Tonight I was listening to a podcast on molecular gastronomy on my drive home and they happened to address this very issue. They said that the field of molecular gastronomy has been making great strides at using chemistry to solve problems like these and debunking common cooking myths in the process.
The myth in question was adding olive oil to the boiling water to prevent pasta from sticking - which they say does not work at all (though it sounds like serenitaet's method very well might work if you are looking for a post-cooking cold pasta solution). They did not go into the chemistry of why but the molecular gastronomy solution to the problem of pasta sticking together while cooking is to add... vinegar. I haven't tried it myself (having just heard this half an hour ago) and they didn't mention specifics about amounts, etc. but apparently everything else is bunk and the thing that works via science (SCIENCE!) is vinegar. They said red wine vinegar, cider vinegar and the like will all work basically the same if you're looking for a particular flavor.
So funny that you mention this dilemma and I happen to hear a podcast that talks about it a few days later. The world, it is coincidentical.
Yes please! I don't think my French is advanced enough to enjoy a book of that level of complexity, though. (And I am totally fine with reading about non-vegan cooking, particularly with relation to the science of it.)
Hi. I added you even though we don't know each other because of your hilarious icon and because we both know Vito. Rather random, I know, but I've got a writer's block today and it's so much easier to read other people's blogs than it is to put words on the page.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-04-12 05:55 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-04-12 06:08 am (UTC)"An investigation of the viscous properties of congealed vegetable starch under high temperature rehydration"
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Date: 2011-04-12 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-04-12 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-12 11:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-13 04:33 am (UTC)The myth in question was adding olive oil to the boiling water to prevent pasta from sticking - which they say does not work at all (though it sounds like serenitaet's method very well might work if you are looking for a post-cooking cold pasta solution). They did not go into the chemistry of why but the molecular gastronomy solution to the problem of pasta sticking together while cooking is to add... vinegar. I haven't tried it myself (having just heard this half an hour ago) and they didn't mention specifics about amounts, etc. but apparently everything else is bunk and the thing that works via science (SCIENCE!) is vinegar. They said red wine vinegar, cider vinegar and the like will all work basically the same if you're looking for a particular flavor.
So funny that you mention this dilemma and I happen to hear a podcast that talks about it a few days later. The world, it is coincidentical.
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Date: 2011-04-13 04:34 am (UTC)Thank you for the info!
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Date: 2011-04-13 07:02 pm (UTC)I would just buy it, without the questions, except I'm not sure whether you want it in French...
... also, it has lots of stuff on non-veg*n cooking :-(
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Date: 2011-04-13 11:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-15 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-15 05:31 pm (UTC)