What does al dente mean to you?

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MelaniaTrump
MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
edited December 2024 in Recipes
I have heard it all my life and have no clue what it means.
I have googled it: firm to the bite
Still no clue what it really means.

I cook it according to package. Is that al dente or something else? If it says 10 minutes, I cook 10 minutes. Do some people cook pasta MUSHY or something? Where it just squishes in your mouth?
Al dente, does it mean still sort of crunchy? Which one does the package instructions give you? Al delte is what all these recipes seem to say. Never seen cook mushy (the opposite?).
An who would want mush spaghetti?

Replies

  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited June 2016
    It means "not cooked enough" to me.
    Slightly undercooked pasta that's tougher to eat. However, I wouldn't say there would be a crunch. Just chewy, less bendy.
    Slightly undercooked veggies that still have crunch (instead of having no crunch left).

    However, mushy = overcooked. To me this means it pretty much falls apart on your tongue with a little squishing. No teeth needed.

    Something cooked but not under or over done would still need some help from teeth. When it comes to pasta... I'm not really sure there's anything between al dente and mush. It probably only takes 60 seconds of too much cooking, or too high a temperature to quickly tip it over the edge. Vegetables are much more forgiving (thinking carrots).

    It's a fine line.. and hard to get right every time. And it's a qualitative word - meaning it's never exact and is dependent on the person defining it.

    ETA: If your pasta package says cook 10 minutes, then 8-9 would would al dente (in fact I've seen that specific timing and al dente description on packages), IMO. 11-12 would be mush haha.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    It means that you cook the pasta till it loses all of it's brittle texture but not until it's totally soft.It wouldn't be crunchy. I believe that 10 minutes will get you just past al dente but then everyone has their own personal preference on how firm they like the pasta to be.

    Yes, some people like mushy pasta.
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    Not crunchy, but not mushy. Just slightly firm. I like my pasta cooked about a minute less than I think it should be.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,795 Member
    edited June 2016
    For me it still has a little white inside when you bite it. Also if it sticks to your teeth, it's a little too al dente so I cook it until it doesn't stick. It should kind of bounce back. But there is nothing worse to me than overcooked pasta so I will take it out even before it's done and let it sit out and usually it is perfect

    In terms of package directions, I start the timer when the water comes back up to a boil after adding the pasta, and for me it is usually right on al dente but I do check it about a min before just in case
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,010 Member
    edited June 2016
    Al dente isn't really a precise measurement. It means cooked through, but still firm. You could actually go past al dente and not be mushy, it would just be soft.

    And actually, yes, a lot of people cook pasta until it's a little mushy. Bleck :)
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Pretty sure al dente does not mean there's any white left in the middle - it's the point just past that, where it's cooked through but still springy. Not mushy.

    The issue with package instructions is that the actual time the pasta takes to cook is going to vary with the exact water temp, how long you've had it on the shelf, how humid your house is etc so the 10min is a bit approximate. You're meant to cook it til it's just barely done and no more.

    The exception is when you cook it al forno, like lasagne - then it ends up more cooked and softer.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,010 Member
    CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

    The exception is when you cook it al forno, like lasagne - then it ends up more cooked and softer.

    That's the word I was trying to think of! al forno. My italian grandparents are gone too long, the words aren't fresh in my head. According to my grandpa, pasta can be al dente, al forno, or in the garbage.
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