How I Buy Pasta Like An Italian Chef (up your pasta game for good)

Dry Pasta Series Ep5 : Pasta brands, shapes, mentions, everything you need to know to start buying pasta like an Italian Chef. This video is sponsored by BetterHelp: Visit betterhelp.com/alex to get 10% off your first month. For the Pasta poster : www.frenchguycooking.com/shop...
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If you don’t buy the right pasta, you CANNOT make good pasta dishes.
Great Industrial Pasta brands : De Cecco, La Molisana, Di Martino, Felicetti, Rummo, Garofalo, Agnesi, Voiello (Barilla left the chat)
Great Artisan Pasta Brands : Benedetto-cavalieri, Mancini, Monograno, Faella, Gentile, Martelli, Pastificio dei campi
At all time in my pantry, I make sure to have at least one type of :
LONG PASTA : like spaghetti, fettuccine
SHORT PASTA : Rigatoni, farfalle,
TINY PASTA : Stelline, risoni
Pasta names :
Spaghetti : comes spago means string in italian.
Penne is like a “feather”
Conchiglie = a seashell
Orecchiette = little ears
Farfalle = butterfly
Lumache = Snail
Pasta size variations
The PASTA geek inside of me loves what follows : It’s a common thing for Italian pasta makers to use classic shapes and make them larger or smaller. When they do so, they alter the name of the pasta slightly…
- Diminutive suffixes : -ini, -elli, -illi, -etti or the feminine plurals -ine, -elle, -ette etc., all conveying the sense of "little"
- Augmentative suffixes : -oni, -one, meaning "large".
Sometimes instead of a suffix pasta makers will use an additional word :
Mezze which means HALF : mezze penne, mezze maniche
Picoli which means small : picoli ditali
Giganti : which means giant : Fusili Giganti
Just imagine the size of this one Lumac-oni Giganti (like a Sauce Wheelbarrow)
Important Pasta Package mentions
- Trafilatura (or trafila) al bronzo (the best)
- Lenta essiccazione, bassa temperatura (also the best, haha)
- Pasta di Gragnano
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[@ferdinandobucci8857]

As an italian i agree with Alex's choices, personally i would swich De Cecco and Rummo wich is always my first choice. To be totally honest i'll leave my personal scale, 1-Felicetti, Di Martino, 2-Rummo-Garofalo-Molisana-Agnesi, 3-Agnesi-Voiello-De Cecco, 4-Barilla,Divella,Buitoni

[@lorenzoscialanga348]

Stavo cercando proprio questo commento 🙏🏻👍🏻

[@TerrifyingBird]

Garofalo should be a tier below at least (was really good, but it has become worse over the years), and I see DeCecco more or less equal to La Molisana, so it should be a tier above. (do agree with Rummo > De Cecco, tho)

[@benoitrivera1410]

In realtà, per uno stesso brand, da un tipo di pasta all'altro la qualità varia. Ad esempio Garofalo ha una selezione di pasta IGP Gragnano che sono buone quanto le Rummo. Lo spaghettone XXL di questa selezione è eccellente. Non capisco proprio il suo interesse per de Cecco. È poco ruvida in generale.

[@benoitrivera1410]

@@lorenzoscialanga348 anch'io

[@ChessGrandPasta]

Io preferisco la Voiello o rummo per la pasta corta in realtà, e la De Cecco per quella lunga

[@dasc0yne]

The most prominent pasta brands in my local supermarket are De Cecco and Barilla, and the two large displays sit right next to each other on the aisle. Many years ago, when I was young and naïve and assumed they were equivalent, I grabbed a box of Barilla. My Italian friend immediately slapped the box out of my hand and handed me a box of De Cecco. I never looked back. Life lesson learned.

[@brownjames6997]

Barilla Is shit...worst grain and It aslo was found containing heavu metals,...

[@gwine9087]

Odd, because, apparently, Barillo is the nimber 1 brand in Italy.

[@dasc0yne]

@@gwine9087 and McDonald's is the #1 restaurant in the US. That doesn't make it the best.

[@gwine9087]

@@dasc0yne He talked about an Italian slapping a box out of his hand. My point was that most Italians would not have.

[@francescosaffioti1697]

​@@gwine9087 Hi, I'm Italian, and I can tell you that in Italy no one considers Barilla a quality pasta, many buy it just because it's cheaper. If you want to eat real good Italian pasta, the best choice are brands like Rummo and La Molisana, De Cecco is also good. Greetings from Rome.

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

Weighing in from the United Kingdom here: I've gone out of my way to do the research and conducted personal interviews with every Italian cook and every chef I know (ie; many) and all of them have said that De Cecco is their go-to supermarket brand for pasta. It got weird after the third person said 'De Cecco' without missing a beat. So that's one trivial area of uncertainty in my life sorted and stable! Done. Now I can concentrate on sauces and KZbin chef's giving me a free education. What fun! Thanks for you channel and this video.

[@marcusodell8811]

Looks like that’s the last time I use Aldi own pasta then !

[@tzegoh333]

So..... no Sainsbury's pasta ?

[@M_Ladd]

Believe the UK needs to add more than one brand of Pasta to it's portfolio, need to broaden it's horizons some!

