Cooking Related Questions

Always use plenty of water when cooking pasta – at least one quart of water for every quarter pound of pasta. Be sure to use a large enough pot to allow the pasta plenty of room to cook properly. The typical procedure for cooking pasta is to bring 6-8 quarts of water to a boil; add salt; add the pasta, and cook according to the package directions. For our Pronto, no boil, no drain pasta, cook entire box of pasta with 3 cups of water in one pan, over high heat. Typical cooking time for Pronto pasta is about 10 minutes, but please refer to instructions on the package for complete cooking time. Draining is not needed.

Salt is always used in preparing pasta in Italy. A touch of salt in the water brings out the flavor of the pasta. Sea salt is recommend since it is a natural product that enhances the flavor without creating salty-tasting pasta. If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, the salt may be omitted.

Adding oil to the pasta water does not stop pasta from sticking together. Using Barilla's high-quality pasta and using the correct proportion of water to pasta ratio will prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Pasta provides steady energy.  Cooking pasta perfectly ‘al dente’ (still slightly firm) allows you to reap the full benefits of pasta’s already strong ability to increase satiety, delaying hunger pangs and providing fuel for working muscles long after meals. Due to the special protein structure of traditional pasta dough, pasta has a low to medium glycemic index (GI) value depending on the cut, which means that the body digests it more slowly than most other carbohydrates. That’s true for pasta that’s made from either soft or hard wheat. To keep the GI value low, cook your pasta to ‘al dente.’

Pasta should not be rinsed after cooking. This method was utilized to rinse excess starch off the pasta. When poor-quality wheat is used, the pasta releases too much starch and sticks together. Because Barilla pasta is made with high-quality durum wheat, the natural starches released from our pasta complement the pasta meal. These starches allow the sauce to adhere to the pasta better.

You may prepare lasagne up to 24 hours in advance without baking it.  Prepare and store the lasagne in the refrigerator at or below 40 degrees F.  Since the lasagne will be cold it will require a longer baking time, approximately 60 minutes at 375 degrees F.  If your recipe calls for egg, the cooking time will be approximately 1 hour and 10 – 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Make sure the internal temperature reaches at least 160 degrees F.

For best results, we recommend that you do not bake the lasagna before freezing. You may assemble the lasagna in a freezer safe/oven safe container, cover tightly and freeze.  When you are ready to bake the lasagna, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes.  If your recipe calls for egg, the baking time will be approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Make sure the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.