Dreamfields Pasta - Reheating and Using Cold

[spiroll]

I read a few posts on this forum somewhere that said that if you reheat Dreamfields pasta that it loses that low-carb value...so I emailed them with a very specific question, and this is how they answered...(basically the answer is that yes, you can reheat/use cold.)

sales internet <sales~dakotagrowers.com> to me

Thank you for contacting us to ask about reheating of Dreamfields pasta. Based on the way the pasta is made, and how our special fiber and protein blend protects the carbs, we don't believe that reheating will affect the level of digestible carbs. This has been supported by initial tests we've conducted under a variety of preparation, heating and re-use methods. We would be interested in understanding what approaches you've taken to re-heating, what the dish was that you prepared, how you re-heated it (i.e. oven or microwave), and what your experience was as we want to be sure we continue to assess all methods our consumers use in preparing and enjoying Dreamfields. Thanks.


Thank you,
Dreamfields Pasta Co.
800-250-1917

My question was....

On the low carb diet message board I go to people have mentioned that you cannot cook and then reheat Dreamfields pastas because once the pasta cools off it no longer has the low-carb effect for some reason. Is this true? If I were to make the pasta, and then make cold pasta salad with it, or reheat leftover pasta the next day or two, would the carb content be the same? I know this sounds like a ridiculous question - but there is talk that something happens in the cooling down process that changes the lower carb properties. Any help would be appreciated as I'd really like to reheat leftovers and try some cold pasta dishes. Thank you!

[liddie01]

Thank you for that, I Love dreamfields! :yum:

[EdwardGmys]

I wish instead of making the rotini, they would have made manicotti, shells or acini de pepe. Hopefully those are in the works.

I have read the idea that reheating the pasta diminishes the effectiveness of the low carb. There was a website that discussed this in length, and I thought I had it bookmarked, but if I do, I cannot find it.

[jjb2000]

Sprioll, I did the same as you and got the same response.
I have reheated it (when I make lasagna I freeze individual portions so I did the same with Dreamsfield lasangna) and have had no stalling from it. But then I'm not diabetic so I'm not checking BS. I think some people are more sensitive to it than others so it'll probably vary by individual. We love it but we only eat it once every couple of weeks and only one serving. For anything other than lasagna I only cook one serving per person. Haven't tried any cold pasta dishes yet.

[liddie01]

I made macaroni salad, I had no problems with it, but I do not eat it very often either, It is a nice change, but I have to make sure I get most of my carbs from veggies.

[scott123]

I don't buy Dreamfields claims for an instant. I read through their patent and couldn't find anything that supports the idea of 'coated' starch. This is just fiber enriched pasta, that's all. Anything you consume with fiber will be less digestible. This is true for every food. It's one of the reason why you should never take vitamins with fiber rich foods.

This being said... I eat Dreamfields. For about 3 months I was eating it every couple of days- a 4 oz. serving, and I was gaining big time (25 lb.). After that happened, I swore I would never eat it again. But... I just couldn't stay away. Now I'm eating 2 oz. servings and only once or twice a week. I was also cooking it 11 minutes and now I'm cooking it 7.

A 2 oz. serving for a 240 lb. guy is a miniscule amount- only a couple of bites and 7 minute pasta is downright rubbery, but I really can't live without some pasta in my life. We shall see. If I keep gaining with this, I'll be really dissapointed.

[mike_d]

I don't believe the LC claims either. Sounds too much like black magic to me. Anyway I used to use just a bit in soups that are never boiled instead of barley or rice and I didn't notice weight gain-- I was on South Beach then without the calorie restriction so I wasn't losing anyway. I read a diabetic site and they said it raises glucose esp if overcooked. YMMV I think.

[EdwardGmys]

I don't buy Dreamfields claims for an instant. I read through their patent and couldn't find anything that supports the idea of 'coated' starch. This is just fiber enriched pasta, that's all. Anything you consume with fiber will be less digestible. This is true for every food. It's one of the reason why you should never take vitamins with fiber rich foods.

Scott, where do you read patents? I would like to check this out. I definitely agree with your idea about the extra fiber reducing the digestion of the carbs, but I thought there are only 5 g of fiber in a serving. Can that small amount of fiber possibly offset the 42 grams of carbs? It certainly would explain why some people have problems with blood sugar after eating Dreamfields.

Ed

[scott123]

Ed, I utilize a few patent websites. This one here (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/index.pl?s_id=7410fcd44ebcdd282521edc42b910bf8) seems to have one of the larger collections.

