GO! Pesto™ - How To Use Pesto Straight From The Jar (2024)
by Michael Hawkins
Short answer Yes, pesto can be used straight from the jar and doesn't require cooking or heating. In fact, we actively discourage applying too much heat to pesto, as this will destroy many of the fresh flavours that producers work so hard to retain.
Long answer Almost all the jarred pestos you find in the supermarket will have been pasteurised to not only ensure that they can last a long time unopened, but so they are perfectly safe to eat straight from the jar.
There is no need to heat pesto, although too many people do. Perhaps it's understandable that people opt to take a 'belt and braces' approach, especially if they planto serve it to someone they may consider vulnerable, like babies, toddlers, or pregnant women. However, we strongly urge you not to because producers go to great lengths to keep their sauces raw, and heating (or worse still, cooking) destroys all those wonderful fresh flavours.
Once you have cooked and drained your pasta (hopefully you've saved some of the starchy pasta water, right?) the heat from the noodles will be perfectly hot enough to warm the pesto through without ruining the fresh flavours.
As for eating pesto neat, well, if that's your thing, go for it. We think its richness means you'll probably get sick of it long before you reach the bottom of the jar. Even pesto obsessives like us can't demolish a whole jar in one sitting.
Yes, pesto can be used straight from the jar and doesn't require cooking or heating. In fact, we actively discourage applying too much heat to pesto, as this will destroy many of the fresh flavours that producers work so hard to retain.
Yes, jarred pesto is a raw sauce that can be used straight from the jar. In fact, for hot applications as a pasta sauce, it is best stirred into a serving bowl with hot pasta rather than cooking in a saucepan. Cooking the pesto will take away from its fresh, raw (or crudo) flavor.
Flavored salt is one of the quickest ways to upgrade any store-bought pesto since you just sprinkle, mix, and you're ready to serve. You don't want to oversalt the pesto, of course, so start by dusting a very small amount and add more to the pesto to taste. Garlic salt is a fantastic choice.
As a very rough guide, your pesto should weigh about 2/3 the weight of the dried pasta you are cooking. So, for a standard, single serving of 75g of dried pasta, we think that 50g of pesto is about right.
PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.
The primary ingredients in pesto — basil and olive oil — are sensitive to heat. Basil can lose its vibrant color and fresh flavor when exposed to high temperatures, turning it a darker, more muted green. Olive oil can also lose some of its health benefits and can develop a bitter taste when heated excessively.
The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.
It is better to mix your pesto to fresh boiled pasta, not for taste-reasons but for a rather practical issue: unseasoned pasta gets sticky when it cools down and you won't be able to mix it properly.
If you please to have your pasta with pesto cold, season it warm and let it then cool down.
The most effective way to make a sauce stick to pasta is to buy pasta that has been made using a "bronze die." It will be a bit more expensive than you might be used to, but this kind of pasta has a rough surface, which means sauces can't help but stick to it.
Traditional basil pesto is another sauce that shines with a bit of pasta water. The starchy water helps to integrate the pesto with the pasta, ensuring each bite is perfectly coated with the herby, garlicky goodness.
Pesto is one of the most popular pasta toppings in Italy. It originated in Liguria, specifically in Genoa. This flavorful sauce is made of basil, extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, pine nuts, garlic and salt, traditionally ground in a ceramic or marble mortar.
We're often asked whether you're supposed to heat up pesto, and 99% of the time we advise against it, especially if you're talking about the kind of fresh pesto you find in supermarkets' chilled sections. The reason is because pesto is designed to be a raw sauce.
No need to cook it, the Pesto Alla Genovese Barilla is ready to season the pasta. Tip: the pasta's cooking water is a great binder. Add one teaspoon of it to each pesto portion for a better match with the pasta.
While your pesto can safely reside in your pantry until its first use, forgetting to refrigerate it after opening is guaranteed to spoil it long before the five-day mark. It's also best to seal and refrigerate your jar of sauce right after using, as exposure to oxygen can speed up the spoiling process.
It is better to mix your pesto to fresh boiled pasta, not for taste-reasons but for a rather practical issue: unseasoned pasta gets sticky when it cools down and you won't be able to mix it properly.
If you please to have your pasta with pesto cold, season it warm and let it then cool down.
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