I've tried both cheap and expensive pasta brands, and I have to say that I taste little to no difference between them, so I usually just go for the cheaper ones or at best the averagely priced ones. I'm wondering if there's just something that my taste buds aren't picking up, because the expensive brands still sell well even though I think people should just go for the cheaper ones since they will be covered up in sauce anyway. I find that as long as you cook pasta right, then they will taste good, and I always try to serve both cheap and expensive pasta to my friends and family just to see if they could tell the difference but I always get the same feedback which is they are all the same to them, so I'm wondering if it's just us or if this also rings true for any of our members here. Is there really a big difference in expensive pastas compared to cheaper ones? Are there any health benefits to having better grade flour that I'm just not aware of?
Nope, there's really no difference on most pastas. You'll discover a big difference between storebought and homemade, but not between brands usually. The exception to that is for pre-made pastas. So for example, you might find a difference between stuffed ravioli brands. Or you might find a difference between options of tortellini. That's about it, though.
Truthfully, I'm not a big pasta person. When I would make dishes like spaghetti or mac and cheese, there were so many other flavors happening that nobody cared if the pasta was a name brand or not. Then I tried gourmet pasta. The texture was different and seemed to have more herbal flavor so that meant less work in the kitchen. This also reflected in the price but since it freezes well, it shouldn't go to waste.
I agree with you. I also noticed that the price of the pasta does not really matter as long as you cook it the right way. I used to think it's dependent on the price but it seems I am wrong. What I would do to prevent my pasta from being too soggy is that I only put it on boiling water not more than 5 minutes and then I put a few teaspoons of olive oil onto the boiling water. I immediately bring it out of the water after 5 minutes and then strain it. That makes my pasta really firm even when I reheat it.
I've noticed some stores selling ridiculously over priced pasta, among other over priced specialty ingredients. They are usually among the gourmet items. I've tried a few of these, and I agree, there is really no difference at all, other than perhaps some unique pasta shapes that I don't normally see in the regular pasta aisle. They slap some fancy label on them to make them look more "home made" then charge like $8 for a little bag of dried pasta - when I could get the equivalent amount from a more common brand for like $1 - $1.50 a box. No fancy pasta in the world will save you if you simply don't know how to cook.
I have not noticed there is any difference between the cheap pasta and the expensive pasta. This is the same with a lot of foods, but toilet paper is a completely different matter! I won't scrimp on that.
I normally grab the cheap kind myself. I really don't see a difference, even though some people swear that they can tell. I did get some really good deals on Mueller's pasta a couple of weeks ago, and I stocked up. I only paid .38 a box.
Lol! Same here. I would rather buy things like cheap pasta and use that same money to buy higher quality versions of products where it DOES matter. Toilet paper definitely ranks high on that list for me.
Me too! I buy the cheapest brand of pasta. I even buy the unbranded ones from the public market. The secret is the cooking and of course, in the sauce. People won't really mind what brand or price of pasta you have served them if the dish was well cooked and the sauce that comes with it is superb. If we only have the time to make homemade pasta, that would be the best.
Do you not have the problem with the sauce not sticking to the pasta? I had to quit using olive oil because of that. It just slipped right off, not sure what I'm doing wrong But no, there isn't a difference between the cheap or the namebrand. I always buy whatever is cheapest, and since pasta tends to last quite a while, I usually snatch it up if it's on sale. The Bi-Lo near me will do 5 packs of thin spaghetti for $2 every once in a while. We're big pasta eaters so I get that if I can.
Thanks for the comments, guys! Glad to know I'm not just imagining things. I agree with some of the comments that it's best to get products like these for cheaper so you can splurge more on things wherein the quality does matter. It really makes me wonder how some of the more overpriced brands manage to keep in business though, since surely other people have noticed that there isn't much difference between them and the less expensive brands as well. I'm really curious as to what advantages the more expensive pastas have that some people apparently still buy them frequently enough to keep the expensive brands selling.
