The Ultimate Guide To Bronze-Cut Pasta

Pasta is a quintessential dish when you're looking to whip up an easy and satisfying meal. Of course, a lot of factors distinguish a good plate of pasta from one that doesn't hit the spot. From the quality of the pasta and accompanying ingredients to the cooking method, this seemingly simple dish can be hit or miss. Starting with the manufacturing process, several things can determine how your pasta will turn out, like the type of flour, the dies (pasta molds), and the drying process.

If you're looking to up your carb game, pasta cut in al bronzo dies is a surefire way to do so. This alternative doesn't stray too far away from standard run-of-the-mill pasta, so you don't have to get used to something entirely new. However, the subtle variations result in a distinct taste, texture, and capacity to hold sauce. If you're always dealing with slippery sauces that fail to stick, using bronze-cut pasta is a quick fix. Here's everything you need to know about it.

Al bronzo pasta simply means pasta that has been cut with a bronze die. While this was once the standard, over time, quicker and cheaper methods took over, leaving bronze-cut pasta to be more of a rarity. The material of the pasta dies has a noticeable effect on the texture and appearance of the final product. In the case of bronze, as a naturally porous metal, it gives the surface of the pasta a slightly rough and rustic texture. As this more traditional type of pasta production is now employed by higher-end brands, you can usually guarantee it's made from durum wheat semolina flour, which lends a richer taste to the finished dish.

The rougher texture increases the pasta's capacity to absorb ingredients, providing a better grip for sauce and ultimately making the overall pasta dish more cohesive and flavorful. Additionally, more starch is released into the water as the pasta cooks, also creating a stickier surface for the sauce and pasta to meld. Aside from providing an improved consistency to sauce it up, al bronzo pasta has an overall better bite to it, thanks to the coarse exterior and firmer interior.

Cooking pasta is a pretty basic skill if you break it down to just boiling water, but making the pasta itself is more of an elaborate process. Per its name, al bronzo pasta is made by putting semolina dough into an extruder and pushing it through a bronze die. The die consists of a metal plate with holes depending on the pasta shape and type. This method allows several pieces of pasta to be made simultaneously using the same die.

The characteristics of the bronze metal produce a coarse texture on the exterior of the pasta, giving it the distinctive qualities that make al bronzo pasta so desirable. Your everyday supermarket pasta is also cut with dies, however, they are made with smooth Teflon, which gives an entirely different texture. Once the pasta is cut to size, it needs to be dried. Here too, bronze-cut pasta takes a more traditional approach by allowing for a longer, more natural drying time.

As with many of the finer things in life, time yields the best results. When it comes to drying pasta, manufacturers can use high heat to speed up the process, producing more in less time. On the flip side, artisanal production (as is the case with most bronze-cut pasta) typically calls for drying at lower temperatures over an extended period of time, often for more than a day. A slower drying time and careful monitoring of humidity and moisture levels help preserve the pasta's structural integrity.

This all contributes to the pasta retaining subtleties of flavor and texture, as well as nutritional characteristics of the wheat protein. Some people find it easier to digest slow-dried artisanal pasta due to its gentler processing. If you're all about cooking your pasta to the perfect al dente consistency, it will be even more noticeable. Another bonus when it comes to the sturdiness of slow-dried bronze die pasta is you're less likely to find a portion of the contents of the package have shattered in transit, as might occur with more brittle flash-dried alternatives.

When cutting pasta, using dies made of Teflon or bronze makes a big difference. One is a glossy non-stick surface while the other is coarser and creates a rough texture on the exterior of the pasta. This is the main distinction that causes al bronzo pasta to grip onto sauces far more successfully than its counterpart. Thanks to the surface texture and higher starchiness, sauces can stick to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of your plate as they slip off a smooth surface. There's nothing more disappointing than making a delicious sauce only for it to fail to adhere.

Aside from the textural variations, the different drying speeds cause Teflon die pasta to take on more of a deep yellow hue, while al bronzo remains paler. This happens because the former is dried at high heat, essentially cooking and caramelizing the starches. This doesn't just affect the taste of the pasta; the nutritional value is generally compromised too. A slower drying time and lower heat help preserve the characteristics of the wheat, which is the reason why it's more nutritious and easier to digest than the alternative.

