instead of minutes Indeed, according to McGee, the term al dente didn’t appear until after World War I How’s that for tradition? Given its varied background, I say that you should cook pasta whichever way works best (just don’t tell your nonna, if you have one) MOST PASTA these days comes in two basic forms, dried and fresh Fresh pasta , made from wheat flour and eggs, is widely used in Northern Italy The eggs add richness and color and improve the texture of the pasta, allowing it to become both tender and bouncy as it cooks It’s made by forming a stiff dough out of the eggs and flour, then rolling that dough repeatedly between two roller plates, getting progressively thinner with each roll, before finally cutting it into the desired shape Since making fresh pasta requires time and specialized equipment, we won’t be dealing with it much in this book Instead, we’re going to focus on the dried version Dried pasta, which originated in Southern Italy, is generally made from durum flour and water Durum is a high-protein flour that allows you to form a tough, malleable dough that holds its shape well This is particularly important for the intricate folded or extruded shapes that dried pasta comes in To form dried pasta into shapes, the stiff dough is pressed into a machine that forces it through metal dies that extrude it, then cut into smaller lengths The very best dried pastas have a distinct wheaty flavor and, more important, a rough texture that allows them to absorb sauce more easily once cooked Of the major supermarket brands available in the United States, I prefer Barilla brand When possible, though, I shop at Italian markets that import high-quality small-batch pasta from Italy What’s the difference? Many of the inexpensive massmarket brands use Teflon-coated dies in order to speed up production These dies result in a smooth finish on the pasta Traditional brass dies are slower to extrude but produce a rougher texture When shopping for dried pasta, compare the texture of the noodles and pick the brand with the roughest-looking finish ... pasta from Italy What’s the difference? Many of the inexpensive massmarket brands use Teflon-coated dies in order to speed up production These dies result in a smooth finish on the pasta Traditional... extrude but produce a rougher texture When shopping for dried pasta, compare the texture of the noodles and pick the brand with the roughest-looking finish ...absorb sauce more easily once cooked Of the major supermarket brands available in the United States, I prefer Barilla brand When possible, though, I shop at