Re: Barilla PLUS Pasta

Abe said:

Quoted message said:

I have to wonder. I saw a cooking show a few months ago where
they
did a few pasta dishes using three different brands. Then they
rated
the results. The Barillo came in last every time, and they
blamed it
on taste and texture. So that leaves me wondierng, if their
regular
pasta is bottom of the barrel, why would their Plus varieties
be any
good.

Quoted message said:

Yep, that was America's Test Kitchen on PBS.
I've tried Barilla, and I don't like it.

Does any of you remember the other brands? If they were De Cecco,
Garofalo, Latini, Di Nola or Voiello I wouldn't be surprised at
all, otherwise it could be interesting to know.
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

"Vilco" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Abe said:

Quoted message said:

I have to wonder. I saw a cooking show a few months ago where they
did a few pasta dishes using three different brands. Then they rated
the results. The Barillo came in last every time, and they blamed it
on taste and texture. So that leaves me wondierng, if their regular
pasta is bottom of the barrel, why would their Plus varieties be any
good.

Quoted message said:

Yep, that was America's Test Kitchen on PBS.
I've tried Barilla, and I don't like it.

Does any of you remember the other brands? If they were De Cecco,
Garofalo, Latini, Di Nola or Voiello I wouldn't be surprised at all,
otherwise it could be interesting to know.
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

I would like to see the results, too, but am offering this from 'The Best
Recipe" from Cook's Illustrated, p. 100

"While many sources tout the superiority of Italian pasta, our blind taste
tests have shown this to be a myth. American brands of spaghetti socred
just as well as Italian brands, and Ronzoni, which is made by Hershey Foods,
topped the rankings." "(Note: we do prefer Italian lasagne; see page 117)"

on page 117 of the same book re lasagna noodles:
"The best way to judge dried noodles is by counting the number of sheets per
pound. Most domestic brands have eighteen or twenty noodles in a one-pound
box. In contrast, a box of our favoirte Italian brand, DeCecco, has
twenty-eight noodles in a pound. This brand, which is the most widely
available imported Italian pasta, has shorter, wider noodles that fit just
right when laid crosswise in a standard lasagna pan. This makes for a much
neater lasagna than longer noodles, which never seem quite long enough to
fit a 13 x 9-inch pan."

Interesting that 13 x 9-inch is the 'standard' according to them.

DH's favorite is Ronzoni, too. Costco carries DeCecco, but I've never seen
BJ's nor Costco carry any brand of lasagna.
Dee Dee

Dee Randall said:

I would like to see the results, too, but am offering this from
'The
Best Recipe" from Cook's Illustrated, p. 100

"While many sources tout the superiority of Italian pasta, our
blind
taste tests have shown this to be a myth. American brands of
spaghetti socred just as well as Italian brands, and Ronzoni,
which
is made by Hershey Foods, topped the rankings." "(Note: we do
prefer
Italian lasagne; see page 117)"

True: if the wheat is good, also pasta will be good, with a bit
of care during production.

Quoted message said:

DH's favorite is Ronzoni, too. Costco carries DeCecco, but
I've
never seen BJ's nor Costco carry any brand of lasagna.

LOL, it's probably not imported here, but I'd like to try this
Ronzoni. Antoher "to do" on my list 😉
--
Vilco
Think Pink , Drink Rose'

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Fri 10 Mar 2006 07:03:12a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Dee
Randall?

Quoted message said:

"Abe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

>I have to wonder. I saw a cooking show a few months ago where they
>did a few
>pasta dishes using three different brands. Then they rated the results.
>The
>Barillo came in last every time, and they blamed it on taste and
>texture. So
>that leaves me wondierng, if their regular pasta is bottom of the
>barrel, why would their Plus varieties be any good.

Quoted message said:

Yep, that was America's Test Kitchen on PBS.
I've tried Barilla, and I don't like it.

