Your favorite brand of pasta

[Shel_B]

Rustichella d’Abruzzo - http://www.rustichella.it/English/home_eng.html - is one of my favorites.

Bigoli Nobili is another.

Try the multi-colored Pastificio Pozzo del Re ... beautiful and delicious.

Overall, any of the "rustic," Italian-made pastas that have been extruded through brass dies and which are slow dried do it for me.

[Shel_B]

Most of the time..regular ole Brialla.. Works for me too. I can pick it up for less than 1 dollar for a 16 oz box..comes in a lot of styles. When you feed 20 plus people on Sundays..regularly..it becomes economic.

Can you still buy Barilla in 1-lb boxes? Edited August 14, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Barilla, Unico, and Yamancay are my three faves.

[Ttogull]

If you have access to it, Heston Blumenthal's "in Search of Perfection" book (and show with less detail) discusses what he finds important in good pasta. I learned a lot reading it. Bronze extrusion was a consideration. Of the mass market brands, my recollection is that Barilla was one he liked. His highest remmendation went toa brand that I cannot find in the US at a reasonable price.

I used to choose Barilla. But after reading HB I switched to the Fresh Market-branded pasta. I am probably in the minority and do not like Rustichella d'Abruzzo. I can't explain why, but preferences are sometimes like that.

[Paul Bacino]

You know I'll double ck!! I have about 20-25 box's

+

Most of the time..regular ole Brialla.. Works for me too. I can pick it up for less than 1 dollar for a 16 oz box..comes in a lot of styles. When you feed 20 plus people on Sundays..regularly..it becomes economic.

Can you still buy Barilla in 1-lb boxes?

[HungryC]

I probably eat more of the Barilla Plus (a multigrain version of the usual stuff) than anything else. I do like the texture--it's a firm bite.

[lindag]

Have you checked Cooks Illustrated? They often test the different brands of pasta.

[Shelby]

For everyday use, I like Barilla. For special occasions--when I don't make fresh pasta--hands down the best dried pasta I've ever had is Caponi Pontedera. It's expensive.....but it's good.

[Joe Blowe]

Some additional data: An interesting dried-pasta tasting

[Paul Bacino]

Most of the time..regular ole Brialla.. Works for me too. I can pick it up for less than 1 dollar for a 16 oz box..comes in a lot of styles. When you feed 20 plus people on Sundays..regularly..it becomes economic.

Can you still buy Barilla in 1-lb boxes?

Well..Mine are!!

454g = 1# according to Barilla

[rx6006]

Growing up, the only pasta in the house was San Giorgio. In my own house, I stock Barilla. They're both fairly priced, and of good quality. Occasionally, I buy a brand from Whole Foods (the name escapes me) that uses a Jerusalem artichoke flour blend. I find that blend works well when using fettuccine noodles doused in a cream based sauce.

[gfweb]

Have you checked Cooks Illustrated? They often test the different brands of pasta.

IIRC Cooks liked dececco. Both for taste and for price.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

DeCecco is the only brand of dried pasta I have used for many years. I try to avoid cooking with dried pasta, but far too often I am lazy.

[heidih]

I find it curious that folks comment about dry being inferior to fresh - are they not different animals?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'd say egg pasta and water pasta (for lack of a better term) are different animals, as it were. As I recall MC has a topic about adding zanthan gum to egg pasta to endow it with the bite of a good commercial water pasta. Normal egg pasta is more tender. If egg pasta is even slightly over cooked it is not a nice experience.

[merstar]

Barilla is my favorite - perfect texture.

[nickrey]

I use home branded artisan pasta imported by my local Italian providore. Someone above mentioned bronze die extrusion. This leaves little ridges down the pasta to which the sauce will stick. This type of extruded pasta is a level above Barilla (which is good for a mass produced product) and typically a bit more expensive but the difference is noticeable and worth pursuing.

[Franci]

I really dislike Barilla. As everyday pasta I like De Cecco much more. As a nicer brand I like Cocco.

[Hassouni]

Isn't De Cecco made in bronze dies? I don't eat much pasta but I remember the raw product having a rougher feel (in a good way) than most other brands

[rotuts]

yep.

http://www.dececcousa.com/DeCecco-way/?Pagina_Mondo=5

I also like deCecco.

if on sale, when no one is looking, I Bulk Up on Ranzoni 'Smart Taste' its said to have 'fiber'

must be the modified wheat starch. not always a good idea to study the fine print.

Edited August 18, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

I like http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=setaro+pasta&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=33127594307&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1234567890&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_16freczrlm_e/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=setaro+pasta&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=33127594307&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1234567890&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_16freczrlm_e&linkCode=as2&tag=egulletcom-20">Setaro brand dried pasta from Naples. Comes in 1 kilo packages for about $7.

Barilla is produced both in Italy and in the U.S. The American product is fortified with niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid, whereas the Italian product only lists two ingredients: semolina and durum flours. For the money, they're both pretty reliable.

[merstar]

I really dislike Barilla. As everyday pasta I like De Cecco much more. As a nicer brand I like Cocco.

Interesting. I'm just the opposite - I dislike De Cecco - the texture is too heavy.

[Shel_B]

I probably eat more of the Barilla Plus (a multigrain version of the usual stuff) than anything else. I do like the texture--it's a firm bite.

I've tried that and found it satisfactory. Nice texture and flavor. It's got a bit of earthiness to it that's appropriate in some situations.

[Shel_B]

With so many recommendations for Barilla, I bought a box a couple of weeks ago, and tonight I tried it in a Cacio e Pepe. Got home from a short outing and wanted a quick snack.

I cooked the pasta precisely according to the directions, and it turned out nicely al dente. Other than that, it was a disappointment. Not very flavorful, and although cooked al dente, there was an outer layer to the pasta that was mushy - I'd bite through the mushiness to get to the good stuff.

I think I'll stick to the artisanal brands I've tried and liked. Sure, they're more expensive, but I eat pasta so infrequently, I want to really enjoy every bite.

[Michael S.]

De Cecco is what's usually available in the shops here in the UK, so I go with that. Or Garofalo if I'm in Costco. But really, I buy anything that's been made using bronze die extrusion. The smooth nylon die stuff that you normally get in supermarkets is just unpleasant as the sauce doesn't seem to adhere to it very well.