al dente
Firm when bitten
Al dente describes pasta cooked until firm to the bite—not soft or mushy, but with slight resistance at the center.
The Italian phrase means "to the tooth." Though pasta is the usual subject, the term applies to rice and vegetables too: The risotto was perfectly al dente.
Considered the ideal texture in Italian cooking.
Long thin cylindrical pasta
- fettuccineFlat ribbon-shaped noodles
- penneTubular pasta, angled cuts
- linguineFlat, narrow pasta strands
- rigatoniLarge ridged pasta tubes
bucatini · tagliatelle · farfalle · orecchiette · ziti · vermicelli · pappardelle · gemelli
Solid or resolute
resistant · springy · snappy · cooked through · just right · yielding · structured
Liquid vaporization temperature
- timingArt of choosing moments
- testingExamining to evaluate
- drainingDepleting one's reserves
- cooking timeMinutes a dish needs
rolling boil · straining · tasting · checking · stirring
Casual Italian restaurant
- nonnaItalian for grandmother
- authenticVerified as original
- traditionalFollowing long-held customs
- properSocially appropriate
spaghetti
Long thin cylindrical pasta
- fettuccineFlat ribbon-shaped noodles
- penneTubular pasta, angled cuts
- linguineFlat, narrow pasta strands
rigatoni · bucatini · tagliatelle · farfalle · orecchiette · ziti · vermicelli · pappardelle · gemelli · rotini
firm
Solid or resolute
tender · resistant · springy · snappy · cooked through · just right · yielding · structured
boiling
Liquid vaporization temperature
cooking time · rolling boil · straining · tasting · checking · stirring
trattoria
Casual Italian restaurant
- nonnaItalian for grandmother
- authenticVerified as original
- traditionalFollowing long-held customs
proper · Italian cooking · risotto · vegetables · mangia
- culinary artsflavor, aroma, seasoning, sauce, roasting
- borrowed wordschic, naive, passe, avant-garde, faux
- pasta cookingboiling, draining, stirring, straining, tossing
- Italian foodpasta, spaghetti, risotto, gnocchi, ravioli
- noodlesramen, udon, soba, pho, spaghetti
- cooking termsbaste, baking, blanch, braise, roasting