Right...here's one for ya

[dolo amber]

Let me start by saying I am a...remedial-at-best cook.

So, say you're making something with noodles in it (like a soup or casserole or something)...when it's done, what do you do to keep the noodles from getting all smushy? What I do is sorta pre-boil them just like a minute or so to get some of the starch out (Thanks, Alton! :hi:) and then finish them in whatever it is I'm cooking. But then they usually get smushy even if I don't do that first. What am I missing here, kids? :shrug:

[eyesroll]

1. I cook the noodles separately, but drain about two minutes before

they'd normally be done.

Add them to the soup/casserole and they'll finish up on their own. You don't have to worry about cooking them long and imparting the broth flavor into the noodles -- many restaurants, when they make soup, actually keep the noodles fully cooked and separate until serving time.

Now, if you make a big pot of soup and have leftovers, the noodles will be pretty mushy the next day, because they'll have absorbed a lot of the liquid in the fridge. That's just an unavoidable fact of life.

[dolo amber]

2. My wonderful, magic cure soup

turned into a noodle explosion this afternoon. I think I overdid it. x(

[eyesroll]

3. It happens.

It doesn't lose its restorative properties, though.

I've been making noodle soup for about seven years now, so I think I've got the ratios where I want them. I think it just comes with practice. (I've had more than my share of botched attempts at cooking.) (Set my parents' microwave on fire once.)