How to keep pasta fresh after cooking

QUESTION: What is the best way to refrigerate cooked pasta? How long will it last? — Ann Seeloff, Lake Orion.

ANSWER: Store plain (no sauce or other ingredients) cooked pasta in a container or plastic sealable bag in the refrigerate for up to five days and up to three months in the freezer. Some sources put the freezer time at two weeks. But I've successfully frozen cooked pasta longer than two weeks without any effect on quality or taste.

If you plan on cooking more pasta than you need or cooking it ahead of time to use in recipes where it will be reheated, it's a good idea to slightly under-cook the pasta.

Once the pasta is cooked (see cooking method below), drain it well in a colander. Some sources say to rinse it before storing. I've stored rinsed and not rinsed pasta in the refrigerator and freezer with the same results.

Before storing, make sure the cooked pasta isn't superhot when you add it to the plastic bag. And once you do put it in the bag, don't seal it. Wait a few more minutes until the pasta is cooled. Before sealing or covering with a lid, drizzle the pasta with a little olive oil, which prevents it from clumping together.

If freezing, it's a good idea to store the pasta in portion sizes you will use.

Place the pasta in the refrigerator or freezer. When ready to use it from the refrigerator, reheat the pasta in boiling water or use it as directed in your recipe. You also can heat it in the microwave on high for a few minutes.

COOKING PASTA:

Do you cook your pasta in a big pot of boiling salted water? Me too, always have. That's the way it's recommended in many Italian cookbooks and in the directions on packages or boxes of pasta. And that's the way I've answered readers: cook pasta in lots of seasoned boiling water. But could it be we've been being wasteful all this time and doing it all wrong? A month or so ago on social media someone shared a video deeming so. It was by Harold McGee, who writes about the chemistry of food and cooking.

In the video, McGee puts a good amount of dry spaghetti in a large, shallow skillet or frying pan. He adds cold water (about 11/2 quarts — not the typical 4 to 6 quarts called for in most directions) to just about cover the pasta and brings it to a boil. The cold water, McGee says, prevents the pasta from sticking together. While there is a little effort in that you have to keep stirring the pasta, the method saves water and energy. I tried it and it does work. And any residual starchy liquid left in the pan can be added to your sauce.

After a youtube.com search, I found McGee's 2009 Curious Cook column in the New York Times on this subject with this explanation:

"Why can pasta cook normally in a small volume of water that starts out cold? Because the noodles absorb water only very slowly at temperatures much below the boil, so little happens to them in the few minutes it takes for the water to heat up."

Contact Susan Selasky: 313-222-6432 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SusanMariecooks.

Lemon Spaghetti

Serves: 4 (6 side-dish servings) / Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

One of the easiest pasta dishes you'll ever make, this is great as a light meal or as a side dish, especially for grilled fish. It's terrific hot or cold.

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 large lemons)

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 pound dried spaghetti

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set the lemon sauce aside.

(The sauce can be made up to 8 hours ahead. If you do so, cover and refrigerate it, then bring it back to room temperature before you use it.)

Meanwhile, place the spaghetti in a large skillet and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook, while stirring, until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Most of the water will absorb.

Drain the spaghetti, reserving any cooking liquid in the skillet.

Add the spaghetti to the lemon sauce and toss it with the basil and lemon zest.

Add reserved cooking liquid to moisten it.

Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer it to bowls and serve.

Adapated from "Everyday Italian" by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter, $30).

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

532 calories (48% from fat), 29 grams fat (5 grams sat. fat), 54 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams protein, 516 mg sodium, 9 mg cholesterol, 197 mg calcium, 3 grams fiber.

Pasta is quick cooking, versatile, and totally beloved. Kids might even gobble up their veggies if they’re tossed with pasta! And if you have pre-cooked pasta waiting the refrigerator for you, you can whip up a family meal or turn pasta into a hearty lunch in minutes.

I’ve already shared my five easy steps for how to cook pasta perfectly, a simple technique that helps you get it right (and tastier!) each and every time. But did you know that you can also pre-cook pasta ahead of time? Without ending up with soggy mess?

It’s true. And I’ll tell you how.

How to Cook Pasta Ahead of Time

I used to believe that you had to cook pasta to-order for it to come out well, but it turns out that’s not true. You can par-cook pasta up to five days ahead and still serve perfectly al dente pasta the night of. Here’s how:

1

Boil Water.

Bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Use 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 gallon of water per 1 pound of pasta (you can reduce the salt if necessary for health reasons). Do not add oil to the water!

2

Cook Pasta.

Add pasta to the boiling water, stir, then begin measuring your cooking time. Cook pasta for half of the time indicated on the package.

3

Drain Pasta & Store Cooking Water.

Drain the pasta saving about 1 cup of cooking water. If using a pot with a perforated insert, pull out the insert and use a mug to scoop some of the remaining water. If you don’t have an insert, use a mug to scoop out the pasta cooking water before turning the pasta into a colander. Store the cooking water in the refrigerator for as long as you keep the pasta, up to 5 days.

DO NOT RINSE DRAINED PASTA!

4

Prep and Store Pasta.

Drizzle the pasta with a little bit of olive oil, 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil per pound of pasta. Toss to coat and spread the pasta in a single layer on a sheet pan to cool.

Once completely cooled, put the pasta in an airtight container or ziplock bag for storage in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

5

Reheat.

If possible, start with a pasta sauce that’s been left a little bit runny. Add sauce to a wide, high-sided pan set over medium heat and, once hot, add pasta and some reserved cooking water; the starch from the cooking water will help the sauce adhere to the pasta. The amount of water that you use will vary depending on the type of sauce: start with a few big splashes and add up to 1 full cup to achieve desired consistency.

Toss, toss, and toss some more until the pasta and sauce are heated through and your sauce is exactly the consistency you want. Remove pasta from heat and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and, if you’re using it, grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: To reheat a large amount of pasta (over 1 lb; like if you’re having a dinner party), start by dunking pre-cooked pasta in boiling water for 30 seconds, then continue the directions above as written.

How do I cook pasta ahead of time and keep it warm?

How do you keep leftover pasta from drying out?

How do you store cooked and reheat pasta?

Should you let pasta cool before refrigerating?