell you more about one of the oldest pasta types from Italy. What is torchiette? Torchiette is a twisted, short pasta type that resembles little torches or bells. This funny little shape does not come without a function, as its shape allows it to hold sauces well. A real multi-purpose pasta type that is very suitable for the well-filled pasta sauces. How is torchiette made? To make torchiette you need two main ingredients: durum wheat and water. That's basically all it takes. These two simple ingredients are kneaded together until a beautiful pasta dough is created. Then the pasta dough is pressed through a bronze mold, creating the desired shape. In this case, it is the shape of torchiette. Finally, the mold only needs to dry after which it can be packaged. Of course, making pasta is a lot more elaborate and involves a lot more than what we have described here. In order not to make this blog too long, we wrote a whole blog about making pasta. You can read all about it in the blog: 'How is pasta made? Recipes for torchiette The shape of torchiette allows the pasta to hold sauces well. It is often combined with pesto or tomato sauces, for example. But actually torchiette is a very versatile pasta which you can combine with all kinds of recipes. Use it as a substitute for macaroni, success guaranteed! On our recipe page you will find all sorts of dishes in which you can use torchiette. How should you cook torchiette? The cooking time of torchiette is between 10 and 12 minutes. It is a suitable type of pasta to cook if you have enough time. Do you have a little less time to cook? Then choose to use a different type of pasta. Fortunately, there are a number of useful tips and tricks to cook the pasta faster. You can read these tips in our blog: "How to cook pasta quickly". Torchiette is cooked in the following steps: Use a large saucepan to cook the torchietteUse a large pan, the larger the better. The torchiette must be able to move around in the pan. This will prevent the torchiette from sticking together. Fill the large saucepan with 75% hot water, using hot water will save time as the water will take less time to boil. Want to save a lot of time? Then use a kettle so the water is already boiling. Add some salt to the waterMake your pasta dish more delicious by adding a little extra salt to the boiling water. The salt gives the flavors in a dish an extra boost. This makes all the flavors more intense and delicious! Be careful, because too much salt can ruin your dish. We keep a guideline of about 10 grams of salt per 3 liters of water. You can read more about pasta cooking and salt in our blog: 'Cooking pasta with or without salt?' Do not use a lid when cooking torchietteBy not using a lid the cooking water will not foam. For this reason, we always recommend not using a lid. It is also easier to keep the pasta moving this way. Read more about this in our next tip. Keep the torchiette movingLike any pasta, torchiette has a tendency to stick together. Keeping the pasta moving will prevent this from happening. Stir every minute with a spaghetti spoon in the pan. In this way you keep the torchiette moving sufficiently. Taste the torchiette before pouring.If you want to know whether the torchiette is good, it is wise to taste it. You do this before pouring off the pasta, so you can determine whether it is necessary to cook it longer. In addition, you can immediately taste whether you have put enough salt in the water. You can choose to add some more salt to taste. Add the torchiette to the pasta sauce right awayIn Italy, they always add the pasta to the pasta sauce right away. This makes it less likely that the lumaconi will stick together. By doing this, you never have to deal with sticky pasta. This is a good tip that we would like to pass on to you! How long should you cook torchiette? Torchiette is a pasta that you cook in about 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Always look carefully at the packaging of the pasta to find out the exact cooking time. If you stick to this, you will see that the pasta is cooked just right! Do you want torchiette with a bit more of a bite? Then cook the pasta 'al dente'. You do this by cooking the pasta one minute shorter than the indicated cooking time on the package. Here's a tip: taste a lot while cooking! You can read more tips on how to do this in our blog: "How to cook pasta al dente". How much torchiette do you need per person? The number of grams of torchiette you need for your recipe varies depending on the dish you are making. The fuller the pasta sauce, the less pasta you will need to use. In general, we always keep about 100 grams of pasta per person. If you are a large or small eater you can choose to adjust the number of grams. We also recommend adjusting the quantity to the sauce you are making. Are you opting for a hearty, well-filled sauce? Then use a little less pasta, like 80 grams per person. We understand that determining the right amount of pasta per person can be tricky, but if you're having trouble figuring out how much pasta you need, read more about the quantities on our blog: How much pasta do you cook per person? To overview