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Olive Garden [merged threads]

Olive Garden [merged threads]

Old Aug 14, 2019, 3:45 am
  #331  
 
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Originally Posted by davie355
I'm honestly not sure why chain restaurants constantly overcook pasta. Is there a very short window between perfectly cooked and overcooked? Even if so, you'd imagine they have it down to a science.
Not for standard wheat pasta. It takes 2-3 minutes to get from al dente to soft and for most shapes no one is going to notice an extra 30 seconds, which is an eternity in a busy kitchen with a chirping timer.

The only reason you get soft pasta in a restaurant is because it was deliberately overcooked.

Originally Posted by kipper
I think there are a lot of Americans who think overcooked pasta is cooked correctly.
...and this is why. An appalling number of people also cook pasta without salt in the water.
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Old Aug 14, 2019, 5:21 am
  #332  
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Originally Posted by der_saeufer
Not for standard wheat pasta. It takes 2-3 minutes to get from al dente to soft and for most shapes no one is going to notice an extra 30 seconds, which is an eternity in a busy kitchen with a chirping timer.

The only reason you get soft pasta in a restaurant is because it was deliberately overcooked.



...and this is why. An appalling number of people also cook pasta without salt in the water.
When I know I'm going to have leftovers, I usually catch the pasta at the very beginning of al dente, so it doesn't get overcooked when reheating.
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Old Aug 14, 2019, 6:55 am
  #333  
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Originally Posted by kipper
I think there are a lot of Americans who think overcooked pasta is cooked correctly.
You don't know what overcooked pasta is until you've been hospitalized.
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Old Aug 14, 2019, 10:15 am
  #334  
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Originally Posted by BamaVol
You don't know what overcooked pasta is until you've been hospitalized.
LOL, all the more reason not to be hospitalized.
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Old Aug 15, 2019, 7:07 am
  #335  
 
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Originally Posted by enviroian
Hey I've been there many times. Their salad and soups are very good. However my post was targeted most likely at someone who will not be eating the two aforementioned food categories and will be eating bowl after endless bowl of lasagna with sausages. lol
I figured. Really I was just being snarky because I have been working in Casa Grande Arizona all summer
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Old Aug 16, 2019, 1:20 pm
  #336  
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Anyone get one of the lifetime passes ????

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Old Aug 16, 2019, 3:51 pm
  #337  
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Originally Posted by im-headed-west
Anyone get one of the lifetime passes ????

No need to go to Italy for Italian food for those lucky few. 😉
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