Hints and Tips

Pasta

  • Boil between 4 and 6 quarts of water for each pound of dry pasta ( For most packages of Vita-Spelt pastas you will be boiling about 2 quarts ).
  • If the dish will require further cooking, such as a casserole, cut the cooking time on the directions by up to 1/3.
  • Some find it useful to place a spoonful of olive oil on the water before adding the pasta, this can help the pasta from sticking or "clumping".
  • DO NOT try the trick of tossing a noodle at the ceiling. The tradition is that if it sticks, the pasta is done. The trouble is that it is hard to clean if you forget and leave it stuck, it may tend to pull off the paint with it (this applies to all pastas, not just ours).
  • Taste the pasta to determine if it is done (CAREFUL, IT'S HOT). Perfectly cooked pasta should be "al dente," or firm to the bite, yet cooked through. Just before it’s reached this state you will notice a small, lighter color in the center of the noodle, this portion is still undercooked, and slightly dry.
  • For sauces served hot, such as spaghetti, we suggest that you DO NOT rinse after draining. Rinsing may tend to wash off delicate starches that help to hold the sauce to the noodles. The only times to rinse would be for cold dishes or if you are not going to sauce and serve immediately ... But the joy of Fresh Pasta Dishes is to serve ASAP.

Some general guidelines for estimating the measuring of dry vs. cooked pasta

  • 8 oz. uncooked small to medium pasta shapes = 4 cups cooked (Examples: Elbows, Small Shells, Medium Shells, Rotini )
  • 8 oz. uncooked long pasta shapes = 4 cups cooked (1 1/2-inch diameter bunch) (Examples: Spaghetti, Angel Hair)
  • 8 oz. uncooked egg noodles = 2 1/2 cups cooked
  • If you can spend a few minutes, make more sauce than you need for the meal at hand, after the meal, cook up another batch of pasta, drain and place in a casserole then cover with the remaining sauce. Let cool and refrigerate as a great "leftover".
    • Note: we find that Vita-Spelt elbows work wonderfully for this, if you gently shake the casserole a bit, they will fill with the sauce (this filling will depend on the thickness of the sauce, a slightly "thinner" sauce will fill better).
  • Some are not used to the taste or texture of our whole-grain pastas. Although we encourage you to give them a try, you might want to mix whole-grain and our white pasta in your dishes, a mix of 50/50 works well.
    • This also adds an interesting visual touch to your dish.

Storage

  • uncooked: can be stored for a year or more.
  • keep in a cool, dry place.
  • it makes sense to try to follow the "first-in, first-out" rule: use up packages you've had the longest before opening new packages.
  • cooked pasta : can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
  • frozen pasta dishes : should be those that are used in baked recipes, such as: lasagne and shells. You'll find that you should have better results if you prepare the recipe and freeze it before baking. Then, to bake, thaw the dish to room temperature and bake to the recipe directions.

Breads and Bread Machines

  • We have found that due to the delicate nature of the spelt gluten you MUST reduce the mixing time for VITA-SPELT to about 1/2 of what the manufacturer recommends. We recommend no more than 4 to 4.5 Min at a medium speed.
  • Furthermore, reduce the amount of water you use by 25%

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