300394 Sun Jun 12 13:01:31 -0700 2005 20 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1669100 Usually I buy Italian pasta from TJ's, but I was in my local supermarket recently looking at pastas and was amazed to see the tremendous variety of whole wheat pastas in various shapes that are now available. I've never tried them as I love regular pasta. But I also like whole wheat breads, so I thought I would find out the views of the most knowledgable eaters on the planet. What do you folks think about whole wheat pastas? ed Sun Jun 12 13:01:31 -0700 2005 0 e.d. 1 1669104 i've had good and bad experiences with whole wheat pasta. i've tried different brands and different shapes and generally they all have a chewy, wet cardboardish texture and taste (particularly penne). the only whole wheat pasta i've had luck with was rotini shaped (i can't recall the brand name). the texture was the same as regular pasta, but the taste was a little different due to it being whole wheat. not bad, just different. if you love pasta, you won't love whole wheat pasta. you'll like it and eat it occassionally as a healthy alternative, but won't love it. Sun Jun 12 13:53:38 -0700 2005 1669100 0 rebs 2 1669105 So far I've never liked it, but Barilla has a new line called Barilla Plus that sounds promising. It's a multi grain pasta that tries to taste like regular. I might be trying some this week, if it's better than usual I'll let you know. Sun Jun 12 14:06:59 -0700 2005 1669104 0 coll 3 1669106 After reading an article by Jane Brody on the very subject (NYTimes; no longer in the free archive) I tried Bionaturae whole wheat penne. I thought they were delicious, tossed with spinach, feta and shallots. Personally, I would not want to use them with old standbys like clam sauce of bolognese. The difference from what I'm used to would be jarring, I think. But I will certainly use them again for other things. Sun Jun 12 15:57:36 -0700 2005 1669105 0 bibi rose 4 1669109 I like Bionaturae and De Cecco whole wheat pastas. As with other pasta, I tend to prefer the texture of Italian brands. You can't compare them to white durum pasta and expect to love the whole wheat; they're apples and oranges. I don't think you'd want to use them with a delicate sauce, as they're too hardy. I usually use them with chunkier sauce that are bits of this and that, like the spinach and feta bibi rose mentions above. Sun Jun 12 17:00:49 -0700 2005 1669106 0 Caitlin McGrath 5 1669126 After reading a favorable write up in the NYT for the strandy shapes of DeCecco (IIRC, saying that it was about as good as the white flour kind), I served their linguini one night with my mom's red sauce and meatballs. Have to say we were disappointed - the pasta seemed so heavy, and didn't jibe well with the flavors in the sauce. However -- two days later, eaten cold, it was fantastic! When I use up the rest of what I bought, I'm going to do some kind of cold dish with it. Sun Jun 12 23:01:25 -0700 2005 1669109 0 Helen F 4 1669117 Another thumbs up for Bionature (available at Whole Foods). Sun Jun 12 19:19:13 -0700 2005 1669106 0 Mari 3 1669112 I tried the Barilla Plus and hated it, but that is just how it struck me. Just had a regular marinara sauce and parm on it. Sun Jun 12 17:59:27 -0700 2005 1669105 0 Coyote 1 1669108 I actually like the whole wheat pasta from Bob's Red Mill. I use the spaghetti and toss it with Butter/Smart Balance (no trans fat butter) and reduced fat parmesan. You can jazz that up with garlic and spices, but I'm all for simplicity. The pasta itself is a little nuttier, but I like the flavor, and the texture is good as well. Sun Jun 12 16:21:43 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Emme 2 1669192 My mistake... it's Hodgson Mills. Tue Jun 14 19:18:16 -0700 2005 1669108 0 Emme 2 1669207 "no trans-fat butter?" Butter doesn't have trans fat to begin with. Wed Jun 15 08:57:21 -0700 2005 1669108 0 danna 3 1669224 Smart Balance is one of those companies that sell nasty, messed up, over-processed foods and use fear marketing to get people to buy them. Link: http://www.smartbalance.com/product.html Wed Jun 15 12:30:27 -0700 2005 1669207 0 me 4 1669299 ewh. good link. did you see the creamy cheddar-flavor slices? Even the government won't let them call that stuff cheese! Thu Jun 16 15:05:08 -0700 2005 1669224 0 danna 1 1669110 The NY Times article referred to below basically said to stick to long pastas and avoid shapes. The quality of long pastas has improved dramatically in the past few years (according to the writer), so much so that you would (she argued) hardly notice the difference with many sauces. But shapes remain problematic. I cannot remember the brand recommendations, other than recalling that the ever-dependable DeCecco was among those that passed muster easily. Sun Jun 12 17:22:12 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Karl S. 1 1669113 I am a carb addict and will eat anything bready or pasta-y before you can plant it on the table. I've been eating regular pasta my whole life. I switched to whole wheat (and sometimes spelt) pasta about three years ago and we eat nothing else. There are several things you should do when eating whole wheat pasta: 1) Liberally salt your water!!!!!! Palm full of kosher salt really lends itself to tender and flavorful pasta without coming out salty. 