Benefits of eating re-heated pasta

First topic message reminder :

Has anyone heard of this? Whilst out with friends the other nght (one a newly diagnosed diabetic) they told me re-heated pasta can prevent diabetes and is extremely good for weight loss.  Having googledit briefly it appears so.  Has anybody any thoughts on the subject ?

Just had a quick look and it seems dried pasta is one of the foods that additives may not be permitted. So maybe the 'additives' that Geo is talking about are just the naturally occuring substances found in flour and eggs ?

I have to admit to it being years since I last tried noodles, so really should do so again. I think however it will be the same problem for us, lack of texture and the taste of pasta. Think we are past the stage where we worry about what we eat (and drink), but I'm rather fortunate as far as so called "healthy" food stuff goes in as much as I like a lot of it and don't like cakes, puddings and sweets of any kind.

Ok, now, I have been corrected!! It appears that dried pasta can have no additives and that is why it tastes so bland, whereas fresh can have numerous things to preserve it. Whether this article is correct or not I have no idea.
http://www.professionalpasta.it/dir_1/additives_1.htm
We do not eat pasta or noodles on a regular basis, maybe once or twice a month. Tried dried, cooked spaghetti with a little sesame oil, in a stir fry, but nowhere near the taste of a good Asian rice noodle, plus you have to wait so long for pasta to cook. The addition of a little sesame oil made it taste even worse.
In most cases we eat rice, either Basmati or Thai fragrant rice, as they do give a enhancement to the flavour of the food.

We too eat rice, Basmati, Thai and others Will definately look out for noodles, rice or other types as havn't eaten any for a while.  Where Geo can you buy brown rice / pasta nearby, I recall you may have mentioned somewhere in Tolentino..?  May be wrong..

Sometimes think we have pasta every day! To me it's like people I know in England who still eat potatoes with everything, as we used to do. We don't actually eat pasta every day, just every other... I think it makes a big difference being retired, you have so much time to buy and experiment with different ingredients and for some, like us, it's a pleasure to use fresh produce and have the time to prepare and cook it. It's good to have the time to look on the shelf at you local Italian shop and investigate what's new to you. We often now use spelt or farro instead of aborio rice. It is one of the things (mainly farro in abruzzo) we have found in most shops in Italy. In the UK spelt has become one of the so called "super foods" and is becoming widely available. If you like risotto I would try spelt or farro, both do need rather more cooking than than aborio, apart from that all is the same...

Faro, cooked well is a delightful grain, but so often it's overcooked. Here in Tuscany the variety is Emmer, which is akin to Barley in the UK and can be delicious if cooked correctly but so often it is overcooked and ends up like a lumpy wallpaper paste. Very good for you and it doesn't matter if eaten hot or cold; though some nutty scientist will probably disagree with that..

Angela Fuller wrote:We too eat rice, Basmati, Thai and others Will definately look out for noodles, rice or other types as havn't eaten any for a while.  Where Geo can you buy brown rice / pasta nearby, I recall you may have mentioned somewhere in Tolentino..?  May be wrong..

Angie.
I usually went to the Asian shop in Corridonia, for the Basmati, normally including a trip to Lidl. Lidl has now closed there, so not worth the journey unless I need to go to the shopping centre as well.
I have not bought the brown rice. I go to the little Chinese Supermarket, just before the Oasi supermarket on the Fermo road. Just before you reach the first roundabout, prior to the large Oasi one, there is a left hand turn, I think it has a sign for Coal or Conad on it. Within a 100mtrs on the left is the parking area. The Chinese shop, is in that parking area.
Last time I went, they had Basmati, fragrant Thai, plus the normal Chinese rice. ( Be careful with the Basmati,as they also sell a broken grain version).
OOdles of noodles ......, Spring rolls frozen (only vegetable but very nice), frozen whole crab, soy sauce etc at much better prices than the ordinary supermarkets. I could go on, but it is well worth a visit.

Geotherm wrote:Ok, now, I have been corrected!! It appears that dried pasta can have no additives and that is why it tastes so bland, whereas fresh can have numerous things to preserve it. Whether this article is correct or not I have no idea.http://www.professionalpasta.it/dir_1/additives_1.htmWe do not eat pasta or noodles on a regular basis, maybe once or twice a month. Tried dried, cooked spaghetti with a little sesame oil, in a stir fry, but nowhere near the taste of a good Asian rice noodle, plus you have to wait so long for pasta to cook. The addition of a little sesame oil made it taste even worse.In most cases we eat rice, either Basmati or Thai fragrant rice, as they do give a enhancement to the flavour of the food.