For the most part, the process of cooking bronze-cut pasta is pretty much the same as your standard run-of-the-mill boxed grocery-store pasta. You simply add the pasta to salted boiling water, cook it for the recommended time, and then drain it. However, since there's more starch present in bronze-cut pasta, due to the slower drying process and rougher texture, the water will quickly become starchier than what you may be used to.

To ensure it cooks well, be certain to use sufficient water, as the coarse texture makes this pasta very absorbent — around 5 quarts of water per pound of pasta is recommended. If you're planning to combine the pasta with the sauce before serving, drain it a few minutes early so it can finish cooking in the sauce. Once you drain off the water (don't even think about rinsing the pasta), you'll want to save some of the starchy liquid to toss into the pan with the pasta and sauce to help everything come together smoothly.

Considering that one of the signature characteristics of al bronzo pasta is its ability to absorb sauce, you'll want to highlight this quality when serving it. Of course, you can showcase its toothsome nature with a simple aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil) seasoning, but you can also take advantage of the grippiness of the pasta to feature a thicker sauce.

A classic cacio e pepe is a simple combination that yields exceptional results when done well, with four ingredients at its core: Pasta, starchy pasta water, pecorino Romano cheese, and black peppercorns. Bronze-cut pasta excels in this recipe because the starchy water helps create the optimal consistency with the cheese, resulting in a rich sauce that coats every strand. Similarly, a simple spaghetti carbonara recipe is even better when made with al bronzo pasta, as it grips the basic cheese and egg mixture very easily.

Tomato-based sauces are equally great candidates. Try making a traditional bucatini all'Amatriciana, a hearty dish with a sauce made from tomato, guanciale (salt-cured pork), and chili peppers. You'll hardly have to worry about flecks of tomato sauce splashing onto your clothes as you dig in.

Once upon a time, bronze-cut pasta was the standard, but with industrialization and shortcuts along the way, Teflon dies became far more common. Thankfully, along with artisanal producers, larger brands are starting to include lines of al bronzo pasta in their collections to appeal to more discerning customers. Barilla is a prime example; the company's annual sales have reached almost $5 billion in recent years (which, granted, includes sales of sauces too), and it released an al bronzo collection of popular types of pasta like spaghetti, fusilli, and linguine at the end of 2022.

Meanwhile, Rustichella d'Abruzzo became popular in the U.S. after being used in Dean & DeLuca's pasta dishes in NYC in the '80s. It continues to be a premium source of bronze-cut pasta, selling a range of shapes like penne, rigatoni, and bucatini, to name a few. If you're after variety, La Molisana, Pasta Rummo, and De Cecco all offer around 50 different varieties of top-quality bronze-cut pasta to pair with your sauce of choice. You'll find peak artisanal quality from Pasta Tirrena, a Tuscan producer that prioritizes ancient grains and an extra-slow drying process.

Most brands will indicate that their pasta is made with a bronze die, though you won't often see the alternatives labeled as being made with Teflon dies. Once you see a few examples, though, it's quite evident which is which, based on visual appearance alone.

As with most products that require extra care, attention, and time, bronze-cut pasta is more expensive than standard grocery store alternatives. For starters, the bronze dies are more expensive than Teflon from the get-go, making it pricier for manufacturers to purchase and maintain the equipment used to make the pasta. The process of passing dough through a bronze die is also slower than using a smooth Teflon version. This adds time to the production and limits the quantities that can be made, which in turn boosts the price.

Once the pasta is cut, because the drying step is another place where al bronzo manufacturers take it slow, this again reduces the amount of pasta produced in a given time. Finally, since producers making bronze-cut pasta clearly care about optimal results, the grains used to make the flour for the dough are usually higher in quality. Ancient grains, organic, and non-GMO durum wheat flours all contribute to a more expensive product. Once you experience a plate of saucy bronze-cut pasta, though, you'll realize it really is worth it.