The dreamfields patent application can be found here:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20050118326.html

The PDF version is a little easier to read:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20050118326.pdf

As far as 5 g of fiber preventing digestion, I think the type of fiber is critical. 5 g of say, wheat fiber will react much differently than 5 g of xanthan, because the xanthan absorbs a tremendous amount of water.

I'd like to hear your feelings on the patent after you get a chance to look at it. It's possible I'm overlooking something, so a second pair of eyes would be helpful.

They use a lot of big words, but as far as I can tell, the dry ingredients are mixed with the wet and then extruded.

[EdwardGmys]

I'd like to hear your feelings on the patent after you get a chance to look at it. It's possible I'm overlooking something, so a second pair of eyes would be helpful.

They use a lot of big words, but as far as I can tell, the dry ingredients are mixed with the wet and then extruded.

Yeah, lots of 25-cent words in there! It definitely looks like they are mixing the "secret flour" with different kinds of fiber. The examples at the bottom say that it has 12 grams of available carbs. How do they say 5 on the box? I don't have a box in front of me, but I am thinking there is 7 grams of fiber.

It looks like they have already included in the patent the process for making reconstituted rice, french fries and tortillas.

Something definitely seems awry with Dreamfields. If this protection was truly protective, I would think it would work in everyone and many people report having problems with it and Dreamfields does not seem to have a good answer for that.

[MyJourney]

Of all my testing (and I have done a lot) Dreamfields has never caused me any problems. My blood sugar goes up more with half an apple than it does with dreamfields. I am also still in ketosis the next day. When I eat a serving of regular pasta my blood sugar spikes and I am no longer in ketosis.

I have tested it dozens of times on myself and still do every once in a while.

Still, I don't eat it very often but I do allow myself to have it on occasion and I often make it when I have company over.

[liddie01]

i have had no problem with dreamfields, and also stay in ketosis with no problem, I do not know what they do to it, but it works for me.

[jjb2000]

Something definitely seems awry with Dreamfields. If this protection was truly protective, I would think it would work in everyone and many people report having problems with it and Dreamfields does not seem to have a good answer for that.

I don't think you can say anything will "work for everyone". Every person's system is different and how it processes various foods; I can eat things my husband cannot and vice versa. Like salt has never posed a problem for me (and believe me I've eaten alot of it) but my husband has to restrict his intake. I've been told heredity has as much to do that as anything. We don't have any problems with Dreamsfield but we only eat the standard portion size (weighed before cooking) and no more than once a week--it's rarely the main course, just an accompaniment with protein/vegetables. I've also eaten it reheated with no problems. I really hope they do rice and french fries.

[Ryu]

hi. i am a bit confused. what exactly makes the pasta lose its low carb effect? is it the reheating process? or is it because you let it cool down? this will make me thing twice in eating pasta salad. let me know, thanks.

[liddie01]

according to the web site it does not lose the low carb effect, I eat pasta salad made with it and stay in ketosis so for me it seems to work fine.

[Ryu]

thanks for the reply. how about the reheating? i would assume that would affect it because it does say not to over cook it.

[liddie01]

every box of pasta I ever bought said not to overcook it. and how else would you make lasagna?

[Ryu]

yeah, i'm always afraid of making lasagna and baked mac and cheese with dreamfields because of people saying if you over cook it, it will lose the low carb factor. has any more people done baked lasagna and baked mac and cheese and have it not lose the low carb factor?

[liddie01]

here is a link to the website, you can read about it there http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/ and a link to a diabetic website about it also http://www.mendosa.com/diabetes_update_70.htm

[Ryu]

thanks, i'll check it out.

[EdwardGmys]

yeah, i'm always afraid of making lasagna and baked mac and cheese with dreamfields because of people saying if you over cook it, it will lose the low carb factor. has any more people done baked lasagna and baked mac and cheese and have it not lose the low carb factor?

I had lasagne with it, but did not measure for ketosis but never got the flushed feeling afterwards that I get when I overload on carbs. I did make baked macaroni with the elbow and had no rise and had three servings of it in two days. Never knocked me out of ketosis. Ironically, it seemed to put me in darker purple, maybe because the backed macaroni was so filling? When I made the macaroni, I really cut back on the cooking time knowing that it was going to be also baked. Besides, I really like my pasta al dente.

[Ryu]

did you reheat your mac and cheese in the microwave everytime after?

[EdwardGmys]

did you reheat your mac and cheese in the microwave everytime after?

