al dente new — Transcript

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1. 0:03If you want really good pasta, getting
2. 0:05the al dente part just right makes a
3. 0:08huge difference. But what does al dente
4. 0:10actually mean? It's Italian for to pasta
5. 0:14that still has a little bite. The
6. 0:16easiest way to test it is to taste a
7. 0:19piece. It feels soft at first, but as
8. 0:22you bite through, it gives you a little
9. 0:23bite back. You can also cut it open and
10. 0:26look for a tiny white dot or thin white
11. 0:29line in the center, but that's easy for
12. 0:31banner and not so easy for spaghetti.
13. 0:37And here's the key. Don't fully trust
14. 0:39the package. Start checking your pasta 2
15. 0:42to 3 minutes early. What you're looking
16. 0:44for is al dented.
17. 0:48Soft on the outside, slightly firm
18. 0:51inside, but not raw. on your pasta
19. 0:54package. You'll usually see a cooking
20. 0:56time range like 8 to 10 minutes. Start
21. 0:59checking the pasta at the lower number
22. 1:02or even better start tasting a little
23. 1:05earlier. It's usually close to al dente
24. 1:08which means slightly firm in the center.
25. 1:11That's the texture we are aiming for. If
26. 1:13your package shows only one cooking
27. 1:16time, use that as a guide and start
28. 1:18tasting the pasta a few minutes early.
29. 1:21Now you know what a denta feels like. So
30. 1:23how do you get it just right?
31. 1:29It's not just how long you cook pasta,
32. 1:31it's what you are cooking it for. Let's
33. 1:34look at three methods. First method if
34. 1:37you want to mix it with ready sauce. Now
35. 1:40this one is for dishes where the sauce
36. 1:42is already done or real fetuccini
37. 1:44alfredo where you finish everything off
38. 1:47the heat. Cook pasta to al dente. Then
39. 1:50mix it with the sauce off the heat.
40. 1:53Don't rinse it. And if you like real
41. 1:55fetuccini alfredo with a bit more bite,
42. 1:58cook it 1 minute less than al dente.
43. 2:01That's actually how we love it most.
44. 2:04So the second method, pasta for the
45. 2:07salad. This is the only time you should
46. 2:09rinse your pasta. Cook to al dente.
47. 2:14Drain it. Rinse under cold water. Let it
48. 2:17dry slightly. Now it's perfect for the
49. 2:20salad.
50. 2:24If you're making something like vodka
51. 2:27sauce or butter pasta or garlic pasta.
52. 2:31So you finish cooking your pasta in hot
53. 2:33sauce overheat on the stove.
54. 2:37Cook your pasta 1 2 minutes less than al
55. 2:40dente. Italians sometimes call this
56. 2:43molto al dente or very al dente.
57. 2:46Basically, the pasta is still a little
58. 2:48too firm to eat because it's going to
59. 2:50finish cooking in the sauce. Then
60. 2:52transfer it straight into the sauce and
61. 2:55let it finish cooking there. This is
62. 2:57where the magic happens and the pasta
63. 3:00absorbs the sauce and suddenly it tastes
64. 3:02like a restaurant dish. What's
65. 3:04important, don't rinse it. Pasta
66. 3:07releases starch as it cooks and that's
67. 3:09what helps the sauce stick and that's
68. 3:11the most important part. your pasta
69. 3:14reaches al dente in the sauce. So it has
70. 3:17the right texture when you actually
71. 3:19serve it. So yeah, same pasta, three
72. 3:22totally different outcomes.