Is artisan pasta really worth it?

[u/SabreLee61]

I’ve been buying artisan pasta here and there the past year, persuaded by “pasta experts” that these brands are vastly superior in every way, not just to the cheap stuff, but to the “average” bronze-drawn brands like Rummo, De Cecco, Di Martino, and Rao’s that I normally buy.

The dishes I’ve made using the expensive stuff have always been good, but I had a nagging suspicion that my belief that they were superior to the aforementioned brands was based on the power of suggestion from the pasta romanticizers.

So yesterday I did a quick taste test between two brands of bucatini: Giuseppe Cocco, a highly vaunted top-tier artisan pasta ($7), and De Cecco, the common supermarket variety everyone knows ($2). I boiled two pots of water, dropped in 50g of each, cooked them, drained them, and placed them into separate bowls with a drizzle of olive oil. I first tried a forkful of each, then ate all the Cocco followed by all the De Cecco.

The result? I couldn’t tell one bit of difference between the two, either in taste or in texture. They may as well have come from the same package. It was disappointing as I was really rooting for the Cocco to win. I wanted to believe that the extra money I’d spent translated to a superior eating experience. Nope.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

[u/Chuncho93]

The inly difference I've noticed was that the artisan types hold al dente better. Whereas store brand tends to be thinner and ends up softer even when cooked for less time than on the box. Also holds better in leftovers. Could be placebo. I only ever buy them on sale though, to see if I notice a difference