Rant: I just realized I've been overcooking my pasta for like 15 years

So last Tuesday I'm making spaghetti for dinner, right, and I'm doing my usual thing of boiling it for the full 12 minutes on the box. My buddy Mike, who's a chef at this little place in Portland, walks in and sees me setting my timer and just laughs. He says 'dude, you're turning that into mush, pull it at 6 minutes and finish it in the sauce.' I thought he was crazy because I like my pasta soft, you know? But I tried it that night and the texture was way better, not all gloppy and swollen. I guess I grew up thinking al dente meant undercooked, but now I get it's about having some bite left. Has anyone else had that moment where they found out a basic cooking rule they thought was gospel was actually ruining their food?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairwhite15d ago

Now I gotta make my rice like that too.

iris39415d ago

The rinsing thing is important, but you also gotta be careful about the water ratio. Lots of people use too much water and end up with mush. For most white rice, it's a one-to-one ratio by volume, not two-to-one like some bags say. Also, letting it rest after cooking for like ten minutes with the lid on makes a big difference. The rinsing gets rid of the starch, but the ratio and the rest period lock in the texture. Take it from someone who's made a lot of sticky, sad rice over the years.