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" You may have grown up thinking pasta meant spaghetti and elbow macaroni, but we used 17 kinds of noodles for this story. If you can&amp;#039;t find what you want at the supermarket, try ethnic markets and even catalogs like Dean &amp;amp;amp; DeLuca and Adriana&amp;#039;s Caravan, all great resources. Or use one of the types we&amp;#039;ve listed as a substitute. Straight, Thin Strands Capelli d&amp;#039;angelo (angel hair) The most slender and fragile of them all; best topped with a broth-based sauce, because a heavy topping would weigh down this pasta. Substitute: capellini. Capellini Slightly thicker than angel hair; best lightly sauced or served in a fragrant broth. Substitute: capelli d&amp;#039;angelo. Vermicelli The next thickest noodle, this is nice tossed simply with olive oil, garlic, and freshly ground black pepper. Substitute: spaghettini. Spaghettini  Thinner than spaghetti; keep on hand to toss with fresh tomato sauces or break up and stir into minestrone. Substitute: vermicelli. Spaghetti Named after the Italian word for little strings, it is the thickest of the pasta strands, and the American family&amp;#039;s beloved first choice for jarred (or homemade) red sauce, meatballs, and a mandatory dusting of Parmesan cheese. Whole wheat spaghetti, made with whole wheat flour, delivers more fiber per 2-ounce serving (5 grams versus 2 grams). Substitute: linguine, vermicelli, or spaghettini.  Flat and Fancy Ribbons Linguine Looks like flat spaghetti; often served with white clam and other seafood sauces because its flat sides absorb broth well. Substitute: spaghetti, vermicelli, or spaghettini. Fettuccine Wider (about 3/8 inch) pasta strips; the dough usually contains eggs for luscious flavor and a tender texture. The flat surface is the perfect base for a rich Alfredo sauce made with heavy cream and Parmesan. (The sauce won&amp;#039;t cling as well to round pasta strands.) Substitute: mafalda or tagliatelle. Fusilli Corkscrew-shaped strands, from 1 1/2 to 12 inches long. A fun alternative to spaghetti when serving a meat or creamy sauce, which fusilli cradles nicely. Substitute: mafalda. Mafalda Long, wide, flat noodles with rippled edges; narrower than lasagna. Sturdy enough to stand up to a rich cream or meat sauce. Substitute: fusilli. Lasagna Wide, flat noodles with or without ruffled edges; just the right length to fit snugly into a 13&amp;quot; by 9&amp;quot; baking pan. Substitute: mafalda, if tossing with a sauce; if layering in a casserole, do not substitute. Egg noodles Short, flat noodles made with egg yolks; they can be curly or straight, wide or narrow. These noodles are delicious on their own, for stroganoff, or tossed with melted butter and chopped parsley. A newer version made with egg whites is a good alternative for cholesterol-watchers. Substitute: fettuccine.  Asian Noodles Japanese soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles) Brownish noodles made with wheat flour and buckwheat; high in protein and fiber; nutty flavor. The more buckwheat these noodles contain, the more expensive they are. Soba noodles are often served cold with a dipping sauce or hot in soups, but they are versatile enough for Chinese chicken salad or stir-fries too. Substitute: whole wheat spaghetti. Ramen Skinny noodles made with eggs; often sold dried in &amp;quot;instant&amp;quot; noodle-soup packages. A treat served in broth with meat, chicken, shrimp, and/or any kind of greens. (Try stirring in leftover veggies.) Substitute: fresh or dried spaghetti. Rice noodles  Round or flat, these thin, translucent white noodles are made from rice flour and water; their neutral flavor makes them a perfect foil for robust, meaty flavors. Rice noodles may be called vermicelli (extrathin), thread (fine), or rice stick (flat). However, the labeling is not standardized, so look at the noodle rather than the name. Vermicelli is also known as mi fen (Chinese), bun (Vietnamese), and sen mee (Thai). Rice sticks are known as banh pho in Vietnam and jantaboon in Thailand. Substitute: vermicelli, linguine, or