# Favourite brand of Italian style pasta?



## buckytom (Sep 18, 2014)

i recently introduced my family to colavita brand pasta, and they love it. it easily cooks in 7 or 8 minutes (for most shapes) into a perfectly al dente bite. not mushy through to hard, but an even, firm-but-yielding bite.


we've tried so many brands over the years, from local large market manufacturers like ronzoni and the same in imported types like barilla, to many smaller manufacturers and artisnal brands

for whole wheat pasta, we like bionaturae, but lots of other brands are decent as well. sadly, true whole wheat recipes don't lend themselves to making great pasta.

what brand of pasta do you prefer?


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 18, 2014)

Partial to Barilla, have not seen Colavita aside from the olive oil.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 18, 2014)

We use mostly Barilla with an occasional box of Prince for certain shapes.

I'm one of the minority that prefers his pasta to be cooked through.


----------



## taxlady (Sep 18, 2014)

I usually buy whole wheat pasta, but sometimes get other whole grain. I love, love, love Bionaturae. I have to stop myself from eating too much of it while it's in the colander.  But, we usually get Felicetti. It's almost as good as the Bionaturae, but usually a dollar or two less for a 500 gr package. Both of them are from Italy. I have tasted a number brands of whole wheat pasta that were nasty.


----------



## Kaneohegirlinaz (Sep 18, 2014)

We have followed America's Test Kitchen's recommendation 
and now purchase De Cecco dried pasta.
DH is a fan of the Rigatoni.
Me, I like Barilla Whole Grain Penne, Medium Shells and Spaghetti, 
it doesn't get 'gummy' like other whole wheat pastas.
But of course, our all time fav is homemade pasta... just made SIXTEEN DOZEN, yes 16 dozen cheese raviolis to stash in the deep freeze.
It's a day long affair, so why not make it worth your while, they freeze so nicely.


----------



## biscotto (Sep 18, 2014)

Garafolo.


----------



## Steve Kroll (Sep 18, 2014)

I love Rustichella d'Abruzzo, although the only place I know of that carries it is 20 minutes away. Barilla works pretty good in a pinch.


----------



## CraigC (Sep 18, 2014)

Besides homemade, Barilla for us.


----------



## larry_stewart (Sep 18, 2014)

Barilla too.  It seems to leave a larger ' window of error' than the others that I have tried in the past.

That being said, if there is a really good deal on another brand, I will stock up.


----------



## jennyema (Sep 18, 2014)

For supermarket brands DeCecco is the run away winner.

Barilla was a distant second but I still refuse to buy anything from them because of their hideous political stances.

I have also tried a bunch of pastas that I bought at Eataly which surpass DeCecco but aren't that easy to find.  If you want, I'll write them down next time I go.


----------



## Mad Cook (Sep 18, 2014)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> We have followed America's Test Kitchen's recommendation
> and now purchase De Cecco dried pasta.
> DH is a fan of the Rigatoni.
> Me, I like Barilla Whole Grain Penne, Medium Shells and Spaghetti,
> ...


I must look for Barilla whole wheat, which we should be able to get this side of the pond.

Up to date I haven't found a wholewheat pasta the I can get on with. It's either gluey or tastes stale or takes for ever to cook and when it is cooked it doesn't taste good.

I know it's good for me but....


----------



## taxlady (Sep 18, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> I must look for Barilla whole wheat, which we should be able to get this side of the pond.
> 
> Up to date I haven't found a wholewheat pasta the I can get on with. It's either gluey or tastes stale or takes for ever to cook and when it is cooked it doesn't taste good.
> 
> I know it's good for me but....


Can you get Bionaturae or Felicetti whole wheat pasta. They certainly don't get gummy. They taste delightful.


----------



## CharlieD (Sep 18, 2014)

It's funny, it is just pasta, right? It should be all the same, but it really is not. I buy a lot of Barrila, but last friday I was at a friend's house and they had some pasta I have never seen before, it was incredible good. I wish I wrote down the name of the brand, but I did not, darn.


----------



## Roll_Bones (Sep 18, 2014)

jennyema said:


> Barilla was a distant second but I still refuse to buy anything from them because of their hideous political stances.



I use Barilla almost exclusively.  This is my issue living in the deep south.
Its Meullers or the other big name in our grocery stores.
Sometimes we get imported Italian pasta with the extruder number listed.
Linguine being our favorite.

Whats up with Barilla?  Is there a good reason to not buy their product?
I am asking.


