Gluten free pasta is part of the surge in gluten-free food sales, which reached $600 million in 2005 and continue to grow at an annual rate of over 14 percent. Gluten free pasta comes in a variety of formulations, but most are made of corn, rice, quinoa or buckwheat. Unlike traditional pastas that include wheat as an ingredient, which acts as a binder, gluten free pasta tends to be slicker, with a mushy texture if overcooked. Consumers need to learn a new way of cooking this particular type of pasta.
Rice Pasta
Common brands on the market that use rice as the main ingredient in gluten free pasta include Tinkyada, Lundberg, Mrs. Leepers and DeBoles. Rice pasta cooks faster than wheat-based pastas and therefore needs to be attended to carefully. Tinkyada rice pasta is among the "hardiest" of the commercial rice pastas, handling accidental overcooking fairly well. If overcooking occurs, remove rice pasta from heat immediately, drain and rinse in cold water until pasta is cold to the touch. Reheat and serve.
Corn Pasta
DeBoles and Mrs. Leepers are two corn pasta brands on the market in the United States. Corn pasta handles long cooking times better than rice pasta, but also requires considerably more room and water in a cooking pot. The best method for cooking corn pasta, especially angel hair or spaghetti, is to fill a large stockpot with cold water, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. oil. Bring to a boil and add 16 oz. of corn pasta for every 4 quarts of water. Stir frequently and give the corn pasta plenty of room to move throughout the water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer until pasta is al dente. Corn pasta will leave cloudy water in the stock pot; do not be alarmed, as this is part of the cooking process. However, if the water becomes thick and cloudy, then this is a sign that there is not enough room for the corn pasta to cook properly.
Buckwheat Pasta
Eden Organic and OrgraN produce commercial buckwheat pasta for sale in grocery stores in the United States. Although the term "buckwheat" has the word wheat in it, there is no gluten in this grain. Cook buckwheat pasta in a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water per 16 oz. of pasta, and use 1/4 tsp. of salt in the water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to simmer and remove from heat when pasta is al dente. Buckwheat is one gluten free pasta that cooks fairly quickly, but rather than becoming soft or mushy when overcooked, this pasta will clump together.
Quinoa Pasta
Ancient Harvest produces a quinoa-corn pasta that has the highest protein count per serving among all gluten free pastas sold in the United States. This quinoa pasta is quite hardy and can handle accidental overcooking fairly well. As with most other gluten free pastas, frequent stirring during the boiling stage is critical to prevent clumping.
