Penne pasta, raw Calories

Usually, no. Rinsing penne washes away surface starch that helps sauce cling to it. Rinsing can make sense when you are making a cold pasta salad and want to cool the pasta quickly, but drain it well afterward.

The ridges on penne rigate give sauce more surface to cling to, while the hollow center can hold small pieces of sauce or other ingredients. Smooth penne, often called penne lisce, has a slicker surface and a different texture.

Cook penne in plenty of boiling water and stir it, especially just after adding it. Drain it as soon as it is done and mix it with sauce promptly; leaving drained penne to sit can make the pieces stick together.

Penne is narrower and has diagonally cut ends, while rigatoni is wider and has square-cut ends. Both may have ridges and work with hearty sauces, but rigatoni’s larger opening suits chunkier ingredients.

Penne works especially well with chunky tomato, meat, and cheese sauces because the sauce can cling to its ridges and collect inside the tubes. Toss the drained pasta with the sauce while both are warm so the coating spreads evenly.

For al dente penne, start tasting it toward the early end of the package’s suggested cooking time. Drain it when the center is still slightly firm; if it will finish cooking in hot sauce, take it off the heat a little sooner.

Yes, penne works well in pasta salad because its tubes hold dressing and small ingredients. Cook it until just tender, drain it thoroughly, then cool it before mixing so the dressing does not become watery.

Keep dry penne in a cool, dry cupboard in a sealed package or airtight container. Protect it from moisture and pantry pests, and store an opened pack away from the stove and sink.

You can chew uncooked penne, but it is very hard and unpleasant to eat, and it is not intended to be eaten dry. Cook it in boiling water as directed for a softer texture that is easier to chew.