Pasta in restaurants

[avocadosammich]

How do restaurants prep dry pasta? It seems that it would take so long to boil the pasta as orders come in. Is there a trick for this?

[Anneke]

Most restaurants pre-cook pasta until about 2 minutes to al dente. They then cool the pasta on oiled baking trays and reboil them quickly at service time.

[Suzanne]

Anneke is 100% correct. Usually, there will be either a well in the cooktops that is kept just below boiling, or the responsible line cook will have a large pot of boiling water (refreshed as it boils down). As orders come in, a portion of par-cooked pasta is put in a receptable (that looks like a bain with lots of holes, with a handle) and dunked in the re-cooking bath. When it's done, it's pulled out, allowed to drain briefly, and then dumped into the saute pan with the sauce and other ingredients. Plated, finished with whatever, and ready to go.

[avocadosammich]

Interesting! I have always wondered, thank you!

[kuan]

I've never liked that dump in hot water to reheat method. Something about being impatient and not letting the pasta drain properly. I've always preferred heating it in the sauce. In the "old" days, they used to keep the pasta in cold water and whenever they needed some they just fished it out! I'm glad we know better now

Kuan

[chiffonade]

We par cooked it so it was bendable, then finish it in the pan with the sauce. This way the diner didn't have to wait the full cooking time but wouldn't be served a dish of mush.