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

@@M_Ladd Oh we're spoilt for choice when it comes to high-end 'artisanal' small production companies and authentic imports, it's just that the main supermarket chains only carry a certain number of separate brands. Ooooh, you know who is NOT spoilt for choice? Have you ever watched a video of a Norwegian person taking you for a tour around THEIR average supermarkets? Oh my! Definitely do a search for one, it's unreal. Wonder how long it would take for us to get used to only having two choices for each item in a store? I couldn't believe it, it reminded me of Cuban shops or mid-1990s Bulgarian shops.

[@AnnaKaunitz]

@@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293 That’s a specific Norwegian thing. Their food shops and supermarkets only contain half of the content available compared to the food shops here in Sweden because their shops and supermarkets are much smaller in size but a bit more of them per capita. No idea why but that’s the case. The products available in Stockholm is insane. Oslo is also super tiny. It’s their only larger city. Norway has only 5 million people living mostly in more rural settings. Their infrastructure of countrywide roads is not good, they rely heavily on domestic flights. Each country also has its favourites so some stuff won’t be that easy to find in the UK but found all over in other countries.

[@chrisdalessandro2546]

I Live in Italy, I concur with the Italian contingency which would switch Rummo and De Cecco. For a marginally higher price point, Rummo really delivers a superior flavour and tenacious texture. De Cecco is of course great pasta, and is more widely available, but in a blind taste-test I'm sure I'd choose Rummo every time.

[@flaviusvespasian]

Absolutely. De Cecco is good, Rummo is better, I will only eat Rummo

[@elisa48092]

yeah Rummo is the best **

[@Cherub1m]

@@elisa48092 I can find De Cecco here in germany, but i don´t know if i would find Rummo probably not :(

[@Jjf109nine]

Rummo is more much preferred in the south. In Catanzaro or Palermo you eat them mostly with Pesto di pistacchio

[@94jmbottaro]

de cecco meglio per il pesce peró

[@amarug]

As a huge pasta fan and Swiss neighbor of holy pasta land, I have been eating DeCecco for over a decade now, they are amazing! Indeed the "bang for your buck" is unbelievable!

[@lorenzozanelli3437]

meh, de cecco is ok, but molisana is way better. Felicetti makes pasta for Alce Nero, wich you can find in Switzerland too. Try those, believe me.

[@MMM-ct5tz]

Wenn dus seisch

[@bryanhumphreys940]

DeCecco is available in the States too, well at least in my fairly rural area. Which excites me! Our typical options are Barilla or American brands. My area grows a lot of semolina so there are local pasta makers, but they are hard to find and mostly produce for restaurants, etc. Garofolo & Rummo are sometimes available at fancy food stores or Costco. I'm sure the options are better in the cities.

[@amarug]

@@lorenzozanelli3437 I will, thanks for the tips! I of course so far only chose the one I liked best that is sold in every supermarket. But I am looking forward to trying your recommendations!

[@kruks]

@@bryanhumphreys940 - Exactly. DeCecco is not the crème de la crème, but at least it's in grocery stores in the US.

[@valentinadellagatta8432]

I’m Italian and I’d switch De Cecco and Rummo on the list. The rest is spot on, bravissimo Alex!!

[@Nyawful]

I’m not Italian and I’d do the same just based on tasting them.

[@dazo666]

Both De cecco and rummo use a blend of international grains and this already classifies them as inferior to Voiello or Molisana

[@simplyshama]

yes! rummo's texture is perfect

[@mlaudisa]

Concordo

[@totarantonio]

Same for me.

[@antoniocarrara_]

I simply love the passion this guy feels for pasta! For me as an italian and italian cuisine lover, this is just music! Merci!

[@MyNigellus]

7:06 *God tier pastas:* - Benedetto Cavalieri - Mancini - Monograno Felicetti - Faella - Gentile - Martelli - Pastificio dei Campi *A-Tier pastas:* - Felicetti - La Molisana - De Cecco - Pastificio Di Martino Best video I've watched. Man, thank you so much, didn't know about these top brands

[@danylbekhoucha6180]

Rummo is not in the high tier?

[@MrTomcatCZ]

I've been using La Molisana for a long time now, funny enough I chose it just based on the rough texture that seemed logical not knowing anything about the making process, brand, region or any other stuff I now know from your videos... 😅 But man, the change it made for my pasta dishes. Paired with free range organic eggs I get from a local friend my carbonara game went crazy even when using cheaper cheese and regular bacon chunks. Pasta is really the king of these dishes, how could I be so blind. Thank you for this series, love it! 🤓

[@creatora123]

I'm very fortunate to have an Italian shop that imports directly very close to my place of living, i've also chose La Molisana based on the texture paired with fresh eggs and guanciale my carbonara went a couple of levels up. It really makes a difference.

[@cornercarton]

Omg yes the guanciale makes all the difference! So insanely good

[@Mtematiks]

Good, inteligent choice! The good pasta must be rough texture, and a bit white"ish" on top! Vioello is the other great brandm, unfortunatelly not available to me! Molisana is nice, and, by the way cheaper than Barilla, which is absolut blast

[@EwgenijBelzmann]

Ssme here. I found out about bronze die pasta a while ago, and for several years I was buying store brand bronze die spaghetti - yes, it is a thing, at least it was. When the store brand stopped making bronze die, I went looking for other ones, and that's when I found La Molisana. Caserecce became my favourite, they are the best for bolognese in my opinion.

[@Platypus_Warrior]

For not siting the idea of grade copied from the KZbin channel @TierZoo I disliked the video.

