Of course, first of all, such pasta is popular for its ability not to add excess fat, and without adding fatty additives to the dish - even for weight loss. Why does this happen?
The fact is that in the grains of such wheat, starch forms a crystalline form that is not destroyed during processing. Crystalline starch holds protein, which is easily digestible and provides energy to the body. Soft varieties contain amorphous starch - the same as in white bread and rolls. It only promotes weight gain.
The fat in durum pasta is unsaturated, which is also important for its rapid breakdown. At the same time, it is unsaturated fats that help maintain skin elasticity.
The absolute presence and balance of everything else that is necessary to maintain the vital functions of the body is also important:
pasta is rich in protein: for example, a dish prepared from 100 g of pasta satisfies 30% of our daily need for proteins and carbohydrates. In addition, such pasta contains fiber, which stimulates intestinal function, reduces the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases and even some cancers. Fiber quickly removes toxins from a slagged, neglected, fat-filled body;
Pasta made from durum wheat also contains useful minerals such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, B vitamins, including riboflavin, which helps reduce fatigue.
But with all this, remember that: meat dressings and sauces make dishes made from durum wheat pasta more nutritious. If you want to lose weight on pasta, you should stop eating pasta as a side dish for meat, sausages, goulash - it is this combination that leads to weight gain. Proper nutrition teaches that pasta is an independent dish. You can combine them with mushrooms, vegetables, spices, seafood, hard cheeses, vegetable oils, but then you need to eat them in small portions. By the way, pasta with vegetables is recommended by doctors for diseases of the cardiovascular system.
And by the way, Italian and American doctors claim that this is an excellent sedative. To relieve anxiety and excitement before an important event, eat a plate of pasta an hour before it.
Rule of cooking and selection
It should be remembered that pasta should be thrown into boiling water. But washing ready-made pasta in cold water is strictly not recommended: this way you will deprive yourself of valuable minerals and vitamins.
Real pasta is made from whole ground durum wheat. Conscientious manufacturers must report this on the label. In English, the term durum is used in such cases, in Italian - semola and grano duru. In the Russian version, you should pay attention that the composition does not indicate “high-grade flour” after durum wheat flour, separated by a comma - this clearly indicates the mixed composition of hard and soft flour.
When choosing pasta, pay attention to their appearance. Proper pasta made from durum wheat has a smooth surface, an even golden or creamy color and has dark, infrequent dotted inclusions - particles of the grain shell.
http://www.smachno.ua/blogs/blog_20159/9490.html
Pasta- long, fiber-like dough products, usually made from wheat flour and water. Another name for pasta, more common in other countries, is pasta (Italian. Pasta).
First of all, Italian cuisine is associated with pasta, but meanwhile the real homeland of this product, popular in every family even outside of Italy, is China. It was from there that the traveler Marco Polo brought the secret of making pasta.
Types of pasta
There are dozens, even hundreds, of varieties of pasta (pasta) in Italy. Different shapes, colors, thicknesses, ingredients, cooking speed... Only a real Italian would not get confused in this abundance of pasta shapes, but all Italian pasta can be divided into 3 types:
- Long pasta (Pasta lunga)
- Short pasta (Pasta corta)
- Filled pasta (Pasta ripiena)
Based on the composition of the dough, pasta is divided into products made only from durum wheat (Italian. pasta di semola di grano duro) and for products with added eggs (Italian. pasta all` uovo).
Durum wheat pasta healthier, but more expensive. Durum wheat pasta has no fat and also contains more vegetable protein than soft wheat pasta. Carbohydrates in them are broken down more slowly and are not deposited in “problem areas.”
In Italy, for example, there is a special law that states: pasta - only from durum wheat, everything else is pasta. In Russia, the best pasta made from premium durum flour can be recognized by the label “Group A. Highest grade.” Experts assure that durum pasta will not add a single gram to your weight. But soft wheat pasta is the opposite. According to GOST, on a pack of “soft” pasta it is written “Group B”, “1st or 2nd class of flour”.
The ending in the name of the pasta indicates the size of the product:
- oni- large
- ette or etti- small
- ini- small
Based on their shape, pasta is divided into five types:
1. Long pasta
- Capellini(Italian Capellini) - long, round and very thin. They are sometimes also called " angel hair" They are consumed only hot, with light sauces, broths, or simply mixed with olive oil and boiled vegetables.
