>

Al dente is not undercooked by definition. It's exactly how it's supposed to be.
You undercooked the pasta so that it can finish cooking in its own heat after you drain the water...You aren't meant to eat undercooked pasta, OP. >

I like what people call "overcooked" >

Peasant >

lmaoooo read it in Rowan from VLDL's voice >

Perfect! That’s how I said it! >

Undercooked and overcooked pasta are terrible. We need a balance :) >

The reAl Dente 🤓 >

This is one of the few truly unpopular opinions I have read in this sub, congrats!! >

Cause he's misguided. He only cooked half the recipe. >

Al dente is great because the next day, it's still structurally ok to eat and not paste. >

softs are even better the next day >

“Softs” 😅 >

Ferrari be putting on the wrong softs after this >

It depends on what you're making.  (Nuance?!)
Are you making an Eastern European dish?  Kugel?  Stroganoff?  Yeah, make that pasta a bit softer.  Are you making a pasta bake?  Lasagna?  Baked Ziti?  Yeah, the standard is softer because al dente is nearly impossible.
But if you're just doing aglio e olio, and you cremate that pasta, you're fucking dead to me. >

I can see your hands talking on the last sentence. >

overcooked pasta is terrible. >

well, I love it the most >

Pasta cooked to aldente is meant to be finished intnhe sauce. People have misuderstood this italian cooking instruction for generations. >

If only us italians started writing "yo we actually put it in the sauce after cooking it halfway through,we don't have steel teeth" instead of complaining about everything
Idk being informative is way different than being annoying,and talking about food it's easy to slip into the latter >

You are supposed to cook to al dente, reserve some of the cooking water, drain the rest, add sauce and reserved water, and CONTINUE COOKING UNTIL THE SAUCE STICKS TO THE PASTA. 
Al dente is just before perfectly cooked pasta so you can finish cooking it in the sauce so that all the pasta is covered and you don’t have bare pasta >

Italian here.
My parents were born in Italy before coming to Canada later on. I grew up on pasta, and the only time it's ever al dente (and very light on the al dente side, if anyone can audibly crunch their pasta then they're doing al dente wrong) is when it was made with most types of red sauce. Typically pasta arrabiata. >

You are Canadian, not Italian >

Italian Canadian. Sure I was born here, but my ethnic background is Italian. >

So just Canadian really, most Italian people eat pasta al dente not pasta scotta (not pasta e scotta). Al dente has never been able to crunch on the pasta, that is raw, al dente is when it is somewhat more hard than soft but absolutely not crunchy. >

This is one of the few truly unpopular opinions I have read in this sub, >

What is? Saying that someone born in Canada, who doesn't speak Italian or follow Italian culture etc isn't Italian? >

You're making a lot of assumptions. How do you know whether or not they speak Italian or follow Italian culture? Even if they don't, both of their parents are Italian, which makes them first-generation Italian-Canadian. 
It's not like they're claiming to be Italian when their great grandparents were the Italian immigrants. In terms of genetics, assuming both oarents are full blooded Italian, so is their child. Place of birth doesn't change the genetics. >

Because I asked, and they responded. 
And genetics doesn't change ethnicity. >

Their genetics actually match their ethnicity. Definition of ethnicity: "the quality or fact of belonging to a population group or subgroup made up of people who share a common cultural background or descent." 
Genetics don't change nationality. This person is genetically and ethnically Italian. >

That is one definition of ethnicity, and in both my anthropology and sociology classes we did not define it as genetic.
I too can pull different definitions that agree with me such as:
"a social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like:"
In some cases, genetics or race can play a part in ethnicity but it is not a necessary or sufficient requirement for ethnicity. Even in your own quote, it says or, meaning that descent can be considered but not necessarily. The person I replied to does not share a cultural background but does share descent. 
Personally, since I have taken a few university classes on this, I lean towards a definition which does not include genetics as that is a very iffy and weak way of definition ethnicity, especially when it is so frequently used by far-right politicians in denying 2nd generation migrants their identity. 
You act like there is one agreed upon definition for this, but there isn't. You are free to use that definition if you like but I personally disagree with it. >