[@andrewjohnston9115]

Seriously, how much do I learn from Alex about making high quality food. I never even considered dried pasta could be superior to home made egg pasta, and hey presto it’s a different foodstuff with its own hierarchy of quality. This is why the internet works, an outstanding channel.

[@ericpmoss]

Yeah, most videos make it sound like egg pasta is better, but it's a different thing designed for different sauces. Honestly, for a French guy, I'm surprised Alex didn't figure that out on his own, or that ingredients matter -- wheat isn't all the same, nor is water. He does know that about butter, so there is hope. haha

[@liliancalo3518]

Alex, great video, I'll never look at the pasta shelves in the market the same way. You bring "la cucina italiana" to a whole new level. Grazie mile!

[@REVOLUTIONS51]

Italian here, when I've started getting more involved in my pasta abilities (many Italians are quite superficial in terms of pasta believe it or not) I've tried la molisana, voiello and de Cecco for making starch based dishes (like cacio e pepe, a dish I really like over almost everything else) and i simply couldn't get it to work with la molisana, poor results with voiello, but de Cecco surprised me. And it's so cheap, here I often find it for less than Barilla (when on sale), and i usually ends up coming back home with 25 kg of pasta ahah. By the way when you started talking about the way to combine different sauces with type of pasta and different specific dishes with a specific pasta shape I got blown away by the fact that those are things baked in my brain from my youngest years and somehow I think of them as obvious, yet they can be obscure to other nationalities

[@andersonomo597]

@burteriksson WHAT! There's only 37 kinds? Nah, you're pulling my leg!! It always seems to me that there's a squillion different kinds!!

[@Meileehere]

When he started talking about how the shape of the pasta is curated for the different ingredients put into the pasta, I was blown away by how intricate that is. It seems so obvious after he said it, but to me who is not Italian or any nationality similar to Italian, I just used pasta (with sauce) as a carb on the side, like a replacement for rice or bread, all of which are semi-interchangeable carbs in my head.

[@fmls8266]

@burteriksson 37 just in my region, maybe 😂 I discovere new pasta from time to time eventho I'm a 34 years old italian

[@omahhumvajragurupadmasiddhihum]

Agreed, lol. We learn so many things while growing up, including how much water, when to put in the salt, add oil or not, save some water, sooo many details which one cannot possibly learn all at once and only through experience... Making pasta looks like a very simple, straightforward thing but it's actually pretty sophisticated.

[@lucabenigni2169]

yeah man mee too shape and souces thats obvious im from italy and i never thought about it but i unconsciously chose the type of pasta based on the souce and vice versa 😱

[@PaulSerious]

La molisana is best overall. I honestly don't know how they manage to have the quality they have and still put it for so cheap on the market. At least here in Italy.

[@SmokedHam444]

Saw them in the grocery store here but never tried them. I will definitely buy them. They're about the same price as Barilla!! It's interesting how weirdly some pasta brands are priced depending on the store and country

[@dapogorman4572]

As an Italian who’s been eating dried and fresh pasta his whole life La Molisana is my grocery store pasta of choice - here in Orlando, Fl I can get it for 1.29 per bag, which feels like cheating the quality is so good.

[@LorenzoBredaggwp]

Yes, Molisana is the best. Period.

[@alverygrissom2544]

average la molisana enjoyer

[@sennaracinglegend1438]

La molisana is great, but if you can find it try pasta RUMMO, is insane, mid priced (in Italy, maybe overseas costs more) and from Benevento (a city near Naples, where pasta masters used to dry it by the powerful wind the landscape still has, a tradition similar to Gragnano ~ sometimes referred as "the city of pasta")

[@unacamisetayuncafe]

A few years ago I lived in London. A friend at the time that was from Napoli, told me to only buy De Cecco. Excellent quality for a great price. That has stuck with me for so long. Now that I'm back in Argentina, when I buy dry pasta I go for De Cecco. Thanks for this episode and the whole series Alex!

[@FaiaHalo]

Thank you Alex for ALL the passion, work and dedication you put into your videos. I feel the love and passion you have in each frame of this video and ALL your videos. Much love from Argentina!

[@tcappog8586]

Thank you Alex, you extracted the essence of what is important in choosing pasta and pairing with the appropriate sauces. Bravo. Time to subscribe and watch more.

[@MVahtra]

It's crazy how in Eastern Europe even Barilla is at least three times as expensive compared to the prices seen in the video.

[@Lovingdrums]

I guess it depends on a few factors. I had to ship a 7kg package of pasta to Serbia and the courier said it was 150€+ shipping and duties.

[@Broockle]

oof really? In Vienna it's the same as in Paris I think.

[@sahasavadmangkhaseum5455]

In Hungary it’s around €2 if I remember.

[@SuWoopSparrow]

Are you in an EU country? I find Slovenia, Croatia have good prices.

[@vespasiancloscan7077]

500g of Barilla spaghetti is about 1 Euro in Romania, no big deal

[@jacksimpsonmusic]

Hey mate, as a home cook, I’m loving this series. In fact, I’ve been making my own pasta. For a while now, I’ve been trying to dry my own pasta. But I’ve been met with the difficulty of maintaining strength and texture. Whilst you’ve shown me how difficult it is, I’m developing an appreciation for quality pasta. I even found some Monograno pasta online (it’s $10 a packet in Australia, but I had to buy 2). Food and drink is a powerful tool. It makes or breaks so many occasions. Thanks for helping us understand it better :)

[@bjfx123]

@Alex you opened my eyes to how I've been fooled by Barilla as well for so long! I gave DeCecco a couple months ago a try and all our pasta dishes are INFINITELY better! This is the pasta I'll be buying from now on...thank you!

