Gear

I'm always on the lookout for quick-cook carbohydrates, and I spotted what looks to be a useful item in Tescos at the weekend.

They sell Farfallini pasta (little pasta bows). Since this is small and thin, the claimed cooking time is 4 minutes, which is comparable to noodles, etc. and much less than the usual 12 minutes for most other forms of pasta.

Also, since it's small and flattish, it's quite densely packed. And is 37p for 500g.

When I next need some pasta, I'll try cooking some, and see how long it really takes.

Of course, I can't give you a link, because Tesco insist you register to get to their online store...

Its not all that nice. Me and my mates would take it camping but its fairly dissapointing, its morel ike slime then pasta once cooked as they dont hold any shape at all. Dont expect anything amazing from it, but for the purpose of filling you up and for energy it will do the trick.

You get loads of starch slime!

Using a pot cosy can help cooking pasta too, I tried it for the first time this week in a pot cosy round my MSR Titan Kettle and it cooks pasta in the hot water without need for fueling on the stove!

Gregory, are you talking about this particular pasta (farfallini)?

I should point out that this isn't 'quick cook' pasta (i.e. pre-cooked pasta), but normal pasta that is so small and thin that it will cook quickly. It may all end up in a big lump, though, because it's small and flattish...

Jamie, yes, and the thinner the pasta, the more chance you have of being able to use a cosy, I think, as water will soak in quickly and thus be able to cook the pasta. That's one of the problems with cooking thicker pasta; simply getting water to soak in.

I've been using Tesco Farfallini for about the last 18 months or more.I tend to throw it in a pot with soup for added calories (that's the sort of thing it's really intended for isn't it?). If you simmer it for no more than 4 minutes it's fine, in fact I love it.
Quinoa cooked in chicken stock with fried garlic, salad onion flakes and some sort of salami (cacciatori) thinly sliced is quite good too.

Frederico, I'm off to the high Himal in November, do you fancy coming along as chief cook?

> I tend to throw it in a pot with soup [...] (that's the sort of thing it's really intended for isn't it?).

Ah, yes, that would make sense. Glad to hear it really does the trick in 4 minutes.

I do a similar thing to the quinoa, garlic & salami, only using cous-cous, garlic, onion, pepper and chorizo (thank you Lidl). The spiciness of the sausage adds welcome flavour.

tesco do a make of pasta called De Secco -- taglierini--cooking time 2 mins---i crush it up in my hands and carry it in a zip loc bag---bring pot of water to boil chuck in pasta ---cover with hat---its cooked when its cool enough to eat---i thought about a cozy but why bother when my hat works just as well

Careful. I have been told off ;-) on here for using my clothes as a cosy....as the smells can attract bears.....

' Gregory, are you talking about this particular pasta (farfallini)?

I should point out that this isn't 'quick cook' pasta (i.e. pre-cooked pasta), but normal pasta that is so small and thin that it will cook quickly. It may all end up in a big lump, though, because it's small and flattish... '

Yeah this is the stuff I mean. Because its so thin when its cooked and floppy, it jsut collapses and becoems slime. I had the tubular pieces type, but I would imagine its all the same, jsut extra thin pasta. Give it a go and see what you think.

I often take those pasta 'Mugshot' things - you just add boiling water and leave them to fester for a few minutes, stirring occasionally of course. Chuck in a few extras like bits of ham or summat, and they're quite nice. You may need two for a proper sized meal, though! I get them from the Co-op.

Small pack size, weigh next to nothing, ideal for backpacking.

Pasta, even one as delicate as this, doesn't turn into slime if you use a modicum of common sense when you cook it.
The obvious things for initial consideration are that it is small, thin and delicate. These properties would suggest to anyone with as little as half a brain that little cooking is necessary. The other thing you might consider is that if it turns to slime however you cook it, why would anyone want to buy it and logically from that, why, then, is it on sale?
I have never had the slime problem. Then, perhaps I'm just a brilliant cook.
;0)


"cough".
>I'll just get my tall white hat and coat on the way out then.<

Barry,
Yes I do fancy that but her indoors and my constitution both say, "No."

Not that I've tried this particular pasta, but if it turns to slime then you're cooking it for too long.

The cooking times given on packets of pasta are often highly unreliable, I always ignore them and cook until the pasta is "al dente".

I agree that the thin stuff goes from inedible to al dente to soft in 10seconds or so. So it is best to try it out at home first and to use a watch when cooking the stuff.