----------



## buckytom (Sep 18, 2014)

they have refused to use images of gay people in their advertising.

prince spaghetti should do the opposite and come out with a line of princess pastas, you know, to capture the market share...


j/k.


----------



## taxlady (Sep 18, 2014)

buckytom said:


> they have refused to use images of gay people in their advertising.
> 
> prince spaghetti should do the opposite and come out with a line of princess pastas, you know, to capture the market share...
> 
> ...


The CEO was asked in an interview if he would use gay couples in their advertising and he replied never. OTH, he is pro-gay marriage, but anti-gay adoption. He also seems to have some sexist views about who does the cooking. It sort of breaks my brain.


----------



## CarolPa (Sep 19, 2014)

I am not particular about my brand of pasta.  We like thin pasta, and I recently noticed that Giant Eagle store brand angel hair is a little thicker than other brands of angel hair, but not as thick as thin spaghetti.  Also, for egg noodles, I like the taste of the Reggiano brand sold in Aldi's.  Otherwise, I buy what's on sale.
*
Andy,* I have always been one who likes my pasta well done, but my aldente husband is starting to win me over.  I will cook it a little less well done to keep peace, and I'm getting used to it.


----------



## GA Home Cook (Sep 19, 2014)

Groceries here in GA carry the standards.  What aggravates me is that it's only spaghetti, very thin linguine and the penne and such.  Very hard to find the other stuff you see people cook with on TV.  Occassionaly i go to "Whole Paycheck" and get some of there's, a much larger selection, and price.  I picked up some of Trader Joe's the other day and it was good.


----------



## Roll_Bones (Sep 19, 2014)

taxlady said:


> The CEO was asked in an interview if he would use gay couples in their advertising and he replied never. OTH, he is pro-gay marriage, but anti-gay adoption. He also seems to have some sexist views about who does the cooking. It sort of breaks my brain.



Thanks. 



GA Home Cook said:


> Groceries here in GA carry the standards.  What aggravates me is that it's only spaghetti, very thin linguine and the penne and such.  Very hard to find the other stuff you see people cook with on TV.  Occassionaly i go to "Whole Paycheck" and get some of there's, a much larger selection, and price.  I picked up some of Trader Joe's the other day and it was good.



Sounds like our area.  Publix will not even open a store here.  They are correctly concerned that many of their products will be ignored by the populace ad the little extra it costs to shop in Publix would likely doom their attempt at opening a store in our immediate neighborhood.
I have been at a food shopping disadvantage for almost 23 years.
Fortunately, the positives equal out the negatives as far as living here.

I have to drive 20 or more miles to get to a Publix.
We do have a small independent IGA market in neighboring Tryon NC. that does carry some of the things we like.

I feel ya OP.


----------



## GA Home Cook (Sep 19, 2014)

RB,  I'm not quite that bad off.  i am about 30 minutes from Trader joe's, Costco and Whole (Paycheck) Foods.    If you ever get into Atlanta on the NE side, you should visit Dekalb Farmers Market.  It is unbelievable and reasonably priced.  Bring a cooler, but not a credit card and you will do fine. Cash and debit card only.


----------



## zfranca (Sep 23, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Partial to Barilla, have not seen Colavita aside from the olive oil.



I am also partial to Barilla pasta. Equally good are: De Cecco, DiVella.


----------



## bakechef (Sep 23, 2014)

I must be really low maintenance when it comes to pasta.  I buy most of mine at Trader Joe's.  I really like their organic whole wheat spaghetti I never really cared for whole wheat spaghetti until I tried this.  I buy their regular penne, and other shapes too.  I usually buy in bulk since I have containers in the pantry.  

If my store is having a BOGO on pasta I will buy the Ronzoni there, usually comes out to less than a dollar a pound.


----------



## zfranca (Sep 23, 2014)

zfranca said:


> I am also partial to Barilla pasta. Equally good are: De Cecco, DiVella.


