No matter how you like your spaghetti—meatballs, no meatballs, al dente—there’s one thing most people take issue with: measuring out servings. Thankfully, though, there’s an easy way to do it.
Your hand is all you need to measure out a single serving of pasta before cooking.
While we know this sounds too good to be true, it’s not. The process might not be exact each time, but it’s so close that a few extra noodles won’t matter.
A single serving of spaghetti (or similar noodles like angel hair and linguine) is roughly two ounces, and that’s also about the size of a quarter. To get an easy and quick measurement, place your index finger and thumb together to form a circle. Then, shrink it until it’s quarter-sized.
Take your pasta and place it into the circle formed with your fingers. That’s a single serving. If you need two or three, simply repeat the process.
Measuring your pasta this way is a simple means of cutting down on food waste and potentially saving money on your groceries. If, however, you want leftovers, you might want to go ahead and make a few extra servings.
When you do reheat your spaghetti (which, let’s be honest, is always better on the second day anyway) be sure you grab an ice cube.
