The Real Reason Angel Hair Pasta Tastes Better At Restaurants

Have you noticed that angel hair pasta always seems to taste better at restaurants? Here’s why you’re not getting the same results at home.

#Pasta #Restaurants #Cooking

Using capellini | 0:00
From brand to brand | 1:24
Cooking for too long | 2:37
Serving too late | 3:48
Mismanaging your ingredients | 5:01
Not enough seasoning in the water | 5:57
Using the wrong sauce | 6:52
Wrong amount of water | 8:12
Breaking the pasta | 9:02
Incorrectly pre-cooking | 9:35
Making too much | 10:24

Voiceover by: Kat Callaghan

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Have you noticed that angel hair  pasta always seems to taste better   at restaurants? Here’s why you’re  not getting the same results at home. You may find your angel hair doesn’t live  up to the hype if you confuse it with its   closest cousin, capellini. Italian  for “little hairs,” capellini is “a  

‘hair’ larger than angel hair,” explains  All-Purpose Pizzeria’s Chef Mike Friedman.   And “a hair,” in this case, is a matter not  of millimeters, but rather of micrometers. Capellini has a diameter of  between 0.85 and 0.92 millimeters,   while angel hair is about 0.78  to 0.88 millimeters. Indeed,  

Chef Glenn Rolnick, culinary director  of Alicart Restaurant Group, notes, “Angel hair pasta is slightly thinner   than capellini in diameter […]  Many won’t see the difference.” By and large, this slight discrepancy, and  potential for confusion, isn’t a massive problem,   according to Chef Leah Cohen, owner  of Pig & Khao in New York. She says,

“In general, the differences between angel  hair and capellini are minimal, so really,   you can use either one in your dishes based  on personal preference or availability.” But one place where it does make  a difference is in cooking time.   While it isn’t obvious to the naked  eye, there is indeed a difference,  

And in confusing the pastas, you run the  risk of cooking angel hair for as long   as capellini requires, overcooking the  delicate strands in a matter of seconds. The quality of pasta can vary  widely from brand to brand,   and this is true for all shapes, not just  angel hair pasta. From agnolotti to ziti,  

Choosing a cheap pasta brand may lead to a ho-hum  dinner. Restaurateur Louie Sparagis advises, “Always use De Cecco pasta for an authentic  Italian meal. In a pinch use Colavita or Barilla.” Executive Chef Matt Smith of Alta Strada  Mosaic suggests scanning the ingredients  

List of your angel hair pasta before you make a  purchase. Durum wheat is a good sign, he says,   showing that the brand is eschewing  lesser-quality flours. He suggests, “Look for something made in Italy preferably,  especially something bronze die extruded.” Chef Cohen agrees that every  brand has different qualities.  

But she goes a step further when it  comes to discrepancies among pasta   brands when it comes to angel hair  pasta specifically. In this case,   different brands won’t just boast differences  in quality but differences in size. She says, “When choosing a specific brand of angel  hair pasta, it’s important to ensure the  

Brand you go with sells the size you like.  Not every angel hair pasta is the same size,   and the smaller/thinner the pasta,  the harder it’ll be to cook.” “So much pasta!” The number-one, make-or-break issue concerning  angel hair pasta comes down to cooking time.  

Indeed, for Chef Sparagis, the most common mistake  people make with angel hair pasta is overcooking   it. And this is easy to do even if you’ve got the  right brand and the right size. Because angel hair  

Only needs to cook for three or four minutes,  only a matter of seconds can push it past al   dente. According to Matt Smith, “being that thin  leaves no room for error.” And Chef Rolnick adds, “An extra minute of cooking can  take it from al dente to no bite.”

