Pasta and Grains
Arborio Rice: The Common One, and Its Real Weakness
The risotto rice most Americans can buy, why it goes from perfect to blown out quickly, and when it is the right choice anyway.
Pasta and Grains
Bronze dies, durum wheat, rice for risotto, and the grains that came before pasta.
Pasta and Grains
Bronze Die Pasta: What the Rough Surface Actually Does
Why bronze-extruded pasta looks chalky, holds sauce better, and costs more. How to tell it from teflon-extruded pasta in the box and on the plate.
Pasta and Grains
Busiate: The Sicilian Spiral Twisted Around a Reed
A long coiled pasta from Trapani, named for the buso it was wound on. Why the spiral suits pesto alla trapanese, and how to judge a dried box.
Pasta and Grains
Carnaroli Rice: Why It Is Called the King of Risotto Rices
Higher amylose than arborio, so it holds its bite while still releasing starch. What carnaroli is, what classico means on the bag, and how to cook it.
Pasta and Grains
Casarecce: The Rolled Scroll from Sicily
A short twisted shape with a groove down its length, made to trap thick sauce. What casarecce are, where they come from, and what they suit.
Pasta and Grains
Italian Egg Pasta: What the Egg Actually Changes
Soft wheat and whole eggs, from the north rather than the south. What the traditional ratio is, why dried egg pasta is a real category, and how to judge a nest.
Pasta and Grains
Farro: Which Grain You Are Actually Buying
Farro is three different wheats sold under one word, and the packet often does not say which. How to tell them apart and why it changes the cooking time.
Pasta and Grains
Mafaldine: The Ribbon With Ruffled Edges
A long flat pasta with wavy edges, named for a princess. What the ruffles do for sauce, and what mafaldine are called elsewhere.
Pasta and Grains
Paccheri: The Big Tubes, and What They Are For
Wide smooth tubes from Campania that collapse when cooked and are built to be stuffed or dragged through heavy sauce. How to buy them and how not to break them.
Pasta and Grains
Polenta Bramata: The Coarse Grind, and Why It Matters
Coarse stone-ground cornmeal from northern Italy. What bramata means, how it differs from fioretto and from instant polenta, and how long it actually takes.
Pasta and Grains
Semolina Flour: Semola, Rimacinata, and What Each Is For
Durum wheat milled coarse or twice-milled fine. What the Italian labels mean, why pasta and bread want different ones, and what to buy.
Pasta and Grains
Senatore Cappelli: The Old Wheat Variety on the Pasta Box
A durum variety bred in 1915 and largely abandoned for yield, now revived as a premium pasta wheat. What it is, what the claims are, and what to check.
Pasta and Grains
Strozzapreti: The Twisted Shape With the Alarming Name
Hand-rolled twists from Emilia-Romagna whose name means priest stranglers. What they are, how they differ from casarecce, and the stories behind the name.
Pasta and Grains
Trofie: The Ligurian Twist Made for Pesto
Short hand-rolled twists from Liguria, traditionally flour and water only. Why the shape suits pesto, how the dried version differs, and what to look for.
Pasta and Grains
Vialone Nano: The Veneto Risotto Rice With an IGP
A short semifino rice from the Verona plain, the choice for wetter Venetian risottos, and the only Italian rice with a European geographical protection.