MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY
NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Report Submitted by
Date Performed
Course & Section
George Washington
Experiment No.
1/15/1850
Date Submitted
1/22/1850
ME215-001
Instructor
Abraham Lincoln
Cooking Pasta
Experiment Title
Performed by Group
Group Members
(Indicate Leader)
001A
With TA
Jimmy Carter
(leader)
Ronald Regan
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton
John Wilkes Booth
George W. Bush
Barak Obama
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Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Objectives .................................................................................................................................... 3
Background and importance ........................................................................................................ 3
Procedure ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Original Data Sheet ......................................................................................................................... 4
Results and Calculations ................................................................................................................. 5
Discussion ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Questions and Answers ................................................................................................................... 6
References ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Appendix A ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix B ...................................................................................................................................... 7
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Abstract
This laboratory is focused on the time it takes to cook pasta. The purpose of the
laboratory is to provide a detailed overview of the pasta cooking process and assess
various processes. The main method used to cook pasta is by immersion in boiling water
or brine solution. Accordingly, this laboratory makes use to a pot, a stove, thermometer,
water, boxed pasta, and other standard kitchen ingredients like salt. The main result is
that pasta cooks faster in boiling brine solution compared to boiling water.
Introduction
This laboratory module provides a demonstration of cooking pasta for dinner through the
process of boiling in water and a brine solution, culminating in a determination of which
method takes the least time.
Objectives
The main objectives of this laboratory module are 1) obtain the temperature evolution
over time of water and brine solution from room temperature to boiling, 2) determine the
amount of time it takes to cook the pasta after boiling, and 3) evaluate which method of
cooking pasta is more time efficient.
Background and importance
Cooking pasta has been around for centuries and is ubiquitous in the modern western
world. As a matter of fact wheat semolina has long been considered a central component
of food, notably in pasta products (Laleg, Cassan, Barron, Prabhasankar, & Micard,
2016). More directly related to this laboratory, pasta is a typical food that is cooked and
consumed by college students across the globe in unprecedented numbers. Therefore,
knowledge of the fastest common method for cooking pasta should enable students to
save time and spend that time studying.
Procedure
The process of cooking pasta through immersion in boiling water or brine is fairly
straightforward. First, two pots of adequate size to contain the amount of pasta plus
liquid is obtained. Both pots are filled with 1 quart of water, and standard table salt is
added to only one of them, the other remains a control with only plain water. Next, both
pots are placed on the stovetop and the initial temperature is recorded, please see details
in Appendix A. For both pots, the fire lit, and set to medium. While heating up, the
temperature is taken every minute. Once the liquid boils, 1 cup of pasta is added, please
see details in Appendix B. Starting after five minutes, and repeating every minute
samples are taken, air cooled, and then sampled to check to see if the pasta is finished
cooking. Once the pasta is finished cooking, the heat is turned off, and the water drained
from the pasta by using a strainer.
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Original Data Sheet
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Results and Calculations
240
110
220
100
200
90
Temperature (C)
Temperature (F)
Figure 1a shows the measured temperature history, in Fahrenheit, during heating for both
the water and brine solutions. The conversion between degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius is
given by
5
°𝐶 = (°𝐹 − 32) ,
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and as an example, the standard boiling point of water, 212F, is readily converted to
5℃
5
(212℉ − 32℉)
= (180 ) ℃ = 100℃.
9℉
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Using this conversion, Figure 1b shows the converted temperature history, in Celsius,
during heating for both the water and brine solutions. Additionally, the data shows that
the pasta is cooked after 10 minutes in plain water, and after 8 minutes in the brine
solution.
180
160
140
120
100
70
60
50
40
80
60
80
30
Water
Brine
0
2
4
6
Time (min)
a)
8
10
12
20
Water
Brine
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Time (min)
b)
Figure 1: Measured temperature as a function of time while heating both water and brine solution, a)
in degrees Fahrenheit, and b) in degrees Celsius.
Discussion
To reiterate, the main objectives of this laboratory module are 1) obtain the temperature
evolution over time of plain water and brine solution from room temperature to boiling,
2) determine the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta after boiling, and 3) evaluate
which method of cooking pasta is more time efficient
The results, as shown in Figure 1 clearly show the temperature history of plain water and
brine solution. Both water and brine start at room temperature and under the application
of heat the temperature increases nearly linearly. The plain water, near the boiling point,
remains at a constant 212F while the liquid changes phase to water vapor. This clearly
shows that plain water boils at 212F, which is inline with common knowledge.
Additionally, the brine solution exhibits no clear plateau, which indicates that the water
in the solution changes from liquid to vapor, and the salt remains in the residual solution.
This shows that the brine solution boils at a higher temperature compared to plain water,
which is also expected based on common knowledge.
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Additionally, the results show that pasta cooked in plain water takes 10 minutes to cook,
while pasta cooked in the brine solution takes only 8 minutes to cook. This result
indicates that cooking pasta in a brine solution is faster than plain water. In this case the
overall savings in time is 20%. This reduced cooking time may be explained by the
increased boiling point of the brine solution compared to plain water causing the 20%
increase in efficiency.
Overall the data appears to be of high quality, reliable, and without obvious errors. This
assessment is made since the boiling data matches well with common knowledge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the results show that cooking pasta in brine is 20% more time efficient
compared to plain water. Additionally, all the objectives have been met: temperature
evolutions, and cooking times were measured; and we have determined cooking in a
brine solution is more time efficient than plain water. Satisfying each objective yielded
information that was integral in drawing the final conclusion.
Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the boiling temperature of plain water?
Water boils at 212F, which is equivalent to 100C (Black & Kosher, 2019).
References
Black, J., & Kosher, R. (2019). DeGarmo's Materials and Processes in Manufacturing
(13th ed.). Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley.
Laleg, K., Cassan, D., Barron, C., Prabhasankar, P., & Micard, V. (2016). Structural,
culinary, nutritional and anti-nutritional properties of high protein, gluten free, 100%
legume pasta. PloS one , 11 (9), e0160721.
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Appendix A
Figure 2 shows the thermometer in the pot of plain water taking the initial temperature.
Figure 2: Thermometer in the pot of plain water prior to the application of heat.
Appendix B
Figure 3 shows the appropriate method to measure 1 cup of pasta. Note that there is
neither a heap nor a valley; the pasta is simply level with the top of the measuring cup.
Figure 3: The pasta in a 1-cup measuring cup.
Here are a few hints and tips that were used in the creation of this document, and are
considered basic working knowledge of word processing software.
 Note how the headings are done, this allows you to automatically create the table
of contents.
 Note how figure captions are done: Insert -> caption. This will allow you to
cross-reference that caption in the text. It will then automatically update if other
figures are added before/after.
 Note how figures are inserted into a table (without borderlines) so you may
include the “a)” and “b)” underneath subfigures. It also keeps nice alignment on
the page.
 Note how the references are done: Document elements -> references. This will
allow you to automatically generate the references and cross-reference them in the
text.
Final caution, this document was created using Word for Mac 2011. There are probably
numerous updates in the software since then.
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