Cook's Illustrated Unframed Print: Dried Pasta

Over the past 20 years, renowned illustrator John Burgoyne has produced more than 150 intricate, hand-drawn illustrations for Cook’s Illustrated magazine. Now, for the first time ever, America’s Test Kitchen is proud to partner with Mr. Burgoyne and offer a select number of fine art prints featuring this iconic artwork.

Dried pasta is nothing more than water and durum wheat flour, called semolina in Italy. When made commercially, the high-protein flour and water are kneaded in huge mixers to create a strong, elastic dough. The dough is then extruded through brass forms into on of a bewildering number of shapes. When cooking dried pasta, one general rule applies: A balanced serving of pasta and sauce should be provided in each bite. This requires a perfect marriage between the consistency of the sauce and the shape of the pasta. Long strands are nicely coated by smooth creamy sauces that cling, such as Alfredo and carbonara. Short, tubular pasta such as cavatappi, gigli, mostaccioli, rotelle, and the bow-tie-like farfalle trap small bits of vegetables and meat. Larger tubular pasta such as pennoni, gomitoni, and castellane are best tossed with large chunks of meat or vegetables, while dimunitive radiatore, Gemelli, and orecchiette work best with smooth sauces or finely diced ingredients.