The Store-Bought Food Ina Garten Prefers Over Fresh

Ina Garten is pretty down to earth regarding her pasta preferences. Sure, Rao's pasta sauce is the one Garten can't stop using, but the noodles she likes to boil up for a homemade lasagna or classic mac and cheese, are available at most local grocery stores. The Barefoot Contessa confessed she prefers store-bought, dried pasta over fresh pasta. The celebrity chef isn't a fan of fresh pasta's texture, revealing to Bon Appetit, "I find it, very often, a little too doughy for me." 

What makes dried and fresh pasta so different? There is definitely a texture difference between these noodles. If you like an al dente consistency, dried pasta is going to provide a chewier bite while fresh pasta tends to be pillowy soft. This is because they are made differently. Most dried pasta dough isn't made using eggs whereas eggs and flour are the foundation ingredients for fresh pasta. This influences both cook times as well as what type of sauce they are paired with. Fresh pasta works best with delicate pesto and cacio e pepe, while dry pasta can handle a thick and hearty Bolognese.

Dried pasta also has a longer shelf life which means you are less likely to waste it. And if you're wondering what type of store-bought noodles Ina Garten buys, they are ones she also features on her online shop. Garten's two favorite brands of dried pasta are De Cecco and Cipriani Tagliarelle. What makes these brands worthy of her stamp of approval?

De Cecco pasta has Italian roots that date back to 1886. Made with durum wheat from Italy, Arizona, and California, De Cecco pasta has a firm and elastic consistency when it's cooked. The slightly rough feel of its shapes is a result of using its signature bronze draw-plates to cut the pasta into all of its beautiful shapes. De Cecco is a high-quality dried pasta that is reasonably priced. It is easy to understand why it gets her nod and its use is among some of Ina Garten's best pasta cooking tips. 

However, when she's splurging and making a luxurious pasta dish, Garten opts for Cipriani-made pasta. This pasta brand has not been around as long as De Cecco, but it is equally as famous thanks to Cipriani Harry's Bar in Venice where Ernest Hemingway would whet his whistle. Cipriani Tagliarelle is best described as long, flat egg noodles with a 3-minute cooking time. Garten pairs this pasta with Urbani white truffle butter for something truly special.