chapotraphouse

I once posted a pic of some spaghetti meatballs to a dorm group chat. The Italian dude immediately jumps in and says "that's not real pasta". So I say to him "noodles are from China, so you guys are actually just fucking up 捞面 really bad."

Dude got legitimately mad and didn't talk to me for a week. Worth it.

I deal with ths as a job. It's insufferable. None one I work with is even Italian.

I didn't try the soaking method, but I did try the turning it off halfway method. The texture of the pasta is slightly different, but barely noticeable, unless you're using really high-quality pasta from higher-protein durum wheat (the one used the most in Italy). In that case it does turn a bit gummy.

If you're using regular-ass pasta made from red or winter wheat, which is the pasta you get in 99% of the world (unless you're importing or getting it from a high-quality brand), there's virtually no difference, in my very limited experimentation.

I haven't met any pasta scientists, but i've met a few Italian food scientists who do all the hand gestures. It's really funny

I've tried that and the outside of the pasta is a bit overcooked and slimy when i've done it. These days i just boil water on the kettle, pour it in a pot and add the pasta. Faster and no fuss.

I come from an Italian American family, moms side at least, and this is how I do it and it was specifically to spite my grandmother

honestly the hard part is finding one tall enough to fit the dry noodles without having to break them

Thanks for this, this is going to give me some props in the group text