From a simple meal of buttered noodles to nostalgic childhood favorites like spaghetti Bolognese, nothing beats a delicious plate of pasta. On weeknights, noodles often play a key role in quick dinners. That’s why boxes of dried pasta are always stocked in my pantry, and I’m not alone — pasta remains one of the most popular grocery purchases in the United States.
In a sea of so many pasta brands, shapes, and options, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which dried pasta will deliver the best quality and flavor while browsing supermarket aisles.
Considering how many people depend on this staple item, we spoke with the executive chef of the renowned Italian restaurant Ci Siamo in New York City and James Beard Award nominee Hillary Sterling for her tips on selecting better boxed pasta at the grocery store. It turns out, even before purchasing or trying a specific pasta, you can look for simple clues to see if it’s worth your money.
The surface of the pasta should have texture
When cooking pasta, you want the sauce to cling to the surface of the noodles. According to Sterling, this means the texture of the pasta you choose is crucial, a quality that goes hand in hand with how the dough was cut.
The chef explains that “Traditional dried pasta is extruded using a bronze die. It’s really important to see texture on the dried pasta; it almost looks a little scratchy,” a visual indicator that the pasta is bronze die-cut. The rougher surface allows the sauce to more easily adhere to the pasta as the two are tossed together, “like little arms grabbing the sauce,” Sterling notes.
Avoid shiny pasta
In addition to searching for a scratchy texture, the chef warns home cooks to avoid “shiny” pasta — which indicates it wasn’t cut with bronze dies. “If a pasta is shiny, then it was most likely extruded through a plastic die,” she explains. Sterling adds that plastic dies are mainly used by “big box pasta chain makers,” because this method allows for faster production.
A Teflon-cut pasta will have a shinier and smoother exterior, which you should avoid for several reasons: These noodles tend to stick together during cooking, become gummy once cooked, and don’t hold onto sauce well.
Color can tell you how a pasta was dried
Pasta can be dried quickly or slowly, and when you consult experts, they’ll always recommend the latter. Drying pasta slowly preserves its gluten structure, makes the final product easier to digest, and helps it cook evenly. It will also remain more porous, making it easier for sauces to stick to.
Sterling explains that pasta should be dried for at least 24 to 48 hours, depending on the shape. To do this properly, she says, “The drying process needs to be slow in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room.”
When comparing pastas, pay close attention to their color, which is an important indicator of how the product was dried. According to the Ci Siamo chef, you should “look for a textured, pale-yellow pasta with streaks of white.” With the exception of some egg-enriched options, you’ll generally want to avoid bright yellow or orange-colored pastas.
It doesn’t have to come from Italy
Sterling notes that the origin of dried pasta isn’t as important as you might think, emphasizing that what really matters is “using the right ingredients, a bronze die, and giving the pasta time to properly dry.” The chef usually prefers to source any dried pasta she cooks with from Italy but also mentions buying “a lot of Sfoglini for the house. It’s a great brand and made in upstate New York.”
Which shapes of dried pasta should you buy?
The pasta shape you choose largely comes down to personal preference or what might work best with a particular sauce. But if you’re facing indecision, Sterling encourages buying dried pasta shapes that are hard to make at home, like “bucatini, rigatoni, or anything curly like fusilli.”
When asked about the dried pasta brands she often keeps in her pantry, Sterling said, “I like Sfoglini [and] Rustichella — or Setaro if you can’t find the first two.” The chef also occasionally uses Wegmans Amore brand at home to make pasta salads.
Dining and Cooking