I second it -- Barilla is not a brand that I will buy.
Dee Dee

I like Barilla. Have never noticed a problem with it.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬

Wayne, I haven't noticed a problem with it either, and I've probably eaten
plenty of it in restaurants and not known it was Barilla (it's the brand
most common at Costco, too.) I just feel there are brands that are tastier
to my palate and so I buy them over and above the savings at Costco for
their Barilla. But I think in grocery stores, Barilla prices are in-line
with other prices. When DH suggested I buy Ronzoni, I thought he was
pulling my leg, but it's Ronzoni at our house now for a few years.
Just for fun, do a taste test some wintry night. (:-)))
Dee Dee

"Dee Randall" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

with other prices. When DH suggested I buy Ronzoni, I thought he was
pulling my leg, but it's Ronzoni at our house now for a few years.
Just for fun, do a taste test some wintry night. (:-)))

I don't care for Barilla, either, Dee, doesn't matter anyway,
woe is me if I bring home other than Ronzoni. Some things
you don't mess with.

nancy

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dave Smith said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

Anyone tried this yet?

I just tried the thin spaghetti with a light tomato sauce and thought it
was
excellent. It has twice the fiber and less fat than regular pasta.

A multi-grain product, it's far cry from the whole wheat pasta I tried
years
ago. That stuff was vile, with a gritty texture that broke apart between
plate and mouth.

Now, what do I do with the 12 lbs of pasta I bought at Costco last week?
:-)

I have to wonder. I saw a cooking show a few months ago where they did a few
pasta dishes using three different brands. Then they rated the results. The
Barillo came in last every time, and they blamed it on taste and texture. So
that leaves me wondierng, if their regular pasta is bottom of the barrel, why
would their Plus varieties be any good.

I guess the best thing to do is to try it myself. I will have to wait a
while. I stocked up on Unico pasta a few weeks ago. It was on special 49 cents for 2
lb. bag. At the rate we eat pasta in this house, not often, that may be a long
time.

I haven't tried Barrila PLUS Pasta, but the Ronzoni whole wheat pasta is
superb, plus its offered in several styles, including low fat egg
noodles. If you didn't know Ronzoni's whole wheat pasta was whole wheat
pasta, you wouldn't figure it out from the flavor or texture.

On Fri 10 Mar 2006 09:47:40a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Dee
Randall?

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Fri 10 Mar 2006 07:03:12a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Dee
Randall?

Quoted message said:

"Abe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> >I have to wonder. I saw a cooking show a few months ago where they
> >did a few
>>pasta dishes using three different brands. Then they rated the
>>results. The
>>Barillo came in last every time, and they blamed it on taste and
>>texture. So
>>that leaves me wondierng, if their regular pasta is bottom of the
>>barrel, why would their Plus varieties be any good.

> Yep, that was America's Test Kitchen on PBS.
> I've tried Barilla, and I don't like it.

I second it -- Barilla is not a brand that I will buy.
Dee Dee

I like Barilla. Have never noticed a problem with it.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬

Wayne, I haven't noticed a problem with it either, and I've probably
eaten plenty of it in restaurants and not known it was Barilla (it's the
brand most common at Costco, too.) I just feel there are brands that
are tastier to my palate and so I buy them over and above the savings at
Costco for their Barilla. But I think in grocery stores, Barilla prices
are in-line with other prices. When DH suggested I buy Ronzoni, I
thought he was pulling my leg, but it's Ronzoni at our house now for a
few years. Just for fun, do a taste test some wintry night. (:-)))
Dee Dee

Do you happen to know if they have a whole wheat or multigrain version
similar to the Barilla PLUS? I'm now trying to concentrate on that type
right now.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!

