Spaghetti, lasagna, penne, farfalle, angel hair, fusilli, tortellini, gnocchi– we all have our favorite. There are a million and one ways to enjoy pasta, and Americans love twirling and forking each delicious bite. There are more than 47 common types of pasta, all made in various shapes and sizes to complement specific sauces and applications. Americans eat 6 billion pounds of pasta annually, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the world’s pasta consumption, according to pastafits.org. Although ‘National Pasta Day’ isn’t celebrated until Oct. 17, pasta makes for a perfect winter-time meal. This week we’ll be talking about our starchy companion and how you can whip up the perfect bowl of noodles for date night.

Cooking Tip: “Sticky Situation”

Hate it when your perfectly-cooked pasta turns into a sticky mess once removed from the water? Toss it in some olive oil (vegetable oil works, too) and a ladle of sauce and lay it on a baking sheet. When you remove the pasta from the boiling water, it has a nasty habit of continuing to cook from residual heat. The oil and sauce will prevent the pasta from clumping together, and laying the noodles on a baking sheet will evenly disperse the steam (heat).