The question we are asked the most: Dried or Fresh?

Dried Pasta

There are roughly 350 different shapes and varieties of dried pasta in Italy, even more counting regional differences (you say linguine, I say tagliatelle); shapes range from simple tubes to bow ties (farfalle, which actually means "butterfly"), to unique shapes like tennis rackets (racchette). According to Italian law dried pasta must be made with 100% durum semolina flour and water, a practice that all but the worst quality pasta makers worldwide have since adhered to. However there are two factors in dried pasta from Italy that make it typically better than most other dried pastas: extrusion and drying methods.

Dried pasta, especially the more complex shapes (such as radiatore), is designed for grabbing and holding onto sauces. Dried tube pasta (ziti or penne) often has ridges or slight abrasions on the surface to hold onto the pasta sauce as well. These ridges and bumps are created during the extrusion process, when the pasta is forced from a copper mold (or die) and cut to desired length before drying. These molds, while expensive and prone to wear are favored for making the best dried pasta. Most producers worldwide use steel molds that produce pasta that is too smooth to hold onto sauce. Think of these little bumbs and crevices as the grippers that hold onto sauce for dear life. When pasta is too slick and smooth the sauce slides right off. You want your Slip N’ Slide to be smooth, not your noodles.

After the pasta is cut it must be dried using a process of specific temperature and time. This is another area where mass produced pasta falls short of good Italian pasta made the correct way. The mass produced pastas are dried at very high temperatures for a shorter time than quality pasta. Traditional pasta is allowed to dry slower, up to 50 hours at a much lower temperature. It is after the pasta is fully dried that it is packaged. The result is pasta with a much better mouth-feel, quicker cooking time, and superior sauce holding power.

Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta can be made with slightly different ingredients than the dried variety. Many northern regions of Italy use all-purpose flour and eggs (or just the yolks) while southern Italy usually makes theirs from semolina and water but it depends upon the recipe. Fresh pasta is not inherently better than dried pasta; it is just different and is used in different situations. Some types of pasta are served only fresh, others only dried and some others can have fresh and dried versions. Fresh pasta has been made in households throughout Italy for generations but the region of Emilia-Romagna has the reputation of making the best. Here fresh pasta is often served with cream sauces or a simple sauce of butter and sage while light tomato sauces are reserved for the summer months.

The bottom line on the old debate is: it’s up to you! The main thing we teach our staff when helping customers is to ask these questions: “How do you eat at home? What do you like to cook?” When you ask yourself these questions (and you answer truthfully) you’ll be able to decide what pasta is right for you. Never fall into the trap of cooking things you don’t enjoy because they’re cool or trendy. Cooking should be an expression of you, of what brings you the most joy, and ultimately an expression of the seasons.