Dried pasta - how can you tell if it's good or not?
"Firstly, outside of Italy, make sure that you buy only pasta that has been produced in Italy and then exported" Understanding Italy
Just before my younger son left for America and Canada for an extended holiday with his family, the whole family gathered for a farewell dinner, and of course we had meatballs. He cooked the pasta - because he's very fussy about it, and we had a brief conversation about what constituted good pasta, with him maintaining that the Woolworths home brand was better than many and me maintaining the same for Coles. We both agreed that they had that rough texture you are supposed to look for. So I slotted it away in my head to talk about some time. And today is the day.
As to the statement at the top of the page - admittedly from a site promoting Italy, I would respond "no, no, no, not true." Of course they started it all, and of course most of their pasta is good, but not all of it, and not all of those 'Italian' brands are made in Italy, and we can make perfectly good pasta here too.
"While many of these better pastas are imported from Italy, don't be fooled into thinking that all imported pasta is superior. Italy can produce industrial-style pasta and even outsources the manufacturing of some of it to other countries such as Turkey. Additionally, some of the big brands are actually made here in the USA. All but the tortellini and oven-ready lasagne from Barilla are made in the USA, for example, even though Barilla is an Italian company." Kitchn
We have Barilla here too, and I sometimes have some, but not at the moment, so I couldn't say if it is made here or in Italy. I do know that San Remo is made here and exported to Italy amongst other countries, so there you go. But I do notice that Zafarelli, another common supermarket brand is imported from Italy but packed here. Anyway this is irrelevant really. Why can't other countries make pasta as well as Italy? We all have competent manufacturers, even dedicated, probably Italian origin, artisan pasta makers as well. And like my son I do think that the home brands exhibit some of the qualities that excellent pasta is supposed to have.
And what are those qualities and how are they achieved?
Well 'real' pasta should be made with durum wheat and/or semolina. Semolina is more coarsely ground than durum flour and has a sandier texture - which probably gives the pasta that rough texture that is supposed to hold the sauce better than the smooth varieties. I have looked at my Coles packets and that's exactly what it is made from - durum semolina - nothing else. So score 1. And I realise I don't make my fresh pasta with the right flour - I just make it with ordinary flour. I should try doing it with durum semolina. I'm sure you can get it in the supermarket.
Then it should be extruded through brass moulds. I think this also adds to the roughness. I doubt that the Coles brand is because I gather that anyone that uses brass moulds will make a big deal out of it - and indeed I have some Australian made 'gourmet' pasta that does indeed make a big thing about being extruded through brass. I believe the aluminium and steel ones that are mostly used make the pasta smoother.
Then it should be dried slowly. Now in times gone by it was dried outside in the sun - hence its origins down near Naples and the bottom of Italy. But I doubt that anyone dries it in the open air any more. Too unhygienic - birds, flies, pollution... They may dry it on smallish racks though, as in the first picture in the second row of pictures below.
Factories do it all on a much grander scale as shown here. However, it's really the time taken that matters I think . I can't remember the technical details now but it can be dried quickly somehow. Slow is better though.
And that's really all there is to it. Yes you can have egg pasta - and again the better egg pasta has real eggs, the mass-produced has powdered egg.
As to colour - it shouldn't be too yellow (well unless it's egg pasta I would think), or too pale, but rather a creamy yellowy gold, like the picture at the top of the page. The Coles brand may be a bit too yellow here.
"Dried pasta should not be brittle but should, instead, be tough and slightly elastic and able to resist the pressure of being squeezed between your fingers. All good dried pasta should have a bright, smooth texture, be a golden yellow colour and have a pleasant smell. When held up against the light it should be clear and bright with a slightly grainy appearance indicating the presence of wheat germ." Understanding Italy
I somehow can't resist buying pasta. I always have several packets in my 'reserve' drawer. But I don't really favour one brand over another and every now and then I do splash out on more expensive 'artisan' stuff, and I think it may well be better. But we don't have those lovely pasta shops like in Italy - even Donnini's doesn't hold a candle to them. Here is one we found on our very first trip to Italy. There are dozens of them. Love them.
