- Expensive energy bills have pushed Italians to cook pasta with the stove switched off.
- Some chefs reportedly said pasta “will cook really badly” and turn sticky if the heat is turned off.
- Europe is currently facing an energy crisis as Russia chokes supplies to the continent.
Some Italians are cooking their beloved pasta with the stove turned off to limit the amount of gas they use in the hope of reducing expensive energy bills.
Normally, the heat is kept at a constant high temperature when the pasta and water are in the pan on the stove.
Giorgio Parisi, an Italian Nobel Prize winner in physics, recently wrote in a Facebook post that pasta can be cooked on a low heat once the water in the pan reaches boiling point. The trick is to always keep the lid on the pan, Parisi said. This method consumes less gas, but still cooks the pasta, he added.
Parisi reshared a post from Alessandro Busiri Vici, described by the Financial Times as a well-known architect, who said the stove can be switched off completely after the water has boiled. The pasta will cook in the pan with a lid on and should be left for an extra minute until it’s ready. Busiri Vici said this approach can save at least eight minutes of gas.