Attempted fried pasta without a recipe or really any idea of what I was doing at all.

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meowkitty84@reddit

My dad would reheat spaghetti Bolognese the next day by frying it with some butter. It was so good.

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Archsinner@reddit

maybe I'm the weird one but frying pasta in olive oil sounds really bad. Butter is just way better for that

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meowkitty84@reddit

Yea it makes stuff taste so good. My grandma would reheat everything by frying in butter. My grandpa did die from a heart attack at 43 though.

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DoctorJJWho@reddit

That’s actually why food at restaurants generally taste better than most online recipes - they use like 5x the amount of butter and salt than most normal recipes call for lol

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meowkitty84@reddit

Yes I heard mash potato at restaurants are like half butter and cream. I use heaps in mine and people say my mash is the best. And I'm not an amazing cook so that's a big compliment

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platypus_dissaproves@reddit

The performative wasting of food on here continues to irritate me, I don’t know why I punish myself by looking at this subreddit

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Homicidal_Duck@reddit

you guys know you don't have to figure this stuff out from base principles right? You can just Google a recipe.

For a nice, super easy aglio e olio, I like to put my pasta on to boil (tagliatelle is my fave for this) for about 8-10 mins, salting the water. Then add thinly sliced garlic to a pan with some olive oil, fry until golden brown and be careful not to burn - garlic goes acrid quite quickly. When the pasta's done, drain the water and toss the pasta with the olive oil and garlic. Add some seasonings (I like just sage, black pepper and chilli flakes the most) and you're about done.

You can also fry off half a diced onion, some peppers, and diced chicken breast for something more hearty.

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ItsOKtoFuckingSwear@reddit

People like this would probably google it and then use the AI recipe and end up with a fucked up version of pasta anyway.

Kind of blows my mind on how many people boil pasta for “an unknown amount of time”.

My husband attempted to cook pasta for himself a couple days ago. I come to the kitchen and he’s simmering ziti, it wasn’t even a boil. I asked him how long he had it in for (no timer set on the stove) and he goes “I dunno?”.

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Sad-Ear230@reddit

This is r/shittyfoodporn in case you don't know

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SFDessert@reddit

There seems to be 2 kinds of people in this world. People who somehow fuck up cooking pasta and the rest of us.

How hard is it to set a fucking timer and stir the pot once or twice over the course of a few minutes?

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rorschach_blots@reddit

tbf that's fine so long as they know to bite test the pasta? i never used to time my pasta (i do now) and i'd just do a bite test

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OnetimeRocket13@reddit

I always use the bite test. Every time a box of pasta says "boil for X minutes," it's never done, even at a full boil. I now just use the X minutes as a ballpark for when I should start checking and judging whether it's cooked or not.

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

I have a bad sense of time and did not set a timer. I usually just go off how done the pasta is. I’ve never had trouble with pasta before trying to fry it.

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RahkstarRPG@reddit

My dude just look at the clock when you put it in and take it out X minutes later.

As long as you do the most basic of math, you can figure that out.

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aboringusername@reddit

Lime and shaker parm is a very bad combination and could absolutely taste like bile. Grated American parm has a vomit-like quality in general. Then add the acidity of the lime and you basically created vomit pasta.

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lyindog@reddit

thank you for putting words to why my pasta also turned out weird.

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LeeHide@reddit

American cheeses in general should be avoided if you can get real cheeses

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Username_Taken_65@reddit

Why do European redditors act like all we eat is Kraft Singles on Wonderbread and our food doesn't have labels?

"Parmesan" is not a protected name in the US, but "Parmigiano Reggiano" is, and you can get it at most grocery stores. Grana Padano (which is a slightly different thing from Parmesan) is also fairly commonly available.

It's not like all our domestic cheeses are terrible either. We make lots of great cheddar and some decent Parmesan-style and Emmental-style cheeses.

