What happens if you overcook pasta

How long you cook pasta can make or break your meal. The taste of perfectly cooked pasta is hard to beat, and removing it from the boiling water at just the right moment is the trick to achieving the desired flavor.

Letting pasta cook for too long, however, can have a negative impact on the taste, texture and nutritional value of the food. Cooking pasta for too long strips nutrients away from the noodles. When food, including pasta, is cooked for too long, the bonds between the molecules are damaged, which causes nutrient loss, according to Columbia University.

For example, overcooking pasta can reduce the fiber content of the noodles. Overcooked pasta is lower in B vitamins, such as vitamins B-1 and B-5, as well as amino acids, according to Columbia University. B vitamins help your body produce energy, and amino acids are compounds that help your body make and use protein properly. Overcooked pasta has a higher glycemic index than pasta that's cooked al dente, according to Kimberly Lord Stewart, author of "Eating Between the Lines.

Foods that are higher on the glycemic scale are digested more quickly. Sarah Brooks. View All. Tags cooking tips Food and recipes noodle recipes. Leave a Comment Comments are closed. Powered by WordPress. Parenting Expand the sub menu.

Health Expand the sub menu. Living Expand the sub menu. Entertainment Expand the sub menu. Special Series Expand the sub menu. Their texture was still soggy and mushy on the inside. Just eat the noodles the way they came out and remember to start checking them for doneness earlier the next time you cook up a pasta dish at home.

Chewy pasta is undercooked. If your pasta noodles are too chewy, continue cooking them and keep tasting them for doneness every 30 seconds. Your email address will not be published. This blog is reader-supported. If you buy through a link in our posts, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Italian Food Pasta. Continue cooking it and keep tasting it every 30 seconds. Strain the pasta and toss it with or continue cooking it with your sauce.

Just remember to check the noodles for doneness earlier the next time you make pasta. Was this article helpful? Share your feedback, get more of the content you want.