[@PINKALIMBA]

Malaysian here. Thanks to you I've switched from Barilla to De Cecco and Rummo. Just ordered both online and can't wait to try them! Thank you!

[@tommasoguarniera2475]

As an italian I have to say that this video is surprisingly accurate about pasta quality and the matches with sauces. The grocery store called "Eataly" is also really popular here in Italy and it's well known for its top-shelf quality but also for its unreasonably high prices. Great job Alex

[@deichten]

Placing De Cecco ahead of Rummo is absolutely nuts. Specifically with the bang for the buck comment as they are almost exactly same price where I do buy here in Cologne, Germany.

[@ThePixelbuilder]

Guess it also personal preference - I love De Cecco and also buy my pasta in CCAA ;)

[@spwicks1980]

In the UK, we can get that brand in Lidl. Its slightly more expensive than other brands but far better. Sounds like you might be gettin ripped off a bit.

[@lordbunbury]

It depends on the pasta type as well. Some types De Cecco is better, others Rummo. But they’re pretty close overall.

[@EllisBoydRedding]

I really don't know how you can choose one over the other: Garofalo, De Cecco, Rummo, Molisana, Agnese, Voiello, they are all fine

[@cosettapessa6417]

@@EllisBoydRedding true. There are even barilla high tier types.

[@j0e2007]

I love this series, and just ordered the posters. Going to take my pasta to the next level!

[@DisruptedSinner]

This was one of the best videos on pasta I have ever seen. Also, your presentation style is absolutely fantastic. Love it.

[@bobdagranny7431]

This was insanely useful and I was really surprised to hear that you had gone through the same thing that I did: I used to use barilla for a couple years until I went to the store and decided to try out one of the rougher, less yellow pastas. In the end, I picked La Molisana (which I had never head of) and it's worked out ever since!

[@GR-gq1us]

I simply love the vibes on the videos in this channel. I even feel like eating pasta for dinner tonight:)

[@rm1856]

Love these videos by, Alex. As an Italian, I have tried many artisan pasta brands mentioned here. For the layperson shopping for pasta off the shelf in American grocery stores, simply switching from Barilla to the slightly more expensive de Cecco makes a great difference. You can go up from there for special meals, but de Cecco is my everyday go-to.

[@res5139]

What an amazing video! Intense pasta passion...delivered in 14 minutes!!

[@NickyHendriks]

It took years but I've finally convinced my dad that De Cecco is one of the best pastas we can get easily in the Netherlands and that it really makes a difference. Now I still need to convince my mom that pasta is something that should be handled with care and love, not something you whip up in ten minutes with some pre-cut veggies and spice mixes. One of my favourite pastas is tagliatelle all uovo with a simple tomato and ansjovies sauce. It takes 15 minutes to prepare but it's amazing. It does require the proper canned tomatoes though. Maybe something to discuss in this series as well? The cheap canned tomatoes aren't the same as the more expensive ones like Mutti for example.

[@meesterpitta]

They have recently started selling Molisana at Albert Heijn at a cheaper price than De Cecco, definitely worth a try

[@OlivierFontana]

Hard to convince a Dutch that spending more for food than the basic thing is worth it ;-). I know I lived there over 5 years and it's a discussion I had several times with neighbors ;-)

[@zaikehs13k7]

yeaaa, gonna need a recipe for that one

[@charliecasson1643]

Mutti tomatoes have changed my cooking so much. Crazy how a slightly higher price comes with such quality

[@leukefilmpjes9681]

Yeah, I tried the molisana from albert heijn, the bronze one. Its really good.

[@simonecau9546]

I’m a serial Italian pasta eater and this video is pure gold. Thanks Alex for bringing Italian cousine culture around the world ♥️

[@djbasicjohnson]

i love pasta and de cecco

[@Romafood]

👍 however I am Italian and I usually buy other brands of pasta

[@SkouradakisGiannis]

This is the first video of yours that I've seen you just giving the results of your research without the process and the criteria. I would love to see you test the different brands and explain the different criteria on which you judge them, instead of just showing a plain tier list of them. Absolutely love your content both on KZbin and on Spotify.

[@snooze92]

Agreed! I’ll try some of the better listed brands to test it myself, but I would love to better understand what makes the better pasta better? Is it flavour? Texture? A mix of both? Something else?

[@mralexcheek]

Agreed! Here in Australia, we don’t have all of these brands, but there are others that don’t appear in the ranking.

[@RobertoMaurizzi]

@@mralexcheek the others are usually pasta that isn't Italian. Could be European, could be made for export (made in Italy but not SOLD in Italy). I do get some of these brands in Timor where I live now and all I've tried are really bad (don't hold cooking, taste funny, discolors...)

[@KamilaTekin]

He gives that at the very end

[@sepass]

@@mralexcheek U can by Molisana in Wollies and Rummo in Hill Street mate.

[@Louise-qk2po]

BRILLIANT. I am fascinated by the concept of matching the pasta size to the largest food item in the sauce. I love making fresh pasta have some fun finding out what I can create. Saw a MASSIVE pasta shell which holds all the sauce inside it, which was mind blowing.

[@MrWalksindarkness]

I bought barilla because that was what was at the grocery store. Then Pastagrammar taught me about bronze die cut. Trader Joes has a bronze die cut spaghetti that is only .30 more than barilla at the supermarket.

