Spaghetti

Classic sauces: pomodoro, cacio e pepe, aglio e olio, alle vongole A round, smooth strand has no ridges or hollows, so it needs a sauce that clings as a thin, glossy coat: tomato cooked down with olive oil, pecorino and pepper emulsified with starchy cooking water, or clams loosened with their own juices. Twirled on a fork, every strand carries the same amount, which is exactly what those loose sauces need. Chunky meat sauces slide off it and pool in the bowl, so save heavy ragù for ribbons or tubes. Buy bronze-die spaghetti when you can; its rougher surface grips a light sauce noticeably better than slick, Teflon-cut pasta.