Reddit Is Dropping This Aldi Pasta Because Of Its Extreme Mushiness
Watch any cooking show, eat at any Italian restaurant, or speak to any wise nonna and they'll all tell you one thing: The trick to top-notch pasta is cooking it al dente. Not too tough and not too soggy, but that sweet spot somewhere in the middle.
Cooking pasta till it's just right can be a tricky thing to master as it is but Redditors are finding that this is a particularly tough spot to hit when working with a certain type of pasta from Aldi: Pagasa's 100% semolina penne pasta. A Redditor warned fellow shoppers to never buy the Pagasa penne pasta at Aldi, claiming that it "gets very mushy and breaks apart. Not worth the savings from getting the regular Aldi brand," and others were quick to agree.
Aldi has had a pretty great run with its selection of pasta so far. The Priano Bronze Cut Pasta has become something of a cult favorite, the 60-second penne has been praised for its convenience, and if you ask shoppers on Reddit, Aldi's gluten-free pasta is among some of the best across all supermarkets. The same, however, apparently can't be said for the Pagasa penne. In fact, if you want to avoid overcooked pasta, Redditors say that it's probably best to pick another brand of penne.
Overcooked pasta is a huge no-no
Aldi shoppers on Reddit find that the chain's Pagasa penne pasta gets very mushy when cooked. As one Redditor points out, "If you are expecting a toothy bronze cut pasta this [the Pagasa penne pasta] is 100% not it." Instead, they say that "it's better for a quick dish with a jarred sauce. Not something more substantial." Another explained that while Aldi's Pagasa penne pasta falls apart fairly easily in an Italian sauce, it's a better addition to Mexican-style dishes and baked casseroles.
Most agree that Aldi's 100% semolina Pagasa penne pasta does tend to go from raw to mushy rather quickly but one shopper goes on to complain that this seems to be the case with more than just this particular Aldi pasta: "I had the same problem with their other cheap pasta. I even undercooked it." While mushy pasta certainly doesn't make for a pleasant eating experience, there's another reason to be cautious of overcooked pasta.
There's a reason why pasta is always cooked al dente and that's because anything less is too raw to digest and any pasta cooked further than al dente can potentially lose its nutrients (via La Cucina Italiana). Additionally, overcooked pasta has a higher glycemic index and can also hinder digestion as it turns into a dough that can stick in the digestive tract. This is why it's important to not overcook pasta and also be wary of any varieties that may be particularly susceptible to it.