Probably just bought my last box of Barilla pasta

Speaking of whole grain pastas: We have started seeing improvements in this product. They used to be awful, both flavor and texture, but now some of them cook up very nicely. Top of my list is Bionaturae, followed by Luigi Vitelli and Hodgson Mill. We have tried but do not favor Barilla, De Cecco, and Ronzoni (although De Cecco's white flour pastas are good). I have not tried Setaro pasta yet... supposed to be best of all.

Yes indeed. When I discovered Bionatura whole wheat pasta products I thought I had found the Holy Grail.

I also found a rice-based penne that cooks up quite fine, too (if you want I'll go get the name for you).

[Jenise]

Jeff (and Thomas),

Thanks for the reccomendations. Would love to eat/buy more whole wheat pasta but have yet to find happiness with the few products I've tried. Your list will be one to shop from, thanks!

[Jenise]

Lewis Black weighs in on the "classic Italian family":

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-2-2013/sandra-bullock

Lewis Black weighs in on the "classic Italian family":

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-2-2013/sandra-bullock

Probably this one, eh?: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-2-2013/back-in-black---barilla-pasta

Speaking of whole grain pastas: We have started seeing improvements in this product. They used to be awful, both flavor and texture, but now some of them cook up very nicely. Top of my list is Bionaturae, followed by Luigi Vitelli and Hodgson Mill. We have tried but do not favor Barilla, De Cecco, and Ronzoni (although De Cecco's white flour pastas are good). I have not tried Setaro pasta yet... supposed to be best of all.

How is "best' determined and by whom? I've heard that Garofalo is tops. I know it is a matter of preference, but have any tests been done to determine this?

[Jenise]

Lewis Black weighs in on the "classic Italian family":

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-2-2013/sandra-bullock

Probably this one, eh?: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-2-2013/back-in-black---barilla-pasta

I guess! Have to admit, I wondered when it said "Sandra Bullock"--then thought well, she must have also been a guest on that show and that's how they filed it since I watched the video and copied what was on my whatever you call it box at the top, and didn't look at one other thing on that site. I followed a link there just to watch the Lewis Black routine. Anyway, thanks.

Sorry, Robin, thought I had read whole thread but missed a few posts!

Speaking of whole grain pastas: We have started seeing improvements in this product. They used to be awful, both flavor and texture, but now some of them cook up very nicely. Top of my list is Bionaturae, followed by Luigi Vitelli and Hodgson Mill. We have tried but do not favor Barilla, De Cecco, and Ronzoni (although De Cecco's white flour pastas are good). I have not tried Setaro pasta yet... supposed to be best of all.

I'll look for the Bionaturae, Vitelli, Hodgson. I really did like the Barilla Plus (not the same as the Barilla whole grain)- which includes bean flour and flaxseed- it's not whole grain, but good nutritionally and tasted better than the whole grains I've tried (I think this is what Karen meant by "protein pasta"). But I think buying would leave a sour taste in my mouth now.

[Jenise]

Speaking of whole grain pastas: We have started seeing improvements in this product. They used to be awful, both flavor and texture, but now some of them cook up very nicely. Top of my list is Bionaturae, followed by Luigi Vitelli and Hodgson Mill. We have tried but do not favor Barilla, De Cecco, and Ronzoni (although De Cecco's white flour pastas are good). I have not tried Setaro pasta yet... supposed to be best of all.

How is "best' determined and by whom? I've heard that Garofalo is tops. I know it is a matter of preference, but have any tests been done to determine this?

I wouldn't trust "tests" as much as the recommendation of someone I know with a great palate, like Jeff, who has obviously explored a number of options after reaching the same early conclusions that I did. And what would the "tests" be? Probably nothing more than the reactions of a focus group, like the testers at Consumer Reports who years ago determined that an excessively oaky chardonnay with a lot of residual sugar was the "best" chardonnay.

I've tried many brands of pasta, some I cannot get here, and have ordered on line. Some of the brands are more hefty , which I like as they go well with the bolder flavors of sauces I like to make, especially the ones using eggplant. Rustichella d' Abruzzo, is one I like, and find at our local kitchen boutique sometimes.

A number of years ago there was a brand of American made pasta named Leonardo. It was top notch. It was made in the durum "golden Triangle" out west with some of the best durum produced in the US. What ever happened to the brand? At that time I was getting my MBA and working at the Mpls Grain Exchange inspecting grain for Harvest States/GTA. They had a subsidiary company Amber Milling which milled durum. I tested the durum coming in for it's pasta making quality. I was told that while we got some great & good durum a lot of it never left the Golden Triangle and went to Leonardo. They were to the durum market what Quaker was to the oats market. They got the best and only the best. I haven't seen that brand in this market for a number of years.

This may be of interest for the Leaonardo brand

http://www.ostoni.com/blog/north-dakota-leonardo%E2%80%99s-pasta-plant-cando-close

I've tried many brands of pasta, some I cannot get here, and have ordered on line. Some of the brands are more hefty , which I like as they go well with the bolder flavors of sauces I like to make, especially the ones using eggplant. Rustichella d' Abruzzo, is one I like, and find at our local kitchen boutique sometimes.

Rao's is definitely "hefty." The shapes are bigger than their counterparts, which we, and our dinner guests seem to really like.

I see the Rao's pasta sauces here but not the dried pasta. Thanks.

[David M. Bueker]

Speaking of whole grain pastas: We have started seeing improvements in this product. They used to be awful, both flavor and texture, but now some of them cook up very nicely. Top of my list is Bionaturae, followed by Luigi Vitelli and Hodgson Mill. We have tried but do not favor Barilla, De Cecco, and Ronzoni (although De Cecco's white flour pastas are good). I have not tried Setaro pasta yet... supposed to be best of all.

How is "best' determined and by whom? I've heard that Garofalo is tops. I know it is a matter of preference, but have any tests been done to determine this?

Jenise has it right that you just have to trust someone (or try them all for yourself). Taste "tests" tend to favor the lowest common denominator (remember those Consumer Reports wine recommendations), and end up being not unlike our elections. And you see what those have gotten for us!

I've heard that Garofalo is tops.

Tried their whole wheat farfale tonight and I was not too impressed. For my tastes it was too thin, without much texture or flavor.

We used to eat a lot of De Cecco whole wheat penne and I quite liked it. At first it was at my wife's urging and I was resistant. But after a while when I returned to the 'normal' De Cecco it seemed so bland and thin/slippery. However, the whole wheat De Cecco got harder to find and we eventually stopped buying it.

We've also had good experiences with whole wheat pasta from Gia Russa, although Rustichella d'Abruzzo is probably our favorite. It's also a bit expensive. But we haven't tried many of the favorite names mentioned in this thread.

[Robin Garr]

More flavor, less hatin' ...

De Cecco pasta. Delicious, inclusive and diverse. Say no more!

]More flavor, less hatin' ...

De Cecco pasta. Delicious, inclusive and diverse. Say no more!

Oh yeah! Where's that woman's husband???