Posted on 01/09/2023 2:43:19 PM PST by nickcarraway
Whose side are you on?
Giorgio Parisi, an Italian theoretical physicist and professor at Sapienza University, has studied some of the universe’s most complex problems. He even won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for his “discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems.” He also happens to be an enthusiastic amateur chef who enjoys the “theoretical and experimental part” of meal prep.
So when Parisi explained a more energy-efficient method of cooking pasta on his Facebook page, he may have thought it was just another interesting observation about the world. Instead, Parisi launched a country-wide controversy and found himself being criticized by some of Italy’s top chefs.
This all started when Parisi suggested that we should turn the burner off after adding pasta to a pot of boiling water. “After bringing the water to a boil, just throw in the pasta and wait two minutes,” he explained. “Then you can turn off the gas, put the lid on and calculate one minute longer than the indicated cooking time.”
This method, he said, saves “at least eight minutes of energy consumption” — and those minutes add up. According to Forbes, the average Italian eats over 50 pounds of pasta every year, and the average person could save around $6 in energy costs annually. Country-wide, that equates to a savings of approximately $47.6 million and 350 million kilowatt hours (kWh) every year. Parisi’s cooking method also reduces each individual’s carbon emissions by about 13.3 kg annually.
Despite the potential economic and environmental benefits of Parisi’s pasta-prep style, it wasn’t exactly well-received. Antonello Colonna, whose Labico, Italy restaurant has received one Michelin star, told La Repubblica that this method will just result in a pot of rubbery pasta. “I remember it well when at my parent’s house, the gas cylinder went out just as the spaghetti was cooking, and when that happened, [we] were in trouble because the consistency of the product was now compromised,” he said.
Chef Luigi Pomata added that “it would be a disaster” to turn the heat off as pasta cooks. “Let’s leave cooking to chefs while physicists do experiments in their lab.”
Last week, David Fairhurst, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science & Technology, took Parisi’s ideas even further and determined that the most energy-efficient way to cook dried pasta starts by pre-soaking the pasta in cold water for two hours, then halve the recommended amount of water and gently simmer the pasta instead of bringing it to a rolling boil, keeping a lid on the pot as it cooks.
As Fairhurst wrote, “We aren’t all Michelin-starred chefs or Nobel Prize-winning physicists, but we can all make a difference in the way we cook to reduce energy bills while still producing great-tasting food.” Now it’s up to you which side of the argument you’re on.
I haven’t tried thermos cooking but I have bought the goods to be able to do it, just haven’t gotten around to the actual doing.
Frusilli fellows, you win the trofie!
That’s coming.
She didn’t invent it either. I’ll have to ask her where she got the tip, and AFAICR it was decades ago.
Oops! meant to include you in my #22.
This method for noodles works. You can also boil ribs in a pot for 2 hours and then finish on the grill 30 minutes with seasoning, sauce, smoke etc. and get the exact same effect.
Don’t tell anyone.
“So, Italians eat less than a pound of pasta week?”
Over 0.96 pounds per week.
“Chef Luigi Pomata added that “it would be a disaster” to turn the heat off as pasta cooks. “Let’s leave cooking to chefs while physicists do experiments in their lab.””
If only everyone was telling that to our idiot politicians. What the heck does AOC know about energy production? Hank Johnson, idiot, thinks islands can tip over.
Who doesn’t do it that way?
Have I been doing it “wrong” all these years and not known it?
By the way, boiled eggs turn out better that way too.
In Europe and the northern U.S., homes are heated half the year. Heat made from a stove offsets some of the need to use a furnace (or worse, and heat pump), so it is not all wasted. Same goes for incandescent light bulbs.
I imagine I’m not the only hiker who has toyed with these same methods. Not to save the climate but just to cut down on fuel so you don’t have to carry as much (as well as saving time with the pre-soak method, if you can carry it that way while hiking to your stopping point.)
;>)
Can I elbow my way in?
This reminds me of video gamers who always calculate the numbers to get the best percentages for their gear and weapons. People have actual spread sheets for games on what to get, add, and or avoid just to improve performance.
Id rather the Nobel winning scientist solve the “gravy or sauce” debate.
Everybody’s welcome, bigoli.
Sure, that would be just pici!
This Nobel Prize winner doesn’t even know how to cook pasta.
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