does it have something to doe with food/cooking
2007-03-07 10:06:22 · 4 answers · asked by buck 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It means pasta that's still firm, not overcooked.
2007-03-07 10:08:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Al dente is an adjective that describes pasta and rice that has been cooked so as to be firm but not hard. "Al dente" also describes vegetables that are cooked to the "tender crisp" phase - still offering resistance to the bite, but cooked through.
It is considered to be the ideal form of cooked pasta.
The term comes from Italian and means "to the tooth" or "to the bite", referring to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness.
The misconception about the term is the idea that "to the teeth" means the item should stick to the teeth. If pasta sticks to the teeth when it is being chewed, it is widely considered undercooked.
Cooking rice or pasta to the "al dente" stage without over-cooking it requires a certain amount of practice and skill, since it is a relatively brief midway stage between the under-cooked phase(where rice or dried pasta stays hard in the middle and where fresh pasta tastes "floury") and the over-cooked phase, where the dish lacks texture and is considered too soft.
The term is very commonly used as a name for Italian restaurants around the world.
2007-03-07 18:19:33 · answer #2 · answered by gotcha 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the meaning of al dente is to the tooth.
this basically is used when cooking pasta. You should cook pasta untill it is soft, but still slightly firm, usually (with salted water and oil) 10 minutes.
2007-03-07 18:14:53 · answer #3 · answered by Al 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
actual meaning of al dente is "to the tooth"
2007-03-07 18:09:39 · answer #4 · answered by bbrzt 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