[@irishpotatogamer1850]

Just wanted to say thanks for the meatball recipe Alex, my wife told me after eating them tonight for dinner that they where the juiciest balls she’s ever had. My manhood was offended but I had to agree.

[@fusadiluna]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Dreyno]

F**k sake. We can lower the tone of anything, can’t we?☹️😄

[@barmalini]

You just made me buy a course of Italian and start making-up my summer plans to Italy! Thank you, really great video. You explain all those things in a very delicious way, I did not remember much, but I'm hungry for pasta.

[@Mark-EFMB-Combat-Medic]

Alex, it wasn't until I watched your video that I realized I needed to revisit my pasta choices. Forever, I have used Barilla and thought it was perfectly fine. Being a naturally skeptical person, I doubted that Felicetti & De Cecco would be so much better (top tier) than Barilla as you described. I was able to locate, purchase and taste both Felicetti & De Cecco spaghetti pasta. Frankly, the difference was precisely how you described it would be. Eating this pasta was a truly astounding culinary moment. It was clean, smooth, tight, flavorful and was independently excellent while not relying on the pasta sauce to make it that way. Until now, I didn't know pasta could be all of those things. I have donated my remaining Barilla pasta to a local food kitchen and am no using Felicetti & De Cecco as those are the two top tier varieties I can get where I live. Thank you for improving my quality of life by suggesting I try another brand of pasta. PS: Subscribed

[@alysoffoxdale]

I will never love pasta like an Italian, and I _loathe_ long, skinny pastas, but I am happy to see how well the readily available and very affordable De Cecco brand rates even with people who truly care. I am also happy to learn that the way I gravitate towards short and shaped pastas is in fact the best choice for the chunky sauces full of textures that I tend to make.

[@BringtheSmoke]

Great series and such a common food I love the videos. Thank you for your content!

[@SamBessalah]

Discovered Eataly thanks to you, and oh lord, it's paradise. Bought an obscene amount of pasta, and now I'm chasing for recipes. Merci Alex. Excellent vidéo.

[@mickreynolds3065]

Great informative video, Alex, and I love the subtle nods to your VanMoof. Fell in lust with them on a trip to Amsterdam, and took the plunge a few years ago. Great e-bike!

[@cheflA1]

I went through the same process a while back. I was also so ashamed for using barilla all that time. It is such a huge difference if you use high quality pasta or something like barilla. thanks for this amazing series!

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

I usually went with the cheapest option available. Since I thought barilla was premium and I couldn't tell the difference, the cheapest option made sense. Tried good pasta though and I can't go back. I have de Cecco available local and it's a huge step up.

[@iainronald4217]

Well, I've got to say I'm relieved by that tier list as DeCecco is the only one I have access to in my city in Canada. I will have to try it!

[@NickyHendriks]

Please do! For an industrial made pasta it's really good!

[@tiacho2893]

I live in a city in Ontario with a huge Italian population. So even the local Loblaws owned chain carries half of the top two tier brands above. The thing I like about De Cecco, La Molisana, and Garofalo is that they make a lot more shapes than the Canadian Primo, Unico, Italpasta, etc. You're not stuck subbing another shape due to availability; especial the smaller shapes that you add to soups or dishes like pasta e fagioli.

[@daneault]

Amazon Canada has la molisana pasta. My local supermarkets don't really any good pasta brands, so I weirdly buys my pasta online now :/

[@toin9898]

Honestly President's choice has really really decent bronze die pasta in the white box. It's usually under $2/lb, or Delverde

[@Adam.P]

@@tiacho2893 I like Primo in Canada, it's practically free for how cheap it is.

[@benwilton5307]

A wealth of information. Keep up the great work, Alex

[@jangyman]

Your videos, your passion for your art, always make me happy ...optimistic like on a Saturday morning. Edit: pasta posters ordered ...ty!

[@jernigan007]

As a typical American, I have been doing it all wrong! Thank you for opening up my pasta opportunities. I will be making a change for sure :)

[@redford4ever]

We all have been doing it wrong in France too. Let's be fair, that pasta game is complicated and it's not like non italian have easy access to all of those brands. Although the good thing with dry pasta is that it's probably easy to order online.

[@mooney411]

Fantastic video!! You’ve opened my eyes to new things to look for!!! 👍

[@linohudson8313]

A piece of advice from an Italian pasta lover: Rummo should be on top of this ranking. Rummo is simply perfect for every dish you want to cook, from the simplest to the hardest. The other ones on the first two rows of the ranking are amazing as well, but try a simple "spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino" (spaghetti garlic oil and chili) with several types of spaghetti, and you will understand that nothing is comparable with Rummo.

[@alexanderktn]

I don't like Rummo for the fact that they don't exclusively use Italian grain. I switched to Molisana personally.

[@linohudson8313]

@@alexanderktn I heard that from 2019 they have started to use only Italian grein. If you want, you can come back💪♥️

[@alexanderktn]

@@linohudson8313 Ah ok, last time I read the label it still said that it used grains from other countries, but that might have been before 2019...

[@linohudson8313]

@@alexanderktn I am not sure 100%. But I remember this change because at the time it was a nice discover for me. Try if you want and let me know. (However, Molisana is my second favourite Italian pasta and it's amazing)

[@charlottematou5896]

I stopped the video to comment that I did not get why Rummo is not above Garofalo in this ranking. I have not tried all of these pasta but Rummo has a much better texture imho, while I don't really see the upgrade between Barilla (my go-to for years) and Garofalo, especially when comparing prices.

