Last year I made the switch to whole grains. I inched my husband into it, first with bread, then pasta. I’m currently working on brown rice. (That’s a toughie, because this Cuban loves his white rice.) My son didn’t seem to notice a change with the pasta, but my husband and I did. Sometimes whole wheat pasta tasted very good, even better than the traditional. Other times it was grainy, gluey and gross. I decided to investigate this inconsistency, so one day I loaded my shopping cart with every brand of whole wheat spaghetti available at my supermarket (and Walmart’s store brand) and headed home for a good old-fashioned taste test.
The Method
I boiled water in a few large pots. When the water came to a boil, I added about a tablespoon of salt to each. I took 10 strands of spaghetti from each package and labeled them 1-8, so I wouldn’t be biased. I then cooked them according to the manufacturer’s directions. Many had a range of several minutes. In that case I took a strand or two out at each minute. I also left a few stands in for one or two minutes longer than suggested, because some TV chef’s advised that whole wheat pasta needs extra cooking time. I recorded my preferences and marked which time garnered the best taste and texture. I had a run off with my top three brands to determine their ranking.
The Contenders
| Brand
|
Calories
|
Fat
|
Fiber
|
Protein
|
Price
|
| Rozoni Healthy Heart Spaghetti
|
180
|
20g
|
5g
|
8g
|
$1.79
|
| Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti
|
200
|
15g
|
6g
|
7g
|
$1.29
|
| Great Value Whole Wheat Spaghetti
|
210
|
15g
|
5g
|
7g
|
$1.39
|
| DaVinci 100%Whole Wheat Spaghetti
|
170
|
10g
|
5g
|
7g
|
$2.59
|
| Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Spaghetti
|
210
|
15g
|
6g
|
9g
|
$2.79
|
| Vita Spelt Organic Spelt Spaghetti
|
190
|
15g
|
5g
|
8g
|
$3.29
|
| Gia Russa 100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti
|
200
|
10g
|
5g
|
8g
|
$2.73
|
| Alma’s Whole Wheat Spaghetti
|
200
|
10g
|
5g
|
8g
|
$1.39
|
The Results
- And the winner is: ALMA’S WHOLE WHEAT PASTA! This was by far the tastiest spaghetti. When I checked the price, I was so happy. It’s a bargain. Nutritionally, it’s par for the course. Cooked for 8-9 minutes was the best.
- Second place for taste goes to Gia Russa, but the cost is so much greater, I would never buy it. However, if you do, cook it for 10 minutes.
- Third place goes to Rozoni Health Harvest. This spaghetti was most delicious when cooked for 11 minutes.
As for the losers, a big YUCK goes to Barilla and DaVinci. Barilla was gluey-bland and DaVinci was too grainy.
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