"Dies are molds that pasta dough is extruded, or pushed, through to make specialty shapes of pasta via a machine. In Italy, pasta is traditionally extruded using dies made from bronze, while in the United States we mostly rely on plastic dies that are sometimes coated in Teflon. Plastic and Teflon aid the fresh pasta to slide out of the dies more quickly, allowing manufacturers to make a larger quantity of pasta in a shorter amount of time."
"This isn't great for the final product nor for our health, De Laurentiis alludes to, saying "the faster you push out dough, the hotter the dough has to be," and heat and plastic don't mix well. Bronze is the superior metal for pasta extrusion"
"Teflon, which is simply the brand name for a the nonstick chemical coating known as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), is part of the group of forever chemicals known as PFAS. Unfortunately for us humans, these forever chemicals cannot degrade in our environment, and simply linger, especially in our water supply, soil, and foods."
"According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to PFAS is likely bad for our health, and can lead to increased cancer risk, hormone disruption, decreased fertility and other reproductive issues, and developmental delays in children."
Dried pasta includes many shapes, and dried forms last longer and are easier to store and prepare. Pasta extrusion uses dies that shape dough as it is pushed through a machine. In Italy, extrusion traditionally uses bronze dies, while in the United States plastic dies are commonly used, sometimes with Teflon coatings. Plastic and Teflon help dough slide out faster, enabling higher production volume in less time. Faster extrusion requires hotter dough, and heat combined with plastic is presented as problematic for quality and health. Teflon refers to PTFE, a PFAS “forever chemical” that does not degrade and can persist in water, soil, and food. PFAS exposure is associated with increased cancer risk, hormone disruption, decreased fertility, and developmental delays in children.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]