$1 Pasta VS $15 Pasta : Which one is (objectively) better ?

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I bought the most expensive and also the cheapest pasta out there. I paid $1 per kilo for the cheap pasta and $15 dollar per kilo for the most expensive pasta. How come ? Pasta is pasta right ? Or is it ?
The cheap pasta that I bought says nothing about where the grain comes from, what durum wheat they used, or where it was made. The expensive pasta is made from organic durum wheat, in Gragnano in Italy, the birthplace of dry pasta in Italy. They are extruded with bronze dies which grants a great texture for sauce. Also they have been dried slowly at low temperature. Big difference in texture, big difference in price. This episode is part of my Dry pasta series.
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[@sadface950]

Never in my life would I have thought I would be so excited about dry pasta

[@bobruddy]

Exactly!

[@endeav0r_49]

Dry pasta is a wonderful world my friends, we Italians learn about it at a very young age

[@LacHong3541]

Hahaha!

[@danielmyer]

same here:)

[@orwellianyoutube8978]

I learned so much about pasta following this series, that I became an obnoxious pasta fanatic. My wife thinks I became crazy as I constantly blast her ears out every time we eat pasta for dinner these days.

[@MicheleSettepani7]

In almost every context the cheapest and the priciest products are always a bad deal. To be the cheapest you need to do too many compromise while the priciest is hit hard by the law of diminishing returns.

[@diyfu]

Exactly! Even more so, because the really expensive ones, usually also have a huge price markup, just because they are "premium". Would have really liked to see a pasta for like, idk, 3$/€ put in the mix...

[@d00dEEE]

@@diyfu Exactly. Alex now needs to do a spectrum of pasta, with price/performance ratios so we can find one that suits both our tastes and budget.

[@RaspK]

@@d00dEEE He's already done a video, and I can confirm that his selection (which included De Cecco, and which I have had) is solid advice.

[@RaspK]

Yep. Always go for something somewhat higher than the cheapest, and you will usually be good to go. (By the way, in some specific items, you can easily go for the cheapest, but you have to do some testing; Lidl, for whom Combino is made AAMOF, stocks some lovely sparkling wines at ridiculously-low prices.)

[@AdamFloro]

Where I can shop, there’s usually only one brand of bronze cut, and it’s different every time.

[@MrGiovannisala]

Dear Alex, as a proud Italian and food enthusiast, I thank you for "nobilizing" dried pasta through this series. I've learned so many things I didn't know. You're a legend of the international good world of the 21st century. Chapeau!

[@tommasocalifano885]

Hi Alex, writing from Milan here! I feel that the Afeltra was way overpriced in your case as here you can find it at 7,5 € per kg (keep in mind that you chose the biological line which is a bit more expensive than the regular one with the blue colored package). Average price for Rummo/Garofalo/Voiello pasta, which to me are the "cheap" best ones, is 1.3 € per half kg while both Afeltra and Monograno Felicetti are at 3€, which makes them worth considering. To me it depends a lot from the kind of dish you want to have as the starch released is way more and, as you saw, sauces are a lot creamier, therefore I'll go for recipes such as Aglio e olio, Cacio e pepe and Carbonara 🤤

[@TheSwedishRider]

Alex might have made some inconsistent calculation mistakes as well. The Combino Pasta is actually 1,78 € per Kilogram. You can see it at 13:30, it's the same price as in Germany and most likely any Lidl in Europe.

[@MrAwawe]

@@TheSwedishRider That's clearly not the same product; it's fusilli, not spaghetti. The clip at 13:30 is just b-roll; it's there to fill out the section of Alex talking, while showing something semi-interesting. It isn't really relevant to the topic.

[@orel91]

@@TheSwedishRider The price tag shown at 13:30 is for Barilla, not Combino

[@TheSwedishRider]

@@orel91 my bad, you are right! I probably made this mistake because I know for sure that Combino costs 0,89€ in Germany, I have just been to Lidl. So if Lidl has the same price in France it's still miscalculated, but maybe they are cheaper in France.

[@TheSwedishRider]

@@MrAwawe yes, you are right, however, 0,89€ is the actual price for Combino Pasta in Germany. So it's either miscalculated or the Pasta is cheaper in France.

[@KT-pv3kl]

I would be very very careful with claims such as " no fertilizer" and "no pesticides" because the "organic" label does not imply either. It merely means (all) most fertilizer and pesticides are made from natural organic sources

[@videosvommond]

Indeed.. »[...] are made from natural organic sources« and that does not mean that they are healthier for any reason.

[@playea123]

“Organic” in Italy means something different from “Organic” in US.

[@KT-pv3kl]

@@playea123 organic is a trade label and means exactly the same in the entire EU trade union and it does not mean "without fertilizer" in any country whatsoever

[@playea123]

@@KT-pv3kl what about pesticide?

[@profchaos9001]

@@playea123 what is called Organic in the US in Italy is called Bio (from Biologico)

[@awesomestuff9715]

personally i feel like people that do comparison between the most expensive and the most cheap stuff should have a "middle of the road" one to test as well, to see if the jump between the most expensive and middle of the road is that big, and if the "middle of the road" vs cheapest has a big difference or not

[@BeardedDragonMan1997]

I agree. This makes the video pointless

[@dievas1]

have you watched the end of the video?

[@HyperactiveNeuron]

Excellent point! I tend to go for the "middle" products in almost every case. The cheapest stuff does have a place and depending on the particular product I might go for the cheapest especially these days. However, that's being said I will RARELY go for the highest grade.

[@willis1139]

Its literally the conclusion of the video. Maybe try to watch a video before criticising it?

[@neasajordan929]

@@dievas1 ditto!

[@motownman52]

I explored the pasta options at my local grocery after this series came out and I basically came to the conclusion that you made here. We have usually gone for the $1 pasta but I bought a bag that was at the higher end and then a bag at the $3-4 range. I honestly ended up preferring the $3-4 because it was such an improvement over the cheap stuff but the expensive stuff didn't merit the drastic increase. As is true with many things there is a value to paying for a good product but there is also a point where you are paying increasingly more for increasingly diminishing returns on your investment

[@zarg8328]

15 dollars is the American price, in Italy for that Afeltra we pay around 2,90 euro a package, so less than 6 euro/kg. Considering an average portion of 100 grams, between a cheap industrial pasta that costs 0,50 euro per package and a top quality pasta that costs 3,50 euro (in Italy) the difference is only 0,60 euro per dish. Definitely not that much like those prices in USA.

