FavorFlavs #29

We all have them: favourite flavours, ingredients and kitchen tools. FavorFlavs that we always reach for (again). These are ours.

Dried pasta

We did it too: when short on time and in a hurry, we would reach for the ‘fresh’ pasta from the refrigerated section at the supermarket. Surely that had to be better than dried tagliatelle, penne or maccheroni. Even though we couldn’t really taste the difference…

Until an Italian friend expressed her horror at those practices. Always buy your supermarket pasta dried, was her uncompromising message, passed down to her by her mamma. The dried variety is not only better in quality and tastier, you can also cook it precisely as al dente as you want, guided by your own instincts and judgement. Try doing that with ‘fresh’ supermarket pasta.

And when Italians say so, we do it. Naturally, the pasta we make ourselves on the edge of the kitchen table, or the pasta that the pastificio fills for us with plenty of craftsmanship and expertise, will remain our preference. Especially the latter.

But for all the times when those two aren’t an option, we have cupboards full of dried goods in the kitchen cabinet. It saves money too.

Available at every supermarket in dozens of brands and varieties. We’re rather fond of Barilla.