You'll Always Find These 2 Boxed Pastas In Ina Garten's Pantry
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Cooking like Ina Garten requires having the right ingredients. But the good news is that Garten's approach is quite practical and accessible. She uses canned tomatoes to thicken pot roast, and some of the Barefoot Contessa's favorite foods can be purchased at In-N-Out or a regular grocery store. So, it should come as no surprise that when it comes to pasta, there are two brands Garten swears by: De Cecco and Cipriani.
The De Cecco brand and its yellow and blue pasta boxes have a reputation for their quality and cost point. During an interview with Bon Appétit, Garten shared her pantry approach to pasta noting, "I have basically two categories of pasta. I most often used De Cecco pasta, which I think is really good quality. I'll use any shape, like fusilli, penne, bow ties, whatever I'm in the mood for."
De Cecco pasta was founded by the De Cecco brothers in a little Italian town called Fara San Martino in 1886. Its tradition of making pasta using ingredients like fresh semolina from the Molino (mill) and a low-temperature drying technique has been passed down from generation to generation of the De Cecco family. This is the type of everyday noodle you can use to make mac and cheese or a quick pasta puttanesca and have it taste like a gourmet dish. The exact price may vary, but a 16-ounce box of De Cecco's pasta can run anywhere between $2.82 to a little over $3.
Cipriani's pasta is more expensive
De Cecco is great for everyday pasta dishes, but when the chef wants something that is more of a "luxurious" splurge, she reaches for Cipriani's Tagliarelle. Ina Garten told Bon Appétit that, "It's basically linguini. It tastes like fresh pasta, but better (I don't happen to love fresh pasta. I find it, very often, a little too doughy for me)." These flat ribbons of egg pasta come from Venice, Italy, and a box that clocks in at just over half a pound will set you back $11.
Tagliarelle is a delicate and hearty pasta that's Cipriani's version of tagliatelle. The pasta cooks in a flash and is ready to drain and serve in just three minutes. Additionally, its surface area can hold and absorb creamy, thick sauces well. The cookbook author dresses her Cipriani Tagliarelle with a creamy sauce that uses Urbani's white truffle butter and heavy cream. But you don't have to stop just there; because these noodles are wide and flat, they are a decadent substitute if you are making a creamy chicken fettuccini Alfredo as well.