[@luadraponies]

Cheap pasta here is more than that, supermarket….no other, then it gets too expensive. Nation, Australia, is dominated by two chains and they squash others and farmers and small suppliers. But husband has been buying chilled imported Italian filled stuff, not dried, that falls apart and is no where near the quality and flavour of fresh. Despite the fluffy pictures on the pack of the orchard, it would be coming from a very big factory and with freight cheap enough for the supermarket to get a killing from. Same thing, small company, could be made here for the same price and better quality but not going to be supported.

[@Psi-Storm]

In Germany i always bought the discounter brand. The "premium" noodles sold in the supermarket are usually Buitoni and Barilla, and i couldn't make out a difference except in the price. I just looked up his posted tier list and "la molisana" are sold at around 3.2€/kg here, so i will totally try them out next time.

[@zarg8328]

@@Psi-Storm Barilla is in the "premium" category price only in other countries (not all anyway) due to their long story of heavy marketing, in Italy it's in the middle/low category price, which is its real quality position. There are countless better producers in Italy.

[@AdamFloro]

@@zarg8328 Barilla is lower end in the USA too, slightly higher than store brand.

[@ger-alk4461]

I still remember when we first moved to a new city with my Mother and I decided to think more about the quality of the food we were consuming on a daily basis, when I looked at pasta and found a pretty affordable and good looking pasta brand (Around 3$/kilo for Fettuccine) I thought to myself "We should try this out and maybe get away from the 1 dollar pasta. My mother went crazy when I told her the prize because of this commodity mindset, she was not willing to pay the price for it even though the quality was just miles above the cheap pasta. Fast forward to today and the "premium" pasta is the only one we hava at home, thank god she finally gave in.

[@emraef]

it super depends on what you're making as well, i don't mind smooth barilla if i'm making a heavy tomato based sauce, if i'm making something that relies more on smooth sauces like aglio e olio i'll pay a little more for brass-extruded pasta.

[@AlmightySammich]

Bang on. I think a good rule of thumb is that if the pasta is a "main" ingredient, I'll get a higher end product. If the pasta is basically just "thing I put sauce on", I'm not gonna spring for the more expensive stuff.

[@davidalejandrocardonanaran6216]

I love this intermediate episodes discussing the subject and what you've learned trough the series pretty cool and also I can imagine they take less production effort than the main history, they are super good to keep the channel alive in between spaces 👏🏻👏🏻 amazing. Keep them coming! Love the effort, salut, David :P

[@bndp]

We just started getting Rummo pasta in Israel and I immediately went for it thanks to your pasta series. it costs 2-2.5 times the cheap pasta (which is made in Turkey) and similar to Barilla. was hard convincing my wife that pasta actually have levels but once done all kids (5!) and wife admit it is SO MUCH BETTER. we're still buying mostly the cheap stuff but when there's a sale on anything italian (Barilla or Rummo) you bet we're stocking!

[@Silverpicker]

This was an excellent video. It's rare that you see something on YT that is so well researched, so technical, yet digestible and enjoyable to watch. Kudos, Alex!

[@hvyfknmtl]

Used to get the cheapest i could find. figuring pasta is pasta. after your video in which you rank all the pastas. I gave de cecco a go. similar to you I found the difference in texture and how it interacted with the sauce to have much more of a difference than the general flavour of the pasta.

[@EpicBunty]

oh well well look what we got here folks a pasta connoisseur

[@hvyfknmtl]

@@EpicBunty If all I had to do to be a connoisseur was to buy the pasta just to the left to the tesco own brand pasta. I'd have done it years ago. Is there a hat I need to get now?

[@RVZER]

@@EpicBunty jesus christ who hurt you? leave the dude alone.

[@EpicBunty]

@@RVZER who the fook hurt you dude, that was just a joke lmfao

[@RVZER]

@@EpicBunty Looks like you need to level up your comedy skills then, because it was a really bad one.

[@hjge1012]

I always buy la Molisana in massive quantities when its 2 for the price of one. It's like 2 euro per kilo and imo great quality. At least, I can't really taste the difference between la Molisana and actually expensive pasta like the one Alex tests in the video. What I generally like less about the (no brand) cheap pastas, is the texture. It just doesn't have the same mouth feel. Not sure if that's because cheap pasta is always thinner and thus harder to cook al dente, or if it's something else; the difference is significant. There is imo no relevant difference in taste.

[@s_w_y_k]

This!!! The perfect value pasta Not overly marked up but still a very good quality pasta

[@Ben-gh1qf]

Same here, I buy La Molisana in packs of 3kg from some wholesale place I like to go for groceries, it's 2.5 euro a kilo. So it's a pretty good deal considering that here in Thailand pasta is expensive overall so you can expect to pay at least 2-3 euro per kilo for big brands bought at the supermarket in packs of 500g

[@aloneiplay26]

In Canada I can find Molisana on amazon for like 2CAD a bag. They are 1-2$ less than the "good" pasta I could find at any normal grocery stores. They are absolutely worth it.

[@Passco666]

Molisana best pasta on our market 💯🤗

[@orwellianyoutube8978]

I haven't tried La Molisana yet, but I went for de Cecco pasta a couple of times now since following this series and its great. La Molisana is actually cheaper at my supermarkt here in the Netherlands than de Cecco. La Molisana is on my radar for the next times.

[@imranak12]

De Cecco is my go to. Their rigatoni has an unbelievable texture to it and holds sauce surprisingly well. The perfect pasta for al dente lovers.

[@Kanginku0397]

Hey alex love from korea 🇰🇷! I dont usually write comments but i really enjoyed the whole pasta series being so informative and exciting. I couldnt find most pastas that you recommended except ‘De cecco’ here in korea. Before your videos, I, as a college student, used to think they were all the same! But damn was i wrong. Changing the pasta really made the pasta more lively than any other before. De cecco pasta really was the difference yet very affordable. Absolutely enjoying this content and the effort you put in to make the perfect one that really separates your videos from any mainstream youtubers! Keep up the great videos and i hope you will reach your perfect dry pasta soon!

[@giorgio9731]

De cecco pasta is good into the cheap pasta. it's a entry level like Molisana and Rummo

[@Cr4z33_YT]

@@giorgio9731to me "La Molisana" is already high quality pasta, very digestive and wonderfull flavour.

[@kingwenceslas4225]

I’m using Lidl’s bronze die linguine. Price under 2 quid. I’m happy with it. I agree about bronze die - even lasagna sheets taste completely different

[@420meezle]

Love Lidl's posh pasta, the linguine is excellent. Usually have some of that, Tesco Finest Fresine and Di Martino Bucatini knocking around, plus some kind of bronze die small pasta. The Bucatini is great as it's kind of like spaghettoni (which I can never find). I'm not well off and never buy name brand products, but boujie pasta is one of the only things that is worth the slight expense in my opinion.

