"It would have been perfect without a slight overcooking", "too bad, it's a little overcooked"... Fans of cooking shows like Top Chef know that nothing irritates a chef more than an overcooked dish. And if this overcooking applies to pasta, we might as well tell you that we border on the diplomatic incident. Until then, the question of the proper cooking of pasta, which divides in particular into France, had not been decided by science.
This is now done thanks to a scientific study with the evocative name recently published, "al dente ou bien cuit? How can the consumption rate of a pasta dish be predicted by the consumption rate of its components? This study published recently in the journal Elsevier Food Quality and Preference looked at the association between the speed of consumption, energy intake and the texture of food.
The softer it is, the more you eat
The researchers gathered a sample of 54 foodies aged 18 to 55, who each consumed four different pasta dishes over a three-day period. The dishes contained penne and carrots, cooked either hard or soft, and some were accompanied by a sauce. Participants noted their food intake and rated their appetite, hunger, satiety, thirst and desire to eat before consuming the pasta.
The result confirms this: soft-textured pasta dishes (with overcooked carrots) were eaten 45% faster than the same harder-textured dish. Overall, sluggishness and therefore overcooking of food was associated with increased consumption rates. Another element revealed by this scientific study: the softer the pasta, the more sauce the sample consumes (+ 30%). The study therefore concludes that "this information provides insights into how to compose meals that moderate both the eating rate and energy intake. This rate of consumption is fundamental in the physiological response to food ingestion, blood sugar and therefore weight control. Clearly, eating foods - pasta or others - overcooked, it is not good for your health.
"If you have teeth, it's for chewing"
All this, finally, the Italians already knew, as Simone Zanoni confirms to us. "Everything that is al dente is a little scary today," quips the Italian chef of the George V in Paris. "We are afraid to chew, we go looking for tender food. The meats that work best are, for example, those that melt in the mouth. Whereas if you have mouths and teeth, it's for chewing, "exclaims the starred chef.
"An overcooked vegetable loses its nutrients and loses its taste. It's the same for pasta. When a dough is overcooked, I feel like I'm eating compote. This is a crime! " protested the pope of the "pasta" in France. "When you have a little lettuce, tastefully speaking, the dough is much better. The sauce is already melting, we don't need more," he says in his singing accent.
The transalpine leader goes completely in the direction of the scientific demonstration mentioned above. "A pasta al dente* is more easily digested, increases satiety and is less glycemic. It is a very important element especially in what is called the Mediterranean diet, "abounds the great cook. "Italian cuisine has found a new playground in France, thanks to the messages we transmit about ideal cooking and the French are evolving on the issue," says Simone Zanoni. And what's more, it's also scientific.
*Simone Zanoni recommends removing 2 minutes from the cooking specified on your pasta packages for a cooking "à la Zanoni" perfectly "al dente".