There is only one instance in which I MUST use De Cecco. Here is why:
Lasagna rolls with prosciutto and zucchini
A different way to prepare the classic lasagne

Ingredients:
6	Lasagna strip De Cecco
2 lbs	Small zucchini
2 TBSP	Chopped parsley
¼ cup	Olive oil
1 	Clove of garlic (pressed)
1 tsp	salt
6	Slices of prosciutto or ham.
1 cup	Prepared béchamel sauce (page..)
8 oz	Provolone cheese or buffalo mozzarella (shredded)
2 TBSP	Grated parmesan cheese
Oil and salt for boiling lasagne
Directions:
1.	Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and 1 TBS of oil. Cook lasagna strips for 6 minutes, Remove and spread on a towel to cool. Once cooked, the lasagna strips will measure 10x51/2 inch. You may use a different brand or make your own pasta. However the quantities listed are for this size of pasta. If your lasagna strips are smaller or larger, please adjust the quantities accordingly.		
2.	Dice zucchini finely (brunoise). If you are using large zucchini, discard the central white part. You should obtain 4 cups.
3.	In a very large sauté pan heat oil with chopped parsley and press garlic directly into the pan. Add diced zucchini and salt to your taste and bring heat to high, stirring frequently. Cook for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. If you do not have a large frying pan, cook the zucchini in two butches. We want the zucchini to maintain a crisp and not mushy consistency.
4.	Spread 2 TBSP of béchamel sauce over each lasagna strip (reserve remain for final assembly), then a slice of prosciutto, ½ cup of cooked zucchini, and  shredded cheese..
5.	Roll it in jelly roll fashion, wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze for about ½ hour to stiffen. If you plan this recipe for later use, just keep the rolls frozen.
6.	If you are using pre-frozen rolls, take them out of the freezer several hours before your dinner preparation, so you can easily cut them crosswise into four pieces.
7.	Preheat oven to 450 ° F.
Using the remaining béchamel: lightly cover the bottom of a baking dish of your choice suitable for serving at the table. Arrange lasagna rolls into it, spread remaining béchamel sauce and parmesan cheese over the top. Bake until golden brown on top (about 20 minutes). If you have a broiler you might broil for a few minutes.
 SERVES 6.


----------



## ChefT (Sep 23, 2014)

I honestly prefer pasta by original italian brands: "Latini" produces my favourites, or "Cipriani" and "Martelli"! It's hard and expensive to get them especially in a foreign country - but the fantastic pasta it's worth your while...


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 23, 2014)

Nicely done Z!


----------



## Aunt Bea (Sep 23, 2014)

I miss pasta, it's a rare holiday treat these days.

I used to buy Anna Pasta from Cento for everyday, it's always a loss leader at my little 1950's supermarket.

I used Dreamfields until I read that the lo carb angle was a myth.  I notice they have changed the packaging and removed the information on net carbs from the package.

I like Barilla because it holds up well for reheating and is not mushy on day two.

For a special treat I like Delverde.  I only buy Delverde at the local Italian specialty store, the boxes in most of the grocery stores are covered with dust!


----------



## Zagut (Sep 23, 2014)

I'm one of those who doesn't find much difference in dried pastas.
I can taste the difference between fresh and dried but as far as dried goes I get whatever is cheapest, on sale, or I find a coupon to lower the price.
Usually store brand but had $off deals on 2 name brands recently. Barilla Plus and San Giorgio for $.89 a pound. Couldn't really tell a difference over the store brand.


----------



## bakechef (Sep 23, 2014)

Zagut said:


> I'm one of those who doesn't find much difference in dried pastas.
> I can taste the difference between fresh and dried but as far as dried goes I get whatever is cheapest, on sale, or I find a coupon to lower the price.
> Usually store brand but had $off deals on 2 name brands recently. Barilla Plus and San Giorgio for $.89 a pound. Couldn't really tell a difference over the store brand.



Good, I'm not the only one


----------



## Dawgluver (Sep 23, 2014)

bakechef said:


> Good, I'm not the only one




No, you're not!  I can't tell much difference either.


----------



## Zagut (Sep 23, 2014)

Guess those of us with no taste must unite.


----------



## GotGarlic (Sep 23, 2014)

I'm with you, too! Store brand works for us.


----------



## taxlady (Sep 23, 2014)

I used whatever kind of pasta until I switched to wholewheat. Some wholewheat pasta is really nasty tasting.


----------



## Addie (Sep 23, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> We use mostly Barilla with an occasional box of Prince for certain shapes.
> 
> I'm one of the minority that prefers his *pasta to be cooked through*.



Make that two Andy. I do buy Prince Large Casserole Elbows. MB leaves an off taste in my mouth. And I buy Prince Angel Hair. MB breaks too easily. Otherwise I buy the house brand Market Basket for other shapes.


----------



## BoracayB (Sep 24, 2014)

DonnaVera has a nice selection.