[@samuelprescott7426]

@@420meezle TBF, Lidl (And Aldi's) stuff is generally very good quality - they're often in directly with the farmers and factories for the food, which is how they keep the prices so low. Their whisky and gin is particularly good, if you like a tipple.

[@mlbrown113]

@@samuelprescott7426 I agree about Lidl and Aldi, but rub it in where I have to buy everything though a government owned ABC store if it is stronger than beer or wine.

[@kathrinlancelle3304]

La Molisana is available at my grocery store here in Florida and it's amazing, even better than De Cecco. It's less than $2 a bag when it's on sale. That's when I stock up.

[@mokko759]

Girl, same! Costco where I live regularly has Garofalo and La Molisana in 6-packs for a very reasonable price.

[@christopherkarr1872]

I, too, don't believe in expiration dates.

[@Seacae]

As an italian living in italy i always buy La Molisana, the pasta taste and quality is just too good. I can find any pack for less than 1,20€ per 500g and for the same price i feel there aren't other pasta makers that reach that spot. There are other makers like Voiello, De Cecco, Garofalo, Gragnano (may be hard to find outside Napoli) or even Di Martino pasta that are really really good. But still i find personally that they aren't as good as La Molisana. When my grandfathers were still young they always bought Divella. It's a pastificio from Puglia (where i was born and live) and back then like in 1900 untill 1990 it was one of the BEST pasta maker in italy. My grandfathers and parents still kept buying it after 70 years and my parents still do now, but unfortunately the quality really dropped down in favor of mass production. Imho it's still a great pasta but in comparison to La Molisana it's like two different worlds. Divella's price is usually half of La Molisana, like 30-40 cents per 500g pack.

[@ninovulkan9815]

Try La Molisana raw. It’s fantastic and more digestible.

[@christopherkarr1872]

@@ninovulkan9815 Now *that* sounds like an Itai.

[@xmtxx]

Glad to verify that my motto is still valid for pretty much everything: "Go for the high part of the middle end quality of any product" It's the best price to quality ratio. You won't be broke,a nd you won't be disappointed. Remember that cheapskate always pays twice (once to by a shitty product, twice to buy a good one). Thanks for the video!

[@Luchoedge]

Cheap pasta as a commodity is actually a really good thing. Specially when they are required by law to be fortified with nutrients. No greedy businessman can take that away from people with financial struggles. And better, more expensive pasta still exists in the market, so nobody loses.

[@boogiedaddy3434]

Right. And I think Alex understands that. He did say at one point that if the cheap stuff was all you could afford to eat, then just ignore everything he was saying. I think that was his acknowledgment that there are people out there in the world that will have no choice but to go for the $1 box.

[@Racist-Luna]

@@boogiedaddy3434 50 cent box* the price was 1$/kg, the box is 500g

[@mnky47]

gmos cause cancer. we don't have to let businessmen farm for us we can simply become farmers ourselves. pasta would be hard to grow but i just cant look at that comment "cheap food is a good thing". only if you're starving. we can do better as a society, it doesn't have to be cost prohibitive the only limit is learning

[@Kwippy]

Fortifying pasta with vitamins etc is pointless waste of time and money. Except only if you ever only eat pasta with nothing else.

[@miyounova]

pasta is not fortified in France, ever.

[@TheDailyDrew]

The section at 9:20 is very misleading. THAT pasta might be free of fertilizers, pesticides, and hormones but that doesn't mean ALL organic food is free of these things.

[@Beakybuzz13]

I love these videos. Your editing and style and your commentary and teaching yourself along with us. Thank you for these

[@stuartlandrigan6098]

Wow! Loving this series on pasta. This episode has been a real eye opener. I know now much more about what I should look for. Thank you Alex.

[@dubsonthebrain5859]

First time watching any of your videos. Really fantastic work. Excellent information and charming presentation. Thank you from an Italian-Canadian living in Vernon, BC, Canada.

[@SipandFeast]

Great video! I would say all bronze extruded are pretty much the same though I get a good amount of people from Italy telling me Giuseppe Cocco is the absolute best. I mostly recommend DeCecco due to it being by far, especially in NY, the most widely available of the bronze die brands.

[@LifelsGreat]

What’s up man! Good to see you here, you gotta do this vid next 🔥

[@Skenjin]

Tip for the next time you mix the plates, use a small spinning surface, that way you can just have it start rotating with no way of knowing which is which.

[@mrmudslide5676]

You could spin the plates to the moon and still instantly tell which is which. Which also makes this a great vid as the end result is neither is worth the price.

[@Skenjin]

@@mrmudslide5676 yes the pricier one is obvious. But for a "blind taste test" that is the closest you can come to it when you don't have someone else randomly placing them in front of you

[@buddywillard8379]

Great overview and well worth the time to watch and process. If the purpose of a KZbin video is to provide you with information to help you make informed decisions and improve your skills, this video on dried Pasta knocked it out of the park! Definitely something that I will consider from now on

[@ImolaS3]

I have really enjoyed your pasta series and you have opened my eyes to what dried pasta can taste like! Previously, I had to make my own when I wanted good pasta, now I turn to either De Cecco or Felicetti :)

[@petegalvs]

The fact that these premium-industrial makers are able to sell their Grade A stuff for like $3 instead of $1 is just mind blowing to me. I still buy cheap pasta because I'm a broke boi, but if I'm going to splurge on a pasta, it's going to be a $3 package, not a $15 one.

[@mxspokes]

$3-$5 usd is about where the sweet spot is basically the idea is to look at the texture and the color of the pasta. I find that cheap pasta is "Ok" for pasta in meat sauce but for things like Carbonara and D'Oglio the quality matters a whole lot. I do break out the pasta machine when I make a lasagna from scratch because it cooks faster, tastes better and is fairly easy to do.

[@twatmunro]

If you look at the better supermarkets, they'll often have a 'premium' own brand pasta. Here in the UK, places like Sainsburys, and Marks and Spencers all do such pastas. Generally less than £2 per 500 grams, but they're extruded through bronze and dried slowly.

