Choosing the best fusilli pasta depends on the recipe, size, type, and budget. Homemade pasta is traditionally the best, but store-bought Italian brands made with bronze cutting molds are also recommended. The cutting molds affect the texture and porosity of the pasta, which affects how well it holds sauces. Budget is also a consideration, with Italian-made and organic pastas being more expensive.
Choosing the best fusilli pasta might depend on whether the recipe calls for fresh or dried pasta, what size and type of fusilli pasta you want, and your budget. Fusilli pasta is spiral-shaped and can be used on its own topped with sauces, pasta salads, added to soups, or as part of a casserole. Traditionally, the best fusilli pastas are homemade, because the freshest ingredients, family recipes and established production methods tend to create the tastiest and most tender pastas.
Translated from Italian, fusilli means “little spindles” and is a pasta that is immediately recognizable by its corkscrew shape. Fusilli has a few variations, such as the hollowed-out version known as fusilli bucati and a longer variation known as fusilli napoletani. This type of pasta is great when paired with sauces because its tightly rolled shape holds liquids well. Fusilli is also a good choice for fresh pasta salads.
When choosing store-bought fusilli, determine what size and shape are best suited to your recipes, as well as the cutting molds, grains, and brands used to make the fusilli pasta. All of these factors contribute to the taste and texture of the pasta. Some experts suggest looking for Italian brands when buying fusilli from a store, because they’re typically made the old-fashioned way using bronze cutting molds.
The cutting dies used to make pasta can affect the flavor of the pasta and the type of texture and porosity it has; this affects whether the sauces slide off or stick to the pasta. Pasta cutting dies are wheel-like metal accessories that are used to extrude pasta from its basic shape into distinctive shapes and lengths such as fettuccine, spaghetti, fusilli, or another type of pasta. Dies are usually the bronze type which are traditionally used in Italy and which create a rough, handmade look and porous texture, or synthetic non-stick dies which, as the name suggests, create smooth, shiny pastes. The bronze dies that create the rougher fusilli pasta are considered the better of the two methods, because the porous quality of the pasta absorbs sauces and toppings better.
Your budget is another consideration when choosing the best fusilli pasta. Italian-made and organic pastas will cost more than domestic pastas. Wholemeal pastas are also more expensive, but they represent a tasty and healthy alternative to semolina pastas. Some brands of fusilli pasta are available fresh in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores.
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