# Penne : Reigate or Lisce **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376 "2019-02-12T01:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/1 "2019-02-12T01:18:02Z")
What’s the difference? Standing in Safeway, going “hmmm” ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/2 "2019-02-12T01:29:40Z")
At first I thought that I knew one word from that subject: _or_. Then I realized I’ve probably heard the first one. On googling, I saw that I was familiar with the product if not the name. [From the wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penne): > [@](#): > > In Italy, _penne_ are produced in two main variants — “_penne lisce_” (smooth) and “_penne rigate_” (furrowed) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/3 "2019-02-12T01:32:08Z")
I vote to get furrowed. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/4 "2019-02-12T01:33:29Z")
Thick sauce = smooth. Thin sauce = furrowed. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/5 "2019-02-12T03:57:56Z")
I’m with Ethilrist. The ridges of rigate hold sauce better so it’s great with a thin sauce. A thick sauce doesn’t need the ridges. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/6 "2019-02-12T04:25:32Z")
And _NO OIL_ in the water. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/7 "2019-02-12T06:21:17Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > A thick sauce doesn’t need the ridges. Sure, but they’re still more pleasant on the tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/8 "2019-02-12T14:32:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Sure, but they’re still more pleasant on the tongue. Ridged, for your pleasure… ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/9 "2019-02-12T14:36:41Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > And _NO OIL_ in the water. Or on the pasta (unless the oil is your sauce). It’s a bad idea and it’s still super common for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/10 "2019-02-12T15:06:27Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Or on the pasta (unless the oil is your sauce). It’s a bad idea and it’s still super common for some reason. People think it makes the pasta not stick together. They’re correct, sort of, however it also makes the sauce not stick to the pasta, so, not a good thing (unless you were planning on using the pasta with oil, of course). Besides, stirring the pot for 30-60 seconds immediately after adding the pasta is all you need to keep it from sticking together. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/11 "2019-02-12T15:56:24Z")
The oil is to prevent boil overs. I don’t use it, but that’s what it’s for. Otherwise, for me, penne is ridged, and mostaciolli is the unridged version. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/12 "2019-02-13T12:02:56Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > At first I thought that I knew one word from that subject: _or_. Me, I was wondering when [Surrey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reigate) became a huge pasta centre. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/13 "2019-02-13T12:25:40Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Or on the pasta (unless the oil is your sauce). It’s a bad idea and it’s still super common for some reason. It’s a trick to keep cooked, drained pasta from sticking while waiting for sauce that’s not ready yet. Sadly, many people use it by the gallon when it should be by the half-teaspoon, or use it when it’s completely unnecessary (such as those people mentioned otherwise in the thread who add it while cooking). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penne-reigate-or-lisce/829376/14 "2019-02-15T13:44:56Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It’s a trick to keep cooked, drained pasta from sticking while waiting for sauce that’s not ready yet. Sadly, many people use it by the gallon when it should be by the half-teaspoon, or use it when it’s completely unnecessary (such as those people mentioned otherwise in the thread who add it while cooking). One could just use the sauce itself, even if not completely finished. Or, if using a stock pot with a pasta insert, one could just plunge the pasta back into the hot water for 5 seconds. Both of these assume one is not cooking the pasta hours in advance and that the timing is simply a little off. ETA: Generally I prefer _rigate_, but that’s probably because I don’t use penne in many thin sauces.