[@leeleesale]

$ 3 sweet spot pasta great for if the dish so simple, like olio a glio, cacio e pepe or carbonara where the pasta itself is the star. With more heavy kind of sauce you can go for the cheaper pasta....i'm not ashame to admit i usually use cheap pasta for normal dinner, but la molisana or de cecco if i cook to impress ┐( ∵ )┌

[@markus74141]

This is by far the best series! It has changed how I cook. Since the video „buying pasta like an Italian chef“ I have started to incrementally buy more and more expensive pasta. Also, it led me to change the way I handle and cook it(treat it with respect). My pasta has gotten so much better. Now however with this new brilliant video, I have to change my strategy again. You are right… I will search for my sweet spot. What a program! 😂

[@patrickmaier210]

Hey Alex, loved this episode - as I do nearly every time! Thank you so much for letting us participate from every aspect you learn throughout your journey 🙏🏻

[@cfitz9976]

i got some monograno after watching one of your previous videos. That changed my perspective on pasta itself. I had never considered intent behind fresh (homemade) pasta and dried store-bought pasta. My mind was blown, that Italian dishes utilize fresh vs store-bought pasta in their creation. The dish circulating around the mouth feel and "bite" of the pasta. Love your work Alex. Keep it up and thank you.

[@lexwaldez]

I always buy De Cecco because some Italian guy on KZbin told me to always buy De Cecco and I love his recipes but honestly I'll go for what's on sale and is available. All things being equal I get De Cecco. Most of us probably just buy whatever mom made growing up.

[@christopherkarr1872]

And we should stop that. Just make sure your pasta is tan and not goldenrod in colour if you're seeking quality.

[@charlesrovira5707]

You never ate at my house, and neither did I from the time I could walk. My mother could burn water. She would boil steaks in butter and we when we were lucky, we got whatever was precooked, packaged, and/or _convenient._ On the other hand, she could make deserts that would bring burly men to tears.

[@federicociampiconi2852]

I don't know what is available near you, I come from italy so I've got a wide range of choices, including the more local pasta brands owned by supermarkets, which tend to be a little cheaper but usually of good quality; De Cecco is pretty good pasta at a reasonable price, where I come from (right now prices are higher due to the war) I can find it at about 1.10/1.30€ per half a kilo, there are other good pastas at around that price like Rummo, La Molisana, Garofalo, Armando. If you go for very cheap pasta it's not going to be very satisfying, you'll find it sticky and with poor texture, in general it'll kind of ruin what you cook, if you put a lot of care in it, on the other hand I wouldn't buy pasta for more than 2.60/2.70€ a kilo, at that point I think it's just a waste of money. When Alex said that the other pasta costs 15$ a kilo I was shocked to be honest, it sounds like a criminal price, especially for me, I eat pasta daily as most italians do, I couldn't afford to do that for that price.

[@FAB1150]

As an Italian, De Cecco is pretty good

[@Devastatin777]

In America De Cecco is the only one on Alex's list that has the possibility of being at most stores. My wife (1 gen Italian) loves it.

[@Lanfeust314]

Due to your previous videos, I switched from less than 2€ per kg pasta style (mainly Barilla) to 3-4€ per kg. Pricier at a sweet spot, but I consumes a bit less because more savory. Best cooking decision of 2022 so far.

[@Dr.ZoidbergPhD]

I don't eat much pasta to be honest, but this series has definitely made me respect it much more than before. From the ingredients, the shape, cook times, etc.

[@yumedan]

What another greatly entertaining and informative video. Really well balanced, paying attention to the narratives of both sides really builds understanding. I hope many people watch and learn.

[@TheRustyCrab]

Totally obsessed with this series Alex! Salud!

[@moranarevel]

I'm so glad I watched this. First time I made spaghetti from scratch myself, after a lifetime of cheap pasta, I thought it was made wrong because it was rough and appeared to have small cracks. It was delicious but I kept trying to get a smoother pasta like I was used to eating. Glad to know I got it correct the first time.

[@tdonbrow]

Just discovered this channel and I already love it so much!

[@noeldavis618]

A few months ago, on your recommendation, we switched to De Cecco pasta and it has changed my life. I used to struggle to put together any type of starch-based pan sauce with $1/lb commodity pasta. With De Cecco, you can see the difference in surface texture and color right in the bag. Thank you!

[@dbardet]

Same experience for me: italian people made me discover de Cecco 15 years ago and I'm only eating these ones ever since. They are absolutely excellent and I made the experience once to prepare some Barillas instead for the familly: we realized that we had difficulty to finish our plates even though the quantity was the same as we used to. 100grams per person of de Cecco prepared as aglio e olio is just so easy to eat (you would even require more). So, with good pasta, remember that beyond the higher price tag, you also definitely want to eat more because they are so good.

[@1234minecraft5678]

Since your pasta ranking i allways opt for de cecco and now i enjoy cooking and eating pasta a lot more, because i enjoy the little details which come along the choice of pasta, like the thicker sauce, the texture and the rougher surface of the dried lasta. i also take more pride in my cooking 😊

[@benmol_]

I'm sorry Alex, but organic doesn't mean "no fertilizers / pesticides" AT ALL (at least here in France). That's a common misconception, but there is a list of products allowed in organic / bio agriculture (not always better on every point, but that's another topic)

[@uwerost9607]

And which of the both types is actually produced in France?

[@bennyblanco1491]

This lesson can be applied to almost any product on earth. Appreciate its tough for many of us with the cost of living however consistently looking to identify the cheapest products is actually making the issue worse not better. Great video.

[@TheLuanValverde]

Je suis tellement contente à chaque fois que je vois que tu as sorti une nouvelle vidéo ! Je suis vraiment accro à ta chaîne ! 🤣❤️

[@snowgw2]

Salut Alex, I recommend you to investigate what organic really means under EU regulations. You could even make a whole series about it. For one, organic doesn't mean the crop has been grown with no fertilizer and without pesticides.

[@gandalfsproject]

The fact that pasta has become a commodity made me think of how coffee has become a commodity too. Despite the rise of specialty coffee around the globe, most of the people in Italy still can't fathom the possibility of paying more for a good espresso and that makes me a bit sad. This comes from an Italian who never understood why the coffee has to taste so bitter and always been told how "I should get used to that", while there are some sweet, juicy and balanced espressos in the specialty coffee world...

[@mayankshah7005]

This is an interesting topic

[@thailakhampo]

One word: tradition

[@riskinhos]

you are upset because people can't afford coffee? where is your palace? people can't even get drinking water or food let alone a premium espresso

[@gandalfsproject]

@@riskinhos No palace, my friend. It was just a random thought. I am aware of what you're talking about

[@Klayperson]

i would suggest that a lot of the bitterness in the coffee people are used to drinking probably comes from *burning it* while brewing. if they keep it on a hotplate for extended periods, it will probably burn

[@bartolucci_]

BRAVO! You came to the right conclusion - loved this episode, when I though I might not. An excellent series, overall.

[@EMvanLoon]

Thank you for this series! This ables me to make more informed buying decisions! Apart from your videos being very entertaining too! 😀

[@JDAfrica]

Just because of your series - I’ve bought a pasta extruder machine. Cannot wait till you get your drying respect right - eager to see ur success and tips.