[@27alpar]

Here in Brazil, barilla is also overrated and crazy expensive (though their spaghetti n. 8 is perfect for building macaroni bridges - yeah, I had that school project)... personally, la molisana is my dry pasta of choice for fancy dinners

[@ntg158]

:D preftect for macaroni bridges i died :D

[@tamashorvath4540]

It is overpriced here in Hungary too. But i know in France Barilla is pretty cheap

[@bernhardjordan9200]

Have you try Zara ? It's sell at Makro it's good and way cheaper than Barilla

[@Viflo]

La molisana is the best

[@dattack1970]

Barilla probably the cheapest here price wise and I love the taste.

[@peter-bz3fo]

Maybe the pricing is different in France and you factor that in, but no italian that I know would ever put de cecco above rummo (since they cost the same here in italy)

[@gerardotelese5337]

Totally agree (and I'm Italian too)

[@gerardotelese5337]

Totally agree and I'm Italian too. Io live in Sweden since a few years back and Rummo cost the the double and is much harder to find. But still prefer the Rummo and buy it everytime.

[@peter-bz3fo]

@@gerardotelese5337 If you want great pasta and you are buying rummo in sweden, which as you said is very expensive, I would just switch to orderng artisan pasta orders from italy, it's probably just a little bit more expensive but it's worth it for me. In my family we buy in bulk (30kg) from a small producer "pastificio setaro" and it's the best pasta I have had, better than Monograno felicetti in my opinion

[@Stoffendous]

@@peter-bz3fo Can I order this in the Netherlands as well?

[@elisa48092]

In reality I like both (I'm from Italy too)

[@163london]

I've lived in Italy for over 40 years and my late husband worked for a well-known pastificio for a while, so I've learnt a lot about pasta. I'm with you on this, Alex, I don't use Barilla. I prefer De Cecco and Rummo.That said, I suggest you try another brand, from Fara San Martini, 'Cav. Giuseppe Cocco'. Pasta Setaro from Torre Annunziata is pretty good as well. And by the way, my son's a chef.:)

[@masteringzero]

I have to admit I was shocked and searched Penne alla Vodka, I thought it was a joke. Luckily thanks to my Italian friends, De Cecco has always been my go-to for my pasta dishes. I learned so much new information about other pasta brands, thank you.

[@laurentp1089]

When I moved in with my wife, I improved the grocery list with DeCecco instead of first price pasta, did the same with tomato sauce. SHe didn't know pasta could taste so good. We usualy buy DeCecco pasta with 1 packet bought, 1 packet free, so it's not that expensive.

[@eddyyt5078]

I’ve been buying “La Molisana” just because of the packaging, looked fancy. Good to know I chose well. The quality of the pasta itself though truly is top notch.

[@bmljenny]

I bought them pretty much by accident because I was looking for a specific shape and that was the only brand I could find. Win!

[@madmistery]

A really informative video again Alex, thank you so much! I'm looking forward to my next pasta shopping tour to search for some of the brands presented here. Lately I have bought some maccheroni from Barilla, because it was so cheap on sale and I got weak... I regret it, because it is so smooth, that no sauce can stuck to it really. 😕

[@petebuck9889]

Very interesting. I’ve been to the Eataly shop in Milan omg literally a kid in a sweet shop. I love the pasta shapes poster too. I’m a new subscriber and hooked

[@matteobruschi228]

I am so glad that as an Italian I can find Molisana easily and rather cheap in Paris. Best product on the board. Barilla is the Italian Panzani tbh

[@TheRatchetnclank]

I've been using Garofalo for a long time now, it's the best mix of readily available from shops and a decent quality bronze cut pasta. They also seem to have a good range of shapes.

[@DonnieX6]

love them too, especially radiatori!

[@omahhumvajragurupadmasiddhihum]

As an Italian when I'm in Italy and have all the brands to choose from, De Cecco wouldn't be my first choice when it comes to traditional pasta trafilata al bronzo, I would chose Rummo, Garofalo and Molisana or others over it, but it really depends, because I've been very heath conscious since I was a teenager, and chosing wholegrain pasta whenever possible, and De Cecco came out with a line of wholegrain pasta, and their FUSILLI GIGANTI are tha bomb!! Not easy to find, but worth trying!

[@ipedros7]

I tried Barilla Fusilli wholemeal to try it and it was awesome, so much flavour. Even though its Barilla, somehow has a rougher surface than their normal fusilli and clings to sauce so much better. Whatever it is, everyone at home loves it so I always have that in. I'll try De Cecco wholemeal when I find one.

[@gwine9087]

Agreed. I have tried La Molisana and Rummo and they are amazing. I have a package of Garofalo to try, next.

[@sdz4467]

i love your videos man, you make me laugh out loud which i never thought i'd do over PASTA

[@ettorenardi6011]

Once, in Shanghai, after months of being away from Italy, I managed to find a packet of Barilla pasta in a corner of a huge supermarket. goosebumps and tears of joy. I loved Barilla for being able to reach me so far. however, in Italy I would never buy it. personally, Rummo is my "mammamia"

[@starald]

Thank you for confirming this. I have never thought Barilla was any good, and have avoided buying it for years.

[@Michael-xz1nk]

Outstanding educational video….keep ‘em coming!!!!