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vermiciousknidlet@reddit

Bro have you ever been shopping in the US? Even at my shitty Kroger they have those giant wheels of parmigiano reggiano. From Italy, with the stamped rind and everything. And there are multiple specialty shops I can bike to easily that sell both imported and (gasp) American-made fancy cheeses. I'm just really tired of people shitting on American food, whether it's out of ignorance or feigned superiority.

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aboringusername@reddit

American cheeses are… are still real cheeses. I know we have a lot of overly processed stuff but I’m concerned that you think all we have is like, Kraft and Cheez Whiz.

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questionerofblender@reddit

Kraft Singles also belong to us 🇨🇦 unless I'm mistaken.

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zorggalacticus@reddit

Even regular American Cheese is just mild cheddar with sodium citrate (made from citric acid) added to make it more melty. It's not fake cheese.

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OpusAtrumET@reddit

Also extends the shelf life. We make way more cheese than we can use.

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LeeHide@reddit

I've edited my comment to clarify.

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aboringusername@reddit

>It’s only grana padano if you buy it from Italy, otherwise it’s just sparkling Parmesan.

You, probably. Yes, I’m familiar with European protected foods under the AOP, and I get why these regulations exist. But those are just specific cheeses. That doesn’t make other cheese less real. Cheese is a type of food that’s been around for thousands of years in different iterations around the globe. It doesn’t just come from Europe.

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LeeHide@reddit

This whole thread is about this kind of cheese though. Of course the US has real cheeses, it just also has lots and lots of "fakes", the same way buying a Gucci bag in Istanbul for 10 bucks is a real bag, yes,, but not a real Gucci bag.

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aboringusername@reddit

No one ever said grated American parm is authentic, is the crux of my argument. There is a time and a place for it. Obviously I wouldn’t use it in a carbonara or cacio e pepe, but I’m not buying imported pecorino from my Italian grocer just so I can grate it by hand onto fast food pizza.

If I wanted a Gucci bag, I would buy it from Gucci. I’m not under any false pretense that my grated cheese in a shaker bottle is somehow directly imported from Italy.

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Indigo_Alchemist@reddit

America has plenty of real cheese and a lot of it’s extremely good. Ever have Humboldt Fog? Definitely not

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LeeHide@reddit

I've edited my comment for clarity

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stinkbugsinfest@reddit

Damn now I want Humboldt Fog. Haven’t had it in years

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kalaberger7@reddit

Unfun fact: parm may have a vomit-like quality because it is made with animal rennet—a complex set of enzymes taken from the inner lining of a calf's stomach. So it’s actually not even vegetarian!

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

I usually like the lime salt/american parm combo. That’s why I tried adding it.

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Senior-Cost1070@reddit

Try traditional flavors before getting wild, there’s a reason they’re classic. Butter cheese garlic.

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Ok-Worry-8931@reddit

I’m a sucker for shitty powder parm and even then, combining it with lime sounds rough.

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hogey989@reddit

I feel you. Growing up my mother used to fry leftover mac and cheese so it was crispy and delicious.

So naturally when I moved out I made mac and cheese, and threw it in a frying pan with oil.

It did not become crispy fried mac and cheese. It became a rubber oily disgusting mess that tasted nothing like cheese, or macaroni.

You want to undercook the noodles, and throw them in the fridge/freezer to completely get them cold.

Then you can fry them in a little blazing hot oil (and just let them sit. Don't move them around) to get them crispy without just overcooking the shit out of them.

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the tip. I’ll probably only use butter next time. I did fry some mac and cheese in a mix of butter/pork fat (I was reheating leftover bbq and didn’t want to waste the grease.) it didn’t turn out crispy but it was pretty good.

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phles@reddit

That is my favourite way to cook, too!

