There\u2019s a misconception that fresh pasta is somehow superior to the dried stuff. While the \u201cfresh is best\u201d mantra rings true for fruit, veg and other perishable produce, it simply doesn\u2019t hold water where pasta is concerned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Italy, many pasta dishes from the country\u2019s southern and central regions \u2013 including the classic Roman cacio e pepe \u2013 rely exclusively on dried durum semolina products. Meanwhile, in the north, fresh pasta enriched with flour and eggs \u2013 such as pappardelle and tortellini \u2013 reigns supreme.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While there are many historical factors to explain that divide, a big one is that most of Italy\u2019s durum wheat cultivation happens in the hotter southern regions, such as Campania, where spaghetti was popularised. And because durum has a high protein content, dried shapes are better at maintaining their structural integrity and achieving that perfect al dente bite.<\/p>\n
Spaghetti is a staple in my kitchen at home, so I was really interested to put these products to the test. I thought the olive oil<\/a> and soy sauce<\/a> articles in this series were fascinating because of the stark differences between brands. In this trial, though, the variations were far more subtle.<\/p>\n I expected to notice a bigger difference in taste between the Italian and Australian products, but it turns out white durum has a pretty benign flavour no matter where it\u2019s from. That\u2019s why it\u2019s really important to season your pasta water! For me, the markers of quality in this test were mainly texture and how well each brand held its sauce.\u00a0<\/p>\n I cooked each one according to the package instructions, but if the prescribed time felt a little long, I\u2019d check it sooner. That was the case for some of these, which would have pushed the noodles past al dente texture, which I think is really important. (Some people love soft pasta, but I definitely don\u2019t.) Then, I\u2019d serve it two ways: tossed with Cobram light olive oil, and a simple tomato sauce made from a can of Mutti Polpa, cooked down and seasoned with a little salt.\u00a0<\/p>\n I noticed some noodles had an inconsistent texture after being thoroughly cooked. Someone might read that and think I should\u2019ve left those products to boil a little longer, but I can assure you these weren\u2019t underdone. The exterior had chew while the insides were brittle.\u00a0<\/p>\n This test demonstrated to me that bronze-drawn spaghetti (where the pasta is shaped using a bronze die) is better at holding sauce thanks to its rougher, more porous exterior, as opposed to those drawn through a Teflon die, which can be often be a sign of mass production. Spaghetti is essentially a vehicle for sauce, so texture arguably has the biggest impact on flavour overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Incidentally, this also confirmed my favourite brand. I\u2019ll also equally say that if that particular product isn\u2019t available, there are a bunch of alternatives I\u2019ll happily buy now, because those are just as good. <\/p>\n La Molisana Pastificio Extra Di Lusso Spaghetti No.15\u00a0<\/p>\n Sample price: $3.50 (500g) at Woolworths La Molisana is the brand I always reach for, so it was my benchmark going into this test. It\u2019s bronze-drawn, so it held both sauces extremely well and had a consistent chew all the way through. And of all the spaghetti tested, this one might\u2019ve been the thickest without entering bucatini territory. Best overall.\u00a0 Garofalo Spaghetti No.9\u00a0<\/p>\n Sample price: $3.50 (500g) at Harris Farm Again, Italian-made and bronze-drawn. Great chew and held sauce nicely. I only thought Molisana was superior because it was slightly thicker, which is my preference. And for the same price, you may as well get that additional value. Otherwise, Garofolo is a fantastic choice.<\/p>\n Score: 4.5\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n San Remo Spaghetti No.5<\/p>\n Sample price: $2.95 (500g) at Woolworths Despite its smoother texture, San Remo did well holding sauce, which I can\u2019t really explain. That said, the recommended cooking time was too long \u2013 I checked it at 10 minutes and the noodles were perfectly al dente, in my opinion. San Remo is everywhere, and it\u2019s old faithful for a reason.<\/p>\n Score: 4\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n Cucina Matese Spaghetti No.113\u00a0<\/p>\n Sample price: $2.80 (500g) at Coles\u00a0 This Italian brand is exclusive to Coles and, for a bronze-drawn product, it\u2019s priced keenly against some of the more recognisable brands out there. Again, this one would\u2019ve been too soft for me at the recommended cooking time. I thought these were ready to serve at the 10-minute mark. <\/p>\n Score: 4\/5<\/p>\n Coles Spaghetti\u00a0<\/p>\n Sample price: $1 (500g) at Coles\u00a0 Coles was surprisingly good overall. Where it faltered was that brittle interior, even though it was cooked completely. Coles makes an even cheaper product (Simply Spaghetti) for 10 cents less, and I\u2019m curious to know what the difference is. If it\u2019s a choice between the supermarket home brands, I\u2019d choose this one.<\/p>\n Score: 3.5\/5<\/p>\n Barilla Spaghetti No.5<\/p>\n Sample price: $3.50 (500g) at Coles It\u2019s important to say that Barilla also makes bronze-drawn spaghetti, which is around a dollar more expensive and didn\u2019t make it into this test. The sauce slid right off these noodles, which were a little too thin for my liking. Ten minutes seemed about right for cooking time, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n Score: 3\/5<\/p>\n Zafarelli Spaghetti No.4<\/p>\n Sample price: $2 (500g) at Woolworths Along with San Remo and Barilla, Zafarelli is probably the other brand most people are reaching for because it\u2019s so ubiquitous and recognisable. Though the brand makes a spaghettini, these noodles were definitely on the thinner side and lack the chewiness I prefer.<\/p>\n Score: 3\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n Woolworths Spaghetti<\/p>\n Sample price: $1 (500g) at Woolworths This was the least favourite of the two home brands, and my least favourite overall. Every product I tested was chosen for its comparable thickness and price point, but this one could\u2019ve passed as an angel hair pasta. For that reason, the cooking window of 7-11 minutes creates a much bigger margin for error. That\u2019s not a product fault per se, but something to be mindful of.<\/p>\n Score: 2\/5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a misconception that fresh pasta is somehow superior to the dried stuff. 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Origin: Italy
Cooking time: 11 minutes<\/p>\n
Score: 5\/5\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Origin: Italy
Cooking time: 10 minutes<\/p>\n
Origin: Italy
Cook time: 12 minutes<\/p>\n
Origin: Italy\u00a0
Cooking time: 11 minutes<\/p>\n
Origin: Australia
Cooking time: 9 minutes<\/p>\n
Origin: Italy\u00a0\u00a0
Cooking time: 10 minutes<\/p>\n
Origin: Australia\u00a0
Cooking time: 8 minutes<\/p>\n
Origin: Australia
Cooking time: 7\u201311 minutes<\/p>\n