Cooking – Donnie Rhett Koonce

Cooking Pasta Al Dente

Donnie Rhett Koonce concurrently serves as an ophthalmic technician at Charlotte Optometric Clinic and as an ophthalmic assistant at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates in North Carolina. In his leisure time, Donnie Rhett Koonce enjoys cooking.

Pasta is one of the easiest foods to cook, yet many people have not mastered al dente pasta. “Al dente” is Italian for “to the tooth,” and it describes well-cooked pasta that is soft yet firm. When pasta is boiled al dente, its glycemic index is low. Since nutrients in the pasta are not lost when pasta is cooked al dente, the stomach has an easier time digesting it and keeping blood sugar levels stable. Overcooked pasta impedes digestion and blocks the body’s natural digestion process.

To cook pasta al dente, pour the pasta into salted boiling water, and check it periodically until the texture is correct. Hard or tough pasta is undercooked; mushy pasta is overcooked.

Creating Your Own Recipes

Donnie Rhett Koonce is an ophthalmic assistant at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates in North Carolina. Also an ophthalmic technician at the Charlotte Optometric Clinic, he is responsible for website design and maintenance, translating Spanish to English, and scheduling appointments. When away from work, Donnie Rhett Koonce pursues an interest in cooking, including creating new recipes.

Crafting your own recipe entails mustering creativity and optimism to make something delicious. Not every recipe will be noteworthy, but most likely will be worthwhile. With every attempt that doesn’t work out, you can learn to make changes to improve the meal’s next iteration.

Start with familiar recipes and make a few changes, such as certain ingredients or method of cooking. You can look to cookbooks, magazines, food blogs, and other cooking resources for proven cooking methods and ingredient quantities.

As you experiment, write the steps you will take down, or at least consider making notes on ingredient quantities that you use, so that you don’t forget what led to a successful result. Accept any mistakes you make, and reassure yourself that you’ll get it right with time.

Share your recipe with other people and listen to their comments to develop your thought processes and view things differently. Additionally, ask them to offer constructive feedback about flavors, textures, and overall technique.

Creating Your Own Recipe

An ophthalmic assistant and researcher at Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates in North Carolina, Donnie Rhett Koonce also works as an ophthalmic technician at Charlotte Optometric Clinic. Outside of his career, Donnie Rhett Koonce enjoys cooking and creating new recipes.

Many people modify the ingredients or cooking methods of an existing recipe. For example, instead of baking something in an oven, some cooks might try using a slow-cooker. Cooks also often change seasonings to bring a new twist to the dish. Either way, making modifications is a popular way of experimenting in the kitchen.

Rather than changing an existing recipe, advanced cooks can create recipes from scratch. This usually begins by using ingredients the cooks enjoy. Cooking with these foods makes the process easier since creating new recipes requires an abundance of taste-testing.

At the same time, beginning cooks should not be afraid to expand their comfort zone. They can try adding new spices to foods they like or experimenting with new ingredients they’ve always wanted to try.