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Pasta-to-Water Ratio, Hotplate Surface Temperature, and Beaker Material Affect Pasta Cooking Time and Cooked Quality

¹North Dakota State University, Department of Plant Sciences, P.O. Box 6050, Department Number 7670, Fargo, ND 58108-6050. ²North Dakota State University, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, P.O. Box 6050, Department Number 7620, Fargo, ND 58108-6050. ³Corresponding author. Phone: (701) 231-6356. Fax: (701) 231-7723. E-mail: frank.manthey@ndsu.edu

Three experiments were conducted to determine the influence of hotplate surface temperature (250, 300, 350, and 400°C), pasta-to-water ratio, and beaker material (glass versus stainless steel) on the final quality of cooked spaghetti. In all the experiments, 13, 20, 27, 33, and 48 g of pasta were cooked and its final quality measured as cooking loss, cooked weight, and cooked firmness. Cooking time was greater when cooked at 250 than 400°C, with 48 than 13 g of pasta, and with a glass than with a stainless steel vessel. Cooking loss, cooked weight, and cooked firmness were greater when cooked at 400 than 250°C, with 13 than 48 g of pasta, and with a stainless steel than with a glass vessel. Evidence of the effects of hotplate surface temperature, pasta-to-water ratio, and beaker material on pasta cooking time and cooked quality suggests that these parameters should be addressed in AACC International Approved Method 66-50.01.