[@cproteus]

I definitely prefer bronze die pasta. But, beyond that, if it’s equally bronze cut, I am fine with the cheapest. I find the shiny pasta doesn’t hold the sauce the same way, and doesn’t release the starch the same way.

[@timseyer6769]

Exactly that. Fortunately more affordable bronze die becomes more common.

[@DesireeMichaels]

Same here. I can easily see why I want to spend the extra $1-2 or so per pack of pasta on bronze cut. So I happily will spend the money, especially for dishes like aglio e olio where the quality of the pasta is super important to the results. But I’ve never seen enough difference between the less expensive bronze cut and the most expensive to warrant spending the money on the expensive brands.

[@cproteus]

@@DesireeMichaels exactly this. I find it makes a difference in all dishes, but among the bronze cut, very little difference - certainly not to warrant 15.00/kg.

[@Neenerella333]

I will start looking for that texture thru the little windows on the package. It may not be printed on it, so that may be the only way to know.

[@cproteus]

@@Neenerella333 that’s really the key - it should never be shiny - imagine the sauce just sliding right off that pasta. It should always look slightly fuzzy - although, if it’s bronze cut, they are usually very proud of that fact, and I have never seen bronze cut commercial pasta not labelled as such. You might find house brands, which have like homemade labels which don’t specify it - my local meat market sells pasta like that, but you can see it’s bronze cut, because it’s not shiny. Best of luck with your delicious future pasta dishes@

[@alpinekiwi]

Because of your pasta purchasing video a while ago, I discovered De Cecco pasta in my local supermarket and have never looked back. Many many thanks for your commitment!

[@cybermanne]

Fantastic video!!! One of your best imo!

[@SzegedErik]

Thanks for opening my eyes to the world of dried pasta! I found an online store in Sweden (that sells short lifespan stuff pretty cheap) that sell Di Martino pasta 3x500g for 5€. It's still usable until 2024 so I've bought 30kg after seeing you put them "S"-tier. And its way better than the standard Barilla I used to buy. Even did taste test with the kids and all chose Di Martino.

[@zarg8328]

Di Martino is way much better than Barilla, and 5 euro for 3 packages is very good price abroad, not much more than the Italian price.

[@beseakos]

Molisana appreciation is always endearing to my heart. I love their whole grain pasta. Great taste, great texture, incredibly well priced.

[@maxidonati]

Definitely I love that video, is literally PERFECT to explain pasta. Max, from Italy (And pasta lover)

[@1hatep1ck1ngnames]

I really love the conclusions that you draw from your analyses, it makes us consider what we value about our food than just price. I feel like many people who passionately cook and experiment with food know that they can make a meal out of a sow's ear, and so make do, yet there is a limit to how low the quality can be before it's not worth it anymore.

[@jonl4899]

Love these videos and seeing your analysis of different foods. Point of note: Organic foods are allowed to use both fertilizer and pest control, they are just more tightly constrained on which ones they can choose.

[@Gabriel.-_-.]

Actually I've heard they are less controlled because the regulations haven't caught up to the "new" industry, at least it was in the past. BUT the fertilizers and pesticides are natural, but then again so is arsenic.

[@mokko759]

Organic standards vary from country to country but you are still fundamentally correct when you say they can still use fertilizers and pesticides, just are more tightly constrained. Generally speaking, organic farmers are still allowed to use chemicals that are found in nature. However, that doesn't in any way mean those chemicals are safer or less damaging to the environments. Copper sulfate is an extremely common fungicide in organic farming because that is a naturally occurring compound. That shit can be damned dangerous, is a confirmed carcinogen, bioaccumulates in the soil, kills all sorts of beneficial insects such as honey bees, kills beneficial bacteria in the soil and can completely kill waterways since it's also an algaecide and is extremely toxic to aquatic life. Organic is a marketing gimmick.

[@howardmarkert8150]

European organic standards are amongst the tightest in the world. In the US Mokko is pretty on point, the USDA organic standard is bull pucky and designed to make it easy for corporations to slide by, I use the much tougher standards of Oregon Tilth, a non profit certification that started with a few farmers in Oregon that wanted to truly produce high quality products and avoid the gimmicky USDA standard.

[@iamagi]

Alex should talk to Dr Steven Novella about all forms of natural humbug related to cooking. He’s spent the last 30 years talking about this.

[@tahoemike5828]

"Organic" means that it is not a rock, or mineral. It is carbon based, it used to be alive, it will burn ('calories' are an expression of the potential BTU's that can be generated by lighting a 1 gram sample on fire), or it will eventually decompose. "Stone soup," is made with inorganic potatoes.

[@lcpholman]

I discovered De Cecco a few years ago when on special at my local UK supermarket. Have avoided all cheaper pasta ever since. Thank you so much for this series, as I now know why it is so much better than than dark, lifeless, limp rubbish :) I do need to try to source some other options to try them out, but for now, De Cecco is easily obtainable, and a great price.

[@wwondertwin]

De Cecco is my favourite pasta brand, too. It's a bit pricier but not too much so. And the quality is great.

[@i.a.7555]

This was so fascinating to watch, thank you!

[@useitwice]

This was a great video. I love the insightfulness and I did not expect the conclusion you made. I was happily surprised

[@ArcaneVortex]

Came across this video and want to point a few things out regarding "Combino" Combino is being produced by the company Pasta Zara S.p.A in Italy. I cannot fully verify it coming from Italy as such though. Just the tied company. In Germany there are regular quality tests across products. When testing different brands of Spaghetti they rated Combino "ausreichend" or in French grading "Passable" 12-10 The important thing to note is that they found traces of Deoxynivalenol which is a mycotoxin which frequently infect wheat (also corn,barley,rice and other grains during storage) It's produced by a fungus. The amount of it in the Combino pasta was questionable so just on the edge. This also implies that storage is not done in a hygienic matter. Which can be explained by not paying enough across the supply chain to make it so cheap. Further more I would question if Combino holds up the true EU standard since they use the EU's organic logo. The Nutrition list is a reference as very similiar to the expensive version, which I also would question since a high-quality pasta with remaining flour in the rough texture should have higher nutrition than a mass-produced processed product like Combino. Overall I think this also comes down really where it grows. Besides the crop the weather plays a key role for wheat. The cheap one looks a bit stale compared to high quality.

[@MrQuickLine]

You changed my mind when you did your tier list video. I've been buying DeCecco ever since.

[@everybodyluvsmonkeys]

Love this series. I bought a case of DeCecco pasta from Amazon recently because our stores here in TX don't carry this brand or they only have elbow variety.