Hard agree.
I hate undercooked pasta. >

So basically you overcook your pasta. >

yes, and it's awesome! >

Not exactly. Feels like a wet noodle to me. >

That's exactly what pasta is >

lol speaking some truth here >

um that last part..... >

what? sauses with creamy texture, based on cream or butter or milk >

Nah but why am I al dente rn >

ya nasty >

Well this belongs here, congrats! >

Not sure how unpopular this actually is considering it's been posted several times. I also know people that love soggy, disgusting shit.
The jury is divided. >

You might not be cooking it properly then. Al dente is supposed to be cooked with a bit of a toothsome bite that will eventually cook with the residual heat once drained. Same way you pull meat out of the oven/pan when it's about 5 degrees below where you want it. 
You could be massively undercooking your pasta, or you could just really be the kind of monster who enjoys overcooked pasta. We may never know haha. >

I'm afraid I'm that monster that enjoys overcooked pasta... >

Your opinion is bad.  Have an upvote. >

thanks! I'll eat a spoon of my pasta in your name >

A spoon to eat pasta?  Now Im double-y triggered! >

it's more grabbable with a table spoon.
oh, and.. I break spaghetti. but that's not what the post is about >

I break spaghetti too. That way I don't have to boil as much water. Also, my kids make less of a mess that way >

Completely agree, and with the cream sauces too.  I also like soggy fries so what do I know >

Fresh pasta doesn't get al dente. It's only box pasta, which has been dried out and hardened, that can be cooked al dente. The most "authentic" way to cook pasta is on the softer side, like fresh pasta. >

ok, I'm now curious to try fresh pasta. But I'll probably still overlook it >

Undercooked pasta it's not good, I agree, but it's not what "al dente" means.
You overcooked it, it's not how it supposed to be, for this reason it is specified in recipes, but this doesn't mean that you have to like it and you are obviously free to eat your pasta as you like best.
Edit: supposed to be traditionally, it's not a sacred law. >

damn, I was about to argue on "supposed" part >

Overcooked pasta is the best and Italian North Americans are the most annoying group of people on earth about their food. >

I’m with you OP. I like my pasta actually cooked. >

Overcooked pasta with creamy sauce is just garlicy gruel. Take my upvote. I hope you get some false teeth. >

Depends. Mac n cheese i like my pasta overcooked. However I like texture to my pasta otherwise. But hey. It is an unpopular and I will commend you for that. >

There's a really fine line for what makes a perfect Al dente pasta. It can't be crunchy, but it has to be just a touch firm. Almost to the "chewy" point with the slightest bit of hold. At least when I make Hamburger Helper, Lipton soup, egg casserole, etc. >

I've had proper pasta at restoraunts. I still prefer it softer >

That's great, I know it just comes down to personal preference for texture. >

There are instructions on the pasta pack. Cook to that time -1 or -2 minutes. Finish in the sauce. >

my way is: cook to softness, finish in the sause to supersoftness >

Disgusting, I'd just throw it away at that point. You have my upvote >

Maybe you don’t actually know what Al dente is? It’s not undercooked >

It should have bounce not chewy, not soggy. Stand over the pot and test until its perfect consistency. >

my perfect consistency is super soft. >

I undercook my pasta a bit so I can finish cooking it in the sauce and infuse the flavor and thicken the sauce/make it stick to the pasta better while also adding some of the cooking water. >

Overcooked pasta remind me of my middle school lunch, thus automatically sparks happy memories whenever I eat it >

It's cooking.
As an Italian-American, what most people consider to be sacred Italian tradition is actually stuff that early Italian-Americans came up with. In Italy, al dente is used for pasta with red sauce. And I must strongly emphasize: it's al dente out of the water. Not al dente on the plate. By the time it's on the plate, it should be softer. If it isn't, you've done something wrong (not in the "I think that's out of wack" way, in the "your technique is bad" way). >

The point of the pasta being al dente is that its supposed to be finished when you combine it with the sauce. >

