Is there a chart, or graph explaining which goes with which?
What are the best sauces to go with Angel Hair vs. Rotini vs. Lasagna?
Something like this? Not really a chart though.
And I’ve heard of some people putting oil in with the pasta water. Don’t do that! It makes the pasta slippery and the sauce doesn’t coat it right. It should be water and salt.
Here is a chart.
Elitist claptrap. Use whatever sauce you like on whatever pasta you like. I cite my Italian great-grandmothers, great-grandfather, grandmother, grandfather, aunts, great-aunts, uncles and cousins.
Oh, and everyone one of us uses a small amount (less than a teaspoon, usually) of oil in our water to keep it from boiling over.
My very Italian family never used oil in the water. I’ve never tried it - have had the occasional starchy bubble boil over but it’s easily averted if you are paying attention. I can understand why it would work, though.
The lists that were shared are interesting - the pairings make sense, but I think the very general rule can be stated differently - if you want your sauce (whatever it is) to stick, use something with texture and surface area. Rotini, for example, is perfect for a sticky, tomatoey sauce. Ziti is not, which is why it’s most often served as a casserole with baked cheese. I’ve always had linguine in a bowl for the same reason - too smooth a surface for anything to coat, but great with a pile of anything (especially chopped clams) on top of it.
I agree with where spaghetti lands on the “perfect pairings” list (light cream and seafood dishes). Despite the enduring success of spaghetti and meatballs, I’d rather have rigatoni or fusilli with a tomato sauce.
Bo is right…sorta. Pair pastas and sauces to suit your whim. There are pairings that seem to go better than others, but wing it to your satisfaction. But oil into the boiling water doesn’t work and just wastes oil. Just because your antecedents did it that way for generations doesn’t make it effective or right. Otherwise we’d still be living in caves and voting for FDR.