pancreas, thymus glandĪnisette - sweet clear liqueur made from anise seedsĪnnaffiarre - to bathe with something (annaffiatele - you all bathe them)Īnneletti - pasta in the shape of little ringsĪnolini - a dumpling filled with vegetables, egg, cheese, nutmeg, sometimes meats usually cooked in brothĪrancini - a very popular rice ball that looks like an orange stuffed with various fillingsĪrborio - short grained rice used to make risottoĪrista - loin from the back of the pig (chine of pork)Īrnese - cooking utensil like a handle or tongĪromatizzare - to flavor with herbs and spicesĪrrabbiata - (means angry in Italian) in cooking means to make spicy hotĪsiago - a semi-firm cheese with a nutty flavorĪssottigliare - to flatten or thin down (i.e. Learning to cook your pasta to al dente is an art form in itself and will elevate all of your future pasta nights.Acciuga,he - anchovy,s (alice)(sardoncini)Īccostare - to put along side of somethingĪceto di vino bianco - white wine vinegarĪcetosa – herb that is harvested from the corncob flowerĪcidificare - acidify (adding acidic ingredients)Īcini di pepe – smallest variety of pastina made with wheat flourĪcqua di fiori d'arancio - orange flower waterĪcqia di rose alimentare - sterile water infuse with perfume and color of rosesĪderire – to adhere to (aderiscano bene – they adhere well)Īffettare- to slice (affettala, le –slice it, them)Īffettaverdure - vegetable slicer (see also Sveltafetta)Īgar agar - a thickening agent like gelatin that is extracted from red algaeĪgnolotti – squares or half moon shaped egg pasta with meat or vegetable fillingĪgro di limone - lemon flavor, lemon juice, lemon extractĪjucche - is rampion, it looks similar to a radish with an edible white root and green tops that are also eatenĪlborelle - small freshwater fish usually deep friedĪlbume- egg white (bianco d’uovo)(Chiara,e)Īlchermes - herb based sweet aromatic liquorĪl fresco - in a cool place, inside a coolerĪmalgamare - to blend or mix (amalgamali - blend them)Īmaretti - cookie made with egg whites,almonds and sugarĪmmollo- soak (mettere in ammollo -put to soak) (Lasciare in ammollo - let soak)Īmmollare - to make soft or dissolve by immersion in liquid (ammollato,a -soaked)Īnellini – medium to small ridged tubular pasta cut in thin ringsĪnimelle – sweetbreads, edible internal parts of animal i.e. Cooking to al dente is especially helpful when you need to add your cooked noodles to skillet while it's still on the heat, like you would for cacio e pepe. It also means your pasta will stand up to all of that homemade marinara or creamy alfredo you want to pour on top.

Pour your noodles into salted boiling water, set the timer for at least three minutes less than the recommended cook time (some boxes will list an al dente cook time, which you can typically trust), test a noodle to make sure it has a slight chew, and drain.Ĭooking pasta al dente allows for some carryover cooking to happen in a sauce without zero risk that the pasta will overcook. So how do you get that much-desired al dente texture? Our golden rule: Always cook your pasta for less time than the box calls for. (Let's be real: It's heartbreaking to be served a bowl of pasta like that.) Al dente isn't just used for pasta this descriptor can also be used for vegetables, rice, and other grains.

What you're looking to avoid are noodles so soft that they lose all their texture and are on the verge of turning to mush. The pasta shouldn't be hard, but have a tiny amount of resistance when you bite into it. 'To the tooth' means there should be a slight bite to your noodle. It's a direction we feel very strongly about at Delish-but what does it really mean? Al dente is Italian for 'to the tooth' and, in our humble opinion, is the only way to cook your pasta. You've seen it written a hundred times in all of your favorite pasta recipes: 'Cook pasta to al dente'.

Definition of aldente