How should one go about reheating pasta?

Question

Ok, so, I know the answer, "You shouldn't, because it's easy to make it fresh."

But on occasion, I end up making too much pasta, not having enough sauce, etc. and the pasta gets stowed in a tupperware awaiting a secondcoming. Usually it just ends up being packed for lunch and eaten cold. But on those other occasions, when I may like to have it warmed up and served with a sauce of some kind, what would be the best way to go about doing so?

I haven't really experimented yet, but thought maybe putting the pasta in a steamer basket could work well? Has anybody tried this? thoughts?

Answer 1

easiest way is to mix it with the sauce and heat both up together. Usually I'd do this in a pan, but you could use a microwave.

If you have to heat the pasta up on its own, what I usually do is do it in a pan and add a little boiling water, just a couple of tablespoons, enough to stop it sticking, and keep stirring until its warmed through. If it starts to stick add a little more water.

You could do this in a microwave I'd bet, but I don't have one.

Answer 2

For small amounts, I have good luck reheating pasta in the microwave with a little butter or your choice of sauce. The moist heat does a good job of allowing the starch granules to soften back up.

Answer 3

I tend to like leftover pasta for breakfast. Yes I am weird. I just heat some butter in a pan, add the pasta, and toss until hot. Maybe some parm or grano padano sprinkled over. It's delicious.

Otherwise I reheat in the sauce (so the slightly dried pasta can re-absorb some liquid) in a slow pan until ready.

Answer 4

In our previous restaurant, there was no way we could cool the pasta fresh for our lunch and supper rush hours. So here's what we did in a nutshell:

• Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 5 minutes (way before aldente)
• put the pasta, and enough water to cover in a container and throw the container in an ice bath for a few minutes ( rechange the ice of necessary)
• put in the fridge.

When you want your lovely pasta: - Drain as much as you need - add 1 to 2tbsp of the pasta water to your application

Answer 5

I've steamed my pasta -- in fact, it's how I reheated pasta during my years of living without a microwave.

The important part is to not overcook the pasta in the first go through -- pull it when it's al-dente; I'd also toss in some oil or butter so the pasta wouldn't stick together, as you want the pasta loose in the steamer, not a giant glob of fused pasta.

I'd get it most of the way heated through, and then finish it in the sauce. On days I was lazy, if it wasn't a really thick pasta, I'd just heat up the sauce, and put the pasta in for a minute or less to reheat. The important part was that the pasta was oiled so it wasn't a giant lump, and the sauce could get in there to heat the pasta up.

Answer 6

I put it in a plastic storage bag (quart or gallon) and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depends on amount I'm heating) and do not seal the bag. This works great and you can store it in the same bag.

Answer 7

If it is a lot of pasta I add an inch or so water to the bottom of my pasta pan and reheat it slowly, stirring occassionally, it usually takes just a couple of minutes to heat. If it is just for me I pop it in the microwave with a little ketchup, I tried adding additional sauce and the microwave always tends to dry it out not so with ketchup.

Answer 8

You could also make any kind of leftover pasta dish like a gratin or a frittata.

Answer 9

• Use a half cup of water to one cup of leftover pasta you intend to plate.
• Drop desired amount of leftover pasta into appropriate amount of salted/oiled rolling-boil water for 30 seconds (use 1 tsp of EVOO). If you're reheating more than 4 cups of pasta, increase boil time to 45 seconds.
• Drain immediately and serve with favorite sauce or topping.