The Pasta Cooking Instructions You Should Ignore | Techniquely with Lan Lam

Why do package directions on fresh store-bought pasta lead to overcooked, gummy results? Lan Lam breaks down the food science of fresh versus dried pasta, and explains why you should completely ignore the instructions on the box to get the best results. Lan shows how to make silky Chinese sesame noodles with a rich chili-sesame dressing, crispy pan-fried gnocchi with a fresh tomato-zucchini sauce, and perfectly cooked, perfectly sauced fresh Italian pasta.

Liang Mian (Chilled Sesame Noodles) Recipe: https://cooks.io/4xi02ar
Crispy Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Feta Recipe: https://cooks.io/4e3PhQ0

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39 Comments

  1. That gnocchi recipe looks wonderful. I will definitely try it! Back in the 1980’s my dad’s secretary, who we all loved, asked my dad for an “Italian” recipe; her Baptist Church was having a barbecue or homecoming and she wanted to take something different. So my dad gave her a gnocchi recipe (I don’t remember what it was, but the recipe did not involve actually hand making gnocchi). On Monday morning she reported that the ga-nockies where a huge hit! She didn’t have a single ga-nockie to take home!

  2. I think that the headline didn't prepare me for it being only about fresh pasta. As a dried pasta consumer, there is one instruction I have always ignored; I never salt the water.

  3. I don’t know anyone who has a fridge large enough to cool noodles on a sheet pan. I would have to clear out my fridge to cool noodles on a sheet pan. I would love to try this but there’s just no way.

  4. I love the idea of using a healthy amount of oil when sauteing the gnocchi . I'd probably reduce the oil by a tablespoon after browning and before the vegetables but your technique is great.

  5. I LOL'ed at the 10 minute mark where three seasonings were individually added to the food being cooked. I understand that it was done that way to make the point that there were three seasonings being added to the food. However, if I saw someone actually do that, rather than mixing all three seasonings together and adding the mix, I would wonder if the person doing that was a moron. I love these types of videos but they tend to encourage bad habits.

  6. Sorry, I don't drain my pasta. I put the pasta into the sauce. It is absorbed better that way. The title of the video says that this is about pasta, but you spend most of your time talking about Chinese Noodles and not pasta.

  7. Is this a northern version of liang mian? My wife's a southerner and hers doesn't have sesame at all (and is spicy).

  8. I've actually made a ton of cacio e pepe using fresh pasta. It works great because the water is ridiculously starchy, which in turn helps the cheese melt into the sauce properly.
    Tried with both semolina-only and egg noodles.

  9. the part about draining the noodles, tossing with sesame oil and spreading them out on a sheet pan felt like an error in the matrix

  10. The Chinese noodle advice is so incredibly helpful. Sesame noodles are a dish I’ve been making recently and loving. I’ve been rapidly boiling the noodles and using tahini. I was well aware I was probably not doing it quite right but the results were delicious anyway so I’m excited to see what happens with those changes.

  11. Weirdly poor editing on this video compared to the norm, and I was pretty excited about the concept of the video, but felt like it was misleading. Sesame noodles and gnocchi are pasta, but on the outskirts of what someone may think of when reading the title.

  12. Is there a cooking equivalent to comic con? Because if there is I would love to meet Lan there. And Brigit and Julia and Dan and Brian, but mostly Lan. Thank you.

  13. Lan is the best presenter on ATK !!! MORE LAN !!
    I was looking through ATK videos and would like one on the best salad tongs. I saw grill tongs and such, but nothing for salad tongs. New segment please !?

  14. We do not like the taste of green bell peppers. What other peppers could I use without ruining the flavor?

  15. Не только лапша, бабушка учила меня доливать холодную воду при варке пельменей

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