- Vermicelli (Vermicelli) - long, round and quite thin (1.4 mm - 1.8 mm). Their name is translated from Italian as “ little worms" They are eaten hot, sometimes cold, with light sauces or broken and mixed with vegetable salads.
- Spaghetti (Spaghetti) the most popular pasta in the world: long, round, medium thick. Their name translates as " small ropes" Use only hot, with tomato sauces or in casseroles.
- Spaghettini (Spaghettini) - thinner than spaghetti.
- Bucatini (Bucatini).
- Tagliatelle (Tagliatelle) - long noodles.
- Fettuccine (Fettuccine) - thin flat strips of dough about 2.5 cm wide. They can be straight or slightly curved. Most often used in preparing dishes like Fettuccine Alfredo, are consumed only hot, with thick sauces, especially good with creamy sauces.
- Lasagna (Lasagne) - long and very wide, can be with straight edges or curly. The casserole made with them is called exactly the same. They are consumed only hot, they are placed in a mold, in layers, coating each layer with thick tomato or cream sauce, and baked.
- Lasagnette- wide noodles with corrugated edges.
- Linguine (Linguine) - long, flat and narrow, slightly longer than spaghetti. Their name is translated from Italian as “ small reeds».
- Pappardelle- flat noodles about 2 cm wide.
- Pasta (Maccheroni).
2. Short pasta
- Fusilli (Fusilli) - in the form of an Archimedes screw (spiral).
- Pene (Penne) - tubes with a diameter of up to 10 mm and a length of up to 40 mm with diagonal cut edges (feathers).
- Penne rigate (Penne rigate) - fluted feathers.
- Cannelloni (Cannelloni) - tubes with a diameter of up to 30 mm and a length of up to 100 mm. As a rule, they are prepared with filling.
- Cellentani (Cellentani) - spiral-shaped tubes. Ditali - tubes.
3. Fine paste for soups
- Anelli (Anelli) - miniature rings for soups.
- Stelline (Stelline) - asterisks.
- Ditalini Orecchiete- small items in the shape of ears, “ letters».
4. Figured paste
5. Filled pasta
How many minutes does durum wheat pasta take to cook?
I don’t know who cooks how, but after boiling water I cook pasta from durum wheat for about 5-10 minutes, no more, otherwise they will simply turn into mush, but this way they turn out like pasta to pasta and don’t stick together at all.
Culinary science recommends cooking pasta depending on the type. For vermicelli, 12 to 15 minutes are recommended, for noodles, 20 to 30 minutes. Well, for other types of pasta made from durum wheat, this time can be 35-40 minutes.
Typically, the packaging indicates the recommended cooking time for such products. The usual cooking time for durum wheat pasta is from 7-8 to 10-12 minutes in boiling water, preferably already salted. By the way, Italian pasta takes longer to cook than our domestic ones.
I cook this pasta for about 7-8 minutes. Pasta made from durum wheat is good because it practically does not boil over. And when cooked, they do not stick together, even if you forget to stir them periodically. But you need to cook it in enough water.
They cook quite quickly, in general, it also depends on the shapes of the pasta itself; the smaller they are, the faster they cook. The average cooking time for pasta is 5-7 minutes. If you cook them longer, they taste too soft.
Pasta made from durum wheat does not take too long to cook. Much depends on the specific manufacturer; real Italian pasta made from durum wheat is cooked for 10 to 13 minutes, Russian pasta for 5-7 minutes. Typically, the cooking time for pasta is always indicated on the label.
Typically, pasta made from durum wheat (and others) is sold in a package, box, etc. and on it is written the composition of the pasta, who the manufacturer is and, finally, how many minutes you need to cook it.
I noticed that different brands of pasta (their packages) indicate different cooking times, but generally it is from 7 to 10 minutes.
But I don’t believe the data, so I cook the pasta and after a while I start tasting it and decide: turn it off and drain it, or just a little more and it will be great. Who likes it differently: I don’t like it al dente and I don’t like it overcooked, so I try it and if I feel that they are a little hard, then after testing I cook them for about 1-2 minutes, and then immediately turn them off and drain them.
