How much water should pasta be cooked with? Questionable information on the packaging

Mit wie viel Wasser sollen Teigwaren gekocht werden? Fragwürdiger Hinweis auf der Packung

Dear Migros, I had a bag of pasta weighing 500 grams, which said that I should boil 1 liter of water per 100 grams. That means 5 liters for the whole bag. This is ecological nonsense in several respects: The water is purified, which is not possible without electricity, then you should be careful with the amount of water (always the sensible advice to shower instead of bathing) and then the 5 liters should still be heated, which brings us back to electricity. Seriously???? Since I can think and cook, I naturally used much less water and the pasta turned out well.

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All replies (14)

bluekoala

Guest

Where did I insult "you", there is not a single word that would be/is punishable.

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Just because something is not punishable doesn't mean it's OK: ...the question from the creator alone is an embarrassment, if you don't even know how to cook pasta, you should ask your mom, get smart on the I.net or take a cooking course. That was your text.

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smartcoyote

bluekoala

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It's not punishable, that's true; but it could have been worded a little nicer, that's true again...

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Purzel

M-Infoline

Hello everyone, thank you very much for your messages. Yoliboli and smartcoyote are right: this is just a recommendation. It comes from Italian chefs and is based on the experience that the pasta rises during cooking. A quantity of 1 liter of water per 100 grams is specified so that they have enough space. Of course, it is up to you to decide how you want to prepare the products. Kind regards, Tabea

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As far as I know, the reason is different: pasta contains starch. This partly dissolves during cooking and passes into the water. If you now take 1 liter of water per 100g of pasta, the starch can be "washed away" better when draining -> the pasta does not stick (less), because starch+water+heat= "glue" It's best to try it out!

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Frederica

Purzel

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The main reasons for this are the temperature and the flowing movement of the abundantly boiling water. When the pasta is added to the boiling water, the temperature should not fall significantly below 100 degrees Celsius. This is more likely to happen if relatively little pasta is added to a lot of hot water than if the proportions are reversed. The cooking process must start immediately. Only then is the desired al dente state, in which the core is still almost uncooked, achieved. This is because the surface of the pasta swells unevenly at lower temperatures: While the proteins can absorb water well, the starch molecules in the pasta require temperatures of 65 degrees Celsius and above. If the pasta floats in plenty of bubbling water, it is also kept in motion so that it cannot stick together. With less water, frequent stirring is necessary.Source: Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research

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