Pasta Elbows for FBC

[Downhill Trucker]

Hello all,

I am using pasta elbows for a few of my FBC recipes and was wondering if I could get away with not going through the extra step of cooking and dehydrating the pasta.

I have no problem leaving it in the cozy for a while, and I am using dried sauce and pepperonis for flavor.

Any experience with portions for this type of meal are appreciated as well.

Thanks

[Farr Away]

Some people have no problems using uncooked pasta in FBC, and some people don't like it at all. To me, it tastes 'gluey'. I would suggest trying it at home. If you don't like it, you can always grab something else for dinner.

I would also suggest you try a smaller, thinner pasta shape than elbows - maybe small shells.

-FA

[Buffalo Skipper]

I have been experimenting with soup pasta lately. It is very short and thin, smaller than a vermicelli spagetti or even an angel hair. It is to al dante in the FB in about 10 minutes. 15 minutes and it is just right for me.

[jlb2012]

I've done uncooked macaroni many times in FBC style cooking - what I do is to add a slug of oil and some salt mixed into the macaroni before adding the boiling water. Then its just a matter of waiting 30 minutes or so. Note I use a closed cell foam cozy made from an old army mat (ie good quality foam with small cell size) which holds the heat very well. The only failures were with the elbows that came with cheap macaroni and cheese boxes - they came out very pasty and basically I could not gag them down. Another note - after cooking the macaroni I will often toss in some mashed potatoes to just suck up the remaining water so I don't need to drain the pasta. Generally I do 4 ounces of uncooked weight macaroni at a time.

[WingedMonkey]

Give Soman (Japanese Noodles) a try. I use them for spaghetti recipes.

13870

[WingedMonkey]

Give Soman (Japanese Noodles) a try. I use them for spaghetti recipes.

13870

I forgot why...3 mins to cook.

[Doc Mike]

I frequently use elbow mac like in mac and cheese and the it works but it is so easy to overcook at which point it is a goey mess. As said before experiment at home and it may take 3-4 tries then it is ok. practice feeling the mac through the bag to tell when it is done.

[burger]

+1 on using elbows. If you get the timing and amount of water right, it comes out fine. Angel hair works but comes out gluey. Of course, if you're hungry enough you can probably force it down.

[Downhill Trucker]

Any idea on how many cups of elbows per person? And how much water to add?

[Rocket Jones]

The best advice for FBC cooking is to try it at home before you hit the trail. Experiment with recipes and cozy times to figure out what works best for you. I work in a cube farm, and my co-workers get a kick out of some of my lunches when I'm playing with FBC.

[budforester]

I agree with R. J.'s suggestion to try it at home first. I think I may have seen "quick- cooking" elbow macaroni in the store... that would be worth some testing. As for quantity, it usually works for me to take the package's suggested Serving Size and multiply by 2 (YMMV).