Filled pasta - waste as they are all stuck together

[Ceci693]

Anyone have any tips for separating filled pasta without breaking it? I bought some nice ones but have had to dump about a third as they burst as I tried to separate them and so the water would
just get into the filling or the filling will just float away in the water. Anyone any hacks for this?

You're not supposed to separate them, it happens naturally in the water

Ha! this is my bet hate! its especially annoying now with the price of food when you have to throw away sometimes a third of them that burst even when they weren't stuck together to starts with (Waitrose, long term offenders).

To have a chnace of unstuckinf without ripping a hold add plenty of olive oil to the water and stir gently after a couple of minutes. Heat gently, dont nuke them. Often still happens though!

Don't try to separate them and just cook them clumped together. They separate when cooking.

I think from memory that the instructions say not to try to separate them, but that they will naturally separate when put into the boiling water.

You don’t physically separate it - you cook it as it is and it separates in the water. Some pasta packaging tells you not to pull it apart.

The instructions will most likely say not to separate, it happens as they cook

Agree with everyone else - just put them in a clump and they come apart. I sometimes put a drop of oil in the water if it is very clumpy.

Ah ok I’ll try that next time and add olive oil to the water

Don't cook them for too long or the pasta gets sticky.

After you have drained them put them back in the empty pan. Add either butter or some olive oil and stir with a spoon. That will soon separate them and stop them sticking together.

This

I saw a you tube video where she put them in the microwave for 10 seconds and they were easy to separate. Disclaimer: I have not tried this!

Don’t try and separate them. And don’t overcook them. Follow the timing exactly on the packet.

Put them in when the water's boiling but turn it down, they're more likely to come apart and the filling come out if you boil them. Cook at a simmer for the three or four minutes, whatever the package says

They separate when cooked.

The cooking instructions usually specifically say not to separate. Because I like filled pasta, I've been determined to find a way to cook them and keep them in one piece. So now I always use a big frying pan rather than a saucepan to cook them in so that they have plenty of room to separate and expand into in one layer. I bring the water to the boil and reduce to a very gentle simmer immediately they go in.

Just pop them into the rolling boiling water and they will separate. Drain and drizzle with olive oil.

Brown butter and crispy sage is very nice too...

Where are you buying it? Tesco own brand ravioli / tortellini doesn’t stick together, the boiling water separates it quickly.

While we are on this subject can anyone recommend a really good filled pasta? They all taste the same and bland to me.

M&S Goats cheese & red onion is lovely, also the walnut & gorgonzola. Tesco Finest Nduja, Mascarpone, Red Onion Ravioli is really good too, flavoursome and a little spicy.

Italian DMIL used to sprinkle her homemade ravioli with a little semolina flour from a height.
Personally I just buy the stuff. Giovanni Rana is a favourite.

Rana pasta is delicious - especially the one with pine-nuts. It’s in Waitrose and Tesco (and probably elsewhere too).