Tips for cooking pasta twice I would like to cook pasta twice, with a cooling phase before the second cooking. Unfortunately, I’ve found that reheating pasta isn’t easy: I would like to keep it al dente and prevent tangling/sticking. It is also important to heat it all the way through both times, and to cool it down completely in between.

So far I’ve tried simply cooking the pasta again, for a short time. But unsurprisingly it becomes soggy. It also became bland (I didn’t add salt the second time). Is there a better way?

(For what it’s worth, this is for store-bought, dried pasta; I rarely have the time to make fresh pasta, and I wouldn’t want to ruin it by cooking it twice.)



If anybody is wondering why cook it twice, it’s a matter of nutrition.
In college, I would oil the pasta lightly after cooking (so it didn't turn into a giant lump), then would steam it 'til it was warm, and add it to hot sauce.  I was typically working with linguini or other strand pasta.  I'd start it in the steamer for a bit, then turn the mass over.  As it softened up, I'd lift it with a fork or tongs to re-distribute it, and try to break up any lumps.

These days, I'm more likely to use a microwave than steaming.

You can also portion it out into oven-safe containers w/ some sauce, maybe a cheese or breadcrumb topping, and reheat it in the oven.  This works well for any size/shape of pasta (although I admit I've never tried angel hair or similar size, as I hate cooking them).  Reheat covered at 300 to 350F, then once the middle is warm, uncover and brown under the broiler