Artisan Pasta - Is it worth it?

[MarkIsCooking]

I live in the Boston area and today I went on a very cool culinary tour of the North End (Boston's Little Italy).

A few of the shops there sell what they call "Artisan Pasta", which as I understand it is pasta that is not made in big factories (like Barilla), but rather are made by smaller producers who dry the pasta longer and use different extrusion equipment.

QUESTION: Is buying artisan pasta worth it? Will I notice the difference?

By the way, our guide also told us that about 5 years ago Barilla setup factories in the US and the Barilla we're now buying is now made in the US not Italy (except for a few pasta shapes/types sold in specialty stores). He says that it just hasn't been the same since the switch. Anyone else hear this? Agree with this??

-Mark-

[Fat Guy]

Yes, most Barilla pasta sold in America is made in America, at a plant in Ames, Iowa. I've heard several Italians and Americans say the Barilla in Italy is better than the Barilla here, however the only people I know who've ever tested the theory by bringing some Italian Barilla to the US and doing a side-by-side tasting said they tasted exactly the same. Also, Barilla has a quality assurance program by which they constantly cross-train employees, formulate and test ingredients, and compare product samples from their different plants for consistency. Needless to say, most of the wheat probably comes from Canada and the US, no matter where the Barilla pasta is made. Most importantly, Barilla isn't very good anyway. It's no better than Ronzoni or most supermarket brands.

In terms of artisan pasta being superior, I think the answer is a qualified yes. There are some brands that are fantastic, like Benedetto Cavalieri (my favorite) and Setaro. There are other brands that are nonsense. So, you really have to know the brands. One good indicator -- not perfect, but often correct -- of high quality is a visibly rough surface texture.

[MarkIsCooking]

Fat Guy -

Thanks for your reply. The guide told us that Barilla is actually opening their 3rd factory in the US soon (one already there is the Iowa one you referred to).

Your point about the texture of the exterior of the pasta matches exactly with some things he was telling us. The texture, he said, indicates use of bronze dies on the extruding machines. Some Italian pastas actually refer to /mention in some way 'bronze' somewhere on the bag/box, letting you know bronze dies were used. The benefit of the more textured exterior is a superior adherance to the sauce.

Does all this jibe with stuff you've also heard??

-Mark-

[jmolinari]

Mark, that information is exactly correct. Using bronze dies for the pasta extrusion makes the surface rough and the sauce adhere more. This will usually appear on the package as they are proud of it, in some form of "trafile di bronzo".

One important thing to remember, is that many of the artisan pastas (Cavalieri, Martelli, and most other made in Gragnano) will go from just right al dente to overcooked much more quickly than your industrial Barilla type, so you have to be a bit more attentive.

Having said that, the artisan pastas are quite a bit better, and if i could spend $6 /lb for pasta given the amount of it we eat, I would, but i would go broke:)

Can anyone explain how Cook's Illustrated always ranks the artisan pasta below everything else, and Ronzoni wins the tasting? That ranking alone makes me rethink my trust in their reviews.

[LuckyGirl]

Yes! BIG difference!

I never much cared for pasta unless it was homemade until I discovered Rustichella D'abbruzzo pasta.

Good pasta like Rustichella or Cavalieri are denser than commercial pasta. Most of them are also air dried as opposed to oven dried. The flavor of artisan pasta that use fine wheat are incredible. I adore the nuttiness of Rustchella.

The texture given by cutting with bronze dies does indeed help sauce stick to the pasta. You can also feel more texture in your mouth.

I am eager to hear back from you as you start trying some artisan pastas.

[slkinsey]

One important thing to remember, is that many of the artisan pastas (Cavalieri, Martelli, and most other made in Gragnano) will go from just right al dente to overcooked much more quickly than your industrial Barilla type, so you have to be a bit more attentive.

Interesting. I've found the opposite to be true of both Setaro and Latini, both of which seem to have a wider window of "perfect" cooking times.

Having said that, the artisan pastas are quite a bit better, and if i could spend $6 /lb for pasta given the amount of it we eat, I would, but i would go broke:)

Alas, I don't eat as much pasta as I once did. But I am still reliably able to source Setaro for around $5 per kilo, which I think is a reasonable price.

Can anyone explain how Cook's Illustrated always ranks the artisan pasta below everything else, and Ronzoni wins the tasting? That ranking alone makes me rethink my trust in their reviews.

I never trust their reviews. CI's method is to establish a set of criteria, which most often do not coincide with my criteria, and then judge against that. Another common problem is that their tasting panels may not have the same tastes, preferences and experience as I. My overall impression is that their panels have somewhat pedestrian taste. I do think there is some value in having "regular people" do tastings like this, but that's not who I want evaluating my products. I want people with experience and expertise. After all, the same "regular people" tend to prefer Miller Genuine Draft and Pizza Hut over Anchor Steam and Grimaldi's.