If you prefer pasta cooked beyond al dente that's fine, but don't call it undercooked, it's just different like a rare steak Vs a medium rare steak for example.
Also if every recipe is telling you to use Al dente pasta you need to get better recipes, Al dente is absolutely my go to if I'm just cooking for myself without a recipe but different recipes by different chefs will very often call for a wide variety of different levels of "crookedness" >

Ew >

hehe >

“Undercooked” you mean properly cooked. Clearly. >

I don't care if it's properly, I don't like it >

Did a baby write this >

I'm 32😂  but... have you ever tried sweet soft noodles in milk? like a noodle soup, but milk+sugar+salt+butter >

That combination does sound amazing! Really salt and butter and anything is top tier in my opinion. >

sooo, would you try sweet milk noodle soup? just cook your noodles in milk instead of water. and the way I like it, is REALLY soft >

Cook in milk? Like, boil milk and put pasta in? >

I completely agree. I have so much respect for Italian culture, but I don't want chewy pasta. It's just not the right texture to me. And the thing is, every Italian restaurant I've been to serves it perfectly, not too soft, not too hard, but what people are describing as al dente is fucking undercooked and that's it. >

I think the Italian restaurants are probably serving it mostly al dente. Al dente doesn't  mean it's crunchy or something. >

I'm with you on that one. I absolutely hate al dente! >

"Pasta provides steady energy.  Cooking pasta perfectly ‘al dente’ (still slightly firm) allows you to reap the full benefits of pasta’s already strong ability to increase satiety, delaying hunger pangs and providing fuel for working muscles long after meals. Due to the special protein structure of traditional pasta dough, pasta has a low to medium glycemic index (GI) value depending on the cut, which means that the body digests it more slowly than most other carbohydrates. That’s true for pasta that’s made from either soft or hard wheat. To keep the GI value low, cook your pasta to ‘al dente.’" - Barilla Pasta >

yeah, I had to cook my pasta al dente when I had a gestational diabetes. After birth, I got back to soft >

'To the tooth'... >

As someone who has texture sensory issues with food. I agree. Pasta should be soft... not mushy.... soft...  i dont like dense undercook pasta. >

Brb, gonna make a post about how almost raw pasta is superior /j
I cannot eat anything that's overcooked or in case of pasta, even cooked on point is too soft for me >

Disgusting lol. Overcooked pasta is disgusting. >

Jesus christ, fine, take the upvote you monster with baby teeth >

shank you sho mush! >

Totally understand and agree.
First, i don't like undercooked pasta. 
Second, even if I did, i couldn't eat undercooked pasta without being violently sick the second after. 
So well-cooked pasta it is, and not very often anymore, anyway. >

100% agree. I never got the al dente thing. Why would I want almost-crunchy pasta? Gross. >

Most pasta around here is way over cooked to the point where you can’t hardly tell where one noodle ends and the next begins. It’s just a mushy mess. >

yessss, lovely! >

Blech!  I mean you do you but, yuck. >

yuck >

It's a standard because the pasta continues to cook unless you run it under cold water. Which is also something you shouldn't do. >

Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow. Truly disgusting. I bet you like runny mashed potatoes and eat cereal with water >

I like my potatoes slightly undermashed, with feelable potato particles. I like my cereal with milk or yogurt. My cow likes your comment. >

Al dente is not undercooked. It's cooked just right >

I like overcooked pasta too 😅 every now and then I like the chew of Al dente but I like the softs most of the time >

Bro, you're supposed to leave half cooked so you can FINISH cooking it later >

I finish later after it's soft, and now it's super soft as I like it >

It sounds like you just want porridge. >

no, it tastes different >

People never realise they're meant to cook pasta 80% of the way and let the heat of the sauce finish the job. 
It's hilarious to me when I get crunchy macaroni and the cook is like, "ey that's the Italian way!! 🤌🤌🤌" >

😄 >

so you telling me you like soggy noodles? >

I totally agree. What most consider "al dente" is a little firm for my preference. I am talking about the end result, I understand how after cook works.
Whenever I share this opinion the immediate reply is always "Oh so you like it mushy."
Fuck no. There is a happy medium between what is commonly considered "al dente" and mushy. And that is perfectly cooked pasta.