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Keyblader1412@reddit

If you're gonna add citrus flavor to pasta add lemon, not lime. Especially if you're using pre-grated parm. And don't fry pasta unless it's like ravioli or gnocchi or something heftier that can actually take it. I live in a studio so I don't have much of a kitchen but I do make a lot of pasta and tend to keep around a lot of fixings/vegetables that I can easily throw in with it. If you want a good cheap easy pasta dish for summer, here's something I made last week that might scratch this kind of itch:

Sautee up some thawed frozen shrimp in butter and garlic, add a splash of lemon juice. I personally added some capers and quartered grape tomatoes as well for some brightness and freshness respectively. Then I added the pasta and parm. Toss in some oregano if you have it and however much salt suits your fancy. It was pretty darn good. If you don't like shrimp that's fine but it tends to go well with the brightness of the rest of the ingredients and gives you a bit of protein.

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Having_A_Day@reddit

For those allergic to shellfish like I am (or just don't like it), most pastas that work with shrimp will also be a good use of leftover chicken.

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Keyblader1412@reddit

Yup chicken is pretty neutral so it'll work just fine.

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SnickersArmstrong@reddit

I mean if you don't want to dial in the time for perfect al dente just follow the package instructions lol and salt the water!

Stick to classic Italian flavors if you're not sure on adding which things. Lime and parm??

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

Not sure why people in this thread think I was going for something close to al dente.

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SnickersArmstrong@reddit

Why would you want pasta any other way? And if not al dente 'something close'? Like you want it crunchy or mushy?

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

I wanted to try something different than usual

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No_Where_Land@reddit

Maybe next time (for seasoning) try lemon butter and Parmesan. That’s my go to

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killerpinkflamingos@reddit

What the hell!?

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freakmeout123@reddit

fried pasta?

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Palanki96@reddit

Wow. I'm sorry but even a child could make it, it's literally just boiling pasta and frying it

I assum you mean stir fry and not deep fry since that would be stupid

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

Eh, I used the same method I use when pan frying instant ramen, so I thought it would turn out acceptable.

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belaGJ@reddit

js, how can you fk up pasta?

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

Alcohol probably

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alexhaase@reddit

Just watch literally any cooking video on YouTube if you don't have any good ideas, this is horrendous.

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

I used the same method I use for pan frying instant ramen so I thought it would at least be ok.

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FrogMintTea@reddit

Be glad u can have gluten.

gif

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Tarek_191@reddit

There are pretty good gluten free pasta out there (my brother has celiac, I eat gluten) In Germany the gluten free Barilla and the normal Barilla don't taste too different for example.

(Also other gluten-free brands in germany I like as a person that also eats gluten pasta:Molino di Ferro and Seitz)

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Tarek_191@reddit

Only on the next day they get a weird texture (biggest shock after moving out: I can eat pasta the next day, with the gluten free ones it was a texture nightmare lol)

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pepcorn@reddit

Good first attempt. Pasta does not need frying, were you maybe trying to achieve the nice crispy edges you get in an oven bake?

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ProfessionalSAHM@reddit

If you wanted to fry and boil, fry first and then add chicken stock or water to cook it and you’ll get another depth of flavor. Also, once the macaroni is done, heat up/slightly char butter with the cheap parm cheese in a shaker in a separate pan. Then combine.

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Glitteryglitters2304@reddit

Why boil then fry pasta? Just boil it al-dente, either stick to salmon in it with lime and parsley or something or bacon with parm mixed in with a little butter with salt and pepper. Bobs your uncle

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Embarrassed-Bear-945@reddit

I'm sorry for your loss

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rgold02@reddit

Did you add butter after cooking? Salt & pepper?

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coma-toaste@reddit

This wouldve worked (somewhat) with a different topping.

Look at what you have in your pantry. Sauces? Spices? Any condiment you can think of.

One of the best meals I ever made (I was v poor and borderline homeless at the time) was spaghetti noodles with red onion, pesto and tinned betroot. Maybe a bit of french dressing.

It was one of the best meals Ive ever had and I think of it very fondly.

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No_Experience_777@reddit (OP)

I’ll keep that in mind if I try again.