[Maureen B. Fant]

I will just add another voice to the chorus of Yes, it does make a difference.

Nobody has mentioned Latini, but in addition to making several very good pastas, has an excellent website www.latini.com, which explains a great deal. Also, most of it is translated (or even written?) by Burton Anderson, so for once it's readable.

The rough texture from the bronze dies not only makes the sauce adhere. It makes the pasta more absorbent, so the sauce is actually absorbed into the pasta, not just sticking to the surface. It also allows the cooking water to pass through the pasta more uniformly.

The three things to look for in a pasta, and it's rare to find all three, are top-quality, preferably Italian, durum wheat (Latini grows their own in Puglia), bronze dies, and slow drying at low temperature.

Barilla has the advantage of being predictable and always the same. But the others have the advantage of taste. If you remember that the sauce is merely a condiment at the service of the pasta -- the pasta is not a vehicle for the sauce -- you realize that a good-tasting pasta is worth a lousy extra few bucks.

[jmolinari]

I've actually found a great, somewhat commercial, pasta made in Gragnano, at a really good price here. It is Di Martino. Good quality, very good flavor and texture. Try it if you can find it.

[russ parsons]

1) it's easy to tell pasta made in America from Italian--check the ingredient labels. In Italy, dried pasta is made only from wheat and water.

2) not only the extruding, but the drying are important with artisanal pastas--slow drying makes a better texture.

3) i agree whole-heartedly about latini. great product. i did a blind pasta tasting of my own several years ago and that was my favorite. We replicated it last year and it repeated.

4) i think the cooks results are the result of setting up faulty parameters. notice they taste the pastas by themselves. So what they're really judging is wheat flavor. But you never eat pasta by itself, it's a vehicle for other ingredients. That's where the texture comes in. the first time i did a blind pasta tasting (sauced only with a little olive oil), i found it really hard to differentiate, aside from the ones with obvious flaws (cardboardy flavor). but on the second pass i noticed that on some of hte pastas the olive oil flavor was much stronger. I tried it again, using a tablespoon of bottled tomato sauce and it was the same thing. i compare it to the riedel wineglass phenomenon: you're not really tasting the pasta, but the pasta as a delivery mechanism.

[slkinsey]

Am I the only one who finds Latini long strand pasta difficult to cook without having it turn out a bit gummy?

[mukki]

Another yes -- the only brands I buy are Latini and Rustichella. I bought some Barilla to cook while in Italy on vacation and was very disappointed. Didn't have the texture or flavor of the other two.

By the way, I used to be able to buy Rustichella from Cost Plus for about 50% less than what I've found elsewhere. I haven't seen it stocked in a while, though.

Edited July 3, 2007 by mukki (log)

[Fat Guy]

One important thing to remember, is that many of the artisan pastas (Cavalieri, Martelli, and most other made in Gragnano) will go from just right al dente to overcooked much more quickly than your industrial Barilla type, so you have to be a bit more attentive.

Interesting. I've found the opposite to be true of both Setaro and Latini, both of which seem to have a wider window of "perfect" cooking times.

That's also my experience. Indeed, I find it extremely difficult to get Barilla done right -- it seems to go from crunchy to mushy with no stops in between -- and easy to get the good artisan brands to come out al dente.

[jmolinari]

Hrm interesting how we have different cooking experiences:) Anyhow, i have no problem cooking any of them, just have to keep tasting/testing it to see when it is done.

Slkinsey, i have found that as well with Latini spaghetti, you have to be very careful with the cooking (that's what i was trying to say earlier)

[russ parsons]

i know (or at least think i know ... from burton anderson's book) that carla latini prefers to serve her pasta slightly crunchy. she says it preserves the flavor of the wheat. they are absolutely nuts about wheat ... they make single-varietal pastas.

[MarkIsCooking]

Wow! You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the input and commentary. Now I'm positively dragging myself downtown next week to pick up some and give it a try.

-Mark-

[PamelaF]

Trader Joe's has had a line of dried pasta for about the last year or so that is packaged in a yellow/gold paper bag (plastic inside) . It is marked as "imported from Itay" and uses the "trafilato al bronzo" on the packaging.

I have enjoyed these pastas and found them easy to get to the al dente stage. I usually cook pasta to the minimum time recommended and then sample every minute or so until I get the texture I like.

The price is reasonable, about $2.69/lb (454g).

You can see the surface difference from the bronze dies.

Unfortunately, this product only appears in small quantities lately.

[ghostrider]

Several existing threads on this subject. Google the brand names mentioned here & you'll find them.

Somewhat related discussion of the addition of vitamins to imported pasta here as you scroll down the page -

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=101036&st=48