with Food Network Kitchens on Precooking Pasta

Pasta lover: Is there a way that I can precook pasta and leave it in the refrigerator so that dinner will be even quicker? I just don't want it to turn mushy and almost translucent the way reheated pasta sometimes does.

Katherine: That's a trick that restaurants do all the time! They're doing everything as quick as they can. They cook the pasta 1/2 to 3/4 of the way, take it out of water, drain and refresh in cold water, and toss with a bit of oil. To reheat it, they drop it back in boiling water. Another way to speed up the cooking of pasta is to choose shapes that cook quickly. Angel hair cooks in 2-3 minutes, as do orzo or any of the fresh pastas, if you have access to them. Tortellini in chicken broth with some fresh grated parmesan on top is a quick and satisfying dinner. And classic.

Mouse dog bird: It's so easy just to throw together a quick pasta dinner. But isn't pasta just the nutritional equivalent of eating a bunch of white bread? Are pasta dinners really that good for you?

Lisa: I think it depends on what you cook with them. If you're just having pasta with butter and cheese, you might as well be eating white bread. But if you add vegetables, it becomes a component of a complete meal.

Katherine: We eat pasta as a main course, whereas in Italy, it would be a first course, with something coming after it. We tend to make our portions bigger. So there's nothing wrong with pasta -- it's nutrient dense, but also calorie dense. So just watch the portion size.

Just one: Can you freeze pasta sauce? I feel like I waste so much food when I cook for myself.

Lynn: Definitely! I do it all the time. Bolognese and red sauces freeze well, and you can do them in single serving sizes so you're ready to defrost them when you're ready to eat.

Katherine: In the summertime, as we get the fresh herbs to make pesto, you can freeze them in small quantities. I make a party-favor sized log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and notch it so I can cut off portions as I need them. Also, the ends will tend to thaw more quickly, so I may cut off the ends and put the rest of it back in the freezer.

Italianate: My mother taught me to eat a big plate of spaghetti and sauce with a knife and spoon, twirling the fork against the spoon. But when I finally went to Italy, nobody ate their spaghetti that way--and there wasn't even that much sauce on the noodles! Is that just an American thing? How do the Italians really eat pasta?

Katherine: It's an American thing! The Italians aren't as much into the sauce as Americans are; they'd much rather experience the shape and taste of the pasta without drowning it in the sauce.

Lisa: Because of the placement of the pasta course in a meal, it's not the main food. It's more of an appetizer. The Italians have large spoons to get the sauce, or they sop it up with bread.