Yeah, I nuked it and had no problem with it knocking me out of ketosis. My family ate it too, so I think there was only one time that I had to nuke it. BTW, my family had no idea that it was low-carb and they loved it. I used my mom's recipe for the baked macaroni, and she said it was the best she ever had.

[liddie01]

I use it for macaroni salad if we have a family gathering, then i can have some.

[jjb2000]

I make lasagna, freeze and reheat in the microwave. Does not throw me out of ketosis where regular pasta does. I make lasagna in an 8x11 baking dish and it only takes 2 lasagna noodles to do one layer (I do sauce- noodles- sauce/cheeses- noodles- sauce/cheeses), so it's four noodles total--then I cut into 6 big slices. Overall it's really a small serving of the pasta but it's very filling and satisfying.

[scott123]

As far as I can tell, it would, indeed, be impossible to make lasagna without overcooking the noodles. I don't have my recipe in front of me, but I'm sure I bake the lasagna at least an hour. It probably takes about a half hour for the noodles to reach boiling temp, so that leaves the equivalent of a half hour simmer. That's a long time for pasta. I thought they might have some special instructions for lasagna so I checked their website. This is what they have:

Pasta Cooking Directions

1) Bring 4 quarts of water to a full boil per 1 pound of pasta.
2) If desired, add 1 tablespoon of salt, per gallon of water.
3) Add pasta. Gently stir and return to a full boil.
4) Cook uncovered for 12-14 minutes. Don't overcook!
5) Drain well and enjoy.

???!!!!

Who eat's lasagna noodles like this? Is there anyone on this planet that doesn't make a casserole with the noodles and bake it? ANYONE?

For those that are making lasagna and staying in ketosis, how are you preparing it? Do you boil the noodles first? How long do you bake it and at what temp?

[greannmhar]

Scott, when I first bought the lasagne I couldn't believe that I had to boil it first - lasagne is a fiddly enough dish to make without adding another stage to the process!
However, in the interests of getting it right (and not wasting something that cost me an arm and a leg to get shipped here) I boiled the sheets for about 5 minutes first. Big mistake! I had to prise them apart, slicing the unwieldy bits as I went and cobbling it all together with the sauces. I suppose I could have boiled them all separately, but that would have been an even bigger hassle.
Next time, I took a chance and simply planked the sheets in dry, as per normal pasta, and allowed a little extra time in the cooking at a slightly lower heat. Success! I've been doing it this way since - it's a wee bit more al dente than usual, but it's a big hit with my family.
Babs

[mike_d]

here is a link to the website, you can read about it there http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/ and a link to a diabetic website about it also http://www.mendosa.com/diabetes_update_70.htmThanks!
I remember this as the diabetic site with the yellow background I read years ago. Dreamfields may knock you out of ketosis depending on how its cooked.

http://www.mendosa.com/dreamfields_pasta.htm

But if you bypass those carbs into the colon, where they are fermented, a large amount of the energy goes into the biomass of the bacteria which become feces and are passed on, so the body doesn’t use that energy, and it also puts it into certain forms that aren’t used as energy by the body in the fermentation process in the colon.”

Not sure if carbs can be absorbed once in the colon? Ill have to research that.
Anyways, I have found the same effect in general with starchy carbs like elbow mac and using the grapefruit-- if its eaten 30 minutes before a meal. During those tests I had the benefit of an ileostomy and could see it happen. Lemon and other citrus juce may also work? I also find plain yogurt to be of benefit for stool bulk and overall weight loss.

I found this link from my grapefruit thread in suppliments, I use it as a "meal canceler" (is that a word?) when I eat out at my fav Chinese buffet and haven't yet gained any permanent pounds. I skip most of the carbs though.
Additionally, the research indicates a physiological link between
grapefruit and insulin, as it relates to weight management. The researchers
speculate that the chemical properties of grapefruit reduce insulin levels and
encourage weight loss.
http://thyroid.about.com/b/a/066361.htm

[KoKo]

Who eat's lasagna noodles like this? Is there anyone on this planet that doesn't make a casserole with the noodles and bake it? ANYONE?

I’ve never tried the dreamfields lasagna (not available to me) but I have used their elbows quite frequently.

As far as cooking the lasagna noodles, well how else would you cook it except BOIL it and then do the layering in the casserole. Unless you are thinking of those special noodles that are not made to be boiled first and cost twice as much as the regular pasta. They say "oven ready" or something on the box. Or if you use fresh pasta, you might not have to pre-boil it for lasagna.