[@joekooks]

Very well said Alex. I stumbled upon your channel and enjoyed the pasta making and drying videos immensely. They were educational, enlightening and more importantly, your presentation made me laugh out loud through your trials and tribulations. Keep up the great work…and yes, I will splurge the extra dollar or two for a better quality pasta from now on.

[@mukkaar]

Thing is, just by spending ~one more dollar/euro on pasta, you can get REALLY good pasta, like De Cecco or Rummo, both that are commonly available where I'm from in normal grocery stores. So I would say actual artisan pasta is 100% not worth it :D I have actually bought couple premium pasta from specific Italian shop once, but there just wasn't any difference. Maybe some extremely good Italian pasta chef could bring out some of the advantages from artisan pasta, but I can't do it and even if I could bring out marginal differences it would not be worth it.

[@AlphaMachina]

He literally did that at the end. I feel like no one finished the video before commenting. He mentioned De Cecco. lol

[@panzerveps]

In my country, Barilla is considered top notch and is priced accordingly. De Cecco is about twice as expensive as Barilla, up to 5 euros per package. I was recently in Italy, and instead of gifts for the family, I filled my suitcase with high quality dried pasta.

[@KainYusanagi]

He actually showed several of the aspects that make them better on a physical basis; the pasta, slow-dried, releases its starches much more easily since they aren't bound up so thickly in the pasta itself due to the high heat drying process. Additionally, they are thicker than the cheaper pasta, which means that the flavour of the pasta itself comes through instead of it just tasting like the sauce that you apply. Lastly, the rough surface of the pasta allows for the sauce itself to grab onto the pasta far more easily (a thin watery sauce is no sauce for pasta at all, after all), meaning that the flavours stick to the pasta rather than slide off of it. It's just not worth the 15x price bump.

[@christopherkarr1872]

@@KainYusanagi They are thicker? I suppose that depends on the pasta type. If I buy no. 11 spaghetti I expect a certain thickness.

[@tarantellalarouge7632]

the quality of the wheat that produce the semola di grano duro is also an important question not only for tasting but for nutrition and also on a larger scale for the future of a good sustainable agriculture. Sometimes that's why some pasta are more expensive, and even if you can't taste it, you have the benefit of the quality. The gluten "issue" that a lot of people are experiencing is also due to the quality of modern wheat versus the ancient wheat species.

[@frankkluz9787]

Great take on pasta. - Your conclusion is exactly my process for considering almost everything I purchase ! - A well considered rational thought process essentially gives you 'the most for the least'.

[@simonstucki]

some very good points I agree completely, I knew about the bronze dies, but thought the others were made using stainless stell dies, didn't know about teflon, but makes sense! Also didn't know about the difference in drying. I usually buy the bronze pasta (garofalo, but seeing that you rate the de cecco higher, I think I will give them another chance!) but sometimes I still like the smooth ones, especially spaghetti, but I guess it's mostly due to nostalgia...

[@pwnjitsu]

This has been super informative series 👏 👌

[@doyoufrank]

Hi Alex, De cecco actually is not one of the best pasta, but it is one of the most widespread in the world. Anyway, its quality is lower than the other ones that you mentioned. In Italy we are lucky to have a lot of pastifici with low prices and good quality. For my personal experience, this is my personal list of best pastifici. You can find their products easily in their webstores: 1. Granoro - in particular with the Dedicato line. In Italy is about €1,50/2, but the quality is astonishing, made only by apulian grain. They make even pasta with Senatore Cappelli grain, that is the best one. 2. Pastificio Lucanella - you cannot understand how they can make such a beautiful and delicious pasta. 3. La Molisana - this is quite common to find in supermarket, so you can easily find in almost all countries of the world. I hope this message could be helpful to someone who is curious about pastifici in Italy. see ya alex!

[@-Devy-]

He never said that they are "one of the best pasta", in fact he specifically said that they are more mid-tier. What he did say was that they are good value for the money. Also 99.3% of the world's population don't give a crap about how cheap and easy it is for you to find good pasta in Italy.

[@doyoufrank]

@@-Devy- I agree with u, Alex mentioned some good pasta makers that are cheap and good. I want only to share some of my personal experiences. I follow the pasta world since years, so I hope that my comment can help someone to discover other pasta makers besides De Cecco and the other Alex mentioned

[@aaron6091]

Yay I get la molisana at a major supermarket in Australia, it's cheap too!

[@doyoufrank]

@@00qp00 ci sono stati un po' di problemi con la pasta de cecco: accuse di frode con grano non Italiano, nonostante la dicitura indichi 100% italiano. Rimozione di diciture come Metodo De cecco o Made in Italy dalle confezioni (non so se è ancora così). Diciamo che è sempre stata sotto la lente di inchieste ed altro. Chiaramente la pasta è buona, ma tra le tante aziende, foraggerei altri pastifici migliori e forse più coerenti.

[@henryslager9406]

@@doyoufrank agreed, and the price/quality ratio differs were you live. For example, the premium industrial brands easily available here are De Cecco, Rummo and La Molisana. In some countries La Molisana is the most expensive by quite a margin, so people might prefer De Cecco or Rummo. Here however De Cecco is actually the most expensive one and La Molisana the cheapest. And here La Molisana is even 50% off sometimes, making it even cheaper than subpremium brands.

[@benji4295]

Just a note about Combino, it's probably actually still made in Italy. These large supermarkets just ask existing factories for a good deal on a huge quantity, and then brand it themselves. Italy is one of the only places in the EU, that has the infrastructure to handle such industrial production runs.

[@Vlammenzee]

I looked into it, 3 of these pasta brands, that Lidl have, italiamo / Combino / pastaZara, are all under the same brand name, and they're based in italy, so it's most likely it does come from Italy.

[@profchaos9001]

@@Vlammenzee Italiamo sometimes is rebranded of very good Pasta di Gragnano.

[@mettflix3054]

@@Vlammenzee there was a combino "al bronzo" line in germany, it was amazing quality, rough texture, light color, and 500g were like 0,79€. Sadly i think this product line got canceled. It was my go to pasta when it was available.

[@Vlammenzee]

@@mettflix3054 the yellow package Combino (free range eggs) is quite nice, it's creamier and less dry, it's also not as sticky as some of the cheaper pastas, the Lidl in NL usually sell both of these.

[@benji4295]

@@mettflix3054 Yes that one was dope! Kaufland also had a really good one for the same price, that was just a rebrand of a fancy pasta.

[@kam1180]

Thank you Alex for this série. I changed completely my pasta experience thanks to you and my friends enjoy my carbonara like addicts 😊

[@emilyu4457]

This was such a true and authentic video! Thank you for doing your research and testing for our benefit!!

