Well to me, absolutely. I am a self-confessed pasta snob. I have tried just about every brand available to me, and I'm afraid that in this case the old-adage is definitely true; you pay for what you get. I have tried every own-label brand available from the supermarkets that I use, from budget to top of the range, as well as many, many other brands. I've found most of it to be sub-standard. The majority of the cheaper brands have an almost gummy consistency - which is pretty awful - because it's impossible to cook it to the al-dente consistency that I like. It tends to go from undercooked to overcooked in an instant!
My two favourites are Rustichella d'Abruzzo and De Cecco. I used to run a small business, importing foods from Italy and France for sale at my local market and through parties, and that's how I found out about Rustichella d'abruzzo. In my opinion it is the king of pastas, but it's too expensive for every day use, as it's around £2.50 for a 500g bag. I would use this for a dinner party. It is delicious and has a rough consistency which enables the sauce to stick to the pasta. It's handmade in Italy from stone-ground organic durum wheat and spring water.
For general use my preference is De Ceccio, which is readily available from my local supermarket for £1.50 for 500g. I also use Napolina which is pretty good and the cheapest of my three preferred brands at £1.00 for 500g.
My two favourites are Rustichella d'Abruzzo and De Cecco. I used to run a small business, importing foods from Italy and France for sale at my local market and through parties, and that's how I found out about Rustichella d'abruzzo. In my opinion it is the king of pastas, but it's too expensive for every day use, as it's around £2.50 for a 500g bag. I would use this for a dinner party. It is delicious and has a rough consistency which enables the sauce to stick to the pasta. It's handmade in Italy from stone-ground organic durum wheat and spring water.
For general use my preference is De Ceccio, which is readily available from my local supermarket for £1.50 for 500g. I also use Napolina which is pretty good and the cheapest of my three preferred brands at £1.00 for 500g.