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Rachel 07/16/06 |
I need to provide a mayo-based pasta salad (using 8 lbs of macaroni) for 100 in four days. I'm working out of my home kitchen with little snatches of time and two pasta pots. My question is: How long does cooked pasta keep in the fridge? I was planning to boil a few pounds each night and refrigerate. The night before the event, I was going to mix the dressing and combine with the previously cooked and chilled pasta. Am I going to run into any problems with food safety with this plan? I sure don't want someone to get sick, but I'd like to avoid an all-night pasta cooking session the night before. |
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ellen 07/16/06 |
You are quite right to be concerned. I suggest that you switch to rotini, radiatore, or another sturdy pasta to start. I would do 4 pounds- 1 pound at a time in each little pot- 2 nights before and 1 night before. You can use the same water for the second pound, which reduces the boiling time quite a bit (fish out the first pound with a longhandle strainer, carefully!), but no more. Use the rapid chilling method described on the lotsa pasta page, and the baggie storiage technique- the key is rapid chilling, oiling, pressing the air out. When you add the dressing and other ingredients, just divide it up and put it right in the bags. Easy to chill, to store and to transport. |
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ellen 07/16/06 |
Then the last night before you serve, is when you add the dressing- all the pasta is cold from the night before! |
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Rachel 07/16/06 |
Thanks Ellen! I love your baggie idea! I was just trying to figure out how to transport the finished salad. I have some full-size foil foodservice trays, but I was worried the vinegar in the dressing might react with the aluminum in the trays and give the salad an off taste. Maybe that wouldn't happen, but I hate it when things taste like a can. Thanks to you, problem solved! Thanks for great advice and a great site! |
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Rachel 07/29/06 |
Hey Ellen! Thank you! Dinner went off without a hitch. Switched to radiatore, and prepped ahead per your suggestion. Used your recipe for macaroni/ham salad minus the ham. Got RAVE reviews. Two teenage boys even sought me out to get the recipe (!) Thanks again! |
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ellen 07/30/06 |
Thanks for the feedback. |