[@jennysquibb7440]

I have to disagree that “organic” means something like “quality” in this context. It is often used as a marketing term to justify higher prices without significant changes in nutrition, quality, or impact on the environment. Fear of GMO is generally unfounded. Many food items don’t even have GMO options. I don’t even know what kind of hormones would be involved in durum wheat production. Organic methods often have lower yield and higher “natural” pesticide use. Pesticide is pesticide. “Natural” poisons can be dangerous if misused too.

[@bennyzhitomirsky2076]

Spot on! "Organic" is a big fat scam.

[@paulmoir4452]

More like "alternative barrier to trade to replace the unpopular tariff." Fear of hormones in pasta!

[@Mizernyi]

GMO is proven to have effect on cancer development. It's not hormones, GMO is genetic modification. Wheat can be GMO, so for example: you get a seed that is manipulated to withstand a certain GMO specific pesticide. You can spray the whole field, everthing dies except the wheat. That my friend is not natural, not good for nature nor your health.

[@jennysquibb7440]

@@Mizernyi please link to information on which GMO food sources are proven to have effect on cancer.

[@paulmoir4452]

@@Mizernyi Citation needed.

[@kcvriess]

Pasta from Lidl = pasta for the masses. Being a staple food item, most people simply don't have the luxery and availability to buy the best and "sustainable" brands. Yes, there is Barilla, but it's almost the same as Lidl's pasta.

[@riccardosacchetti]

Yep.. Barilla is for masses too.

[@Vlammenzee]

i 100% agree with you, and i often get the free range eggs spaghetti of the Combino brand, it's the yellow package, instead of the blue one, it's much nicer in texture and flavour, honestly you can't go wrong for that price.

[@matthieuv.1526]

I love yours series When you will finish your pasta series, I see well a serie on smoked salmon to mix with pasta 😉 Keep its up, it's wonderful (I'm hungry every time I watch) Kind regards MV

[@tlprincipe]

Alex, great video I enjoyed watching and learning as I always wondered if it was worth it!

[@hugocortizo6993]

I'll go to bat for Garofalo. Great bang for the buck and particularly good wholegrain pasta compared to others I've tried (it makes for good sauces and has a flavour that doesn't overpower them). Easily available in regular supermarkets here in Spain.I also like buying La Molisana when I find it at good price, but they don't need me to sing their praises, we all know it's great

[@JordanSugarman]

I buy Garofalo from Costco here in the US. I have to buy it in 8 pound (about 3 kilo) packages, but it's a great price for a great product.

[@Flbari]

Garofalo, rummo, dececco, molisana are all great for honest prices. Just avoid Barilla.

[@lupodimontenero661]

@@Flbari e DiVella

[@RAPFlavour87]

Great vid. I used to use Barilla, until I found out about the double standard and I got sick of the Barilla pasta in Romania being shit and not as good as the Barilla in Italy. Now I use Molisana and I am satisfied with the final result.

[@synchemist6462]

On the west coast USA we have a store called Grocery Outlet. For a while, they had La Molisana spaghetti and fettuccine for $1.99. It was so good I bought 15-20 packs and I only have 3 left.

[@alexatanasie3302]

Try Galofaro pasta...is a step up. Not everywhere available but definitely worth it. Top pasta hands down are made in Gragnano.

[@alexatanasie3302]

F barilla...just name famous.

[@MrKirby365]

Love you Alex sort of sad to see the pasta series come to an end already it's been amazing

[@davidholiday4494]

Hi Alex: What a great video!!! In the past few days I have researched the differences of pasta brands and I feel I have learned a lot. Though I am only beginning this your video assured me that the color and texture is paramount. I would not be able to afford 15E for a packet of spaghetti but it looked so beautiful and seeing the texture comparison was very important. I live in London and buy pasta very often (I am an anglo-italian). I do depend on De cecco but see that others are not in agreement. I was always told previously that it was high quality. In stressful times I buy Barilla because it is often on sale but I will adopt a far more discerning attitude to my pasta in the future. Thank you very much. David

[@lumpichu]

The same store is also selling here a different kind of their Combino brand pasta IIRC thats only about 25 % pricier that's marketed as having coarser texture, better holding the sauce etc. It's definitely different. Maybe that one would be closed to the expensive one :) I buy both of those and also the wholegrain (dark) version. Totally fine for me, but I really can't judge, pasta isn't even much my thing.

[@liamblake937]

I love discovering a new pasta brand. Just found a Greek producer that makes really chunky bucatini for $3 that's really in the sweet spot

[@julesverneinoz]

Thanks for this video Alex, got me to look at pastas in Italian specialty shops closer than I used to. In Australia, the big supermarket chains (Starts with W and C) don't carry any of these brands. The only artisanal brand they carry is Guzzi's which is Australian-made using Australian semolina and due to their artisanal nature they don't have any extruded pasta, only hand-rolled types. They make great pasta dishes regardless and worth a try. Felicetti's is available from upscale grocery shops/delis. In Melbourne, Leo's Imports have the list of stores.

[@henryhansoniv2595]

Thank you for taking the time and the effort to clearly explain the value proposition of pasta and how all of the phases of production influence the quality of such a ubiquitous basic food. Although, you have been focusing on the Italian pasta, how have different cultures in different environmental conditions adopted pasta into their food?

[@spencerbowman8052]

can you test a cheap vs expensive bronze die pasta? I understand the benefit of using bronze die pasta so that your pasta water has more starch and can better thicken sauces, but some pastas are 2x or 3x more expensive than a baseline bronze die pasta and I wonder if that is worth it

[@Jack01010]

The differencies between expensive and cheap bronze die pasta are the wheat, how it was cultivated and how it was treated. These things make 0 difference when you are a normal person, maybe a really good chef cane get out of the best pasta the best dish but for us mortals it's nothing.

[@behemothokun]

I usually buy the cheap inhouse brand Bronze die Pasta at my local super market. I dont really notice a difference compared to more expensive Pasta.

[@botch3936]

Love your conclusions at the end, especially about finding "the sweet spot"; However, there is a mistake that many make about "texture", and "firmness". ANY dried pasta can be served up too firm, too "al dente" ("fracture dente"?) by undercooking it, or made mushy by overcooking it. In your comparison, I'm assuming you cooked the cheap stuff to 7 minutes, but the primo stuff had a range of "8 to 10" minutes; which time did you cook it to? In other words, the primo stuff may had gotten just as "sticky" as the cheap, had you cooked it a bit longer, and it would've been less "firm" which you definitely mentioned. The cheap stuff would've been firmer, too, if you had cooked it 6 minutes instead of 7 (hope this makes sense). But, everything else you mentioned (type of wheat, region, pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs, manufacturing, surface texture, etc) all make a discernible difference (and I definitely have my favorite brand, and the exact length of time to cook it at my altitude). Love the channel!

