The Secrets of Rice Pasta

Have you ever cooked rice pasta and ended up with a pile of mush? Or noodles that were soggy enough it was hard to choke them down? I discovered that timing is EVERYTHING with rice pasta. The amount of water you use is also really important. You need to have a ratio of 1:6 of pasta to water. That's a lot of water! But it will keep the pasta from sticking together. As I said in another post, I buy Trader Joes rice pasta because it's about half the price of other ones. And if I cook it just right, my gluten tolerant kids gobble them down without thinking twice.  For example, Trader Joes pasta says 8 minutes. I set the timer for 8 minutes and then watch it like a hawk. I try one at 8 minutes and if it doesn't taste chewy like a wheat noodle, I wait just a little bit more (maybe 30 seconds) and try again. Try not to get distracted, because that can make you miss the window of opportunity here. I keep trying them until they are just right. Another tip is adding some oil after you drop the noodles and stirring them once or twice to keep them from sticking together (and they like to stick). Rachael Ray says the best time to salt the pasta is when you drop it, so I do that as well. A tablespoon or two is a good amount. (2 for a lot of water, 1 for not so much).  Keep the temperature hot and bring the pasta back up to a boil before you lower the temperature to medium and let it simmer.  Before you drain the pasta take out a little of the starch from the water. Put this back on the pasta after you drain and rinse it. It will help your sauce stick to the pasta. So, drain it and then rinse it with cold water. You will see the pasta perk right up after you rinse it.  Rice pasta doesn't re-heat the best, but getting your hand wet and drizzling the water over the pasta before you nuke it definitely helps.

Note: If you keep track of how much time it takes for that brand of pasta, and write it down, the next time you buy that kind you can more easily set a timer and know it will be done. It really varies by pasta, and the directions are often deceiving!