As a rule, the time required for cooking is indicated on a package of pasta; I usually cook durum wheat pasta for about 10 minutes. If you cook the pasta longer, it will overcook and be too soft.
It is believed that durum wheat pasta is cooked for 8-10 minutes.
But I have noticed many times that not all such pasta is finished cooking during this time. I often cook for 15 minutes, and this despite the fact that I categorically do not accept overcooked pasta, but love the so-called al dente.
Overcooked pasta doesn't taste good, so I strictly follow the instructions on the pasta package. Italian pasta takes longer to cook, spaghetti longer than bows. Pasta made from durum Altai flour takes 7-8 minutes to cook, while Italian-made pasta takes from 9-12 minutes.
In the 80s and 90s of the last century, when Atkins and his protein diet were at the peak of popularity, cones, noodles and spaghetti were suddenly declared persona non grata. The public was convinced that pasta, like any carbohydrate food, made you fat, and the public reluctantly began to avoid it in stores. This myth is still alive. Many people who are losing weight are sure: the first thing that needs to be excluded from the diet is bread and pasta. How wrong they are!
In fact, pasta made from durum wheat is a light and dietary food. A glass of boiled spaghetti contains only 130–140 kcal and a lot of “slow” carbohydrates, which give us energy, fill us well and help maintain stable blood sugar levels. They contain a lot of fiber, which removes everything unnecessary (toxins, heavy metal salts, etc.). Those who are overweight and have digestive problems, on the contrary, need to eat pasta! However, everyone else benefits from them too.
Pasta makes us happy... During cooking, a large amount of tryptophan is formed - an amino acid that enters the brain through the blood and is converted into the “happiness hormone” serotonin.
...and smart- thanks to the content of B vitamins necessary for the brain.
They keep us young. Pasta contains vitamins E and F, which slow down the appearance of wrinkles.
Season them Italian style with olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and basil - they will also protect against cancer!
But all this applies only to pasta made from durum wheat. They contain little starch, it is contained in a special crystalline form and is absorbed without harming the figure. In many countries - Italy, France, Greece, etc. - There are simply no other pasta. Unfortunately, our cones, noodles and spaghetti are still made from soft wheat. The starch there is in an amorphous form, which, in terms of its ability to influence weight, equates them to white bread. All valuable substances remain in the water after cooking, and the shape of the products after cooking leaves much to be desired.
The GOST current in Russia divides all pasta variety into three groups:
A- from durum wheat,
B- from highly glassy soft wheat,
IN- from soft wheat.
And also in two classes:
Made from premium flour,
Made from first grade flour.
On a pack of “correct” pasta, which our waistlines are only a joy to eat, there should be one of the inscriptions: “Group A, 1st class”, durum, “durum wheat” or semolina di grano duro.
So, perfect pasta...
✓ translucent, clean, even, amber-yellow or golden color, without whitish inclusions (white dots occur in soft varieties of pasta);
✓ they contain a lot of protein. Look at the composition: protein should be at least 11 g/100 g, preferably 13–14 g;
✓ bend well, while products made from soft varieties, on the contrary, quickly break;
✓ during cooking they increase in volume at least 2 times, retain their shape well. They are soft, elastic, do not form lumps and do not stick together. Cloudy cooking water indicates that they contain a lot of starch. This happens after making cheap horns, but not noble fusilli.
To appreciate both taste and benefits
- Boil the pasta in plenty of water. The classic cooking ratio is 1000:100:10 (1 liter of water, 100 g of pasta and 10 g of salt);
- cook until al dente when they are a little hard when bitten;
- Do not cover pasta dishes with fatty sauces and oil. It is advisable to prepare the sauce yourself or use ready-made tomato sauce;
- Sprinkle finely grated Parmesan cheese over pasta: it is no less caloric than other hard cheeses, but there is more flavor in a tablespoon of this cheese. More dietary options are also unexpected and good: Adyghe cheese, feta cheese or even low-fat grain cottage cheese;
- cook them differently. Pasta goes well with fish, vegetables, and herbs. But still, the main secret of pasta cuisine is sauces. In Italy, they are prepared only with olive oil, which stimulates digestion and activates the liver.