This holds even more true if you’re adding  it to a sauce, which keeps the pasta cooking.   It’s for this reason that Smith recommends  undercooking angel hair slightly, saying, “Like with any pasta, cooking a  minute less than recommended helps.” That said, if you have overcooked your  pasta, it may still be salvageable,  

According to Sparagis, as long  as you act fast. He suggests, “If you feel that you overcooked  your angel hair pasta a bit,   take it out and shock it with some cold  water to keep it from getting softer.” Above all, Chef Cohen says,  don’t beat yourself up, because,

“Overcooking angel hair is one  of the most common mistakes,   so don’t get too hard on yourself if it happens!” Even if you cook your angel hair to perfection,   saucing it before dinnertime compounds the  risk of a mushy final dish. Chef Rolnick says,

“As it sits, especially in a sauced  dish, it will continue to cook.” To avoid this, you’ll want to cook your  angel hair pasta at the last minute. Then   make sure that your friends and family are  already assembled at the dinner table before  

Tossing the pasta in the sauce. This way, you can  serve it at the peak of perfection. Of course,   the fact that the pasta cooks in its  sauce can be used to your advantage,   so long as you plan for it. Chef Leah Cohen has  some tips to keep from overcooking angel hair,  

Namely to do the exact opposite and  undercook it intentionally. She says, “I typically cook my pasta for about  one minute in boiling water, drain,   and immediately add it to the sauce, letting  it cook for another minute. If you plan to  

Simply toss the noodles in sauce off the heat,  then I’d recommend boiling for 1.5–2 minutes.” Finishing cooking the pasta in the sauce doesn’t  just lessen the likelihood you’ll overcook it.   It also allows the pasta to soak up a bit of the  flavorful sauce and release some of its starch,  

Paving the way for pasta that’s more flavorful and  sauce that’s even richer, smoother, and silkier. Even if you think you’ve perfected your cooking  techniques when it comes to angel hair, it’s   easy to accidentally mismanage your timings  if your other ingredients, such as sauce,  

Toppings, or even plates and cutlery, aren’t  in place when you begin. Chef Sparagis says, “If you put angel hair in your pot of  boiling water, do yourself a favor.   Do not think you’re going to do any prep  while it’s cooking; it will be overcooked.”

He warns that if you turn your attention away from   it for even as long as it takes  to chop your garnish, the pasta, “…can turn into a mushy mess. And if  you add a sauce, it’s a clumpy mess.” Mike Friedman agrees, saying,

“If you let the angel hair sit in the strainer  too long, you’re left with a large glob of pasta!” Instead, he suggests eschewing the  strainer entirely, keeping the sauce   in a pan right alongside the pasta pot. When  the angel hair is cooked, you can transfer  

It straight into the sauce. He says this  helps to avoid clumping while draining it. We’ve all heard the suggestion that pasta cooking  water should be seasoned heavily with salt,   and that goes true for angel hair  pasta as well. But Chef Sparagis  

Recommends going a step further than that.  He suggests using only high-quality extra   virgin olive oil imported directly  from the Mediterranean, saying, “Use it when boiling your pasta and  when you sauté your [angel hair pasta].” “Oh no! The pasta is cooking!” “If only we had some olive  oil to reduce the stickiness!”

And what’s more, extra virgin olive oil isn’t   the only seasoning that finds its way  into his angel hair pasta. He reveals, “A little trick I like to do is  to add a little sauce or a quality   tomato paste to the boiling water, and it  gets infused with the pasta as it boils.”

This trick could also be a way of adding the  buttery flavor of turmeric to angel hair,   which will have the added bonus  of tinting it a lovely golden hue. Angel hair pasta, like most pastas,  is frequently served with a sauce,   and not just any sauce will do. Sparagis explains,

“Heavy sauce for angel hair pasta is  a no-no. The thin delicate structure   of the pasta does not give into it  being a sturdy vessel for a sauce.” He prefers keeping things simple:  extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic,   and red pepper flakes. He says that that  combination is “perfect,” noting that if  

You want to get “adventurous,” you can  always add shrimp or cheese. He says, “Pecorino Romano and Parmesan are all  great, but there are also some amazing   cheeses from all parts of the Mediterranean  that are delicious when grated over pasta.” Chef Rolnick agrees, noting  that the fragile texture is  