For the lady in Ireland whose lasagna noodles all stuck together, I bet you did not use a large enough pot or enough water, sometimes they stick a bit if that happens. When you drain the noodles if you are not ready to do the layering immediatley put a little oil on the cooked noodles it will stop them from sticking together. Running cold water over them helps too if they are stuck.

[jjb2000]

I did boil mine for a short time--prob 7 minutes (in a big pot with a little oil and stirred to keep them separated just like I do any pasta). Then I rinse well and lay them out separated but that's what I always did with lasagna noodles.

They have a lasagna recipe on the package but it says to cook the noodles according to directions first. My old lasagna noodles said to cook first too--I imagine all packages say that. I've seen lasagna recipes both ways (cooked and uncooked noodles) but I always cooked mine so I still do. We do not like al dente pasta.

Maybe it's more portion control for me--four noodles for six servings isn't alot (the indiv serving size on the package is 2 noodles which would be 12 for six servings so this is only 1/3 of that). Since I don't check BS I don't know why I stay in ketosis but I do. We don't eat it more than once a week too. I'd like to eat it more often but I'm trying to be conservative due to this uncertainty about the pasta carbs. It's a really nice treat though.

[scott123]

As far as cooking the lasagna noodles, well how else would you cook it except BOIL it and then do the layering in the casserole. Unless you are thinking of those special noodles that are not made to be boiled first and cost twice as much as the regular pasta. They say "oven ready" or something on the box. Or if you use fresh pasta, you might not have to pre-boil it for lasagna.

I'm not sure you understand what I'm saying. The only directions I was able to track down (above) imply that one is to eat the noodles after boiling. Take a look at the recipe- no where will you find any mention of layering/casserole, just boil, drain and 'enjoy.' Which, imo, is completely insane.

Now, if the layering/casserole recipe exists somewhere else on the box, that's another story. I wasn't able to find it online and, unfortunately, I can't get the lasagna noodles in my area so I don't have a box in front of me. If anyone does have the layering/casserole directions from box handy, I'd appreciate it if they could share them.

[KoKo]

I'm not sure you understand what I'm saying. The only directions I was able to track down (above) imply that one is to eat the noodles after boiling. Take a look at the recipe- no where will you find any mention of layering/casserole, just boil, drain and 'enjoy.' Which, imo, is completely insane.



Oh!!! Doah on me sorry :blush: I didn't know you didn't have a layering/sauce recipe.

Theres probably hundreds of different recipes for that. A basic would be a very thin layer of sauce, just to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan and then start layering in this order.

noodle/meat sauce/cottage cheese (with an egg mixed in)/ grated cheese/

some people would put spinach in with the cottage cheese. I bet you can find lots of good recipes for LC lasagna here on this site. Sorry but I've never made it LC.

[KoKo]

There's quite a few lasagna recipes on this

http://forum.lowcarber.org/search.php?searchid=1015803

thread, not knowing your tastes I won't suggest one to you but hope you find something you like in there.

[jjb2000]

Now, if the layering/casserole recipe exists somewhere else on the box, that's another story. I wasn't able to find it online and, unfortunately, I can't get the lasagna noodles in my area so I don't have a box in front of me. If anyone does have the layering/casserole directions from box handy, I'd appreciate it if they could share them.

Okay Scott.
I don't use their recipe but here it is copied straight from the box:

Traditional Lasagna

12 pieces Dreamfields Lasagna
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, mincec
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms, optional
8 oz. lean ground beef
8 oz. bulk Italian sausage
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 container (16oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 cups marinara sauce

Prepare lasagna according to package directions. Dran and rinse in cold water. Drain well. In a large skilet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute garlic, onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Transfer vegetables to another dish. Using the same skillet, on medium heat, brown ground beef and Italian sausage. Season with salt and pepper; stir and crumble meats. Cook about 10 minutes until no longer pink; drain juices. Mix in vegetable mixture. Pre-heat over to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13x9x3 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
Layer 3 lasagna pieces, 1/3 of the ricotta chese, 1/2 the meat mixture, 1 cup marinara sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
--then it lists this same layering directions two more times making 3 layers (I'm cutting my typing here)--
Top with Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 12. Calories: 416 - Protein: 27 grams -- Digestible Carbs: 11 grams -- Fat: 22 grams

[scott123]

THANK YOU, JJB!!

So, 12-14 minutes of boiling, then baked 55 minutes at 375...

WOW, that is forever!!!!

And this is supposed to still retain it's 'protected' carbs after more than an hour cooking time?

*shaking my head* I don't know...