Serious comment on a shitpost community, but the easiest fix I found to pasta that sticks too much was to just buy better quality noodles. The cheapest stuff would stick like nothing else, while Barilla or any pasta cut on bronze dies never did.
Oh no, absolutely. I realize in hindsight my wording implies that. As someone else commented here, I also consider them the bare minimum. Anything less than that and it’s awful noodles with no sauce adhesion or starch released.
The Al Bronzo brand of Barilla does taste better, imo, but not worth the extra cost. I’ve never had a problem with the regular stuff sticking as long as I salt the pot and stir occasionally.
I see… But wouldn’t that only effect the ends? Or does it start as a sheet and get cut into strips like fettuccine? But that would still only be the edges, right? What about something like linguine with a rounder cross-section?
Pasta is made by squeezing the dough through what’s called a die:
Normally this die is PTFE-coated on the inside to minimize friction, so they can run the machine faster and therefore make more money. This results in smooth surface pasta.
In recent years they figured out they can charge extra for pasta that that was made on a die without PTFE coating, because there is a myth that rough pasta holds more sauce (it doesn’t). This is marketed as “bronze cut” because traditionally the dies are made of bronze I guess
Ohhh, so that’s the part that’s made of bronze. That makes more sense. It threw me off that it’s called “bronze cut” and not “bronze extruded” but I get it now
because there is a myth that rough pasta holds more sauce
I don’t know, the Italian in this thread seems to approve of bronze-cut pasta. Not sure if the opinion of a German overrides that… (I jest, I have German grandparents)
they figured out they can charge extra for pasta that that was made on a die without PTFE coating
Honestly, PTFE has other issues though. It’s a forever chemical and can cause birth defects and cancer. For several years it was popular on cooking stuff for its non-stick and anti-scratching properties. I had a couple pans with it myself, and I loved them at the time. But that was before we as a society learned more about PTFE. Like asbestos and cigarettes, it became widely adopted before we knew enough to avoid it.
Aside from PTFE, phenols (like BPA, BPS, and PFAS) are another thing that are really important to avoid, but commonly used in modern manufacturing.
It’s absolutely not, they just have a high marketing budget. They didn’t even use bronze dies until they introduced a new product line not that long ago.
Serious comment on a shitpost community, but the easiest fix I found to pasta that sticks too much was to just buy better quality noodles. The cheapest stuff would stick like nothing else, while Barilla or any pasta cut on bronze dies never did.
Barilla isn’t a better quality pasta. Change my mind
It’s fair IMO. There are worse, there are better.
Oh no, absolutely. I realize in hindsight my wording implies that. As someone else commented here, I also consider them the bare minimum. Anything less than that and it’s awful noodles with no sauce adhesion or starch released.
Italian here. Barilla is considered the bare minimum. Its not a high quality pasta, although they have a bronze cut kind which I never tried.
How about De Cecco?
Yes de cecco, molisana, garofalo or voiello are quite available everywhere in Italy, its still factory made but with more care and with bronze cut
If you want to go on expensive stuff you need to look into “monograno”, basically means “single grain” a 1kg pack could go up for 6-10 €
Worth it? For everyday use only if you make it an hobby, otherwise a normal bronze cut is enough.
I would still eat barilla, but only if its the only alternative to not having pasta
In france they eat a lot of “panzani” which I believe its still Italian, but quite shit in quality, very unexpensive
The Al Bronzo brand of Barilla does taste better, imo, but not worth the extra cost. I’ve never had a problem with the regular stuff sticking as long as I salt the pot and stir occasionally.
I’m pasta-ignorant. How does the material of the cutting tool affect the final product?
Bronze cutting is slower (so less efficient) but being slower make the pasta more “rough” and not smooth. This makes sauce stick more to it
I see… But wouldn’t that only effect the ends? Or does it start as a sheet and get cut into strips like fettuccine? But that would still only be the edges, right? What about something like linguine with a rounder cross-section?
I’m just not picturing it
Im answering with a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8wZbNmdIKw
But no, usually pasta is pressed into shapes and then cut at the end
While being pressed against the bronze thing it gets rough on the edges and in the inside
I see. I didn’t realize the extruder die was the part that’s bronze
Pasta is made by squeezing the dough through what’s called a die:
Normally this die is PTFE-coated on the inside to minimize friction, so they can run the machine faster and therefore make more money. This results in smooth surface pasta.
In recent years they figured out they can charge extra for pasta that that was made on a die without PTFE coating, because there is a myth that rough pasta holds more sauce (it doesn’t). This is marketed as “bronze cut” because traditionally the dies are made of bronze I guess
Ohhh, so that’s the part that’s made of bronze. That makes more sense. It threw me off that it’s called “bronze cut” and not “bronze extruded” but I get it now
I don’t know, the Italian in this thread seems to approve of bronze-cut pasta. Not sure if the opinion of a German overrides that… (I jest, I have German grandparents)
Honestly, PTFE has other issues though. It’s a forever chemical and can cause birth defects and cancer. For several years it was popular on cooking stuff for its non-stick and anti-scratching properties. I had a couple pans with it myself, and I loved them at the time. But that was before we as a society learned more about PTFE. Like asbestos and cigarettes, it became widely adopted before we knew enough to avoid it.
Aside from PTFE, phenols (like BPA, BPS, and PFAS) are another thing that are really important to avoid, but commonly used in modern manufacturing.
Their quantities are also too little tbh
I believe they have 1kg options
I can’t find them in stores, maybe they are in fancier stores like Rosetto or sum
Barilla are shitty homophobes.
Words or donations?
Words, sure its been a while but the CEO back then is still the CEO today
Yikes. Time to use up my berilla pasta sauce and look for a decent replacement
But of course, always make up your own Mind and your research.
Rummo is the best mass produced pasta I know.
It’s absolutely not, they just have a high marketing budget. They didn’t even use bronze dies until they introduced a new product line not that long ago.
easiest fix i found was to add half a cup/ladle of starchy pasta water to the sauce (halfway through the pasta boiling)