[@ColinMann]

Another great video! The way you present is super engaging and captivating! Super!

[@pietroamici9703]

Great video, lots of good information. Just a side note, actually I would have switched Rummo and De Cecco. I would say when it comes to common store bought pasta Molisana, Rummo and Garofalo are up there. To my taste Rummo is even a little better than Molisana, it retains a better consistency during cooking and the starch content is a little grater thus insuring the perfect creamy pasta when you go through the mantecatura process. Salut from Italy ❤️✌🏼

[@tams805]

He said he ranked De Cecco so high because it is such good value for money while still being very good pasta. Rummo is more expensive. And De Cecco is a lot easier to get a hold of. I think I've seen Rummo, once?

[@gerardacronin334]

I’m glad to see my favourite brand of pasta, Di Gragnano, getting an honourable mention here. I may live in the middle of nowhere (almost) but we do have an excellent Italian grocery store.

[@tommasoguarniera2475]

actually "di Gragnano" means "from Gragnano" which is a place near Naples in southern Italy well known for its superb quality, therefore different brands might have that same wording on the package. It's a joy to see that abroad people can appreciate these traditional products!

[@jennylynlee485]

Thank you so much Alex for this very informative video about pasta👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@robertbutler2481]

This was a great deal of information. Thanks

[@rotwang2000]

Barilla used to make quality pasta, but they went for volume rather than quality. It's not horrible, but it's not really good either.

[@rkmugen]

▲ABSOLUTELY THIS.

[@J3assbox]

For me, i cant taste a difference between Barilla and the 0.69€ store Brand pasta. My favorite on is also store brand (Rewe) but the bit higher priced at 0.99 per pack.

[@jernigan007]

The brand I have used for years & years. I'm switching brands !

[@julien.2573]

I'm french and in my supermarket I can found different kind of Barilla. The basic brand that Alex is showing are meh, but they have the Academia brand made with 100% Italian weat and extract in bronze moulds. They are not bad at all.

[@tbirdparis]

@@julien.2573 As an Italian (in Paris) I usually avoid Barilla on principle, but you're right, the Academia line is actually not bad. In particular, their spaghetti is really quite good. It doesn't come close to the spaghetti from Martelli which I personally think is the best (or at least one of the best) available. But it's surprisingly good for a supermarket-level spaghetti. Also, the Academia orecchiette are really very good - I find them even better than the De Cecco version.

[@vimadmax]

I used to buy cheap supermarkets own brands of pasta, sometimes Barilla, when I was feeling fancy. I thought it doesn't matter much. Then I bought De Cecco just out of curiosity.... That blown my mind, I was so wrong, I never thought supermarket pasta could taste that good.

[@Tom-wy5up]

A couple of things that have worked for me are: 1. Looking at whether you can see the fine grains (you can see an example of this at 12:46 in the video), the more of that the better. 2. The other simple thing is cooking time, generally the longer the recommended cooking time the better the quality. (Only comparing the same types of pasta though, for example one spaghetti vs another or one penne vs another as there will be correct differences in cooking times between different types due to thickness and shape). Obviously these are just general and won't be true every time but I've found both very useful and can usually notice a major taste difference.

[@marcoBiasoneMasterchef]

Nice to know you've enjoyed De Cecco! In Abruzzo, where I live and where that pasta comes from, De Cecco is the most used pasta and I've to say the quality is pretty good. For argument's sake : penne doesn't stand for "feathers" but for "pens" :) hope to catch you up in Abruzzo soon! 😊

[@TenOrbital]

I was standing in my local big-brand supermarket in Canberra, Australia, buying pasta, and remembered your video. I thought there's no hope of getting any of your 'great industrial brands' but I looked up this video in the aisle and amazingly one of the three brands on the shelf matched your list! I bought two packets of La Molisana fusilli! I am looking forward to trying it. And I'm still amazed at the serendipity.

[@gerardtran84]

I'm pretty sure Woolies got La Molisana onto their shelves around March of last year. Was eating San Remo or Macrofoods beforehand so good on them for choosing this brand 😄

[@TenOrbital]

@@gerardtran84 - having used it for a month now, I will never go back to San Remo.

[@gerardtran84]

@@TenOrbital Agreed. Even my local Woolies always runs out of La Molisana spaghetti by the end of the day. If you need passata in your dishes, then Woolies does provide Mutti Passata bottles unlike those horrible Leggos ones.

[@onewhoweeps]

You deliver every time even on your podcast. You and Josh make a great team.

[@Romafood]

i agree

[@mykaelrobertquiobo2697]

Very useful! New learnings also, thanks Alex

[@petitmirou]

Wow génial !!! Je commence à voir les pâtes vraiment différemment avec ta série 😮 Merci pour ce guide, je vais vraiment tester les pâtes à l'huile et à l'ails avec des pâtes de qualité pour l'expérience du vrai goût du grain, des pâtes secs !! Au passage ta chaîne est géniale ! J'adore le côté recherche et envie de s'améliorer que tu présentes parceque tu rentres dans les détails ! Merciii 😁

[@tdolan500]

I think Rummo is a top tier pasta particularly for a less experienced cook. They use a grain variety that makes the al dente window much wider.

[@Desi365]

You have to try Delverde pasta, Alex. I was blown away, they absorb the flavour amazingly. You will find them in Super U stores.

