Workshops allow us to break through walls. We have done a lot of work with our Ramenized Noodles. What we had not done was to work on eliminating the forethought of soaking noodles for preparation later that day. An idea we really should not have left alone.
During workshops ideas and perspectives combine with very positive results. We were exploring our ramenized noodles: dried noodles soaked in a bath of 1% baking soda and 0.5% salt for several hours, until they are pliable and tender. After preparing a batch of spaghetti, it soaked for 3 hours, we rinsed the noodles and layed them onto a tray as I usually do for overnight refrigeration. Except I held back some of the noodles. I put several handfuls, 75 gram portions, into deli containers and coverd them separately. I wanted to see if the noodles would do better stored as individual portions rather than a connected intertwined web on a tray. Because after a night in the refrigerator the noodles on a tray stick together quited fiercely. (Think fresh pasta noodles that have not been floured to keep the exterior dry.)
The following morning we prepared to cook the noodles. The noodles on the tray had become an intertwined web. They required some force to pull them apart. The noodles in the deli container were equally stuck together, just in a single serving. We cooked up batches of both noodles in boiling water. They cooked in about a minute. They were equally chewy and bouncy. I was happy. And then the question surfaced. "Have you ever frozen the ramenized noodles?" We had not. My internal excuses ranged from "we always cook all the noodles to it's easy to just soak them" to "freezing a whole tray of noodles is just not that sexy."
Except now we were in a different place. We realized we could portion the noodles into serving containers. Instead of muttering an excuse out loud, I said "Nope we have never frozen them. Let's try it now." We put the portioned noodles into the blast freezer. In under an hour, we were boiling up individual, frozen portions of ramenized noodles. They popped easily out of the deli containers. They cooked up beautifully. They had the same chew and bounce as the freshly soaked noodles and they were wavy and beautiful from their time spent coiled up in the freezer. The only real difference was that they took 2 minutes to cook instead of 1.
Now we know that when we soak our noodles, we can freeze the extras, and eat them anytime we want. It was a tremendous ramenization.
Years Past
December 5, 2004: when it all began
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
