If you needed any proof of how seriously the Italians take their pasta then look no further than the current hot topic debate in the country regarding the right way to cook pasta.
On seeing the inflation and rising energy costs in Europe, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Giorgio Parisi suggested a method to cook pasta that would reduce the cooking time and save energy too.
Parisi’s method involved turning off the heat midway through cooking the pasta, covering it with a lid, and then letting the residual heat in the water finish the job. According to the physicist, this can reduce the cost of cooking pasta substantially.
While the method received support from the Internet and the Unione Pastai, an association of pasta producers, many Italian cooks spoke up against it. Michelin-starred chef Antonello Colonna claimed this method made the pasta rubbery and he would never serve it in his restaurants.
However, Parisi’s suggestion has been backed by a number of studies, including one by students at Nottingham Trent University who came up with several ways to reduce energy consumption and, subsequently, the cost of cooking pasta.
Parisi’s method holds merit because pasta is an Italian food staple and cooking it can be an energy-intensive process as it requires high amounts of electricity or gas to get large quantities of water boiling for the cooking process. According to a study from Science Direct, the standard method of cooking pasta uses an average of 1.5 kWh of energy.
A report in Forbes claims that the physicist’s method could save the country around $47.6 million in energy costs.
Would you try cooking pasta in an energy and cost-efficient way?
