Pasta Shapes

[weinoo]

Every pasta has a sauce, and every sauce has a pasta, is my opinion. As if anyone asked or cares.

[weinoo]

Look at how different that fusilli is from the one @Margaret Pilgrim showed us.

 

And I've seen fusilli as much longer hollow strands.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

19 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Every pasta has a sauce, and every sauce has a pasta

 

Absolutely!    Intuitively obvious to the denizens of each "pasta" culture, not so much for us other consumers/cooks.  

[dcarch]

When I go to a Chinese market, I enjoy walking thru the noodles isle.

Chinese - many many doodles made from different flour, they all taste different, but they all look more or less the same. All noodles.

 

Italian - Many many pasta shapes, but they all more or less taste the same.

 

 

dcarch

[liuzhou]

 

4 hours ago, dcarch said:

Chinese - many many doodles made from different flour, they all taste different, but they all look more or less the same. All noodles.

 

Chinese 'pasta' also comes in many different shapes. Some very similar to Italian varieties.

 

蝴蝶面 or Farfalle?

 

彩色蝴蝶面 or Coloured Farfalle?

 

通心粉 or Macaroni?

 

刀削面 or Maltagliati

 

These are just what I happen to have at home. There are many more.

 

[Anna N]

9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Chinese 'pasta' also comes in many different shapes. Some very similar to Italian varieties.

I had no idea. Thanks. A day without a smidgen of new knowledge is like a day without sunshine. 

[dcarch]

10 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

 

Chinese 'pasta' also comes in many different shapes. Some very similar to Italian varieties.

 

蝴蝶面 or Farfalle?

 

彩色蝴蝶面 or Coloured Farfalle?

 

通心粉 or Macaroni?

 

刀削面 or Maltagliati

 

These are just what I happen to have at home. There are many more.

 

 

In all these years I have shopped in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese markets, I have never come across those "pasta" except the last one.

I have not been to China recently, but those many times I traveled to China, I had never seen those either.

 

I have never seen any restaurant served those either

 

dcarch

 

Edited October 31, 2020 by dcarch (log)

[liuzhou]

3 minutes ago, dcarch said:

 

In all these years I have shopped in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese markets, I have never come across those "pasta" except the last one.

I have not been to China recently, but those many times I traveled to China, I had never seen those either.

 

 

dcarch

 

 

Because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist!

They are everywhere!

[Katie Meadow]

I confess that my objection to bowties is not about taste or texture, just shape. It looks stupid. Same for wagon wheels, whatever they are called in Italy. I used to buy lots of interesting shapes, but so often I would end up with a scoopful of various kinds taking up room in the cabinet and without a good purpose. What I always have on hand: DeCecco linguini fini and Rustichella d'Abruzzo penne, which I can buy in bulk. The penne is not too thick and cooks up with excellent texture. 

 

Oh, one more dislike: those fat ripple-edge lasagne noodles. I prefer using the thinner plain sheets. Dried is fine, but I discovered I can buy fresh sheets and that's really easy and quick to cook, plus I can cut them to fit my lasagne pan before boiling. And the edges crisp up after baking in the most appealing way.

[heidih]

Oh yes those wagon wheel and other kid oriented shapes - I bought at times including the colored ones. The latter just set them up for disappointment as the color fades and there is no discernable different taste. Shape added zip. Kids preferred spaghetti.  Messier but they figured it out. 

My favorite "flavored" pasta was spinach available frozen or dried from Fazzi's deli market off of Sunset & Western. Prominent spinach flavor. Seemed homemade - sometimes a bit of grit but made a heavenly fettuccine alfredo.  The width was  touch wider than what I see commercially and the chew was wonderful. 

[liuzhou]

Although I can see why, I find it interesting that people call farfalle "bowties". Both the Italian and Chinese names mean "butterflies".

[Shelby]

Well, I like pasta in any shape, form, country of origin, type of flour made with etc.  Give me pasta, or give me death!

[dcarch]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Well, I like pasta in any shape, form, country of origin, type of flour made with etc.  Give me pasta, or give me death!

 

I like pasta too, all shapes except one.

 

I can't figure out how to cook bow tie pasta. The  center always getting uncooked because it's much thicker there.

 

dcarch

[heidih]

10 minutes ago, dcarch said:

 

I like pasta too, all shapes except one.

