Lj. Malcolmson et Rr. Matsuo, EFFECTS OF COOKING WATER COMPOSITION ON STICKINESS AND COOKING LOSS OF SPAGHETTI, Cereal chemistry, 70(3), 1993, pp. 272-275
The effects of cooking water composition on stickiness and cooking los
s of spaghetti made from durum and common wheat were examined using se
ven cooking waters varying in mineral content. Water hardness was calc
ulated as 1.7-512 ppm of CaCO3. With the exception of deionized water,
all cooking waters had values around pH 7.7. Regardless of the cookin
g water used, spaghetti made from common wheat was stickier than spagh
etti made from durum wheat, and both were stickier when cooked in tap,
well, or formulated waters (F3 and F4). The two spaghetti types showe
d similar cooking losses, except when cooked in well water. Spaghetti
made from durum wheat did not appear to be as affected by the hardness
of the well water as the spaghetti made from common wheat. These find
ings confirm the need to use a standardized cooking water when compari
ng results from one test session to another or from one laboratory to
another.