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The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

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Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#171

Post by aidenn0 »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #158
africanboy wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as an Italian, according to my personal understanding, "al dente" means the point where pasta is cooked but not yet overcooked (it starts becoming softer). The meaning of cooked and overcooked depends a lot on personal taste, but generally al dente it's when it's still elastic but not mushy, like if you apply pressure with the border of a fork, it goes back to the original shape when you relieve the pressure and does…

Usually when pasta cooked the exact amount of time specified on the package it should be "al dente", but you shouldn't trust it and start tasting it a couple of minutes before that point. Where did this idea come from? I used to believe this too and did exactly as you suggest. But I always left it in longer. So I started following the timing on the pack. It always works for me for normal dried pasta.

How much the pasta cooks after you drain it varies a lot depending on what you do to it after. For packaged dried pasta, I find the time on the box is only right if I rinse the pasta after draining it (or am doing a dish that involves adding a lot of room-temperature sauce); I'm too lazy to do that, so I subtract a minute if I'm using an already warm sauce.

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#172

Post by aidenn0 »

toyg wrote: post #164
W4ldi wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it has more to do with the pasta taking in a lot of sauce, rather then it holding a lot of sauce. To make a good Italian pasta dish: Take out the pasta a bit earlier out of the water and poor it into your sauce. The pasta will take in some sauce and get al-dente in the sauce. The pasta shouldn't bath in sauce but just be enough to give your pasta lots of flavor. Don't wash your pasta after cooking, because th…

> Don't wash your pasta after cooking Does anyone do that...? Why would you wash something you just boiled?

To stop it from cooking. If you take it out at exactly the texture you want, it will be mushier than you want if you don't wash it with cool water.

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#174

Post by tomcam »

boomboomsubban wrote: post #157
tomcam wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me the essential question is, do they taste it repeated times with the same spoon, double dipping it and getting their germs in there the way I see it on TV shows? Also, given your opening credentials, username noted with confusion.

Though it's not desired obviously, when testing pasta you're retrieving it from boiling water. Germs aren't a huge concern. Beyond that, reusing spoons to taste test is more often done on fictional shows. Cooking shows usually either use different spoons or pour a bit on a saucer and drink from that. Finally, ignoring all the other ways Afro-Italians exist, some Italian islands are technically part of Africa.

> some Italian islands are technically part of Africa.

Not aware of this. Maybe you’re thinking of the Pelagie islands, which are very close to North Africa?

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#175

Post by tomcam »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #160
tomcam wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me the essential question is, do they taste it repeated times with the same spoon, double dipping it and getting their germs in there the way I see it on TV shows? Also, given your opening credentials, username noted with confusion.

It’s boiling water. What do you think will survive? The only reason not to do it is to maintain the habit so you don’t contaminant other things.

I know you’re right in theory but I’m slightly grossed out anyhow

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#176

Post by boomboomsubban »

tomcam wrote: post #174
boomboomsubban wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Though it's not desired obviously, when testing pasta you're retrieving it from boiling water. Germs aren't a huge concern. Beyond that, reusing spoons to taste test is more often done on fictional shows. Cooking shows usually either use different spoons or pour a bit on a saucer and drink from that. Finally, ignoring all the other ways Afro-Italians exist, some Italian islands are technically part of Africa.

> some Italian islands are technically part of Africa. Not aware of this. Maybe you’re thinking of the Pelagie islands, which are very close to North Africa?

Yes, geologically they are part of the continent of Africa. I think Pantelleria is also part of Africa, but there's still some debate there as it's existence may predate Europe and Africa's breakup.

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#177

Post by NathanielK »

Igelau wrote: post #131
Pamar wrote: post #88

Italian expat here. Probably not many know of Marille (it's been basically forgotten by Italians, too), the first example - the first that I know of, at least - of "pasta shape deliberately designed to hold more sauce". It was a sort of celebrity stunt by Voiello (quite a name in Italian Pasta, based in Neaples) who hired Giugiaro Design to create a new pasta type: https://www.italdesign.it/project/marille/ [Sadly, i…

Something is unsettling about the cross section in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. I think that would keep me from buying it.

It looks vaguely phallic from the wrong angle. Not sure if cooking would help.

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#178

Post by Pamar »

Igelau wrote: post #131
Pamar wrote: post #88

Italian expat here. Probably not many know of Marille (it's been basically forgotten by Italians, too), the first example - the first that I know of, at least - of "pasta shape deliberately designed to hold more sauce". It was a sort of celebrity stunt by Voiello (quite a name in Italian Pasta, based in Neaples) who hired Giugiaro Design to create a new pasta type: https://www.italdesign.it/project/marille/ [Sadly, i…

Something is unsettling about the cross section in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. I think that would keep me from buying it.

In a non-euclidean, vaguely Lovecraftesque way, you mean? I never actually ate this stuff, but I am sure it was not that type of catastrophe when it was released to the public.

Re: The Invention of a New Pasta Shape

#180

Post by Pamar »

snissn wrote: post #96
Pamar wrote: post #88

Italian expat here. Probably not many know of Marille (it's been basically forgotten by Italians, too), the first example - the first that I know of, at least - of "pasta shape deliberately designed to hold more sauce". It was a sort of celebrity stunt by Voiello (quite a name in Italian Pasta, based in Neaples) who hired Giugiaro Design to create a new pasta type: https://www.italdesign.it/project/marille/ [Sadly, i…

This looks so cool. I notice that the pasta is symmetric in the “z” index dimension. As if it were a cylinder and the z was along the length of the cylinder. I think each pasta could be cut such that there is an arc making the thicker folds less long in that z direction that could make it cook more evenly! I could try to draw something if this needs further clarification. Manufacturing this might add many issues howe…

I posted a new story about Marille: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26529212 which has better images on how the pasta looks like.
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