Spaghetti Secrets Revealed: The Optimal Salt Ratio for Perfect Pasta

According to a recent study, the key to cooking perfect spaghetti lies in the amount of salt added to the water. Researchers at Lund University have found that 7g of salt per litre of water, roughly the equivalent of 1.25 teaspoons, is the optimal level to prevent the pasta from disintegrating while boiling.

The study, published in the journal Food Hydrocolloids, reveals that salt doesn't just enhance the taste of pasta, but also strongly affects its microstructure. The team used advanced techniques, including particle accelerators and neutron facilities, to shed light on how the hidden structure of spaghetti changes as it cooks.

Their findings show that gluten plays a crucial role in protecting the pasta's structure during the cooking process. Regular spaghetti, with its gluten content, has a higher tolerance to less optimal cooking conditions, such as being cooked for too long or in overly salty water. In contrast, gluten-free pasta, which contains an artificial matrix, only works well under exactly the right conditions - otherwise, its structure easily falls apart.

The researchers recommend cooking spaghetti for 10 minutes to achieve the perfect consistency. They hope their findings can help develop more durable gluten-free pasta alternatives that can withstand the demands of the cooking process.