All posts tagged: pasta

Prego Pivots From Budget-Tier Pasta Sauce to Small Microphones That Listen to Your Family’s Intimate Conversations

Prego Pivots From Budget-Tier Pasta Sauce to Small Microphones That Listen to Your Family’s Intimate Conversations

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Ever sit down at an awkward family dinner and think to yourself: “You know what this conversation needs? A device that records all of our painful attempts at small talk and the weird noises we make when we eat.” Prego, the company that makes cheap — and according to the taste buds of many gourmands, overly sweet — pasta sauce, has the answer to your prayers. On Monday, the Campbell’s Soup-owned brand announced a new hockey puck-shaped device, called the “Connection Keeper,” designed for documenting dinner table exchanges so that they may be preserved for all time. If this lofty mission seems beyond the ken of Prego, the device was developed in collaboration with StoryCorps, a nonprofit dedicated to interviewing everyday Americans and preserving these conversations. The device, which resembles the lid of one of Prego’s pasta jars, seems to be more of a one-off doodad than an indicator that Prego is making a serious foray into being …

Creamy, Cajun-spiced stovetop pasta – Salon.com

Creamy, Cajun-spiced stovetop pasta – Salon.com

Published by Sam Flores

I have a confession, and it is not particularly chic: Twice a year, like clockwork, I crave Cajun chicken pasta. Not the kind you get at a tiny restaurant with exposed brick and a chef who forages. I mean the laminated-menu version. The one that appears alongside onion petals, Monte Cristos and a molten chocolate lava cake that arrives under a small weather system of powdered sugar. It is a dish born of abundance and branding — creamy, bronzed, a little breathless. If it’s been a while since you’ve encountered one in the wild (say, beneath the animatronic canopy of a Rainforest Cafe) allow me to refresh your memory. Cajun chicken pasta is essentially Alfredo in a leather jacket: fettuccine or penne, blackened or “blackened” chicken, a confetti of peppers and scallions, and a liberal snowfall of Cajun seasoning. It promises swagger. It delivers dairy. And when it’s good? It is deeply, almost embarrassingly satisfying. Creamy in a way that feels intentional, smoky in a way that feels tantalizing, a little spicy, a little indulgent …

You Should Cook Pasta In Cold Water, Chefs Say

You Should Cook Pasta In Cold Water, Chefs Say

Published by Sam Flores

First came the news that I’m not putting enough water into my pasta pot. Then, I found out that, despite Gordon Ramsay’s advice, there really is no place for olive oil in the cooking liquid. But those seem tame compared to a more recent revelation: it turns out some chefs, including Alton Brown, swear by starting their pasta off in cold water. This, he claims, leads to “quicker cook times and extra-starchy pasta water that’s perfect for finishing sauces”. In fact, Brown said, “although I may be blocked from ever entering Italy again for saying this: I have come to prefer the texture of dry pasta started in cold water”. Why would cooking pasta in cold water be better? The chef wrote that it has multiple benefits. First of all, he said, it means the pasta boils at the same time as the water does – that saves you time compared to boiling the water on its own and then letting the pasta cook in it. As he said before, the pasta also releases more …

The bubbling beauty of baked pasta | Food

The bubbling beauty of baked pasta | Food

Published by Sam Flores

The other day, I climbed the communal stairs and opened the front door to the smell of cheese on toast. A welcome aroma made even more welcome when I realised that it was actually the tips of pasta tubes turning golden among grated cheese and creamy bechamel sauce. To add to the pleasant scene, my partner, Vincenzo, was washing up. Because that is the thing about pasta al forno – baked pasta – the time between finishing the construction and the eating is around about 25 minutes. That is, exactly the right amount of time to wash up and wipe up, or delegate those tasks to someone else while you make a salad and open a bottle of wine. There are few things as beautiful, inviting and complete as baked pasta and a clean kitchen. The baked-pasta galaxy is a big one, with many stars. Ann and Franco Taruschio provide a brilliant recipe for a classic lasagne bolognese, made with fresh pasta, a rich (but not tomato-rich) ragu and parmesan-enriched bechamel. While their recipe is …

This is how to cook the perfect bowl of pasta every time, according to scientists

This is how to cook the perfect bowl of pasta every time, according to scientists

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Whether you prefer your spaghetti al dente or soothingly soft, it can be difficult to achieve perfection at home. Many of us will have experienced our pasta disintegrating into a beige mush – particularly for gluten-free alternatives. So, how much water and salt do you really need, and how long do you cook it for if you want optimal results? What’s more, how should you amend your cooking process when using gluten-free pasta? A recent study my colleagues and I conducted, published in Food Hydrocolloids, has provided answers by unveiling the physics behind the cooking process. Turning to the Diamond light source, the UK’s national synchrotron (a circular particle accelerator) facility, we studied the scattering of X-rays off pasta (at low angles) to uncover its internal structure. Then we went to Isis and to the Institute Laue Langevin, which are neutron …