Thanks for that Geo, you learn something every day.. Just had time to have a better look at this link and find dried pasta (no filling) is not supposed to have any additives (confirming what Angela read). I wonder if they put additives in the "fresh pasta" they have in restaurants in Italy (sure most of the stuff in UK restaurants is from the supermarket!).

I have no idea Steve. There is probably no easy way to tell if a restaurant is using dried or fresh pasta.

Most good restaurants make their own pasta using just flour, water and eggs. Having said that the best way to tell the difference is by the texture and taste as fresh pasta will never be as 'al dente' as dried pasta.

stevegwmonkseaton wrote:Sometimes think we have pasta every day! To me it's like people I know in England who still eat potatoes with everything, as we used to do. We don't actually eat pasta every day, just every other... I think it makes a big difference being retired, you have so much time to buy and experiment with different ingredients and for some, like us, it's a pleasure to use fresh produce and have the time to prepare and cook it. It's good to have the time to look on the shelf at you local Italian shop and investigate what's new to you. We often now use spelt or farro instead of aborio rice. It is one of the things (mainly farro in abruzzo) we have found in most shops in Italy. In the UK spelt has become one of the so called "super foods" and is becoming widely available. If you like risotto I would try spelt or farro, both do need rather more cooking than than aborio, apart from that all is the same...

Steve, Apparently, it's the Mediteranean diet that works....no need for statins and the like, just fill yourself up on fresh veg, nuts, grains, olive oil, white meat and fish and you will live forever....  Going to try the farro or spelt in a risotto. thx for that......

I find when we go back to the UK these days that I notice the difference eating out or having to buy "none fresh" or processed products. It was a bit more tongue in cheek about the fresh pasta content in restaurants in Italy. The number of times we have been told or heard others being told "finito" and it was not a case (as happens in the UK often) that they have just not bothered updating their menu. I'm not too sure Angela that it is just the Mediterranean diet that makes a difference to their health, I've said before, I think it's also to do with their laid back attitude to everything and therefore the lack of stress. Which of course may in turn be due to their content eating habits. To me the Italians are as fanatical to their food and health as those in the UK are to the weather. I think health and food go hand in hand and to quote Gala as she often has said, "everything in moderation"  or I would say variation and avoidance of what does not seem natural to you. To us, and yes you may not always have the time, producing, preparing and eating your own food is the best thing you could ever do.

Yes Steve, hit the nail on the head....a combination of things do contribute to longevity....Diet, the everything in moderation thing but I also think, especially with the more mature generation in Italy, who have not had to lead a stressful life and have been rewarded with generious pensions etc etc.... Me, I am stressed knowing I will not reieve a UK State Pension until I am 65yrs young having paid into the system for nearly 40 yrs and expected to get it at 60 am a tad disappointed.....But a saving of £50,000 for the UK....great !

I really don't know how to break this news Angela, but if you are as young as I think you are, it will be 66 or later before you get your state pension. Yes I agree an absolute disgrace and something that teaches everyone to never believe or even listen to what any government says. Also embeds in our youth of today that the government of the day telling you to plan for your retirement is a load of tosh and in fact teaching them it's ok to lie! See you got me started... I wouldn't mind so much if it was a case of it's something we have to do as "we are all living longer"...  and they fairly brought it in, especially in the case of women where they were told for many years their pension age was 60, then it went to 65 and now 66!!! Ok give me the option to be put to sleep please, that will be a lot cheaper and fairer all round!!!.
So back on topic, no point in having a good diet as you will just get ripped off in old age, might as well eat and drink what you want and duck out early.

You can calculate your pension date here Calculate UK pension age LINK If born after 6th April 1960, it is even worse looking at this link PDF LINK with date bands they have age 68 "planned" in...

Steve, I have just calculated ny pension date.....you wereright it is now when I am 66yrs.....so even more of a saving for the UK Govt....another £7 + 000  I do understand men and women should be treated equally but feel the calculation should have been started on younger women.....ie under 50's.....Like youI will eat and drink what I want from now on and will, hopefully not be a burden on the NHS in later years due to problems related to obesity or living on the steet !