4 Things We Didn't Know About Pasta

Fresh Pasta Is Not Always Better Than Dried

"There is nothing like fresh, homemade pasta," Domenica Marchetti, author of The Glorious Pasta of Italy, says, "but I won't say one is better than the other." Many supermarkets now carry artisan boxed pastas. They're a little more expensive, but they're still comparatively cheap, and since they are cut with bronze dies (instead of Teflon dies, which some lower-quality commercial brands use), they have a rougher surface to which sauce clings well (like mafalde, which is a natural for a roasted-tomato sauce). Cheaper brands also cook less evenly and can turn mushy before they're cooked all the way through.


Get the recipe: Mafalde with Roasted Tomatoes, Robiola and Crushed Fennel Seeds