up with a glossier, smoother surface, with
fewer pores and cracks through which hot
water can leak in and dissolved starch can
leak out. They generally lose less starch to the
cooking water, absorb less cooking water, and
therefore have a firmer texture than the same
noodle extruded through a traditional bronze
die. Proponents of traditional dies prefer the
rougher surface, which they say better retains
the sauce in the finished dish.
Drying Durum Pasta Before the invention of
mechanical driers, manufacturers held the
new pasta at ambient temperatures and
humidities for days or weeks. Early industrial
driers operated at 100–140ºF/ 40–60ºC and
took about a day. Modern drying takes only
two to five hours and involves rapid predrying
at or above 185ºF/84ºC, and then a more
extended phase of drying and resting periods.
The modern high-temperature method rapidly
inactivates enzymes that can destroy the