Ranking Italian Pasta Brands

Quick Overview

Vincenzo ranked various Italian pasta brands, placing Pastificio Liguori, Rummo, and Rustichella d'Abruzzo in the S-Tier for superior quality derived from bronze die cuts and slow drying, while classifying Barilla and DiVella in the lower tiers due to smooth Teflon cuts and lack of artisanal quality.

Key Points: The S-Tier, representing the best pasta quality, included Pastificio Liguori, Rummo, and Rustichella d'Abruzzo, all noted for using bronze die cuts and traditional methods. Barilla's standard blue box pasta was placed in the D-Tier because it uses Teflon dies, resulting in a shiny surface that does not hold sauce well. DiVella was placed in the D-Tier due to its lack of structure, making it unsuitable for dishes like Carbonara. Pastificio Liguori, certified PGI from Gragnano, earned an A-Tier, narrowly missing S-Tier due to its production process using 100-year-old machinery, though its texture is incredible. Industrial pasta dries in only 3 hours at high temperatures, whereas artisan pasta uses much longer, lower-temperature drying processes (20-40 hours), resulting in better flavor and texture. Armando Pasta was ranked A-Tier, praised for being sensational and comparable to top-tier brands while being available affordably at Aldi. Molisana was placed in A-Tier, noted for high protein content, but ranked below the S-Tier brands.

Context: Vincenzo from 'Vincenzo's Plate' conducts a comprehensive ranking (tier list) of popular Italian pasta brands available in supermarkets, focusing on quality indicators like the type of die used (Teflon vs. Bronze), protein content, drying time, and overall texture/sauce adhesion. He contrasts mass-produced pasta, often made with Teflon dies and high-heat drying, against artisanal brands that utilize traditional, slow methods to achieve superior texture and flavor retention.

Detailed Analysis

Vincenzo ranks major Italian pasta brands based on quality, defining the best pasta as that which has a rough, porous surface (bronze die cut) that adheres well to sauce, contrasting sharply with smooth, shiny pasta made with Teflon dies. He explains that industrial pasta is dried quickly (3 hours) at high temperatures, while artisan pasta is dried slowly (20-40 hours) at lower temperatures, which is crucial for flavor. The S-Tier includes Pastificio Liguori, Rummo, and Rustichella d'Abruzzo, all celebrated for their artisanal methods. Pastificio Liguori, despite being Gragnano PGI certified and having incredible texture, was placed in A-Tier because it uses older machinery, though still scoring exceptionally high. Molisana and Armando Pasta were placed in A and A-Tier, respectively; Armando is praised as sensational value available at Aldi. De Cecco landed in B-Tier, considered good but too standard/mild for his preference. Barilla (blue box) and DiVella were relegated to D-Tier due to Teflon extrusion (shiny, sauce slides off) and poor structure, respectively. Vincenzo emphasizes that the pasta's ability to hold sauce like a sponge is the ultimate test.