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To Boil Macaroni

A simple boiled macaroni dish seasoned with salt and optional onion.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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To Boil Macaroni

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Break the macaroni into convenient lengths and wipe it with a clean cloth.

Cook and drain

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the macaroni.

  2. If desired, add an onion to reduce the raw flavor.

  3. Cook for 12 to 25 minutes, depending on the age of the macaroni; freshly made macaroni takes 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Test the macaroni occasionally; it is done when it yields easily to pressure.

  5. Stop the cooking by adding 1 pint of cold water.

  6. Drain the macaroni in a colander.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Macaroni
Forms the bulk of the dish and softens as it cooks in boiling water.
Onion
Optional; adds aroma and mellows the raw flavour of the pasta.

The step that matters

Testing for doneness. Old and fresh macaroni cook at very different rates, so the 12 to 25 minute range is wide. Testing by pressure, rather than trusting the clock, prevents pasta that is either firm at the centre or overcooked and mushy.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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