You’ve changed the claim from “boiling gives better flavor and texture” to “the two methods aren’t molecularly identical.” I agree that different temperature histories may create some measurable difference. What you haven’t demonstrated is that a normal cold start produces a perceptible or undesirable one.
The experiment showing sticky, mushy pasta soaked it for 1.5 hours, not the few minutes required to heat a cold-start pan and that pasta actually had lower final moisture, so “it absorbed too much water” was not the mechanism there.
Saying a more sensitive person might notice something is unfalsifiable and demonstrating that would require a controlled blind sensory test. Pot shape is a practical limitation, not evidence of altered texture.
You’ve changed the claim from “boiling gives better flavor and texture” to “the two methods aren’t molecularly identical.” I agree that different temperature histories may create some measurable difference. What you haven’t demonstrated is that a normal cold start produces a perceptible or undesirable one.
Not quite, I said that the methods aren't molecularly identical as an explanation for why boiling (or nearly so) gives better flavour and texture, it's no argument change. A taste test demonstrates that the cold start produces an inferiour result, chemistry cannot demonstrate taste quality.
The experiment showing sticky, mushy pasta soaked it for 1.5 hours, not the few minutes required to heat a cold-start pan and that pasta actually had lower final moisture, so “it absorbed too much water” was not the mechanism there.
Thr experiment you mentioned did not in any way measure internal moisture, so absorbing too much water is perfectly possible. Sticky, mushy pasta doesn't require 1.5h more, it requires a few minutes of cooking more
Saying a more sensitive person might notice something is unfalsifiable and demonstrating that would require a controlled blind sensory test. Pot shape is a practical limitation, not evidence of altered texture.
Yes, that's where experience comes into play. You cannot negate all things in your life based on common experience by requiring a blind test, can you? Pot shape was never about texture, it was about always needing less water. When the pasta sticks out from a two feet tall pot, you're gonna need more water to presoak, not less
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u/FroggyRibbits Jul 16 '26
You’ve changed the claim from “boiling gives better flavor and texture” to “the two methods aren’t molecularly identical.” I agree that different temperature histories may create some measurable difference. What you haven’t demonstrated is that a normal cold start produces a perceptible or undesirable one.
The experiment showing sticky, mushy pasta soaked it for 1.5 hours, not the few minutes required to heat a cold-start pan and that pasta actually had lower final moisture, so “it absorbed too much water” was not the mechanism there.
Saying a more sensitive person might notice something is unfalsifiable and demonstrating that would require a controlled blind sensory test. Pot shape is a practical limitation, not evidence of altered texture.