There is dry pasta, and then there is good dry pasta.
What's the difference between a $0,90 packet of dry pasta and $5 or even more ones?
You might think "brand" is the key to good vs bad quality but is not always true.
Let's start talking about some important points that might help you when buying your next packet.
1. QUALITY OF THE INGREDIENTS.
Yes, it might sound obvious but, like every product, good quality ingredients are the key factors to produce good quality pasta.
Big brand sometimes uses soft wheat flour, cheaper than a good durum wheat flour, and the result are a pasta that overcooks easily and doesn't keep the "al dente" result that we are after.
And of course, good quality water or egg (if is dry egg pasta) are important ingredients too.
2. HOW IT IS MANUFACTURED
Pasta can be made in many different ways:
by hand, by far my favourite;
by lamination, where the dough is flattened by machine and then cut into shapes;
by extruder, where the dough is fed into industrial machines with a die attached which will give the shape and cut.
The majority of dried pasta we buy is made by an extruder.
Bronze-die extruded pasta, in the Italian tradition, is the gold standard.
Using this type of dies produces a more rough, porous pasta, ideal for picking up sauces.
In bigger companies, pasta is extruded through Teflon or aluminium dies, resulting in a smooth surface that your sauce won’t cling to well.
3. DRYING TIME
The drying process is what makes the pasta suitable to be stored in our kitchen cabinet for a long period of time, with no need to be refrigerated.
The 2 key factors are time and temperature.
The lower the temperature the longer it will take the pasta to dry.
Good quality pasta is dried at lower temperatures for 24 or in some cases even 48 hours.Â
Small manufacturers use this process to ensure a good quality product and you can identify these products by looking at the colour of the pasta, usually light and pale yellow colour, and will be able to old the "al dente" texture easily.
On the other end, bigger companies required a big turn around so they are more inclined on choosing higher temperatures for a quicker drying time.
This will result in dark coloured pasta and also the chance of breaking and cracking during the cooking process at home.
In conclusions:
Big companies who require a big turnaround, need a quicker production and this affect the quality but results in a much cheaper product.
Small or artisan manufactures are more about quality versus quantity, which will result in a higher price point but with a much better quality pasta.
Davide
