Why al dente pasta is better for your health
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Many Americans cook their pasta for too long, when nutritionists and chefs say al dente is best.
Why it matters: How pasta is prepared could mean the difference between a health-optimized dinner and one that spikes your blood sugar.
How it works: When pasta is cooked al dente, it has a lower glycemic index (a measure of how quickly specific foods raise blood sugar) than overcooked noodles. A higher GI can potentially leave diners hungry and tired after eating.
- Firmer pasta also requires more chewing, helping with digestion.
- It's a small difference that can be especially important for anyone tracking their blood sugar or looking to punch up their meal's nutrition.
What we're hearing: Minutes matter.
- Al dente means "to the tooth" in Italian. "You want to feel something in your teeth. Nothing like Wonder Bread or marshmallows," Mediterranean diet ambassador and chef Amy Riolo told Axios. If it's crunchy, though, it's not ready.
- Denver-based chef Elise Wiggins recommends cooking pasta until it's three-quarters done (still "stiff-looking"), then finishing it in the sauce.
- Mushy pasta's glycemic index could mimic that of white rice, while al dente pasta is closer to farro or barley, says Melissa Mroz-Planells, Seattle-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Boxed spaghetti typically cooks in just 9 minutes, and Riolo told Axios it's best to check for doneness at 7 minutes. The boiling process is also important:
- Water should be rapidly boiling (with big bubbles at the top).
- Add salt (at least a teaspoon). Salt also speeds up the boiling process.
- Add pasta and stir.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high or medium. (You don't want the water boiling over.)
Fun fact: Barilla created Spotify playlists that match its pasta cook times.
Never rinse pasta after cooking because that washes away nutritional value, Mroz-Planells says.
- Plus, that surface starch is "essential for the sauce to adhere well," says Claudia Bouvier, co-founder of Boulder-based heirloom wheat pasta company Pastificio.
- Also, don't add oil to the water, award-winning chef and TV personality Tiffany Derry warns. "That's just a waste, and it keeps your sauce from sticking like it should." Oil can be used after the pasta is cooked.
The bottom line: Al dente is healthier. Don't overdo it.