 

I can't figure out how to cook bow tie pasta. The  center always getting uncooked because it's much thicker there.

 

dcarch

 

This article popped back up on Food52 the other day and might interest you  https://food52.com/blog/24574-why-farfalle-is-the-worst-pasta-shape

[MokaPot]

Angel hair pasta is a divisive pasta shape. Carla of Bon Appetit, who is Italian, disparages angel hair pasta. I would have to agree with Carla on angel hair. Too skinny for thick sauces (hard to get a good pasta to sauce ratio). If you want to make a chunky sauce, you've got big chunks plus skinny threads of pasta: not a good match. Angel hair is maybe easy to overcook because it's so skinny. Step away from the pot and boom, it's overcooked.

 

I'm sure there are sauces that go well with angel hair, however.

 

All of this is stated in good fun, in case it didn't come across.

[heidih]

28 minutes ago, dcarch said:

 

I like pasta too, all shapes except one.

 

I can't figure out how to cook bow tie pasta. The  center always getting uncooked because it's much thicker there.

 

dcarch

This article popped back up on Food52 the other day. You might get something out of it  https://food52.com/blog/24574-why-farfalle-is-the-worst-pasta-shape

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Well, I like pasta in any shape, form, country of origin, type of flour made with etc.  Give me pasta, or give me death!

I gave up meat for a number of years. and never felt deprived.    How could I be when there is pasta?

[dcarch]

20 minutes ago, heidih said:

This article popped back up on Food52 the other day. You might get something out of it  https://food52.com/blog/24574-why-farfalle-is-the-worst-pasta-shape

 

Thanks! You made my day.

 

I though I was the only one .

 

Fun reading, Great writing.

 

dcarch

[gfweb]

Bucatini is a PITA.

Hard to fork

Splashes sauce.

[ambra]

9 hours ago, gfweb said:

Bucatini is a PITA.

Hard to fork

Splashes sauce.

I really hate Bucatini for the same reasons. I've seen restaurants in Rome give out plastic bibs (like the lobsters ones), which I find ridiculous. Just stop serving it. Problem solved. 😉

[weinoo]

11 hours ago, gfweb said:

Bucatini is a PITA.

Hard to fork

Splashes sauce.

 

Agree on the bucatini.

 

It's classic for all'amatriciana, but I've moved onto other strands, and even short tubes, for all'amatriciana. Which, if my memory serves me correctly, is how they serve it at Roscioli, in Roma...

 

 

 

[shain]

Bucatini is actually one of my favorite shapes. I just love its bite, mess be damned.

I also quite like wagon wheels (rotelle), I'll admit it's a "kid's pasta" and looks silly, but nostalgia plays a role, and I think it has a good bite as well.

 

Not a fan of farfalle, but it has its usages, mostly in less saucy pastas that eat more like a salad of sorts or perhaps in a stew (i.e. when it's a dish with pasta rather than a pasta dish), but then again, there are probably better shapes for this ass well.

 

And while I like penne, I do think it's overused, and often not suited to the sauce.

 

My favorites in not particular order are bucatini, wide flat pastas (anything from fettuccine to pappardella), rigatoni, ditalini, conchiglie (cavatelli is better, but less available), cavatappi and radiatori.

Edited November 1, 2020 by shain (log)

[ambra]

I've never had the Amatriciana at Roscioli, but I've had the Carbonara. 

 

I personally love long pastas, but as someone said above, each pasta has its sauce. Love pappardelle too, Shain! We love pici, orecchiette, trofie, fusilli, conchiglioni, casarecce... to name just a few. Not a fan of penne.

 

For supermarket brands, I use Rummo or Garofalo. When they go on sale (usually to around 75 euro cents for 500 g), I stock up. 

[shain]

@ambra I love torfie and pici! I wish I could get them here. Maybe I'll try to make trofie myself, I do have some frozen pesto that I'd love to have with it.

[Kim Shook]

14 hours ago, gfweb said:

Bucatini is a PITA.

Hard to fork

Splashes sauce.

I agree.  I thought I was going to love it when I started seeing it on cooking shows and when I finally found some I was underwhelmed.  Messiest damn pasta I ever ate.  I felt like a toddler eating their first bowl of spaghetti!