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With the rising cost of electricity, gas and many foodstuffs, people are looking for tricks to save money any way they can. That’s why the trick used by Nobel prize-winning physicist Giorgio Parisi to save money cooking pasta has gone viral, but it has also received negative comments, especially from Italian chefs. The method is very simple, but it can help you save a few euros every time you cook pasta at home.
Just bring the water to the boil and when you add the pasta, leave the heat on for 2 minutes. Then close the heat and cover the pot. You should calculate about one minute more than the cooking time you would leave if you had the fire open, and that’s it. According to Parisi, you will save about 8 minutes every time you make pasta, which is a considerable amount of energy saved per year. In fact, as Forbes reports, the average Italian eats almost 23 kilos a year. So just calculate the amount of energy that could be saved.
But this peculiar trick has not been without its critics. Pasta is sacred in Italy and many chefs have come out in defence of the traditional cooking method. Michelin-starred chef Antonello Colonna at his restaurant Labico explained that cooking it this way will only result in a rubbery pot of pasta, compromising the consistency of the food. Another chef, Luigi Pomata, also added that this “would be a disaster”.
Finally, other alternative methods for saving money while cooking pasta have also emerged, such as that of David Fairhurst, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology. He says the most efficient way to cook dry pasta starts with pre-soaking the pasta in cold water for two hours. Then halve the recommended amount of water and simmer the pasta rather than bringing it to the boil. Keep the lid on the pot while cooking.
What about you, what do you think of this trick to try to save money while cooking pasta? If cooking is not your thing, but you love Italian food, you can also go straight to one of these 8 restaurants where you can eat pasta as if you were in Italy.