Talking names
Traditionally, in Russia all types of pasta are called macaroni (from the word “dough”). However, the Italian term maccheroni refers only to short tubular products, the rest have their own names. Spaghetti- long, round and quite thin (translated as “small ropes”). Capellini- also long, rounded and even thinner, they are also called “angel hair”. Bavette look like flattened spaghetti, etc. In total, there are over 600 different forms of pasta in the world, so the list can be impressive, we won’t list them.
Expert opinion
Tatiana ANOKHINA, Head of the testing center GEAC "SOEX" of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.
Six samples of pasta were tested in our laboratory. And we ultimately give them all high marks! The physical and chemical parameters of the subjects meet the standards of GOST 31743-2012. Their humidity (a very important indicator that determines how long pasta will be stored) does not exceed 13%. Acidity (the taste and freshness of the product depend on it, and it can increase if the dough or raw products have been in a humid environment for a long time) - no more than 40, which is within normal limits. We did not find any pests, GMOs of plant origin, or toxic or any other harmful elements in the samples.
Text: Evgenia Danilova
Still, a competition is a competition, and we must name the winners. In our opinion, the best was Baronia spaghetti, Maltagliati spaghetti received silver, and Makfa received bronze.
Test: Spaghetti*
| De Matteis Agroalimentare S.P.A., Italy | MakProm LLC, Saratov region. | LLC Pasta factory "AMERIA", Kursk region. | LLC TD "Oskol", Belgorod region, Spain | JSC "MAKFA", Chelyabinsk region. | Not specified, importer ZAO InfoLink, Moscow |
| Durum wheat flour, water | Special purpose wheat flour type M55-23, water | Premium durum wheat flour, water | Durum wheat flour, water | ||
| Compliant | Compliant | Compliant | Compliant | Compliant | Compliant |
| 354 | 350 | 340 | 344 | 338 | 355 |
| 13,5 | 13 | 10 | 10,4 | 11 | 12 |
| 9 | 10,4 | 10,8 | 10,2 | 10,1 | 9,7 |
| 2,6 | 1,2 | 1,4 | 1,4 | 1,6 | 2,0 |
| 7,7 | 5 | 5,9 | 5,3 | 5,9 | 7 |
| 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Not detected | Not detected | Not detected | Not detected | Not detected | Not detected |
| Yellow, long thread-like shape | Yellow, long thread-like shape | Yellow, long thread-like shape | Pale yellow, long thread-like shape | ||
| 500/70 | 450/45 | 400/30 | 450/40 | 500/58 | 500/88 |
| This is exactly what a winner should be - tasty, beautiful, healthy (lots of fiber and protein) and stable (judging by the moisture and acidity indicators, it will be stored well and for a long time). Well deserved first place! | “Shebekinskie” stopped one step away from bronze: in most parameters they are slightly inferior to “Makfe”. But not in terms of protein content - here they are very close to the winner! | This pasta is a clear outsider: it has less protein than its competitors, and it retains its shape less well after cooking. Which, in general, is understandable: these spaghetti are the only ones from group B, that is, they are made from soft wheat. | The taste and color of this pasta are excellent, but other indicators are average. Here we have a classic middle peasant. | It’s nice that pasta from a domestic manufacturer is not much inferior in quality to Italian ones. I wonder if if you put them on an Italian's plate, will they notice the substitution? | Very tasty and, importantly, beautiful spaghetti. If we were to judge only the appearance after cooking, the Maltagliati would take first place. They are slightly inferior to the winner only in protein content. |
* Thank you for your help in conducting the GEAC “SOEX” test
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Some people believe that all pasta is the same and there is no difference between them, so you should take the cheapest ones. Others, on the contrary, have extensive knowledge of pasta classification and have almost a dozen different options in their kitchen. Pasta products are actually very diverse - not only in terms of shape, but also in terms of taste and composition. Choosing pasta is not something complicated and requires significant knowledge - the only difficulty may be finding products that have an optimal price-quality ratio.
Groups A, B and C
On the packaging of pasta you can find information about which group it belongs to. Group A is preferable to the other two. However, most pasta products fall into this category. Sometimes you can find pasta of groups B and C - as a rule, these are the cheapest options, for example, “Red Price” from Pyaterochka and Perekrestok.
