Collezione, 8 artisanal, semolina-flour, bronze-cut pasta shapes with a golden color and coarser surface (my personal favorite). As of 2013, after a series of acquisitions and pasta factory openings, De Cecco officially became the third-largest pasta producer in the world.

Use it for: Spaghettoni is a long pasta strand that stands up remarkably well to meat-based sauces, be it a hearty bolognese or ragù. Vermicelli, No. 8 The numbers on pasta boxes are unique identifiers assigned by the manufacturer to help distinguish each shape. There’s no common numbering system between brands; each brand tends to have a system of its own. If you’re making pasta with an oil-based or tomato-based sauce, you can continue cooking the strands with the sauce for another 60 to 90 seconds so the flavors meld together. If you’re making a pasta dish with a dairy-based sauce, be it cheese or cream, combine the pasta with the sauce away from the heat to prevent curdling. Durum Wheat Pasta is De Cecco’s staple Italian pasta that comes in a variety of 111 classic and 23 specialty shapes made of semolina flour.

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Barilla also makes Collezione Bucatini, made from semolina flour and extruded through traditional bronze dies, and Al Bronzo Bucatini, also made from semolina and bronze-cut, but with “micro-engraved” dies that give the bucatini a rougher texture. Use it for: Spaghettini is best for simpler, more traditional oil-based pasta dishes like Aglio e Olio (pasta with garlic and olive oil), or Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (pasta with garlic, olive oil, and chili-pepper flakes). Spaghetti, No. 5: An Italian Staple Use it for: Linguine goes with pesto sauces, as well as seafood pasta dishes like Linguine alle Vongolle (linguine with clams). Barilla Pasta Ranges In 1910, Pietro Barilla Sr. passed away. His two sons, Gualtiero and Riccardo Barilla, took over the family business. They built a pasta factory in the outskirts of town that employed 80 workers and produced 80 tons of pasta per day.

BARILLA SINCE 1877: An Italian, family-run company that is the leader in pasta and ready-made sauces in continental Europe. Discover our range of pasta and sauces

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De Cecco offers a truly impressive range of 255 pasta shapes in 7 pasta brands. From their staple bronze-cut, 100% semolina noodles to egg, wholegrain, and organic pasta, De Cecco’s products are guaranteed to please even the most selective pasta eater. GREAT SOURCE OF ENERGY: Barilla pasta will help keep you fuller for longer and is a great source of energy and fibre Some brands’ numbering systems have meaning—they reveal something about the pasta shape that they’ve been assigned to—and others, not. In the case of Barilla, it’s the former. The truth is that both Barilla and De Cecco are family-run Italian companies that make fantastic pasta. And you won’t make a mistake no matter which one you end up choosing for your home cooking. Who Is Barilla Owned By? Today, Barilla is chaired by Guido Barilla, fourth-generation heir to the Barilla family business. Who Owns De Cecco?