Definition, use, and examples of the word al dente.
For further reading head to Poughkeepsie Journal for “Pasta cooked al dente, a degree of doneness” by Sara Moulton https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/life/2015/02/28/sara-moulton-al-dente-pasta/23943063/
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I’m Jenn de la Vega and this is your culinary word of the day.
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Today’s word is AL DENTE
It is spelled…A-L space D-E-N-T-E
According to Merriam Webster, al dente means cooked just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture.
It originated in 1920 and translates to Italian, “to the tooth.”
Al dente most often refers to pasta and rice, but can indicate textural doneness for many other foods.
You can also find this word in Marcella Hazan’s book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking:
“Pasta must be cooked until it is firm to the bite, al dente. The firmness of spaghetti and other dried factory pasta is different from that of fettuccine and other homemade pasta.
The latter can never be as firm and chewy as the former, but that does not mean one should allow it to become yieldingly soft: It should always offer some resistance to the bite. When it does not, pasta becomes leaden, it loses buoyancy and its ability to deliver briskly the flavors of its sauce.”
She also uses the phrase molto al dente for “very firm to the bite.” This is typically advised when par-cooking pasta before cooking it a second time with the sauce and a little pasta water to emulsify.
In Vogue Paris, “Straight from the summer market to a perfectly cooked al dente, this lemon pasta recipe is brought to us by Italian actress Joanne Palmaro.”
https://www.vogue.fr/lifestyle-en/article/video-joanne-palmaros-pasta-al-limone-recipe
For further reading, head to Poughkeepsie Journal for “Pasta cooked al dente, a degree of doneness” by Sara Moulton
https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/life/2015/02/28/sara-moulton-al-dente-pasta/23943063/
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I’m Jenn de la Vega and this has been your culinary word of the day.
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