Alright, so I finally got around to trying out that gluten-free brown rice pasta everyone seems to see in the stores these days. Saw it sitting there on the shelf enough times, figured I’d give it a whirl. You know, mix things up a bit from the usual stuff.
Getting Started
First thing, getting the water boiling. Same old routine, big pot, plenty of water, good dash of salt. Nothing new there. Opened the package, the pasta itself looked… well, brownish. Like you’d expect, I guess. Felt a bit rougher than regular pasta maybe? Hard to tell.
Dumped it into the boiling water. The instructions said something like 8-10 minutes, which is pretty standard. I set a timer for 9 minutes, figured I’d check it then.
The Cooking Part
So, while it was boiling, I kept an eye on it. It didn’t foam up crazy like some bean pastas I’ve tried before, which was good. Gave it a stir now and then, just to make sure it wasn’t sticking to the bottom like a solid brick. Seemed okay on that front. The water did get a bit cloudier than usual, though. Must be the rice starch washing off.
At 9 minutes, I fished a piece out. Still a bit too firm for my liking. Let it go another minute or two. Taste-tested again. Better. You gotta be careful, I reckon, because I’ve heard this stuff can go from undercooked to mush real fast.
Draining and Saucing
Poured it into the colander. It held its shape pretty well, actually. Didn’t break apart too much, which was a pleasant surprise. Rinsed it quick with cold water – sometimes I do this, sometimes I don’t, depends on the pasta. Felt like the right move here, maybe to stop it cooking more and getting gummy.
For sauce, I just went with a basic tomato sauce I had simmering. Nothing fancy. Tossed the pasta in the sauce, coated it nicely. It didn’t seem to absorb the sauce aggressively, but it held onto it okay.
The Verdict
So, how did it taste? Well, it tasted like… brown rice pasta. Shocker, right? It definitely has a different texture than regular wheat pasta. A bit chewier, maybe slightly grainy? Not in a bad way, just different. It doesn’t have that smooth bite you get from durum wheat pasta. The flavor is mild, slightly nutty, like brown rice. It didn’t overpower the sauce, which is good.
Was it terrible? Nope.
Was it amazing? Not really, but it was perfectly fine.
- Texture: Chewier, slightly firmer than regular pasta if you don’t overcook it.
- Flavor: Mildly rice-like, nutty.
- Sauce Handling: Decent.
Honestly, if you need to eat gluten-free, this is a solid option. It cooks up reasonably well, doesn’t fall apart if you watch it, and carries sauce okay. It’s not gonna fool anyone into thinking it’s regular pasta, but it does the job. Would I buy it again? Yeah, maybe. If I felt like having pasta but wanted something gluten-free, sure. It’s not my new favorite, but it works. Definitely better than some other gluten-free types I’ve had that turned into pure mush.
