One essential rule for any type of pasta is that you should cook it until it’s al dente, or “to the tooth” in Italian. Dried pasta is usually made with durum wheat flour, which gives it its distinct flavor and chewy texture, while homemade pasta is typically made with double zero or all-purpose flour, which yields for a softer texture and quicker cook time. Pasta can be divided into two categories: dry (commercial) pasta or homemade pasta. How do you know which one will work best for your favorite sauce, or which ones you can substitute when you don’t have the right one for a recipe? Long noodles or tubes? Corkscrews or Farfalle? The pasta aisle is packed with so many options, and believe it or not, the shape really does matter sometimes: Certain pasta shapes are better for certain types of sauce. There are countless pasta shapes-more than 600 actually!-and picking the right one can be confusing.