fettuccine (depending on size of rice noodle called for). Chinese wheat Made with wheat flour and water, these noodles are round or flat and come in varying thicknesses. The flat, wide noodles are called chow fun. The thinnest noodles are called Amoy-style or Chinese somen. Use thinner ones in delicate soups; thicker ones hold their own in stir-fries and casseroles. Available fresh or dried. (Wheat noodles made with eggs are called Chinese egg noodles and are popularly sold as mein, measuring about 1/2-inch thick and resembling spaghetti.) Substitute: fresh or dried fettuccine. Bean thread (cellophane or slippery or mung bean noodles) Chewy, translucent, threadlike noodles made from the starch of mung beans. Bean threads become slippery when softened in hot water and cooked. Their understated flavor lets them absorb the other good tastes in the pan. Try them in brothy soups. Substitute: thin rice noodles, capellini, or vermicelli. Wonton skins (dumpling wrappers or shao mai or gyoza) Sold fresh or frozen. Round wrappers are made with wheat flour and water and generally boiled or steamed. Square wrappers are made from an egg dough and usually boiled or deep-fried (or filled and crimped to make ravioli). Very good served in flavorful seafood or chicken broth or tossed with a light sauce and saut\u00E9ed spring vegetables. Substitute (if using as a noodle): cut-up lasagna noodles. Next:   Boiling pasta may seem like a no-brainer, but you can&amp;#039;t just put the pot on the back burner and think dinner will cook itself. Check out the techniques we&amp;#039;ve learned over the years in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute test kitchens. 1. Use 4 to 6 quarts of cold water (hot water can leach lead from pipes) per pound of pasta. Select a large (6- to 8-quart) saucepot. Don&amp;#039;t get lazy and crowd everything into a small saucepot, or pasta will stick together. 2. Cover pot and heat to boiling over high heat. (If using a nonstick saucepot, heat to boiling over medium-high heat as manufacturer directs.) 3. Add 2 teaspoons salt to boiling water (without salt, pasta tastes bland). We don&amp;#039;t recommend adding oil to the cooking water, because it will prevent the sauce from coating the pasta properly.  4. Add pasta all at once. Don&amp;#039;t break up long strands unless it will be used in soup. (Wait a few seconds, and the pasta will become soft enough to push down under the water.) To prevent clumping, stir frequently with a wooden spoon until the water returns to a boil.  5. Always cook pasta uncovered at a rapid boil so it circulates for uniform results. Stir every few minutes. 6. Never overcook! Cooking time varies depending upon the size, shape, and brand. Pasta is done when it is cooked al dente \u2014 it should be a little chewy but not hard. 7. Drain immediately in a colander. Shake the colander once to remove excess water. 8. Don&amp;#039;t rinse pasta unless the recipe calls for it. Rinsing not only cools the pasta too quickly, it also removes the surface starch, which helps sauce adhere. (For pasta served at room temperature, it&amp;#039;s okay to rinse it, or dress it immediately.) 9. Immediately sauce; stir to coat well. 10. To keep pasta warm longer, serve on a heated platter or in warmed bowls. (While pasta boils, place oven-safe bowls in a warm oven, about 250 degrees F, for 10 minutes.) Next:   Angel Hair with Shrimp and Scallops Asparagus and Wonton in Tarragon Cream Chicken-Noodle Stir-Fry Crispy Noodle Pancake with Barbecued Pork Curried Noodles with Shrimp Dan-Dan Noodles Dried Fruit Kugel Fusilli with Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts Lasagna Toss with Spinach and Ricotta Mafalda with Lamb and Mint Quick-Comfort Egg Noodles and Cabbage Sesame Noodles Spaghetti Primavera Thai Coconut Soup with Bean-Thread Noodles Triple-Mushroom Fettuccine Vegetarian Pad Thai Vermicelli with Spring Onions Vietnamese Noodle Soup Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Fontina and Ham "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/cooking/tips/a17291/noodling-around-1101/>