Hot Tip: 7 easy, tasty tips to cooking pasta

Whether it's eaten alongside a sauce, or eaten alone in a 'jollof' format, pasta is a hot favourite of ours.

Macaroni, spaghetti...we love all things pasta as they provide the much needed va va voom to meals with very little effort.

Whether it's eaten alongside a sauce, or eaten alone in a 'jollof' format, pasta is a hot favourite of ours.

Here are 7 great tips to cooking pasta.

 

1. Boil your vegetables - such as onions, alongside your pasta to give an added flavour.

2. Save some of the water from boiling your pasta and add it to your sauce (Especially if you've boiled the pasta alongside vegetables) for a silkier, creamier sauce.

3. For non-sticky pasta, soak dry noodles in cold water until they are flexible (this could take about 90 minutes) then transfer them into a pot of salted water and boil for a minute.

4. To cook pasta in a microwave, add one cup of water to a cup of pasta, and microwave it for 6-8 minutes.

5. According to Food writer, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, only 1.8 liters of water is required to cook 0.45 kg of pasta.

6. For extra flavor, toast your pasta in a little olive oil before adding any other liquid.

7. Did you know leftover pasta can be used to make a salad or even pancakes? For salad, mix warm water with brown sugar, then beat the mixture in peanut butter, lime juice and soy sauce. Fold the pasta in and garnish with chili (red pepper) flakes. For pancakes, first saute onion and zucchini in olive oil. For batter, beat eggs, pecorino cheese and some veggies; add the leftover pasta, mix well and season with salt. Finally cook batter in batches until they turn golden brown and are slightly crispy.