Whole Wheat Pasta

[shel]

Hi Gang,

What have you found to be the best or most acceptable whole wheat pasta?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and experiences,

Shel

[Suzanne]

I'll let you know after I cook some of the Ronzoni "Healthy Harvest" I just bought.

[shel]

I recall that one of the magazines, maybe Cooks Illustrated, said that it was the best of the ones they tried. I was thinking of trying it myself, but it's a ten mile drive to the nearest store that I know of that carries it. I'm looking forward to your comments.

Shel

[notoriouslyKEN]

The Washington Post had an article on the different types of whole wheat pasta and they did a blind taste test. I don't think it was too long ago. I'll see if I can dig up the article for you. I can't get into the whole wheat though, it leaves a funny taste in my mouth.

EDIT: found it. Try Whole Wheat Pasta is an Acquired Taste. They list the brands and description on the 2nd page.

[siduri]

i'm all for whole foods, but pasta, well, count me out. I've never tasted any that didn;t taste of sawdust. There's something about the texture of pasta that "exalts" the grittiness of bran.
however, there is a traditional kind of pasta, called Pizzoccheri, which are i believe made of buckwheat, and are flat and thick, like fettuccine, and which are eaten with a vegetable sauce, cabbage etc. This is quite good, probably because it's not trying to be pasta but is what it is.

[Mezzaluna]

The strongly negative comments about Hodgson Mill in the article conflict a bit with my own reaction to it. Possibly this is because I rarely eat pasta these days (watching my blood glucose levels). I can eat a bit more of the HM product because it has more fiber and doesn't seem to slam my blood glucose levels as harshly. Truly I wouldn't choose it if I could eat anything I want- but it'll do the trick in a pinch. I sprinkle some of the whole wheat shells into my homemade vegetable soups and enjoy it that way.

[Myron]

I can understand using whole wheat pasta for health reasons, because of a particular illness and not based upon some health trend, but it is IMHO quite terrible and otherwise unworthy of consideration as a part of any recipe or menu I might create.

[Ishbel]

I've tried lots of different wholewheat pastas - and the ONLY one that is just about acceptable to my family is De Cecco - but only the spaghetti. Don't know if De Cecco is available wherever you live, it's one of the most popular dried pasta manufacturers imported into the UK, along with Barilla.

[shel]

Over the years I've tried a few WW pastas, and have not been particularly enchanted by them. However, as I've learned more about pairing WW pasta with different sauces, I've learned that it can be an acceptable alternative to regular pasta in some instances. For those who have responded with comments on how bad the WW tastes, and that they'd never use it, well, because of some health issues it seems like something I want to try again, and finding a brand or style that's satisfactory is important to me. So please don't judge or condemn my choice.

That said, it's interesting to note that there is a very wide range of divergent opinions on brands, which I suppose is to be expected, so I'll just have to spend more time experimenting. As Mezzaluna said, I also put some WW orzo or small shells in my vegetable soups - that works very well for me. I also recall seeing an add for a low glycemic index regular pasta which I'd like to try, but I can't find the magazine right now, otherwise I'd post the info here.

KInd regards,

Shel

[JonK]

The Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is not a true whole wheat pasta, but a blend of whole wheat and semolina flours. That said, we've found it to be one of the better whole grain pastas available locally.

Most of the 100% whole wheat pastas we have found have been somewhat gritty or crumbly. The few that haven't had tactile problems (like the De Cecco) require either that you adjust your tastes to a new flavor (not necessarily a bad thing) or use them with truly dominating sauces, like a hearty tomato sauce. With more subtle sauces, the flavor of the pasta becomes a significant contributor.

We've also liked Barilla Plus, which is not a whole wheat pasta, but a blend of semolina, legume flours, and whole grain flours (including spelt and barley). If your main interest is to include whole grains and/or lower glycemic load, it is worthy of consideration.

Finally, I should mention the soy-based pastas that have mercifully seemed to disappear from our local grocery shelves. No matter what we did, these products produced rubbery, ill-flavored dishes that no sauce could seem to rescue.

[jamesstout]

Originally Posted by Ishbel

I've tried lots of different wholewheat pastas - and the ONLY one that is just about acceptable to my family is De Cecco - but only the spaghetti. Don't know if De Cecco is available wherever you live, it's one of the most popular dried pasta manufacturers imported into the UK, along with Barilla.

i like de cecco - where do you get barilla in the UK?
also i know its not "on topic" but try making gnocchi with sweet potato yummy and lower GI.

[Ishbel]

Originally Posted by jamesstout

i like de cecco - where do you get barilla in the UK?
also i know its not "on topic" but try making gnocchi with sweet potato yummy and lower GI.

I don't like sweet potatoes, I'm afraid!

I used to be able to get Barilla at both Sainsbury and Waitrose - but recently they have replaced it with De Cecco and Buitoni - neither or which I like as much as Barilla. I get Barilla pasta in a number of outlets - but my favourite deli sells it in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Valvona and Crolla is probably the UK's BEST Italian deli,bar none. Read and drool...


Ooops, I STILL haven't made the regulatory 15 posts to allow me to post URLs.... I'll have to see how many I've posted and then add a couple to this thread in order to give you the URL!

[Ishbel]

No message!

[Ishbel]

Here's the URL for Valvona and Crolla in Edinburgh

http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/

[shel]

The low GI pasta I mentioned in an earlier post is Dreamfields. I've not tried it and can't comment on it. However, if you're looking for a low GI pasta, you can find out more about the product here:

http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/

If you have tried it, perhaps you can post your opinion of it.

Thanks,

Shel