14 October 2022

Italian pasta company Barilla presented 'Passive Cooking' tips for saving energy including an open source DIY electronic device for calculating the 'al dente' cooking time

It's well known that cooking with the lid on pans or pots saves energy and therefore reduces CO2 emissions. Not so common for many is the energy-saving method of cooking pasta in boiling water for two minutes and bringing the spaghetti, farfalle or penne to 'al dente' status in the hot water kept warm only with the lid on the pot.

Now, the Italian pasta company Barilla presented on its website barilla.com under the special category 'Passive Cooking', recommendations like a practical guide for the different pasta types. For example, the cooking time of 9 minutes of a very common spaghetti type can be reduced after the 'Passive Cooking' method to 2 minutes in boiling water; the rest of the time is 'passive cooking' of 8 minutes in the hot water of the covered pot. Barilla has calculated that this energy saving method can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%. At barilla.com, the guide for the different pasta types can be downloaded.

Not essentially necessary for passive cooking but a nice gimmick is the smart device 'Passive Cooker' placed on the lid for the timing of the process of passive cooking. For electronic enthusiasts with 3-D printer and assembly skills, the pasta specialist provides the 'Passive Cooker' as an open source project with instructions, code and link for the software.

The steps of passive cooking are described in the Barilla media release as follows:

Step 1: Boil one liter of water per 100g of pasta with 7g of salt in a pot.
Step 2: Cook the pasta with the heat on for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: After 2 minutes of cooking, turn off the stove and immediately cover the pot with a lid.
Step 4: Leave the pasta in the hot water for the recommended cooking time for the type of pasta you have chosen.
Step 5: Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and enjoy.

Photo: © Barilla.