What Makes a Pasta “Artisan?”

As high-quality, artisan foods are growing in popularity, people often wonder what it really means to be an artisan, and why it makes a difference to the food that they are eating. Artisan dried pasta is full of flavor and made only from the best ingredients, making for a better-tasting meal.

Defining “Artisan”

An artisan is a worker who is skilled in a particular trade, generally one that involves making something by hand. This term can also be applied to the product itself, if that product has been made in a semi-mechanized way, using only high-quality ingredients. Often these two go together, as the artisan is making something by hand, that is of high-quality, which then creates an artisan product.

This style of production has grown in popularity over the last several years, especially in the food industry. Restaurants, grocery stores and chefs alike are creating more artisan products to meet the demands of their customers. Often, people are willing to pay more money for a meal handcrafted with high quality ingredients, as opposed to the alternative.

The Artisan and Pasta

While boxed pasta is notoriously cheap, the flavor and consistency cannot be matched to that of hand-made, artisan dried pasta. For the daring home chef, the process of making pasta from scratch can be time-consuming, especially if the proper ingredients and tools are not being used. But for the artisan, creating pasta is an art form.

By combining high-quality ingredients and a skilled craftsman, fresh pasta is made through a time-tested process. After mixing the dough, the pasta is then extruded, which creates the shape. Extrusion is when the dough is pushed through a form and then cut, to create the proper length and shape of whatever type of pasta the artisan is making. Not all artisans use this process, however, as some use a method that is more similar to that of a hand-cranking machine. Once the pasta has been extruded, it is set to dry. Most artisans simply hang the pasta, so that it can dry naturally. The pasta can be cooked and consumed after it has finished drying.

Cooking with Artisan Dried Pasta

Many chefs prefer to cook with artisan dried pasta, as the process of cooking it is no different than that of boxed pasta, but the flavor and consistency are far more superior, resulting in a tastier meal. Ordinary boxed pasta can tend to be very starchy, thus creating a thick and sticky dish. But when cooking with pasta made by an artisan, the cook will find that the starch is left in the pasta rather then in the water.

Artisan dried pasta can be lighter and fluffier than boxed pasta, which can better complement the sauce that may be added to the dish, as everything will not be bogged down by heavy, dense pasta. Many agree that pasta made by an artisan goes best with lighter sauces, as the creaminess of the sauce is best suited by the coarse nature of the pasta.

In you are interested in trying artisan dried pasta for yourself, please visit our website to view our offerings.