I'd not ever heard that ratio of salt to pasta to water before. I'll remember that once I translate it into American measurements. In reading the article, though, I tried to 'figure' out why this ratio is important. I would guess, without too much forethought, that the process going on in the pot is osmosis when it comes to the salt. Osmosis is the movement of molecules from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration. So, the salted water would be defined as the area of "greater concentration" and the pasta would be the area of "lesser concentration;" some (not all) of the salted water would be taken up by the previously dry pasta. Hmmm. Maybe I should check this out with Robert L. Wolke's "What Einstein Told His Cook!"
I agree with your theory. There seems to be lots of different ideas about salting pasta water. Some theorize is has to do with chemistry. Others suggest that it's tradition. Want to know why pasta swells up when it's cooked? "The science of gelatinization Starch gelatinization is the process where the starch and water are subjected to heat making the starch granules swell, resulting in that the water is gradually absorbed in an irreversible manner. This gives the system a viscous and transparent texture. The result of the reaction is a gel, which is used in sauces, puddings, creams and other food products, providing a pleasing texture to the touch. The most common example to explain this phenomenon is pasta preparation: pasta is made mostly of semolina wheat (wheat flour) that contains high amounts of starch. When it is cooked in boiling water, the size increases because it absorbs water and it gets a soft texture."
I'd not ever heard that ratio of salt to pasta to water before. I'll remember that once I translate it into American measurements. In reading the article, though, I tried to 'figure' out why this ratio is important. I would guess, without too much forethought, that the process going on in the pot is osmosis when it comes to the salt. Osmosis is the movement of molecules from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration. So, the salted water would be defined as the area of "greater concentration" and the pasta would be the area of "lesser concentration;" some (not all) of the salted water would be taken up by the previously dry pasta. Hmmm. Maybe I should check this out with Robert L. Wolke's "What Einstein Told His Cook!"
ReplyDeleteI agree with your theory. There seems to be lots of different ideas about salting pasta water. Some theorize is has to do with chemistry. Others suggest that it's tradition. Want to know why pasta swells up when it's cooked?
Delete"The science of gelatinization
Starch gelatinization is the process where the starch and water are subjected to heat making the starch granules swell, resulting in that the water is gradually absorbed in an irreversible manner. This gives the system a viscous and transparent texture. The result of the reaction is a gel, which is used in sauces, puddings, creams and other food products, providing a pleasing texture to the touch.
The most common example to explain this phenomenon is pasta preparation: pasta is made mostly of semolina wheat (wheat flour) that contains high amounts of starch. When it is cooked in boiling water, the size increases because it absorbs water and it gets a soft texture."
And, another reason it absorbs H2O is osmosis. So all these theories are in agreement! Now, I'm hungry for pasta!
ReplyDeleteI had pasta and meatballs tonight .
DeleteIt's brown rice pasta here & I never add salt. It's always good. Go figure.
ReplyDelete