Reviving Cold Spaghetti

Filed in archive Tricks & Techniques on September 21, 2006

I've always thought this practice was common until a friend asked me how I make use of leftover spaghetti. Hmmm... I told her that I eat it much later.

Well, I am really not that averse to eating spaghetti straight from the refrigerator (think comfort food) but I prefer it at least warm especially if the sauce has beef.

For the novices in the kitchen, the rule is (ideally) pasta has to be served freshly cooked but who hasn't had leftover spaghetti in the kitchen? So, what to do? Revive it!

Doing it is as simple as boiling water. That's about it.

Steps:

• In a pot, get some water boiling.


• Place the cold spaghetti in a colander or strainer that can be submerged in the boiling water.


• Immerse the spaghetti in the boiling water, shake the colander a bit then take it out of the water.

Make sure the pasta is just blanched, just loosened from sticking together. Immersing it in the water for a long time will overcook it.

An alternative method if you do not have a colander or strainer that can be immersed in boiling water is to turn off the fire as soon as the water boils, then drop the pasta in it. In quick motions, partly covering the pot then pouring out the water on the sink. Rinse the pasta lightly with cold water to stop it from overcooking.