----------



## bakechef (Sep 24, 2014)

taxlady said:


> I used whatever kind of pasta until I switched to wholewheat. Some wholewheat pasta is really nasty tasting.



I'll agree on that one.  I thought that I disliked whole wheat pasta until I tried the one at Trader Joe's, I really like that one.


----------



## Addie (Sep 24, 2014)

Zagut said:


> Guess those of us with no taste must unite.



I am jumping into the pool also. For me it is mostly about cost. Except for the casserole elbows.


----------



## taxlady (Sep 24, 2014)

Talking about cost, a friend of mine did something odd when she was a poor student. She used to buy boxes of Kraft Dinner and throw away the packet. It was the cheapest way to buy macaroni.


----------



## Steve Kroll (Sep 24, 2014)

Zagut said:


> I'm one of those who doesn't find much difference in dried pastas.


On my second trip to Italy ten years ago I realized something I hadn't noticed before: Americans typically pile a lot more sauce on their pasta than Italians, and therefore we don't get as much of the pasta flavor. I'm not saying one way is more "right" than the other, but it might explain why we tend to not care as much about brands.

By the way, I'm kind of an inbetween type. I like more sauce on my pasta than what you see in the second photo below, but sauce isn't all I want to taste.

Americans:






Italians:


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 24, 2014)

As far as sauce, I'm closer to picture #2 than #1.  However, I like meatballs with my pasta, which is very American.


----------



## CraigC (Sep 25, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> As far as sauce, I'm closer to picture #2 than #1.  However, I like meatballs with my pasta, which is very American.



+1 and sausage as well.


----------



## Addie (Sep 25, 2014)

I like a little less than Pic. #2. Maybe meatballs and maybe not. It depends on who made them. I know a few folks who make cannon balls. I try to avoid them even as friends. I like my meatballs cooked in the gravy as in a Sunday Dinner Gravy.


----------



## buckytom (Sep 25, 2014)

i like to eat some pasta on the edges of the plate completely un-sauced, then some sauced properly, and then some swimming in sauce.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 25, 2014)

jennyema said:


> ...Barilla was a distant second but I still refuse to buy anything from them because of their hideous political stances...





buckytom said:


> they have refused to use images of gay people in their advertising...





taxlady said:


> The CEO was asked in an interview if he would use gay couples in their advertising and he replied never. OTH, he is pro-gay marriage, but anti-gay adoption. He also seems to have some sexist views about who does the cooking. It sort of breaks my brain.




I didn't know any of this.  Barilla is now off limits for me.

Is there any way to learn this kind of information so you can choose to express your views through boycotting the products?


----------



## taxlady (Sep 25, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> I didn't know any of this.  Barilla is now off limits for me.
> 
> Is there any way to learn this kind of information so you can choose to express your views through boycotting the products?


That's a good point Andy. I guess we could Google any brands, but that seems like it would take a lot of time.


----------



## Roll_Bones (Oct 3, 2014)

GA Home Cook said:


> RB,  I'm not quite that bad off.  i am about 30 minutes from Trader joe's, Costco and Whole (Paycheck) Foods.    If you ever get into Atlanta on the NE side, you should visit Dekalb Farmers Market.  It is unbelievable and reasonably priced.  Bring a cooler, but not a credit card and you will do fine. Cash and debit card only.



No offense, but Atlanta is probably the last place I would want to go.
I used to have to go there for meetings twice a month and the traffic was horrendous.
Thanks for the advice though!



Steve Kroll said:


> On my second trip to Italy ten years ago I realized something I hadn't noticed before: Americans typically pile a lot more sauce on their pasta than Italians, and therefore we don't get as much of the pasta flavor. I'm not saying one way is more "right" than the other, but it might explain why we tend to not care as much about brands.
> 
> By the way, I'm kind of an inbetween type. I like more sauce on my pasta than what you see in the second photo below, but sauce isn't all I want to taste.
> 
> ...



I'm in between too. My daughters always wasted so much sauce.  When they were done, there would be half a cup left on the plate.
We dress our pasta.  We don't bury it in sauce.




Andy M. said:


> I didn't know any of this.  Barilla is now off limits for me.
> Is there any way to learn this kind of information so you can choose to express your views through boycotting the products?



I felt the exact same way when I first heard this.  But I now see everyone has an opinion and I can choose to buy the product or not.
Give me a better alternative and i leave Barilla in the dust and never look back.
But to never buy it again, leaves me with little choice but to buy inferior pasta.
I hate it, but its Barilla until I can find something else as good.


----------

