Whole-wheat spaghetti may be better for you, but will it go over well at home? Maybe with sauce. . .
\nBy Debra Samuels Globe Correspondent \/ February 9, 2011<\/p>\n
Whole-wheat bread entered the mainstream long ago. Now brown rice has displaced white in many bowls, and whole-wheat pasta has become nightly fare in many households \u2014 even in Italy. We cooked up five brands of whole-wheat spaghetti and drizzled them with olive oil and salt to see what this increasingly popular product tastes like.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of enticing nutrition-related words on packages, such as \u201cheart healthy\u2019\u2019 and \u201cexcellent source of fiber.\u2019\u2019 All brands feature a short ingredient list, with durum whole-wheat flour in the lead. Once cooked, the light brownish-gray strands were consistently judged \u201cnot appetizing.\u2019\u2019 \u201cLooks and tastes like shoelaces,\u2019\u2019 announced one participant. Two tasters, both raised in Japan, thought some noodles looked like soba (made from buckwheat), but soba, they said, tastes better.
\nFinishing first and second were 365 Whole Wheat Spaghetti and DeLallo Spaghetti Whole Wheat Pasta, both organic Italian imports. Each has an artisanal look, even dried, with thick strands flecked with brown and white. Other brands were completely indistinguishable from one another and resembled brittle tan pickup sticks. The one voted least favorite was Barilla, which bills itself as \u201cItaly\u2019s No. 1 Brand of Pasta.\u2019\u2019 What we tasted is produced here for the US market and was not No. 1 with anyone at our table.
\nOne person in the group, a reluctant whole-wheat convert, is getting a stony reception when she offers it for nightly suppers. \u201cI have tried serving whole-wheat pasta to my family,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cThey aren\u2019t going for it.\u2019\u2019 Leftover strands are far from appealing. When I gathered some from each of the five bowls, they ended up looking like a thick skein of slick brown wool. I stir-fried them in a wok with delicious results.<\/p>\n
(WINNER) 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods Market) Whole Wheat Spaghetti
\n$1.29 for 16 ounces
\nThe least expensive of the lot and the favorite. The pasta is imported from Italy. \u201cHas a dark brown color. Nice thickness. The grain flavor comes out,\u2019\u2019 \u201cmunchy,\u2019\u2019 \u201cpreferable size; hearty taste.\u2019\u2019 Two who chose this as their least favorite cited the size: \u201cThis was one of the thickest pastas, with a chewier texture \u2014 almost distractingly so.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti
\n$1.49 for 13.25 ounces
\nThis brand had nothing to distinguish it. \u201cBlah. No distinct taste, it needs sauce to make it pop at all.\u2019\u2019 \u201cPlain, similar to white pasta in taste.\u2019\u2019 \u201cThe taste is so bland and they are too thin.\u2019\u2019 Others commented on the hue and width: \u201cYellowy in color and seems a bit thin.\u2019\u2019 \u201cThe noodle broke up quickly in the mouth, no chance to chew.\u2019\u2019 One person saw this as a positive: \u201cThis pasta has a delicate texture and a tinier size with an unidentifiable vegetable flavor.\u2019\u2019 Some found the flavor to be \u201cnutty.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
DeLallo Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti
\n$2.29 for 16 ounces
\nThe package says \u201cmade with bronze plates,\u2019\u2019 which means the raw dough is extruded through a bronze form. This would explain the artisanal look many commented on. \u201cThis spaghetti has the thickest texture,\u2019\u2019 \u201cthick, light color, and grainy look,\u2019\u2019 \u201cprobably made with the coarsest grain,\u2019\u2019 \u201cuncooked it looks less processed.\u2019\u2019 Most found the taste to be \u201cnutty\u2019\u2019 and \u201chearty and heavier than other brands \u2014 complements sauce.\u2019\u2019 One said that it was \u201ctoo big for spaghetti but had good taste.\u2019\u2019 The color was called \u201cpale\u2019\u2019 and \u201cnot so attractive.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain Spaghetti
\n$2 for 13.25 ounces
\n\u201cSomewhat brown dull color, no smell, and pasty taste,\u2019\u2019 said one. Others: \u201cBland with slight aftertaste \u2014 not unpleasant,\u2019\u2019 \u201cTasteless soft texture,\u2019\u2019 \u201cit really tastes the same as Ronzoni\u2019\u2019 (this taster nailed the manufacturer). \u201cThis spaghetti so far has the most neutral flavor, so it might be the most receptive to absorbing other flavors.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Stop & Shop Nature\u2019s Promise Whole Wheat Spaghetti
\n$1.50 for 13.25 ounces
\nTwo Japanese tasters thought this was soba-like. \u201cIt has a strong flavor, but not much elasticity. Looks healthy \u2014 taste is similar to buckwheat noodles.\u2019\u2019 Others remarked on its taste. \u201cVery flavorful.\u2019\u2019 \u201cTastes wheaty and dry.\u2019\u2019 \u201cHas a pale tan color and a faintly floury aftertaste.\u2019\u2019 On texture: \u201cThe color is not appealing but the texture is good and it feels nutritious.\u2019\u2019 \u201cThis is very al dente and substantial. Slight whole-wheat taste. Would look more appetizing with sauce.\u2019\u2019what brown dull color, no smell, and pasty taste,\u2019\u2019 said one. Others: \u201cBland with slight aftertaste \u2014 not unpleasant,\u2019\u2019 \u201cTasteless soft texture,\u2019\u2019 \u201cit really tastes the same as Ronzoni\u2019\u2019 (this taster nailed the manufacturer). \u201cThis spaghetti so far has the most neutral flavor, so it might be the most receptive to absorbing other flavors.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Stop & Shop Nature\u2019s Promise Whole Wheat Spaghetti
\n$1.50 for 13.25 ounces
\nTwo Japanese tasters thought this was soba-like. \u201cIt has a strong
\nflavor, but not much elasticity. Looks healthy \u2014 taste is similar to buckwheat noodles.\u2019\u2019 Others remarked on its taste. \u201cVery flavorful.\u2019\u2019 \u201cTastes wheaty and dry.\u2019\u2019 \u201cHas a pale tan color and a faintly floury aftertaste.\u2019\u2019 On texture: \u201cThe color is not appealing but the texture is good and it feels nutritious.\u2019\u2019 \u201cThis is very al dente and substantial. Slight whole-wheat taste. Would look more appetizing with sauce.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whole-wheat spaghetti may be better for you, but will it go over well at home? Maybe with sauce. By Debra Samuels Globe Correspondent \/ February 9, 2011
\nWhole-wheat bread entered the mainstream long ago. Now brown rice has displaced white in many bowls, and whole-wheat pasta has become nightly fare in many households \u2014 even in Italy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,97,83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-italian","category-rice-noodles-pasta","category-taste-kitchen-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1761"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1787,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions\/1787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}