Four professional chefs have named the one particular store-bought pasta brand they believe stands out from the rest when it comes to creating restaurant-quality Italian meals at home. Whether you prefer tucking into a comforting bowl of spaghetti Bolognese or a creamy chicken Alfredo, the experts agree that De Cecco pasta delivers the perfect base.
Made in Italy from 100% durum wheat semolina and bronze-cut for a slightly rough surface, the chefs say De Cecco’s pasta has a texture that helps sauces cling beautifully. The brand’s slow-drying process also enhances its rich, wheaty flavour and firm, “al dente” bite – qualities that the professionals say make all the difference in a finished dish.
Chef Anish Alfred praised De Cecco’s spaghetti for its reliability, calling it “consistent” and saying it “cooks right every time”.
According to Alfred, the texture offers “restaurant-quality results” without the need to roll dough at home.
“They use bronze dies, which give the pasta a slightly rough surface,” he said, according to Eating Well.
“That’s what helps the sauce stick so well – something I’ve noticed isn’t always the case with cheaper supermarket brands.”
Chef Toni Elkhouri echoed that sentiment, describing De Cecco as the best choice for achieving that “true al dente texture”.
She credits the brand’s high-quality semolina, which he describes as “nutty and rich”, and says it maintains its integrity even when reheated.
“I also appreciate that De Cecco slow-dries its pasta at low temperatures,” she added. “That method preserves the wheat flavour and gives it that golden hue and firm bite that really set it apart.”
For anyone buying pasta in-store, the chef recommends checking for labels that say “bronze-cut, slow-dried” or “low-temperature drying”, as these are indicators of a higher-quality product.
James Callery, head chef at the UK’s Sanford Springs Hotel and Golf Club, also advises shoppers to look for pasta with a slightly textured surface rather than one that appears smooth or shiny.
“The best type to buy is bronze-cut and made from 100% durum wheat semolina,” he said, noting that some cheaper brands can have a less appealing taste.
Registered dietitian and chef Laura Pensiero added that De Cecco or similar pasta brands work particularly well with simple sauces like tomato-basil.
Stressing the importance of pairing different shapes of pasta with the right sauces, she advises using penne for hearty ragu-based dishes and orecchiette for those that include greens or beans.
Meanwhile, chef Mike Reid shared his go-to ingredients for elevating any dish such as pasta: “It has to be onion, garlic, or chili,” he said. “Those are the three I couldn’t cook without. Onion especially – it’s the base of so much flavour.”
The restaurateur also highlighted beef shin as one of his current favourite ingredients, calling it “great for any braised, slow-cooked [dishes]. [It’s] beautiful for pies. I’m using it in pies at Chop House [his restaurant], but yeah I love it for pasta mixes and stews and all that sort of thing.”