What does the phrase "group A" mean? The fact that pasta was made from flour obtained from durum wheat, which contains a lot of gluten and little starch. Pasta made from durum wheat tastes better and has less impact on blood sugar levels (which is important, for example, for people with diabetes).
Group B pasta is made from flour obtained from so-called soft wheat; Group B pasta - made from baking flour.
Varieties
Pasta can be of the highest, first and second grade - depending on what grade of flour is used for its production. Now, in my opinion, only premium pasta is sold. I haven't met any others. Naturally, the highest grade is better than the first and second.
Russian or Italian?
Why pay big money for Italian pasta when Russian ones are no worse? - this is what many buyers think. Often the buyer does not face this question at all: he takes a package of pasta, focusing only on the price, brand or design of the package itself.
As part of a fan study by Roskachestvo, the quality and safety parameters of 21 samples of pasta made from durum wheat flour under the following brands were studied: 3 Glockrn, Baisad, Barilla, BIO Granoro, De Cecco, Federici, Fine Life, Gallina Blanca, Grand di Pasta, Granmulino, HoReCa Select, La Molisana, Makfa, Maltagliati, Olliani, Pasta Zara, Don Gusto, Lenta, Rollton, Seventh Continent, Shebekinskie. This is the most popular spaghetti made from durum wheat among Russians. Most of the samples were made in Russia, with the exception of seven Italian and one German products. The cost of the presented samples at the time of purchase ranged from 26 to 214 rubles per unit of product (products with different weights took part in the study).
STANDARD OF THE RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM
The standard of the Russian quality system, in comparison with the current GOST, sets more stringent requirements for the moisture content of pasta, the acid number of fat, the presence of foreign impurities in the composition and the content of flour from soft varieties of wheat in the product. Unlike GOST, the Roskachestvo standard for the first time establishes requirements for the mass fraction of protein, which makes it possible to determine the use of low-grade raw materials in the production of goods. Also, the increased standard does not allow any scraps or crumbs in the packaging, meaning high-quality spaghetti must be a whole, unbroken product.
Spirito dell" Italia
The word "spaghetti" in Italian means "little ropes", which quite accurately describes the appearance of this pasta. In general, Italian residents are very sensitive to their shape, taste and color, rightly considering spaghetti their national product. Although Russian standards set fairly strict requirements for the appearance, taste and color of these pasta. Thus, a high-quality product must have organoleptic characteristics unique to it. The surface at the fracture is smooth, glassy, and the shape is strictly in the form of long (more than 200 mm) single threads, having the shape of a circle in cross section. Taste, smell, color must correspond to this product category. All these characteristics laid down in GOST were included in the increased standard of the Russian quality system. During laboratory tests, experts did not find any foreign tastes or odors in any of the samples. The shape and fracture of all pasta were also called characteristic of this type of product. The only parameter for which deviations were identified was the color of the pasta. Branded sample Seventh continent had a heterogeneous color with traces of unkneading (white spots), which may indicate either an imperfection in the technological process when kneading the dough, or the use of low-grade flour. It is important to note that this product was marked as complying with GOST, which was not confirmed during the assessment of its organoleptic properties. This may be considered a violation of consumers' rights to accurate labeling.
Reference:
In addition to the fact that spaghetti should look the part before cooking, it is important that it retains its shape after cooking. Split ends and differences in diameter along the entire length of the straw indicate insufficient quality of the product. Moreover, this requirement is as strict as possible: the product after preparation must have a shape that is one hundred percent identical to the one it had in the package. Laboratory tests confirmed that all products, in terms of maintaining their shape, successfully passed this stage of the study.
Burn after the test
The ash content of pasta determines the purity of processing of the flour from which the product is made. This, in turn, determines the grade of pasta. Spaghetti made from durum wheat flour presented in the study should be as clean as possible from any foreign impurities. Their quantity is determined in laboratory conditions in two ways: in the first, the products are burned and the amount of impurities is determined by the level of ash; in the second, the crushed products are driven through magnets, which can attract particles of various metals. It is important to note that the requirements for the metallomagnetic test in the Roskachestvo standard have been tightened three times compared to the current GOST. According to the results of laboratory tests, no metallomagnetic impurities were detected in any sample, and the amount of ash in all cases did not exceed any critical or even noticeable values.