2) Boil slightly longer!!!!!! I haven't timed pasta in years - just keep tasting until it's how you want it and if you are one to rinse pasta, keep in mind it is going to firm up a little again - so you might want to boil longer. 3) Don't expect white pasta!!!!!! Yes, the texture is slightly different, just like it is from white bread to wheat bread. You don't buy wheat bread hoping it's going to taste just like white, do you? It's better if you take this for what it is, rather than thinking of it as a replacement, in my opinion. Bionaturae is my favorite brand - I use their penne and one other shape for everything from pasta dishes to mac and cheese and we love it. It seems they use a lighter wheat than the other brands (perhaps a white wheat?). They are an organic brand so you may have to look in the health/organic food section of your grocery to find it, if it isn't with the other pastas. I do not care for DeBoles but DeCecco fusilli, spaghetti and linguine are good, though I don't think they measure up to the Bionaturae. I disagree that the only 'good' whole wheat pastas are the long pastas and not the shapes. I've tried them all and their are darn good shapes out there IF you take the time to learn cooking with a new medium. There is a fantastic spelt pasta and whole wheat lasagna that I use but the brands of both escape me. I'll look at the grocery this week and report back. I think the lasagna is Hodgson Mill. I par cook it before making the lasagna - not the type you can let cook in the sauce in the oven. I make a chicken alfredo lasagna that my friends and husband go crazy over with this stuff. For me this wasn't a "Oh you have to get used to it" transition. Prepared, seasoned, and topped with excellent ingredients, I find whole wheat pastas to be more filling and heartier (in a good way). You might try a thicker/creamier sauce to start with, if you are worried about 'getting used' to the pasta. Good luck!! Sun Jun 12 18:08:03 -0700 2005 1669100 0 krissywats 1 1669141 Guess I must be a freak because I love whole wheat pasta -- love the flavor, love the texture, love it. (Also love regular durum pasta, but yes, they're different.) I don't do a lot of shapes with ww, mostly spaghetti with a chunky tomato sauce. Back when I lived with a roommate who had some instinctive opposition to anything that smelled of "good for you," I would cook half-and-half whole wheat and regular durum spaghetti and that's now my favorite way to have it. I boil the durum pasta first and follow with the whole wheat about three minutes later -- the ww just seemed to cook faster in my experience but this may vary according to brand. And for those nights when you have to eat NOW, you can throw some small broccoli florets into the water a few minutes before the pasta is finished and drain it all together before you top with sauce. And don't forget the freshly grated cheese! Mon Jun 13 12:49:43 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Kimm 1 1669144 I like Bionaturae and Whole Foods brand. There was a piece in the SF Chronicle's food section a few weeks ago that featured a blind taste test. Whole Foods won it hands down. Personally, I still prefer the Bionaturae. I'm putting a link to the article below. Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/01/FDGNVD0LTK1.DTL&hw=whole+wheat+pasta&sn=001&sc=1000 Mon Jun 13 13:25:08 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Jane Hathaway 1 1669148 e.d. I love whole wheat spaghetti, and have eaten it off and on for a lot of years. As other posters have noted, the long pasta is easier to deal with than shapes. It is chewier, densier and has a thicker "bite" to it than regular pasta. The whole wheat pasta I used to buy most frequently I got at Von's of all places (I think Von's has locations where you live). Mostly I toss it with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil, cubed fresh mozz or ricotta salata, diced fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced green onions, fresh herbs (usually whatever is on hand) to taste, S/P to taste. Mon Jun 13 15:17:15 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Gayla 1 1669152 As someone noted below, whatever you do, do not buy Barilla Plus. We tried the rotini and it was horrible, like some of those low carb pastas. I think it must have soy or some other kind of flour in it. However, I love Dreamfields. It tastes exactly like good quality regular spaghetti to me, and supposedly has fewer carbs and more fiber and protein. Link: http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/email_support/ppc_diet.htm Mon Jun 13 16:43:47 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Chowpatty 1 1669156 To me, it is only a vehicle for the sauce and has the same relationship to spagetti as spaghetti squash. Maybe a little exaggerated but it still needs the qualifier "almost as good as....." If it weren't for putative health benefits I doubt it would be that popular. Whole wheat pasta requires careful label reading as many whole wheat pastas are blends and are not 100% whole wheat. This is important if you are eating it as a healthier alternative. Mon Jun 13 20:37:59 -0700 2005 1669100 0 Karl 1 1669165 I like Hodgson Mill whole wheat angelhair. Haven't tried the other shapes, but it's much lighter tasting than others I've tried and high fiber too. Tue Jun 14 01:52:03 -0700 2005 1669100 0 MichelleY