Angel hair is underappreciated. Success with these thin strands starts with buying the right product. Testing expert Jack Bishop reviews angel hair pasta to find the very best.
Buy our winner (Barilla angel hair pasta):
Buy Ronzoni angel hair pasta:
Buy Rustichella angel hair pasta:
Read our full angel hair pasta review:
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
49 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I'm trying to find an answer to a question and you seemed to be the most logical person to ask. I live alone and I enjoy flour tortillas but can't use them quickly. How long does a package last once opened? Can they be frozen? Thanks I love America's Test Kitchen and your segment.
I'm not 100% certain what "angel hair" pasta is. Is it the same as capellini?
Hello!
I love it but I also get it because I have a chronic illness and it cooks in 4 minutes so that is easier on me when my chronic fatigue flares.
Bravissimo! 1.4mm angel hair has the perfect (4-6 minute cooking time) texture and mouth-feel for my pasta dishes. AMT rocks! ❤️
Angel hair pasta is my favorite because it’s so delicate and just melts in your mouth. It also allows the sauce to be the primary flavor maybe it just mixes better.
I LOVE angel pasta! I don't like spaghetti all that much.
More sauce to pasta ratio for me. Love the script, so funny!
I love whole wheat angel hair pasta it stays together beautifully and never gets mushy..
Barilla is such a poor quality pasta from their rapid factory drying cycle. I always look for artisanal or air dried, slow dried pastas.
Barilla is such a poor quality pasta from their rapid factory drying cycle. I always look for artisanal or air dried, slow dried pastas.
I love angel hair pasta.
I didn't know that Angel Hair was unpopular. It's my favorite long pasta, spaghetti is the one I don't care for. To each his own.
I prefer Angel Hair pasta over plain old spaghetti.
I boil it in water with baking soda if I can't get my hands on Ramen noodles.
Fun fact: in spite of the name most angel hair contains no actual angel hair
Angel hair is my favourite kind of pasta but every time I see it on a menu it's used in a dish with an extremely heavy sauce. It's not made for that kind of sauce : sauces for this kind of pasta should be brothy and very light. Also, your name brand does not make a good quality pasta that is available in North America.there are far superior quality pastas available that would make for a much more delicious angel hair pasta dish. And the nest form of the pasta from a high quality producer is probably the best that you can get. look for pasta de cecco or LA molisana and you will not be disappointed.
Barilla! Yes, there is a difference. I now buy all Barilla pasta. Regarding cooking angel hair, a gentle boil is key. If you cook at a rapid boil, it will break down. And it cooks in a very short time, so watch it. Thanks again ATK!
angel hair is the only spaghetti I like
I love angel hair pasta!! 😃 Have a good day!!
Sad to hear, I love angel hair because of the pasta to sauce ratio …
My favorite pasta
Angel Hair is my favorite, I dislike thicker pastas.
😀Make MexICAN fideo version just break off small pieces raw angel hair with ur hand & pan fry any angel hair of ur liking in a a tiny bit of oil stirring til browned to ur liking then add Better Than Bouillon broth paste in a jar, water, garlic powder, cumin powder oregano cilantro or parsley etc & cook about 10min . 😏
I like Angel Hair because they cook faster and I am impatient
What?! Angel hair is the best!! We have a dish in saudi called sewya/balaleet, we cook the nests in cardamom pods infused water. Then we take it off the heat, drain, add cardamom powder, saffron, rose water and sugar! The best breakfast ever!
I remember seeing this about 6 – 9 months ago.
LOVE BARILLA angel hair.
♥️
Ah do declare that Angel Hair
Is so delish it fills my dish.
I twirl my fork without a care
and capture all that angel hair.
Its' coat of sauce leaves no recourse
But fills my mouth with wondrous fare
Oh that heavenly angel hair.
That nest in our country is called Fide and it is usually use in chicken soup
I’m surprised you had all these good pasta brands in the thumbnail and then somehow Barilla ended up being the winner
Well, LeBron James is NEVER right about anything. So, I'm going to the grocery store to get some Barilla angel hair pasta today and have it for dinner with a nice simple tomato sauce made from tomatoes fresh from my garden! Seriously, we've had a lot of rain lately in the western piedmont of North Carolina and I can hardly pick and use the tomatoes fast enough! I'll probable be eating pasta and tomato sauce every night until well into September.
I have trouble twirling. Maybe that’s why my application to the New York Ballet was declined. 😁🩰
For those who have medical or operation induced digestion problems of a major sort, angel hair may be one of the few pastas, because of its thinness, they can enjoy w/o the pain of problematic digestion. For even smaller size, it can be cut cross ways after cooking to make it eatable with a spoon. And though that might seem awful to someone who can eat normal foods w/o troubles, to someone who cannot, it at least gives them a way to enjoy pasta of some sort. People who bad mouth angel hair may not be aware of how for some persons, it is a god-send and not a torture.
Angel hair pasta cooked correctly with a quick sauce of diced dead ripe tomatoes, garlic, good olive oil, plenty of fresh basil and dusted with freshly grated parmesan cheese is one of life's great pleasures!
I can’t buy Barilla Pasta with their anti-lgbtq+ history. Any alternative?
I love angel hair pasta
What is with the wall behind you?
Yes, you’re right. Only Barilla.
I always buy the thin spaghetti or the angel hair for the exact reason stated in the video, it holds the sauce very well.
I love angel hair pasta, but the rest of my family doesn’t so I don’t make it 😞
I love angel hair pasta. The texture appeals to me more than the thicker spaghetti. I had spaghetti in the old section of Rome, maybe the best pasta I have ever eaten. The angel hair version would have been just as wonderful.
I’m not a fan of Angel hair pasta as there isn’t much to chew through and it disintegrates in your mouth. I do like the way it cooks but you need to taste it much more often when you cook it. I prefer thin spaghetti. And nothing holds sauce like rigatoni…….
Angel hair pasta is my favorite, Linguine, not so much.
Perfect pasta to use in soups IMO
DeCecco brand angel hair pasta is the best. I agree.
Many years ago, a MD friend of mine, whom spent many years in Italy, told me to only buy DeCecco dry pasta.
Barilla brand in Italy is 👎🏻. I find it to be that way in US, also.
I only eat Angel Hair pasta and the only one I east is Ronzoni Angel Hair Pasta. It is the thinnest and easiest to cook and best tasting. I don't like Brailla pasta.
Sorry, I no longer buy Barilla after their CEO stated the only family is a man, woman and children, totally insulted the LGBTQ community. Company tried to backpaddle with adverts had rainbow colored pasta but that company / person has not changed.
Good for cooked served at room temp tossed salad like dishes that are popular in SEAsia. And as you say, kids like it and can handle it well.
I love angels hair pasta. At one point all I would cook was angel hair. But there are so many types of pasta I cook something different every time I make sauce!
Hey, how about some recipes for AHP?