The pasta aisle at the grocery store has gotten completely out of control, so I bought a bunch of pasta and asked the question: Is expensive pasta actually worth it?
Weeknight Pasta inspiration: https://www.cookwell.com/discover/collection/weeknight-pasta
How to choose Pasta Shapes: https://www.cookwell.com/education/video-companion/a-guide-to-choosing-pasta-shapes
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
1:34 How is dried pasta made
8:40 Taste – Can you taste a difference between cheap and expensive pasta?
11:42 Aroma – Can you smell a difference between cheap and expensive pasta?
17:31 Texture – Does expensive pasta have a better texture?
21:34 Conclusion – Is expensive pasta worth it?
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MISC. DETAILS
Filmed on: Sony FX3 & Sony A7C
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro
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26 Comments
So since I have a lot of pasta to get through…I’m going to need some recommendations for your favorite unconventional pasta dishes 👇
Or If you need some inspiration here are some recipes and the pasta shape gide:
https://www.cookwell.com/education/video-companion/a-guide-to-choosing-pasta-shapes
https://www.cookwell.com/discover/collection/weeknight-pasta
The Slavs do not like pasta cooked al dente. It feels undercooked. Slavs like pasta to melt in one’s mouth.
Now do fresh vs dried! 🙂
I just boil the pasta after a certain amount of time and test it until i like how cooked it is
The difference in price of cheapest to most expensive pasta in my grocery store is $3. I splurge on the most expensive because I make that kind of money now I can spend an extra $3 on my pasta.
The biggest thing that matters is what it's made of.
Black Bean or Red Lentil pasta are insanely nutrient rich.
Buy frozen pasta?
Was the audio inconsistent on this video for anybody else or just me?
Sorry — I'll stick with my Aldi pasta and sauce. It tastes just fine. No way will I spend close to $20 for a box of designer pasta and that Rao's sauce.
That was so informative, thanks a lot. I need to check whether my mid-price point pasta was made with bronze rollers or teflon, it is a little rough so maybe bronze? Durum wheat is a tetraploid (4 copies of each chromosome) whereas bread wheat is a hexaploid (6 copies) so they really are completely different (nerdy wheat breeder here). Durum wheat is a specialty wheat as it is often difficult to produce wheat at such high protein levels that are required for this class.
I learned something new, bronze cut and Teflon cut. I never heard of that difference. I’ll look more thoroughly next time I shop for pasta. My go-to pastas have been Prince and Pastene brands. Thank you for doing this video. Food for thought on my next grocery shopping trip.
I like the 'Great Value' Garden Rotini
Disagree with wholegrain recommendation. I dislike it's texture.
i mean, im a heathen who likes to snack on raw spagetti noodles, and in my case the cheap kind simply isn't as good. i like the Good Crunch the expensive brand has. yummy
Now you need to compare homemade pasta vs store bought and if it is worth making homemade pasta and drying it
My main measurement for good pasta is: Do I feel like a ball of sloth after eating it?
I have a couple Italian friends who said if you want to know the right one to choose go for anything that is naturally high protein (~ 12g+), all the pasta they get locally is around that 11-15g mark. I have tried this and agree (tho doesn't work if you're using like a heavy alfredo, or for me, gnocchi/ravioli, which will add other factors to it.) Some of the expensive, bronze-cut, "locally sourced" ones you mentioned don't even break the 10g mark, so I'd be weary. Same way I'd be with "locally sourced" olive oil.
A few years before Cascatelli was invented, I started experimenting with pasta shapes that held onto sauces & ended up liking fusilli & rotini the best.
Those zucca look amazing
I always cook my pasta, regardless of the shape… in less water than required. More starch + more overall flavor.
This guy's videos are fine but the ad breaks are ridiculous. Every 3-5 minutes I get 50 seconds of unskippable ads on every single one of his videos. I don't experience this many ads on any other YouTube channel, it's almost 6 minutes of just ads for one of his typical length videos.
So everyone is eating endoSPERM pasta?
I think you forgot one difference to mention: quicker dried pasta contains less nutrition than slowly dried pasta, due to the heat involved.
The way I was flabbergasted when he tasted the raw pasta flours.
haven't watched the video yet but i just want to say that my go 2 pasta is Rummo. And i like it al dente (Rummo generally remains on the "tougher side")
How about making actual fresh pasta.
It’s pretty easy and superior to any dried pasta.
If only people knew this.
Pre-oil pre-boil. Always and forever.