Best paired with thinner sauces. He says, “The angel hair will absorb the sauce’s  flavor very quickly. Using a dense sauce   doesn’t add to the delicate texture of  the angel hair when biting or chewing.” Leah Cohen, meanwhile, takes  inspiration from further afield, saying,

“I personally like to use angel hair pasta in  the same way I would cook thin Asian noodles. I   like to make a quick sesame sauce using sesame  paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger,   and my favorite chili crisp oil from Lee Kum  Kee. Add a little pasta water and toss that  

All together off the heat. Don’t forget  to garnish with cucumbers and cilantro!” Simple pasta sauces such as the ones in which  angel hair truly shines are often only improved   with the addition of one additional secret  ingredient: cooking water. Chef Cohen explains, “I add the pasta to salted  boiling water and always  

Add some of the starchy pasta water to my sauce.” But while she says that this is true of  any pasta she cooks, for our other experts,   this step is a bit more complicated when it  comes to cooking angel hair. For Chef Sparagis,

“The water level in the sauce  is important to make sure the   pasta doesn’t seize up and cling in  the sauce, creating a clumpy mess.” But other experts note that less cooking water  is needed for angel hair. Adding too much,   according to Friedman, will invoke that unpleasant  “‘clump’ effect.” Indeed, for Chef Rolnick,

“Angel hair easily works with minimal to  no pasta cooking water added to the dish.” As with other long pastas, angel hair  pasta is made to be cooked, and eaten,   at its full length. Cutting it with a knife or  breaking it before putting it in the pot is a bad  

Idea. But this isn’t just tradition. According to  Chef Smith, short strands don’t hold a sauce well. Rather than breaking your pasta to fit  it into the pot, start with a larger pot,   and remember: Since angel hair pasta is so thin,  

It will only take a few seconds in the water  before a turn with a spoon will submerge it   entirely. That way you can serve and enjoy the  long pasta as it was intended to be enjoyed. While pasta is always best  when cooked fresh to order,  

Sometimes it’s tempting to plan ahead. And if  that’s the case, Chef Rolnick has a special tip   to ensure you maintain the best texture and  flavor for your angel hair pasta. He says, “If using [the pasta] later, cook quite al  dente, lightly rinse thoroughly under cold  

Water, and toss in a small amount of olive oil to  prevent sticking or clumping up. As it is so thin,   it will continue to cook and overcook if  not cooled immediately for later use.” Of course, since angel hair does cook  that quickly, this method doesn’t save  

You much time. If anything, you might  spend more time prepping, cooling,   and reheating the pasta to serve it. But  it’s good to know that if you need to,   there is a way to precook angel hair  pasta without turning it into total mush. Given angel hair pasta’s  proclivity for overcooking,  

Ending up with leftovers is kind of a  nightmare. If you make too much angel   hair pasta and try to reheat the rest the  next day, you’re likely to end up with mush. This is not a problem that’s unique to  angel hair pasta. Many kinds of pasta  

Suffer from being reheated, whether  on the stovetop or in the microwave,   turning mealy and unappetizing. Instead of  reheating it, if you end up with leftover   angel hair pasta, consider repurposing it.  Pasta makes a great savory pie filling,   and it can also add heft to an eggy leftover  pasta frittata. Giada De Laurentiis, meanwhile,  

Turns her leftover pasta into a pizza-pasta  hybrid with a crispy texture that offsets any   mushiness. Or take a page from Stanley Tucci’s  book and turn it into a cheesy pasta casserole. “Well, have we done winter pasta salads yet?”

If you haven’t sauced your angel hair pasta,  you can even turn it into a cold noodle salad.   Toss any leftovers with oil so that they  don’t stick, and once chilled the next day,   use them in place of soba noodles, or add lemon  and tomato for Mediterranean-inspired flavor.  

Either way, it’s sure to be more pleasant  than eating overcooked leftover noodles!