A new method to evaluate the 'residual deformations' in dry spaghetti is presented. It is based on the measurement of the dimensional change kinetic of a spaghetti strand during hydration. A mathematical model is presented to quantify the extent of residual deformations released by the hydrated spaghetti strand by fitting the hydration data. To prove the validity of the proposed method the length and diameter of the sample has been monitored during the hydration process at temperatures ranging from 10 to 100 degreesC. The proposed model fits satisfactorily the experimental data, providing a quantitative measurement of the extent of the released residual deformations, and proving the validity of the proposed method. The results obtained by using the proposed model show that the residual deformations release increases with the degree of starch gelatinization, suggesting that starch crystals act as physical cross-links preventing pasta macromolecules from reaching their 'deformation free' state. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.