Al dente

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In Italian cooking, pasta or risotto is cooked in a brief cooking time until they are firm when bitten or al dente (, Italian: [al ˈdɛnte]; lit. 'to the tooth'). The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables. The state is considered the ideal consistency for pasta, it cannot be overcooked. Molto al dente is the Italian term for slightly undercooked pasta. When cooking commercial pasta, the al dente phase occurs right before the white of the pasta center disappears. The American Diabetes Association says that al dente pasta has a lower glycemic index than pasta that is cooked soft. For centuries in Italy, the ideal pasta was very soft, and chefs such as the 15th century chef Martino da Como recommended cooking pasta for hours to achieve the desired texture. The resulting pasta's softness influenced how it was served. At the time, the leading physicians of Italy followed Hippocrates and Galen, who maintained contraria contrariis curantur ('opposites cure opposites'). As a result, they...

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