[@ShortsFarmer]

Actually seeing Gragnano (the city i live in) in one of your videos, makes me so proud of my roots and the products that we make here. Thanks a lot

[@87crazycookie]

Good to know DeCecco and Garofalo are good- those are the only two that you rated that I recognize over here where I live in the US. Really excited about the series, also super cool to learn that orecchiette pasta can be made by hand and then it’s not too complicated.

[@Roblecop]

I had never considered pasta shapes like this before! I'm most definitely going to start reading pasta packages at the store now as well! Thank you Alex, you definitely have helped me out.

[@kilerkai]

5:25 Thats how I imagine French people to ride their bicycles 5:32 Thats how I imagine Italian people to ride their bicycles

[@sfuterfas]

Alex! Thank you so much for this video! I just stumbled upon it the other day and made the best pasta dish I've ever made because of this video. My husband is the cook in the family, but I blew him away with my Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, made with an artisan pasta. I will never buy Barilla or another cheap brand again. Thanks for inspiring me to cook!

[@eddesevrenjacquet7353]

Very, very useful video👍 Thanks again Alex.

[@NardoVogt]

Me right now: a german watching a frenchmen talking about Italian Pasta while preparing japanese Sushi. It's a great world we live in

[@NC7491]

We are a global village now, it's remarkable.

[@alexatanasie3302]

Servus, ich bin Italiener in Raum Würzburg. Muss sagen das der junge Franzose macht seine Recherche richtig gut. So wie fast alle italienische Restaurants bieten das billigste Nudel überhaupt. Klar mit Profit im Kopf, das wegen ich geh so gut wie nie fort italienische (lieber deutsche Küche oder ein Steakhaus) Essen. Ich werde meistens enttäuscht.

[@NardoVogt]

@@alexatanasie3302 der gleiche Grund warum ich nie Maultaschen, Kässpätzle und Wurstsalat im Restaurant esse. Selber gemacht ist besser

[@JoriDiculous]

Barilla is good enough (for Spagetti), mostly for it being reasonable priced and every store have it. For all the ones 1 and 2 is hard to come by for many people, but at least my 2nd closest grocery stor carry Rummo and "Pacifico" pasta. Pacifico get a lot of use here at home :)

[@everybodyluvsmonkeys]

Very good information Alex. Thank you!

[@Neratil]

I love how I lookup a french guy's video to learn how Italian people buy pasta :D nevertheless, I learned a lot and I knew quite some stuff about pasta beforehand. So I am once again very thankful for your great work Alex!

[@KokoCaine8]

Would love to see a similar video made on olive oils! This was very informative.

[@jonathanbowen3640]

Your list looks good. I'm familiar with De Cecco and De Martino, they are widely available in UK in say Tesco supermarket for example and are both great. Particularly the roughness quality and cost of the De Martino Fussili.

[@oakleywyatt1717]

I have learnt so much in such a short video. Wow.

[@DjMika012]

Sujet génial, édit génial ! Merci pour cette vidéo 🙏🏻

[@flytoheights1]

Your strive for perfection is inspiring.

[@tupak303]

Big ups for this! Although I would like to bring up the following: I had no idea that rigate means ridges, now it makes a lot of sense. However "penne" is not feather, but a quill rather. Old-school pen you had to dip in ink. The shape kinda gives it away )).

[@thefpsgod]

You know what Alex my friend your more than likely the greatest chef of our time based on you passion for food and your growing skill in the kitchen....I love your videos and truly look forward to see just how far your passion takes you pall ...... open a restaurant I'll be sure to sit at you table and shake your hand much love from the UK my friend stay true to yourself

[@ejicon3099]

Your videos are GREAT. Thank you so much.

[@marcopisellonio3657]

I have to say I disagree with your pasta ranking. Come on Alex, you can't put DeCecco above Rummo, that's a colossal mistake!

[@username-yn5yo]

yeah true

[@revs8415]

I perfectly agree. DeCecco is a decent pasta, but my go to pastas are Rummo and LaMolisana. They are both equally good. DeCecco is one step below.

[@qwerty2409]

There is a little check in there

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

Watch the video again

[@marcopisellonio3657]

@@FrenchGuyCooking Done, maybe the point you were making there was the price to quality ratio. But I'm still genuinely missing it: Rummo is just a little bit more expensive than DeCecco (at least in Italy where I am) but in my opinion it's way way better, and perfect for a everyday pasta. In fact, I used to consume Barilla, than switched to DeCecco and later to Rummo.

[@NikolasKarampelas]

hm interesting, we have very limited access to pasta here in Greece, most of the local pasta makers fill the market and leave little space that is mostly filled from barilla, but thanks to your video I did noticed one of the SM here have that De Cecco pasta. I will give it a try, so far I can't notice any difference between the industrial pasta brands, only when I buy from small local firms I do notice the better quality.

[@punitsalimath225]

I am an Indian living in Milan, exploring Italian dishes. Your basics are indeed helpful. 'Subscribed'

[@ckissner]

SO helpful! I never knew all this! I'll choose better pasta from now on! Thanks Alex! :)

[@dittagecoeco2738]

Totally agree with Alex classification. As an Italian i would like to share my personal favourites: la pasta di "libera" which is a sicilian brand ad comes from a very special project and to me has by far the best grain flavour of them all. And "casino di caprafico" pasta, made from farro, very ancient grain, very special and peculiar pasta, over the top quality

[@jah0963]

I live in Sicily. I haven’t seen that brand. Do you know where it is sold here?