The requirement for the presence of scrap and crumbs in packaging was included in the state standard for pasta, which was in force in the 80s. This parameter is absent in the modern edition of GOST, but nevertheless it was included in the latest standard of the Russian quality system. The reason is simple: spaghetti all over the world is considered a product that carries a clear aesthetic component. In other words, broken, crumbled pasta removed from packaging (especially if it is opaque) is unlikely to bring joy to consumers. Almost all samples presented in the study, with the exception of two products, were able to meet this, on the one hand, old, and on the other hand, still relevant requirement.
Sticky Story
Many people are familiar with the difficulties when preparing pasta made from soft wheat flour: it boils too much, sticks together and does not hold its shape very well. Spaghetti made from durum wheat flour is practically free of this drawback. However, when producing pasta, some manufacturers add soft flour to durum wheat flour. Sometimes the impurity can be detected at the stage of purchasing pasta. In laboratory conditions, the proportion of soft wheat flour in the composition can be indirectly judged by two indicators: by the protein content and dry matter that has passed into water.
Starch in durum wheat has a crystalline form, while in soft wheat it has a viscous form. During cooking, dry matter, including large amounts of starch, moves into the water, making it cloudy. The current GOST allows no more than 6% of dry matter transferred into water. According to this indicator, three spaghetti samples failed to meet the basic state standard. It is worth noting that goods under trademarks Seventh continent And Granmulino were declared as complying with GOST, which was not confirmed, which means that the manufacturers of these products violated the rights of consumers to reliable labeling.
You can also indirectly judge the amount of soft wheat flour that the manufacturer has added by the amount of protein. The more it is, the higher the quality of pasta and the less chance that it contains impurities of another type of flour. It is gratifying that more than two-thirds of the samples presented in the study were able to meet the increased standard of the Russian quality system in terms of protein mass fraction.
Reference:
Each of the presented samples was also studied for the content of toxic elements (cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury), pesticides (HCCH, DDT and its metabolites, organomercury pesticides), various types of mold and grain protectants from which it was made. flour, and later - pasta. During laboratory tests, it was confirmed that none of the specified parameters exceeded the mandatory standards. Also, laboratory examination did not confirm the presence of any pests in all products presented in the study.
First fresh spaghetti
The parameter that determines the freshness of flour is the acid number of the fat. In fact, it demonstrates the freshness threshold; if it is exceeded, changes may begin in the pasta that will affect its organoleptic characteristics - taste, smell and color. As with the peroxide number, which determines the freshness of sunflower oil, the acid number inevitably increases with the storage time of the product. GOST sets the acidity requirement at 4 points, the more stringent standard of the Russian quality system at 3. As laboratory tests have shown, all presented samples can be called fresh: the acid number in the goods turned out to be quite low.
Reference:
The parameter that directly affects the shelf life and storage conditions of pasta is determined by the moisture characteristics of the product. Like any other product made from flour, spaghetti must be “moisture balanced.” If the sample is too dry, the pasta will break before it reaches the buyer’s kitchen, and if it is wet, the risk of developing microflora and mold will sharply increase. The moisture requirements for pasta laid down in GOST are 13%. The standard of the Russian quality system in this part has become slightly stricter: it established a requirement of no more than 12.5%. All products presented in the study were able to meet the most stringent humidity standards.
Showed firmness
Pasta made from durum wheat can be eaten even by those who are on a diet. Of course, this food does not allow you to lose weight, but it is unlikely that you will be able to quickly gain unnecessary pounds from such dishes. Moreover, in Italy only a product that is almost 100% made from durum wheat flour can be called pasta. In our country, when making spaghetti from durum wheat, some manufacturers add more affordable soft wheat to the composition in order to reduce the cost of production. It is almost impossible to notice this visually; moreover, even laboratory tests will not help to calculate its exact amount in the product. Existing methods allow us to determine only one fact: whether more or less than 10% of soft flour was used in the product. The state standard for pasta made from durum wheat allows the content of other types of flour to be up to 15%. The standard of the Russian quality system is stricter in this regard and allows no more than 10%. Only four samples failed to meet the increased standard of the Russian quality system. Thus, the widespread consumer myth that most Russian producers falsify their products by using soft wheat varieties can be considered unjustified.
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