The Trick To Making Zoodles That Aren't Soggy
Low-carb diets are a fad that never really disappeared. In fact, Shape crowned the keto diet, which is all about minimizing carbs and upping the fats in your diet, as the most popular diet of 2018 (via Women's Health). These days, as you stroll past the produce aisle, you might even see shelves stocked with cartons filled with what looks like spaghetti. Wait, though — why would pasta be in the produce aisle? Well, it's not exactly pasta. Those cartons are filled with the popular pasta alternative known as zoodles.
Zoodles are spiral-cut zucchini that serve as a low-carb alternative for the pasta lover trying to cut down on carbs in their favorite starchy dishes. Those pasta lovers, though, are quickly brought back to reality when they sit down to take a bite, and their once eye-catching "pasta" dish is now floating in water. How do you stop your zoodles from becoming soggy? Lucky for you, we found the answer.
What to do so your zoodles aren't watery
Nick Graff, an Executive Chef at Noodle and Company, spoke with The Daily Meal about the watery zoodle problem. The Colorado-based chain offers zoodle alternatives for some of their popular dishes, so Graff knows all about this unique issue that can arise when you cook your zoodles. He said that minimizing the amount of water in zoodles starts when you're picking out the best zucchini in the store. If you're making your own zoodles instead of taking the easy way out by buying the pre-cut zoodles, it's vital to stay away from large zucchinis. Large zucchinis not only lack flavor, but they're loaded with water. The best option, Graff says, is to select medium-sized zucchini.
Once your zoodles are cut into the perfect spiral, you'll want to toss a bit of salt on them. Salting your zoodles before anything else helps to extract moisture hidden inside. After salting, Graff gives you another reason to use your salad spinner. He lets the zoodles hang out in the salad spinner for a couple of minutes to drain the excess water, then he gives them one last quick wash before spinning them until dry. Then, it's time to get down to business.
How cooking removes water from your zoodles
Though it's perfectly safe to eat your zoodles raw, cooking your zoodle helps to reduce the amount of water in your final dish. The Daily Meal says sauteeing your zoodles will help "cook away unwanted moisture." Let's face it though, a zucchini is made up of around 95 percent water (via Live Strong). It's most likely impossible to remove all excess water. Thankfully, if all else fails, there's still hope.
A little water in your zoodle dish may actually be a good thing. Bon Appetit says that hot liquid helps prevent cheese from clumping as it can on dry pasta, as the hot water seeping out from your zoodles helps to keep the cheese melted and served equally with every bite. Zoodle water will also work well if your pasta sauce is dry. In fact, if you're making zoodles, you may actually want to make your pasta sauce a bit on the dry side. That way when it mixes with any excess water on your plate, it'll create the perfect consistency for your zoodle dish.
If watery zoodles are a thing in your household, don't give up just yet. Try these tricks and kiss soggy zoodles goodbye.