Is it a flavor thing or a texture thing? I don’t think I’ve ever even bought de cecco, like Barilla is probably the most I’ve spent at like $1.89 or something. Lol
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That’s where I’m at. Big difference for me between $0.89 Walmart brand and like barilla, but the super expensive stuff is often more fun shapes, gluten free, so on, so not necessarily a “better pasta” simply put.
ETA and random aside, for me store brands I’ve tried, Trader Joe’s is the best, then Kroger, then Walmart is last place.
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I do love fun shapes! That’s what caught my eye.
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If you’re near a Trader Joe’s they have some fun ones that are priced barely above their basics- like $1.50/lb.
I am not, but might need to see where the closest one is.
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If nothing else they’re a SUPER fun destination trip a couple times a year. Fun Snacks galore.
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There’s one nearish to my sisters house, a couple of hours away. Might have to go at some point.
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I have gotten pasta at Costco and that’s the most expensive I have gotten (but it’s organic too) versus store brand or creamettes or barilla. All have been fine, but the Costco stuff seems easier to get al dente instead of al squishy. I wouldn’t say I could taste a difference though.
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I sometimes treat myself to fancy pastas sold at TJ Maxx or Ross sort of places. The price there usually ended up being not too much more than my usual <$2/lb grocery store pasta. Once upon a time we used to go to the Sunday farmers market and there was a stall that sold fresh handmade pasta and that shit was glorious and worth every penny. But then we moved away and now I refuse to pay much for pasta
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It’s texture primarily but also taste. I think Barilla and De Cecco are pretty similar in terms of quality. For me, to get a much higher quality pasta I’d have to buy something refrigerated, like from a pasta maker- but I know how to make my own pasta so I never do that since it’s so cheap to make at home! For that reason I usually buy Barilla (or similar) for boxed pasta and I don’t bother with grocery store “fancy” brands.
I’d say the difference between Barilla and something homemade or made in house and refrigerated is like the difference between sliced white Wonder Bread and a homemade loaf of sourdough. But the difference between Barilla and De Cecco (or similar) is much subtler, like the difference between a name brand and a store brand of the exact same item. My complaint with super cheap pasta, like Ronzoni, is that the texture is usually mushy and there is no flavor at all.
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We stopped buying Barilla several years ago for political reasons. My favorite is Gia Russa, which is imported but is also a local company to our old area. What I really miss is their pizza sauce, which is excellent.
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@Economista @darlingpants @Bracken_Joy @AllHat - thank you all for the suggestions! I am making note of them. For this time I actually wound up bringing my twelve-year-old son along as companion and inspiration. He is MUCH fitter and faster than me but was very nice about it. He still had a 2 mile walk to school, too! (He has repeatedly been offered a bicycle but prefers to walk.)
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Apparenently couches are hellaciously expensive. Our couch is broken in a way that is danger for our baby. The little plastic nail or staple thingies are no longer holding the seam closed. When she gets more active she could get scratched on them or maybe even swallow one.
Does anyone know if this is a thing can be fixed? What kind of person or service would we need, or what keywords should we be using on YouTube? Where would we start, is really my question.
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An upholsterer will be able to fix this. I think regular ones actually move the furniture out to their workshop, make a nearly undetectable fix, and deliver it back to you, which is probably $$$. If this is the only affected area you might want to call around and see if any are willing to do house calls/smaller repairs.
It also seems like something you could try your hand at first? Search for YT videos on “upholstery repair seam” or whip stitch / ladder stitch.
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I feel like I would go in with glue and some nails.
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Well, as my father used to say, “You already need a new one,” so what have I got to lose?
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Same. That looks like it’s not in a super high stress area. I’d try hand sewing that bit closed and then add a couple of nails.
If it pops open again, then I don’t think the DIY fix will impact a pro’s ability to repair it.
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Yeah as someone who has upholstered and reupholstered things before, so much of it is literally just folded over and stapled or nailed in.
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I feel like I have something in the ball of my foot. Last time my foot felt like this there was a dog hair kind of poking into the skin, I pulled it out and then everything was fine. This time I don’t see anything. Any suggestions to get this annoying thing to go away?
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You can buy those fancy upholstery tacks at JoAnns. I have fixed a lot of furniture by re-nailing things.
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