[@theblckpool]

Can't thank you enough for opening my eyes to good quality pasta. I've been spending just a bit more on them since you started this series. Thank you Alex !

[@Fuzzyoshy]

Love you Alex! Thanks for the videos

[@JuanAndresLanza]

Great video as usual. Lidl also has a bronze extruded pasta for around €1.50, so no need to spend crazy money. You could have added a mid range pasta to the test... Excellent video anyways! (Waiting for the Italians to start complaining about a French guy having an "opinion" in Pasta Matters).

[@matteobertotti]

Actually the French in general cook pasta decently compared to other countries, at least from my experience, I say this as an Italian. And Alex has studied the subject a lot, I respect his opinion and I agree with him. We eat De Cecco or Rummo daily.

[@behemothokun]

Yeah. I usually buy at rewe in Germany and they have an inhouse brand that is Bronze extruded for about 1,50 as well

[@thetemptedvida8650]

What we should complain for? Because he said "buy the pasta at best quality-price ratio that you can find"? That's what we do in Italy, we don't buy 15€ per kilo pasta (even though part of that cost is related to the product being exported in France and bought at Eataly store in Paris which is crazy expensive, but still we wouldn't buy it at half the price either)

[@christianagrafiotis7103]

Organic doesn’t mean no pesticides, they still use pesticides but the pesticides are organically made if I’m not mistaken

[@adrianwilson7536]

Also doesn't mean no fertilizer, just no synthetic ones. Manures, slaughter house and ag waste, green crops and compost are generally used

[@piru4ever]

Very compelling video. I guess it all boils down to finding the weakest link in your dish… when you have a great sauce and the dish works flavour wise, then the only element you can improve is the texture… better quality ingredients will normally give you as closest possible flavour and texture as the recipe intended. Your videos go so much in depth around the origins and qualities of the ingredients that I always learn something without even knowing I’m learning. Thank you for that!

[@enricomontanari1390]

Hi Alex! I am very impressed, hardly anyone ever mentions "Aglio, olio e peperoncino" (garlic, oil and chili) pasta, but it is perhaps the most famous pasta dish in Italy, uniting the country from north to south. The savior of drunks, dinners without ideas, empty refrigerators and broken students. Simple, quick, cheap and DELICIOUS. Greetings from Italy!

[@MeMaurice1905]

I just watched a French guy trying pasta for 15 minutes and I never been more informed about something so good and so entertaining. Thank you Alex!

[@popefacto5945]

Even in the EU, where the rules for labeling are more strict, only "artificial" (chemical/synthetic) fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides are prohibited in "organic" products. It's ridiculous because chemical fertilizers are (at a molecular level) basically the same damn thing. There is no health benefit and the environmental benefit has more to do with crop rotation and soil conditioning than other factors.

[@wngimageanddesign9546]

Well, organic here in the USA also means non-GMO wheat grain. Which does matter.

[@popefacto5945]

@@wngimageanddesign9546 The EU prohibits GMO crops, too, but the problem isn't the grain. It's the herbicide the plant was engineered to resist. It may cause lymphoma in workers (or people near the fields) but to the end user it makes absolutely no difference.

[@EvilSanta482]

@@wngimageanddesign9546 As far as I know there isn't any GMO wheat strains out there currently. It has more to do in the US that they can't spray the crops with glyphosate to make it easier to harvest. Ding this leave trace amounts of effectively poison in the wheat.

[@EvilSanta482]

@@popefacto5945 The herbicides do leave trace amounts in the wheat as a result of the spraying. The end user will ingest it as a result when they eat the wheat.

[@MS-sd1uz]

Even worse: If your product is completely unfertilized and superior taste, you can't just label it organic, the producer and the shop that sells pre-packaged food both need a special certificate by some accreditation company.

[@jensenegger]

Love it, best finish, i'm myself buying pasta molisana o de cecco for a long time and ignoring that the cheap pasta even exists and I can soo much understand the result at the end. Great video

[@Cyrille8]

Merci ! Ma façon de cuisiner les pâtes s'améliore de semaines en semaines avec cette superbe série !

[@tripwire76]

For a long long time I thought Barilla was the way to go. After Alex' pasta ranking I found DeCecco in my local supermarket and it really changed my pasta game. Thanks Alex!

[@stex83]

Barilla used to be better 20 years ago, then they lowered the quality.

[@Flbari]

Barilla is bad, you pay the high price to finance their marketing not their quality

[@Noor-kp1yb]

I love Barilla I always buy when it’s in offer £1 but will look into this one you’ve mentioned if I can find it 👍in the Uk

[@luis04.]

Just a quick reminder that contrarily to what been said in the video about organic : 1 - organic culture uses pesticides and fertilizers too (the only difference is that they are natural) 2 - no one can prove that organic food taste better than conventional one

[@paulozavala3232]

Shure it is a diference. It depends on the type of food. Dairy products, beans, oils, wine , no difference (for me). Meat, fish, vegetables and fruits big difference in taste.

[@SirEldricIV]

Came to say this. Unless Europe has different rules organic foods still use chemicals, just from a limited list.

[@SirEldricIV]

@@paulozavala3232 Studies have shown that in a blind taste people cannot tell the difference between comparable products. The confounder is that many organic producers also use different methods for producing meat and bring their produce to market without long storage. It is not the organic part that makes the difference in taste.

[@inopes3628]

Also, organic food in general is most likely to be less sustainable than non-organic, because it's production uses more land and other resources and has smaller yields. The pesticides allowed, can also have worse environmental impact than some of the excluded ones. It's marketing is based solely on aesthetics, sense of nostalgia and unproven claims about supposed health and environmental benefits.

[@peter-b-2889]

"only difference" is a pretty big understatement -- pesticides and fertilizers poison the soil, and the water table, and ultimately, the rivers and seas. That's not the case with natural treatments of the food being produced. Taste is subjective -- just because you can't taste the poisons applied during farming, at least in eating organic food, we don't have to worry about what affect the poisons will have on our body in the long term.

[@Melitzaneitor]

De cecco is amazing, and its very cheap! I found a place that sells them near my house and it feels like i found gold!! I bought some rigatoni and made bolognese and oh my god it was the best i have ever eaten! If it weren't for your videos i would never have known this brand or what to look for in pasta for it to be great. Thank you so much!

[@eastendman]

La Molisina is awesome pasta. I love their radiator pasta it is super cool..not available often but one of the best mass market pastas I can find. Great series (bit long) but super good... thanks for all the effort.