"Dee Randall" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
snip

Quoted message said:

Wayne, I haven't noticed a problem with it either, and I've probably eaten
plenty of it in restaurants and not known it was Barilla (it's the brand
most common at Costco, too.) I just feel there are brands that are
tastier to my palate and so I buy them over and above the savings at
Costco for their Barilla. But I think in grocery stores, Barilla prices
are in-line with other prices. When DH suggested I buy Ronzoni, I thought
he was pulling my leg, but it's Ronzoni at our house now for a few years.
Just for fun, do a taste test some wintry night. (:-)))
Dee Dee

My Costco carries Garofalo -- I hope they don't change that as it's
wonderful stuff.
Janet

On Fri 10 Mar 2006 10:43:43a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Stan
Horwitz?

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dave Smith said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

Anyone tried this yet?

I just tried the thin spaghetti with a light tomato sauce and thought
it was excellent. It has twice the fiber and less fat than regular
pasta.

A multi-grain product, it's far cry from the whole wheat pasta I
tried years ago. That stuff was vile, with a gritty texture that
broke apart between plate and mouth.

Now, what do I do with the 12 lbs of pasta I bought at Costco last
week?
:-)

I have to wonder. I saw a cooking show a few months ago where they did
a few pasta dishes using three different brands. Then they rated the
results. The Barillo came in last every time, and they blamed it on
taste and texture. So that leaves me wondierng, if their regular pasta
is bottom of the barrel, why would their Plus varieties be any good.

I guess the best thing to do is to try it myself. I will have to wait a
while. I stocked up on Unico pasta a few weeks ago. It was on special
49 cents for 2 lb. bag. At the rate we eat pasta in this house, not
often, that may be a long time.

I haven't tried Barrila PLUS Pasta, but the Ronzoni whole wheat pasta is
superb, plus its offered in several styles, including low fat egg
noodles. If you didn't know Ronzoni's whole wheat pasta was whole wheat
pasta, you wouldn't figure it out from the flavor or texture.

Well, I see you've already answered my question to Dee, Stan. I will
definitely give theRonzoni whole wheat pasta a try.

Thanks.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!

On 10 Mar 2006 20:24:08 +0100, Wayne Boatwright

wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com said:

On Fri 10 Mar 2006 09:47:40a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Dee
Randall?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Wayne, I haven't noticed a problem with it either, and I've probably
eaten plenty of it in restaurants and not known it was Barilla (it's the
brand most common at Costco, too.) I just feel there are brands that
are tastier to my palate and so I buy them over and above the savings at
Costco for their Barilla. But I think in grocery stores, Barilla prices
are in-line with other prices. When DH suggested I buy Ronzoni, I
thought he was pulling my leg, but it's Ronzoni at our house now for a
few years. Just for fun, do a taste test some wintry night. (:-)))
Dee Dee

Do you happen to know if they have a whole wheat or multigrain version
similar to the Barilla PLUS? I'm now trying to concentrate on that type
right now.

If you mean Ronzoni, I picked up a package of the Ronzoni Healthy
Harvest Spaghetti Style (sic) (Whole wheat Blend Pasta) last week on
sale at Safeway. It was fine. Haven't tried the Barilla Plus yet to
compare.

"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote

Quoted message said:

Do you happen to know if they have a whole wheat or multigrain version
similar to the Barilla PLUS? I'm now trying to concentrate on that type
right now.

Ronzoni? Stan just gave it high praises a little while ago.

nancy

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I haven't tried Barrila PLUS Pasta, but the Ronzoni whole wheat pasta is
superb, plus its offered in several styles, including low fat egg
noodles. If you didn't know Ronzoni's whole wheat pasta was whole wheat
pasta, you wouldn't figure it out from the flavor or texture.

Well, I see you've already answered my question to Dee, Stan. I will
definitely give theRonzoni whole wheat pasta a try.

Thanks.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬

I've never tried whole wheat pasta in many years. The last times I did try
it was probably a brand that I'd never heard of, as I no doubt bought it in
a 'health-food-store.'

DH loves buckwheat noodles and I certainly don't make them enough. But I
think this summer I'll make a move to make a few dishes using them. I
always keep buckwheat flour even, but hardly ever think to use it. A shame
because it's so healthful.
Dee Dee