When people are in the pasta aisle, they usually don’t think twice before reaching for penne or spaghetti. While these are both good choices, there are so many other options that help adjust to individual preferences as well as add personality. 

Obviously, there are traditional dishes that are designed for a specific pasta shape, but we have free will. We can change whatever we want to our liking just to make the cooking and eating experience more fun for us. 

There are a plethora of different pasta dishes with different shapes and different sauces, yet everyone still reaches for the same two pasta shapes. 

What I don’t understand is why we’re not changing things up and picking something else. When there’s no wrong way to do something and so many different ways to do it, why would we not make it our own?

Each shape has its benefits and its drawbacks. For example, the sauce being served with rigatoni or penne can get caught in the middle of the tube, increasing the amount of butter or sauce that is eaten with each individual piece of pasta. This could be good or bad depending on the person’s preferences. 

Every single step in making a pasta dish can be changed to someone’s liking. Maybe you like your pasta cooked al dente. Maybe you prefer to add extra parmesan cheese to your alfredo. Maybe you like to garnish it with some parsley. 

These are all ways to make a dish better for you, and if these are acceptable things to change about your dish, why isn’t picking a fun, unique shape? So many fun shapes to choose from, but no one ever chooses anything just because they like how it looks. 

Everyone is different in terms of what pasta shape appeals best to them, so have fun with it. People have signature colors, scents, and clothing items that they wear, so what’s wrong with having a signature pasta shape that you serve?

The shape you reach for can be an identifying trait if you want it to. Let people know that it was you who made the dish by choosing something unique like orecchiette or strozzapreti. Make it known that it’s yours. 

Making pasta should be considered more of an art than a science. It reflects what kind of person you are, and it serves the purpose of being a delicious piece of art.