Made from high-protein wheat varieties such as durum, pasta has a distinctive springy texture and comes in hundreds of different shapes.
Tip: For baked pasta dishes like lasagna, skip the parcooking and just soak the dry pasta for half an hour before baking.
Not just pasta! Varieties range from European spätzle (a soft noodle made with eggs) to udon to the lamian used in our dan dan noodles.
Tip: Be careful not to overcook, as many kinds of wheat noodles can turn into mush.
Delicate and often translucent, rice noodles can have a wonderful silky texture.
Tip: When frying rice noodles, use what seems like an unreasonable amount of oil, and cook at the highest temperature your stove can produce.
Often served cold, buckwheat noodles (also called soba) have long been popular in Japan.
Tip: Soba is best cooked fresh. After cooking, rinse the soba in water to reduce stickiness before adding sauce or broth.
Best known in Korea, these have a wonderful rich flavor.
Acorns from different species of oak can taste very different. A few have so little tannin that no leaching is required at all.
Tip: If you are making your own acorn noodles, add a little of some other kind of flour. This lets you make thinner noodles that don't fall apart.