Discover the Perfect Recipe for Rich and Creamy Egg Noodles with a Buttered Twist.

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Whether accompanying a beef stroganoff or serving as a quick and easy side dish, buttered noodles are a tasty solution to any meal.

Which Type of Noodles to Choose:

• Introduction to Egg Noodles:

Egg noodles are similar to regular pasta, but they contain a higher proportion of egg to flour. The egg offers a richer taste to the noodles.

As with any pasta, it is best to cook egg noodles in a large pot of salted water. Begin by bringing the water to a boil and then adding salt – a generous amount is recommended. Once the water is seasoned, add your noodles.

The reason for using a large pot of water is to ensure that the temperature remains hot after adding the pasta. Additionally, this allows both the noodles and water to flow, ensuring a more even cook.

Once you add the pasta, stir it for a short time. When the noodles first enter the water, they may stick together, but stirring regularly and using a large pot of boiling water will prevent this.

Once the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Finding the ideal temperature may require some tinkering, but the end result should be a pot that is bubbling but not boiling.

For my stovetop, after I reduce the heat to low, I stir the pot from time to time and adjust the heat. I raise the temperature to medium-low if the water stops bubbling altogether.

Stir the simmering noodles every minute or so until they reach your desired level of tenderness (as indicated on the pasta packaging).

I set the timer for the shortest cook time suggested by the pasta packaging. For instance, if the instructions say to “simmer for 8-10 minutes,” I set a timer for 8 minutes once the water and pasta have come to a boil. Then, I check the noodles.

Once the noodles reach the desired tenderness, place a large colander into a clean sink. Next, pour the pasta and water into the colander.

You will usually discard most of the water, but some recipes require you to keep some of it. If your recipe calls for keeping some of the water, use a measuring cup with a handle to scoop out the desired amount of water before you drain off the rest. Reserve it until your recipe requires you to use it.

Recipes that call for you to retain some of the pasta water often request that you add it to the sauce. Pasta water is seasoned with salt and slightly thickened, making it a useful addition to the sauce. If your sauce is too thick, adding a bit of pasta water will thin it out with seasoned hot water.

Once you have drained the pasta, add it back to the empty pot. I use a pot with a very heavy bottom, as it retains heat exceptionally well. This means that it continues to cook items, even when off the heat. If I put the drained pasta back into the same pot, the heat from the bottom causes the pasta to stick to the pot badly.

Before placing the pasta back into my pot, I rinse the bottom of the pot with a small amount of cool tap water. This cools the pot's bottom enough that the pasta will not stick, but the pot remains warm enough to keep the pasta warm for a few extra minutes.

Once you have finished boiling the pasta and brought it back to the pot, you can proceed with your recipe.

Various techniques exist for identifying whether pasta is perfectly cooked. I've heard of the method where people hurl their noodles against a wall to check if it sticks – perhaps indicating that it's done? However, I have never experimented with this and prefer the simpler method of tasting the pasta.

In simple steps, once the pasta is boiling on the stove, I set a timer to the lowest time specified on the packaging. If the label says 8-10 minutes, I set my timer for 8 minutes. When the timer goes off, I use a wooden spoon to snatch a noodle from the pot. After cooling it down by blowing on it, I taste it. If it's the desired texture, I drain the pot. But if the noodle is not soft enough, I let it cook for an additional minute before testing again.

Bear in mind that if you're preparing any recipe where the pasta will be settling in sauce for a while, you may want to undercook it slightly. Slightly undercooking the pasta will allow it to absorb and soften in the sauce.

For baked pasta or pasta salad, I typically set my timer for one minute less (e.g., 7 minutes in our current example), and then I taste it. If it's a bit less soft than the texture I prefer, I'll strain it then.

After draining your noodles, add butter, diced into ¼ inch chunks. Smaller butter chunks melt faster. Stir together until butter spreads evenly through the noodles.

Finally, sample the pasta and decide whether anything more needs to be added. In my case, I like tossing in a bit more salt and pepper. A dash of chopped, fresh Italian parsley also adds a nice touch. I find that flat-leaf, Italian-style parsley tastes better than the curly parsley often used for decoration. If you're in the mood for a bit of garlic flavor, you can also add garlic powder.

And that's it – you've cooked your noodles to perfection! Now, where did that beef stroganoff go? lol

Christine

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