Physicists have cracked the code behind creating uniform and visually appealing salt rings on pasta. A team from the University of Twente in the Netherlands and the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) conducted an experiment to understand how ingredients affect the formation of these circular deposits.
By releasing larger particles at a greater height, the researchers found that it could create more uniform salt deposits. This is because the larger particles move outward more than smaller ones, allowing them to sort particles by size just by dropping them into the water.
The team also discovered that the radial movement away from the center of the ring creates a clean center. However, if particles are released too quickly, they can create a circular deposit in a shorter time frame. The study published in Physics of Fluids highlights the importance of fluid dynamics and physical interactions between multiple bodies in creating these salt rings.
The researchers’ findings suggest that even simple observations from daily life can conceal complex physical mechanisms. The team’s experiment showed that with a better understanding of the underlying physics, it is possible to create uniform and “beautiful” salt rings almost every time.
Source: https://www.popsci.com/science/pasta-pan-salt-ring