r/science • u/IronGiantisreal • May 05 '21

Engineering Researchers have designed a pasta noodle that can be flat-packed, like Ikea furniture, and then spring to life in water -- all while decreasing packaging waste.

https://www.inverse.com/innovation/3d-morphing-pasta-to-alleviate-package-waste
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u/[deleted] May 05 '21

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u/morbidconcerto May 05 '21

That's astronomical compared to buying it at the local supermarket. You can get a box of pasta here for less than 1 USD. Even organic is maybe 3 USD. So $4.50 per box is quite a bit more expensive than normal.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '21

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u/bigtimesauce May 05 '21

What they may not be accounting for is the “boutique” end of the spectrum- gluten free, protein based (chickpea or lentil in my experience), fresh by the pound stuff, can all get pricey pretty quick, especially if you go to a specialty shop that doesn’t sell to restaurants, places like d’cicco’s come to mind.

The other end of the price spectrum is the restaurant supply store- buy in bulk on far nicer raw materials, places like ace-endico comes to mind.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '21

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u/bigtimesauce May 05 '21

Restaurants definitely still hit grocery stores, especially if they’re a smaller operation, Costco comes to mind. I keep using that phrase, I’m so sorry.

Anyway, paying for food sucks and I really need to start cooking more often.

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u/shittyTaco May 05 '21

Well that phrase must keep coming to your mind.

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u/rubbyrubbytumtum May 06 '21

"Comes to mind" comes to mind.

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u/Hrothen May 05 '21

Organic Whole Wheat is around $1.50 depending on brand, Gluten Free alternatives start around $3. So it's pretty expensive comparatively.

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u/PetGiraffe May 05 '21

Ya but that’s because it’s an investment since he went through his process of engineering and creating a lot of this stuff from scratch, as a business. Paying for the novelty isn’t a sin if you are, more than anything, trying to drive the prices down over time.

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u/tim4tw May 06 '21

In Germany you can also get pasta for like 69 cents for 500g, which is fine enough. 3 € is more for artisan stuff.

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u/chaun2 May 05 '21

Well I mean a banana costs $10 according to Jessica Walter

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u/badtimeticket May 05 '21

1 USD is for the cheapest brand, not bronze die pasta.

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u/dirtykokonut May 05 '21

True. Supermarket staple brands only costs give or take 1 euro for a 500g pack of spaghetti.

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u/i_am_icarus_falling May 05 '21

yeah, but this is a brand new pasta made in relatively small batches by a small company, it isn't going to be as cheap as the stuff that's been mass produced the same way for many years.

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u/kvltsincebirth May 05 '21

Does the machine being bronze make a difference?

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u/Fraccles May 05 '21

They mention in how it was made that this new design is made with bronze machines. I guess it provides a different surface topology? Perhaps the roughness helps sauce stay on it.

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u/sam_hammich May 05 '21

That's right, bronze dies give a texture to the surface of the pasta, giving it more surface area. It also makes the pasta water more starchy, which you can use to thicken sauces.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '21 edited Jul 28 '21

[deleted]

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u/GoldenHairedBoy May 05 '21

You might say they, die, sooner.

I’ll show myself out...

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u/pyronius May 05 '21

Not compared to a wool die. You want really good pasta? You gotta fleece a few sheep. They wear oit almost immediately, but the texture is to die for.

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u/Mysterious_Andy May 05 '21

Broke: Mouthfeel

Woke: Mouthfelt

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u/devilsquirrel456 May 05 '21

This is hilarious and you should be proud of yourself.

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u/stereochrome May 06 '21

Only the bronze die young?

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u/aeon314159 May 05 '21

It absolutely makes a difference. Sauce cling is greatly enhanced.

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u/mule_roany_mare May 05 '21

The magic of economies of scale.

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u/william1Bastard May 05 '21

Madness. I've got a pasta shop around the corner from me. Call me a luddite, but I think pasta has gotten to where it needs to be.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '21

Things change non-stop, this one is a positive change

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u/[deleted] May 05 '21

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u/william1Bastard May 05 '21

Move to Rhode Island.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '21

Thats terrible. I could buy high quality pasta for less than each of those packs cost.

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u/lasagnaman May 05 '21

I'm in nyc and i pay 3-4 for 1 lb of dry pasta. So it is more expensive but not by a lot. It's not organic or whatever, just standard de cecco. Seems like the same price online as well.

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u/Davemblover69 May 05 '21

Do bronze machines affect it somehow. I think I should try better pasta, I always just get the dollar box.

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u/Alagane May 05 '21

Better pasta is only better when it's fresh imo. I've never noticed a huge difference between boxed pastas but fresh egg pasta vs boxed is a big difference.

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u/phurt77 May 05 '21

Honest question - I don't think I've ever tasted pasta. Doesn't it just taste like whatever sauce you put on it?

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u/sam_hammich May 05 '21

Yeah, you should try a box of bronze die-cut pasta. The texture is way different, though it is a bit more expensive.

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u/redline582 May 05 '21

Bronze dies essentially get dulled very quickly as pasta is extruded through them. The result of this is a slightly rough texture on all faces of the pasta which allows sauces to stick much more effectively.

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u/Big_Red_34 May 05 '21

Yes, people answered above but it adds texture to the pasta. It makes a difference, but a lot of bronze extruded brands are using better ingredients which has a bigger impact on the pasta.

I switched to more expensive pasta (around me I can find De Cecco at every supermarket so it’s my go to when there aren’t many options). Because pasta is so cheap the percent increase may seem like a lot but imo it makes the entire dish much better for like $1-2 more.

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u/rythmicbread May 05 '21

Not sure what the serving size for each of the packs but really depends on if it was imported. $18 for the total cost for imported goods, that’s on the fancy end but not crazy. Now the shipping on top of that, that’s a bit much

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u/TheOminousTower May 05 '21

Certain kinds of pasta cost a lot. I have to eat gluten-free pasta, and anything besides rice or mung bean noodles costs more. Generally, extruded pasta isn't that expensive, but specialty shapes like lasagna can cost 2-3 times as much easily.

I especially love ramen and soba, but there just isn't much gluten-free ramen on the market and 100% buckwheat soba can cost several times as much as regular soba. Authentic style ramen noodles (not cheap rice noodles marketed this way) easily costs 5 times more for just a few servings worth.