FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: William Byrne for Barilla
312-596-3555
will_byrne@chi.bm.com
Half of Those Who Cook Pasta Don't Prepare It Properly, New Survey Finds
Barilla® Offers Brochure to Dispel Cooking Myths and Help People Enjoy Pasta the Italian Way
Chicago (September 12, 2005) – Pasta may be a favorite in American kitchens, but a new survey finds that half of those who cook pasta make a common error when preparing it, affecting taste and overall eating experience.
Barilla, a leading manufacturer of Italian foods, set out to discover how much (or how little) Americans know about cooking pasta the authentic Italian way, as part of National Pasta Month in October and in celebration of America's passion for pasta.
In a recent survey* commissioned by Barilla and conducted by Harris Interactive®, 88 percent of U.S. adults said they cook pasta, with more than one-third (35 percent) saying they do at least once a week. But half of adults who prepare pasta (51 percent) said they always or sometimes rinse it after cooking - a mistake if serving warm, because rinsing washes away natural starches that allow sauces to adhere to the pasta. Furthermore, nearly half (44 percent) said they add olive oil to the water prior to cooking the pasta, which does not enhance taste and causes sauce to slide off pasta.
"In Italy, pasta is treated with respect, and cooked al dente every time," said Lorenzo Boni, executive R&D chef, Barilla America. "Barilla makes it easy even for novices to experience this perfection that Italians enjoy daily because, for more than 125 years, the Barilla family has used the best quality ingredients for their pasta."
Free Pasta 101 Brochure
Unlike some pasta manufacturers, Barilla has complete control of the pasta production process - from wheat selection to drying - ensuring the quality promise of "always al dente" pasta enjoyed and respected by home chefs. While there isn't one correct way to cook pasta, Barilla understands the best approach, from flavor to texture, so it can be enjoyed to the fullest. In an effort to educate Americans about authentic Italian methods, Barilla has created a free brochure: Pasta 101: A Guide to Cooking and Identifying Quality Pasta. The brochure, which can be downloaded at www.barillaus.com or ordered by calliing 1-800-924-9272, puts pasta myths to rest, offers cooking tips and shares the ABCs of recognizing quality pasta.
The ABC's of Pasta
Learning how to select and cook the best pasta is as easy as remembering A, B, C. Chef Boni offers these simple, easy to follow tips:
A = Appearance. Look for pasta with a golden, amber color - a sign of good-quality wheat.
B = Bite. Good pasta should cook al dente every time. "Al dente" or "to the tooth" simply means that finished pasta should have a bite to it.
C = Clarity. Cloudy cooking water is a sign that excess starch is being released resulting in sticky, clumpy pasta. Pastas made with the highest-quality durum wheat, such as Barilla, should not release a lot of starch.
D = Doesn't clump, stick or break. Pasta made with the best durum wheat should not clump, stick or break during cooking. Serve pasta immediately to ensure the best pasta meal experience.
E = Elasticity. Pasta, particularly long cuts, should be springy and lively, not limp, and should always hold its shape.
Along with more than 30 classic cuts of pasta, Barilla America manufactures innovative authentic Italian food products including oven-ready lasagne, dry tortellini, ridged "rigati" pasta and Barilla PLUS, a line of multigrain pasta introduced in February.
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About Barilla
Since 1877, the Barilla company has been producing pasta and other grain-based foods for consumers around the world. The company's basic animating principle has been to make these healthy products affordable to all, no matter where they might be. Barilla has remained true to its entrepreneurial roots throughout the past four generations, by combining ancient Italian traditions with cutting-edge technological advances. The result is a globally successful company, built on a foundation of principles that allow for continuous growth to reach ever-expanding goals.
The Barilla Group - whose brands include Barilla, Mulino Biano, Pavesi, Voiello, Wasa, Misko (Greece), Filiz (Turkey), Yemina and Vesta (Mexico) and Acadmia Barilla - is the first Italian food group, headed by the Barilla family for more than 125 years. The Group has 29 factories (17 in Italy and 12 abroad). It is a worldwide leader in pasta and currently realizes 30% of sales in volume in more than 120 countries.
¹ Harris Interactive® conducted an online survey on behalf of Barilla America between August 17 and 19, 2004 among a nationwide sample of 2,068 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, of whom 1,864 cook pasta. The overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
