Welcome to the Whole Grain Pasta Cooking School! In this space we share tips and strategies for cooking whole grain pasta in a school foodservice environment. Today’s lesson is: every minute counts!

You probably already know about Chef Bruno’s 5-minute rule for par-cooking pasta. With such a short span of time, it makes sense that the little things matter in order to avoid overcooking your whole grain pasta. Here’s a detail we find many cooks (and chefs too!) are overlooking in their Standard Operating Procedures…every minute counts! Every minute your pasta is in hot liquid – whether it’s water or sauce – it’s cooking. This includes:

The time it takes to drain a tilt-skillet or large steam kettle

Time spent in a hot box or warmer

Time in a steam table on the lunch line

You often can’t avoid using steam tables or holding cooking pasta and sauce; but you should limit the time it spends there as much as possible. Add cooled par-cooked pasta to heated sauce in batches shortly before service, and it will finish cooking right there in the sauce.

If you have a specific question about whole grain pasta cooking procedures, send us a note at [email protected]

Buon Appetito!