Question

The table shows the amounts of dry pasta used by Italian Kitchen and Taste of Italy. Select true or false for each statement.

Taste of Italy uses more dry pasta per serving than Italian Kitchen uses.
Taste of Italy uses 0.25 lb of dry pasta per serving.
For 100 servings at Italian Kitchen, 25 lb of dry pasta are needed.
(Assuming true/false options for each statement)

Answer 1

Salting pasta water with a pinch of salt will not significantly raise the boiling point due to the colligative properties of the solution, as a much larger quantity of salt is needed to produce a 1°C increase in boiling temperature.

Step-by-step explanation:

The discussion about whether salting pasta cooking water raises the boiling point significantly is one that can be explored with chemistry, specifically through the study of colligative properties. To raise the boiling temperature of a solution, such as water, by 1°C through the addition of salt, a precise concentration is necessary. This concentration can be referred to as the molality of the solution.

For a significant increase in boiling point, a considerable amount of salt is needed — on the order of 1 lb per 4 L of water. However, this is not practical or typical when cooking pasta. Most recipes call for a mere pinch of salt, which will not raise the boiling point to any significant degree. The boiling point elevation is a result of the colligative properties of the solution formed by the addition of salt to water.

If a 1°C increase in boiling point is indeed desirable, one would calculate the molality required and find it is m = 1.95, which would translate to adding a vast amount of salt, far more than the culinary standard for salting pasta water. Ultimately, the minuscule quantity of salt traditionally used in pasta cooking is to season the pasta, rather than to cause a noticeable change in cooking times due to increased boiling temperatures.