# Poll: Favorite Pasta shape **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062 "2006-11-04T04:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malienation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Malienation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malienation)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/1 "2006-11-04T04:12:53Z")
By that I mean shape, not dish; for instance, don’t say lasagna because you like the dish lasagna. I mean shape, divorced from the rest of the dish. My favorites: fiori (flowers), rotelle (wagon wheels, although similar to fiori, believe it or not), and fusilli (spirals, aka rotini). Favorite “strand” pasta: vermicelli and capellini (don’t care for angel hair…it’s _always_ overcooked :smack: ). For the record, I don’t care for “tube” pasta, like penne. ☹ Not sure what to call your favorite? Well, [hey…](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pasta) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/2 "2006-11-04T04:17:28Z")
I don’t like tube pasta much either. My wife’s company imports some gorgeous gourmet pasta. One of them is this really thick, long, strip pasta that has is divided into two black and white stripes. We had a Halloween party last weekend and made it with pesto. It was appropriate, beautiful, and good. Other than that, I prefer the spaghetti type pastas for their versatility. I match the thickness to the dish. They should all be cooked al dente. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/3 "2006-11-04T04:21:58Z")
I like the small shells for meat sauces. They are great for getting plenty o’ meat with your pasta. I also like fusilli. It’s fun to say! ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/4 "2006-11-04T04:34:21Z")
Penne, preferably with red sauce and cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/5 "2006-11-04T04:35:57Z")
The pasta that I use most often is penne rigate, but as long as the noodles are good quality, I don’t have an particular fetish. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/6 "2006-11-04T04:44:45Z")
I really dislike penne for some reason. Otherwise give me fusilli, spaghetti and elbow. The classics all the way. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/7 "2006-11-04T04:59:47Z")
Orzo and angelhair. Penne is also good, but my favorites are probably orzo and angelhair. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/8 "2006-11-04T05:39:47Z")
Rotini or other screwy noodles are great for medium sauces. I love orecchiette too with my vadka sauce or my cream sauce with chicken or seafood. Stellette, Tempestina or other tiny pasta is perfect with cheddar cheese sauce and tuna; a real comfort food. I don’t care for elbow macaroni or most tube pasta. Bow ties and other pinched pasta is right out. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/9 "2006-11-04T05:52:04Z")
Elbow macaroni. Very easy to boil. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/10 "2006-11-04T07:21:57Z")
Angel hair without fail, unless the dish calls for a specific shape. The trick is to bring the water to a rolling boil and add salt, then drop the noodles in and _quick hit the timer!_ boil for exactly two minutes. Not a second more or less. Rinse under hot water, no matter what Alton Brown says. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/11 "2006-11-04T07:29:48Z")
I like rotini. It holds sauces really well. I also like to order farfalle in restaurants because it is so much fun to say “farfalle”. Never liked the long noodles, like spaghetti or fettucine, very much. I always manage to make a horrible mess with them. Much easier to look classy when you’re picking up a couple of little noodles at a time instead of a rolled forkful of something. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/12 "2006-11-04T07:36:02Z")
Rigatoni, and if it doesn’t make a ‘crunch’ sound when you chew it, it’s done. Also, the thicker spaghettis, though I love angel hair with various fish dishes. And rotini are generally great for a lot of things. Really, I just love pasta, with anything from butter and parmesan to a nice spicy marinara. In college, my comfort food was: throw in about 3/4ths a pound of rigatoni. Cook for, like, under ten minutes. Slather with butter and parmesan, eateateat. The single hardest thing in dieting for me is cutting down on pasta (particularly since most of the meats I love are generally OK or even necessary for their protein). ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/13 "2006-11-04T08:03:38Z")
I love all kinds, but especially shells. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/14 "2006-11-04T14:11:20Z")
Short: Casarecci with ragu-type sauces Farfalle with ham, peas and cream Long: Bavette with smoothish sauces Pappardelle for something with big lumps in a sauce ---
**Author:** ![AndLuna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@AndLuna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndLuna)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/15 "2006-11-04T14:39:02Z")
I have an irrational dislike for penne, although for some reason I don’t mind the other tube-shaped ones like rigatoni and macaroni. I also sorta dislike tagliatelle. Oh, and I’m not a great fan of angel-hair, but that’s just because I always manage to overcook it. I like spaghetti and shells (conchiglie, is it?) best. Fusilli are okay too. … wow, I’m pickier than I’d realised. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/16 "2006-11-04T16:01:59Z")
All of them are pretty good, but I love me some bucatini. Hollow spaghetti with ridges. It really grabs onto sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/17 "2006-11-04T16:16:11Z")
Penne, spaghetti, elbows and egg noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/18 "2006-11-04T16:36:19Z")
[Campanelle](http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/gigli3.jpg) - it’s so pretty. I prefer shapes over strands. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/19 "2006-11-04T18:10:48Z")
Angelhair then spirals. ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062/20 "2006-11-04T19:52:28Z")
I love radiatore, but it can be harder to find than others. It really grabs the sauce well. I also love campanelle and oriecchiette. I’m also not a big fan of penne, but I don’t really have a good reason for it – I guess I just like a lot of others better. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favorite-pasta-shape/379062.md?page=2)