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Basic Types | Flavors and Colors | Pasta Shapes | Pasta Sauces Pasta is a basic staple ingredient used in cooking. It is available in hundreds of shapes worldwide and in many different flavors.

Soup pasta consists of pasta shapes that range in size from small to very tiny. The larger of the soup pastas are used in thicker based soups and the tiny and smaller pasta shapes are used in light or broth based soups.

When shopping for pasta there are several details that you need to consider to be assured of purchasing the quantity, quality and type of pasta or pasta ingredients to satisfy your needs.

There are a large variety of pasta shapes and noodles available. When selecting the variety of pasta you are going to purchase, you must consider the size and shape of the pasta and which varieties will go best with the sauce or dish you are preparing.

Most pastas have a similar flavor but when the sauce is added, the pasta and sauce create their own unique flavor. There are many types of sauces that can be used but some go better with certain types of pasta than others.

Pasta was once considered to be fattening and have very little nutritional value. Nutritional experts now realize the value of pasta in our diet. Grain based foods, such as pasta, are a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates.

When making homemade pasta you will need to decide what type of flour you want to use. If making a flavored pasta that requires something other than a different variety of flour, you will need to purchase the necessary flavoring agent.

Generally the color of the pasta is a result from the flavoring agent used in the pasta. The taste from the flavoring agents is most often fairly mild. Shown below are some of the most common flavoring agents and how to add them to your homemade pasta.

 

Boiling is one of the easiest methods for cooking rice. The grain is cooked uncovered in a large quantity of water. The rice and water are then dumped into a colander and drained for several minutes to remove the excess moisture.

A wok, which has deep tapered sides, is a traditional type pan used for stir-frying. A wok works well but is not a necessity. A nonstick deep skillet also works very well. If rice noodles or mung bean noodles are going to be added to the stir-fry, they are sometimes deep-fried in the wok or deep skillet first and then set aside while other ingredients are stir-fried according to the recipe.

Use the charts below to help determine how much to buy of the foods listed below when preparing a meal or a recipe for a specific number of people. Pasta Buying Guide | Rice Buying Guide | Egg Buying Guide | Meat Buying Guides Pasta Buying Guide The quantities in the chart below are approximates only.

Noodles are fried to produce a crisp textured noodle. Frying can be accomplished by the use of two different methods, pan-frying and deep-frying. Both methods work on the principle of using hot oil to fry the noodles.

A wok, which has deep tapered sides, is a traditional type pan used for stir-frying. A wok works well but is not a necessity. A nonstick deep skillet also works very well. If rice noodles or mung bean noodles are going to be added to the stir-fry, they are sometimes deep-fried in the wok or deep skillet first and then set aside while other ingredients are stir-fried according to the recipe.

crock pot, slow cooking

Use this ingredient equivalent chart to find out how much of an ingredient you need when your recipe suggests an unfamiliar quantity. A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - PQ - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z  N - Ingredients Ingredient Amount Equivalents Navy Beans, dried 1 lb.