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Dried pasta
not_orange
16-10-2008
Obviously freshly made pasta is to be desired but does anyone think there is much difference between the different makes of dried pasta available?

I bought some very cheap (basic) pasta shells the other day and the family reckoned they were pretty bad (but they had seen the packet prior to eating the meal)

Do you really pay for quality in the dried pasta market? Any views?
broonale
17-10-2008
Prices seem to have shot through the roof depending on where you shop. For quickness I usually use a dried variety, fresh is tastier I know. I used to pay, a couple of years ago, between 30-40p for a 500g pack. This is now over £1 for the same amount. Went elsewhere the other day though and managed to pick up a pack, same sort but a different brand for nineteen pence. Bargain if I say so and it tastes just the same.
tangsman
17-10-2008
I'd avoid the really cheap stuff - "basics" line.

Most supermarket dried pasta if "Made In Italy" should be fine and all you need.

Seen some respected chefs plug de Cecco as a quality brand if you don't mind paying a bit more.

Like most things you pays your money you take your choice.
SHAFT
17-10-2008
Avoid Tescos or Sainburys own brand dried pasta. They're rotten.
Inkblot
17-10-2008
Originally Posted by broonale:
“Prices seem to have shot through the roof depending on where you shop. For quickness I usually use a dried variety, fresh is tastier I know.”

Surely fresh is quicker as well: 1-2 minutes rather than 10-12?

Funny this thread appearing now. I was thinking only yesterday that we used to buy dried stuffed pasta and now we buy fresh stuffed pasta, but is the dried stuff still around and is it at all edible?
DaisyBumbleroot
17-10-2008
Originally Posted by not_orange:
“
I bought some very cheap (basic) pasta shells the other day and the family reckoned they were pretty bad (but they had seen the packet prior to eating the meal)

Do you really pay for quality in the dried pasta market? Any views?”

i bought some basic pasta from one of the supermarkets a few years back and it was nasty. But, i cant really tell between all the other brands!
Mariaella
17-10-2008
You'd think pasta is pasta, wouldn't you? There's a big difference in quality. Cheap nasty stuff takes ages to cook and has a horrible texture and blandness. I prefer the branded Italian stuff like buitoni or napolina.
RAINBOWGIRL22
17-10-2008
Dried pasta has a lot less calories compared to fresh (although I love fresh!!)

I only use Wholemeal pasta for the most part (can't resist the occasional pack of freash spaghetti though ) and I have been unable to find any fresh wholemeal stuff?
Darthchaffinch
17-10-2008
The more expensive brands are more likely to coat better from what I've read/seen, if you look microscopicly the edges of cheapo pasta is very smooth so sauce will not stick to it.
Agree about the taste/texture of the cheapo brands.
grassmarket
17-10-2008
Yes, agree, you can tell the more expensive brands because they feel rougher to the finger. I suspect that the cheaper brands don't use the true durum wheat, but some other variety.
grassmarket
17-10-2008
Originally Posted by RAINBOWGIRL22:
“Dried pasta has a lot less calories compared to fresh (although I love fresh!!)
?”

Can that be true? Certainly plain pasta would have fewer calories than egg pasta but I can't see that dried would have fewer calories than fresh, any more than toast would have fewer calories than bread.
not_orange
18-10-2008
Originally Posted by broonale:
“Prices seem to have shot through the roof depending on where you shop. For quickness I usually use a dried variety, fresh is tastier I know. I used to pay, a couple of years ago, between 30-40p for a 500g pack. This is now over £1 for the same amount. Went elsewhere the other day though and managed to pick up a pack, same sort but a different brand for nineteen pence. Bargain if I say so and it tastes just the same.”

Yes, I think some dried pasta is certainly overpriced. I guess the key is to not buy the cheapest but the next up.

At the end of the day it's what you put on the pasta that counts isn't it.
Pretinama
18-10-2008
I don't really think that there's much difference between *good quality* dried pasta and fresh.
Miriams Sister
18-10-2008
I always buy Napolina - if I bought the cheap ones the family would notice. Two packets for £2 at Asda yesterday.
Sirio63
19-10-2008
De Cecco and Voiello are the top two brands in terms of quality - talking about mass production, of course, not small, niche producers.
In Italy, the largest brand is Barilla, so it's pretty reliable. Buitoni if you find it, Italian brand too. I suspect the supermarket brands are made with soft wheat, not hard, beacuse when I visited England for the first time, that was served as "pasta" and it became a thick, sticky mess.......
The "fresh" pasta has eggs added, that's why it's more caloric - in Italy is produced in many different ways, but I don't think it is possible to produce it wholemeal, it's really a matter of how the flour blends with eggs. I have never seen it, not even in shops that only sell fresh pasta.
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