Why do we need so much variety of pasta?

If you have ever walked through the linear of dry pasta from a large supermarket you will have been surprised by the immense variety of shapes and colors of the pasta. Beyond the macaroni, noodles and spaghettian exorbitant range of pasta of different aspects, designs and sizes is offered that although we are fascinated by its rarity or beauty, we rarely buy it because we do not know what to do with it.

Is such a variety of pasta really necessary? It is not necessary, but there are all those variations due to the differences in texture and the sensory experience that they cause when eating it. Although they are all made of durum wheat semolinathe different shapes, textures and thicknesses ensure a totally different experience with each one of them.

If you like vary your pasta dishes You can start by changing the paste itself. Just by changing the shape it will already look like a different dish. To explain differences and similarities I am going to “mix” all types of pasta, Italian and Oriental.

Alternative to the classic spaghetti

What we normally use are spaghetti, and on occasion noodles. Although a standard size is sold in all supermarkets, the truth is that there are different sizes, that is, there are thicker and thinner spaghetti.

The bucatini are much thicker than a normal spaghetti and have a hole in the center to facilitate faster and more homogeneous cooking. Once cooked they are like elastic cords, they feel very heavy and when eaten they are certainly more filling. To begin with, you notice that you chew much more pasta. Also the texture is different.

The capelliniHowever, they are much thinner than spaghetti, they are like soup noodles but very long. They take very little time to make and are very elegant as well as delicate.

Oriental pasta: how to cook them?

In oriental pasta we have several very similar types: thin soba noodles, rice noodles, ramen noodles, and thin wheat noodles. Unlike Italian pasta, these pastas are made with whole flour and are usually stretched by hand or mechanically (rather than with a pasta press).

noodles and rice vermicelli they have a much fuller texture than wheat pasta, so they are more easily al dente. They are also usually finer than those made from wheat, so certain thick sauces such as Bolognese can end up masking the role of the pasta or becoming a paste (if they are very
thin will tend to clump with the sauce).

All these pastes are usually interchangeable, that is, we can use for example soba noodles instead of spaghettialways taking into account their peculiarities (the type of cereal with which they are made, their cooking time, their final texture, etc.).

Stir-fried with long pasta

For stir-fries, both normal spaghetti and ramen noodles, noodles and soba noodles work very well (as long as we don’t go overboard, of course). For the classic pasta with tomato or bolognesebetter medium or thick pasta (spaghetti, noodles, bucatini, etc.) of the cereal or legume you want.

For oriental soups I do not recommend using Italian pasta. Apart from needing more minutes to cook, its texture does not combine as well with this type of cooking as its own pasta, whether it is made from rice, wheat, mung or corn.

Why can we change the macaroni?

Macaroni, spirals, conchiglie, cresta de gallo, farfalle or bows… Many short pasta They share characteristics such as size or length, but after eating them the texture is different and the experience changes a lot.

Fluted pasta, such as penne rigate, radiatori, quadrefiore, tortiglioni or rigatoni They have a surface that facilitates the adhesion of all kinds of sauces, so we can use both thick and liquid ones. They also make great stir-fries. If we sprinkle spices, they will tend to stick to the pasta and give it much more flavor.

try to use striped macaroni instead of plain ones. You will notice a change in texture and flavor despite being the same pasta. Certain shaped pasta such as the crest of a rooster, farfalle or cuadrefiore mix thicknesses very subtly.

The central parts of the farfalli they are thicker, since a strip of pasta is formed and pressed in the center: we will have a softer piece at the ends and a whole piece in the center. The same thing happens with the other pasta, they have thinner and thicker parts, instead of being homogeneous like macaroni or noodles.

For this reason they can sometimes be more difficult to cook al dente without breaking. The best thing you can do is always keep the pasta at a gentle boil., stir it just enough and carefully, and take it out when it is al dente, not after. It also helps to scoop it out through a cobweb strainer instead of pouring it into a pasta colander.

Pasta with more complicated shapes is also better to eat at the moment. It’s not that they go bad sooner, but they tend to break more and a dish with disintegrated pasta doesn’t bring the same sensations as with whole pasta (apart from the fact that it looks sadder). If we have to shoot for the practical, the best are the macaroni and integral spirals. They are easy to cook, they last a long time without breaking, they can be added to almost any meal, you can put any sauce on them and they keep very well if we keep leftovers in the fridge.

How to choose the best pasta for soups

For soups in Spain we use small and short pasta such as noodles, little stars or alphabet soupbut there are also other interesting ones such as anelli and anelliniwhich are little rings of pasta, pine nuts (they have that shape but are a little smaller), orzo (the shape and size of rice), ditalini (like little tubes) or mini farfalle (little bows
little ones).

They generally vary little in cooking time (1-2 minutes) and can add a very different texture to soups. Try pine nuts, for example, instead of the little stars. You will notice a richer and more satisfying soup, largely due to that extra thickness of the pasta.

You are also seeing more and more this type of pasta in your full version. One of the advantages they have for cooking is that take longer to get rid of and they tend to be looser and more whole.

As with long pasta, sometimes we can find them made with other cereals (corn, rice) or legumes (chickpeas and lentils). The cereal or legume from which they are made will also influence the final texture. short rice pasta They tend to be more whole, while those of legumes tend to be creamier.

If we can’t find any small whole wheat pasta but we want to add something more nutritious to the soup, we can change the pasta for something else. For example, for millet or quinoawhich have the size and shape of the rain or wonder soup.