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Experts say that there are about 300 pasta shapes. But they may have arrived at that number just because it was time to stop counting and start eating.

It’s remarkable that the simple combination of flour (generally semolina, but there are exceptions), water, and sometimes salt or eggs, can yield such a vast range of results. There is method to the seeming madness of pasta design, however. Different shapes lend themselves to different applications. Light, skinny pastas like angel hair (capelli d’angelo, or capellini) are best with thin, delicate sauces; broad, thick noodles like lasagna or fettuccine are best with rich, creamy or meaty sauces. Orzo? Soup. Spaghetti? Red sauce. Macaroni? Cheese. You get the idea.

Tonight, break out of the pasta mold and search out unexpected pastas at one of Denver’s many Italian specialty shops. One favorite on the west side: Deli Italia Center at West 20th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, where owner Riccardo Pacini will talk you through the dozens of shapes they carry and help you find a sauce to match (303-248-7208).

When you shop for pasta, stock up. A kitchen cupboard is incomplete without a full range of noodles ready to go.

Tucker Shaw

Match the pasta to its name

1. Radiatori

Radiatori (“radiators”), which look like old-fashioned heating fixtures, boast a remarkable amount of exposed surface area for such a small piece of pasta (about 1 inch). This means they soak up a lot of sauce. Also good in soups.

2. Pappardelle

These thick, wide ribbons (sometimes three-quarters of an inchs wide and very long) make for a hearty meal; their weight and size make them best suited to chunky home- style ragus and meat sauces.

3. Fusilli

Fusilli translates roughly as “spindles.” These are whimsical and wiggly noodles; when the helixes entwine, they capture a remarkable amount of sauce. You’ll find these in many lengths (pictured here: fusilli bucati longhi). Choose a cream sauce to maximize the effect.

4. Farfalle

Known as “bow ties” stateside, farfalle actually means “butterflies” in Italian. Usually about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, farfalle are made by cutting squares from a sheet of pasta with pinking shears, then pinching the squares in the middle. Talk about a sauce trap. Use cooled farfalle for pasta salads.

5. Rigatoni

A short section of ribbed, cylindrical pasta, usually about 1 1/2 inches long and a half-inch in diameter. Closely related to penne, which are distinguished by bias-cut edges and shallower grooves, if any, and ziti, which are thinner and shorter. Rigatoni holds sauce and cheese beautifully and is an excellent baking pasta.

6. Lasagne

Broad, flat sheets of pasta (2 inches or more wide, about 8 to 9 inches long), which are usually layered with cheese, vegetables and meat and baked like a casserole. Always make two lasagne casseroles, then freeze one.

Fresh vs. dried

Fresh pasta and dried pasta are very different — in texture, form and how quickly they cook. For most shapes, fresh noodles cook faster and absorb more flavor. But that doesn’t mean fresh is better. It’s usually more expensive and gets mushy fast. When in doubt, choose dried. (Exceptions: cavatelli, gnocchi and ravioli.)

Buy this book

“The Geometry of Pasta,” by Caz Hildebrand & Jacob Kenedy. This is a great-looking, lively, informative and inspiration-packed tome detailing dozens of kinds of pastas. What the names mean, where they come from, and what to do with them. Over a hundred recipes, too. Good gift for your favorite pasta nerd.

How to cook pasta

The Internet has been alive over the past few years with alternative ways of cooking dried pasta (some methods use less water and less heat), but the traditional way is still the most reliable. Here’s how.

Bring a large pot of very salty water (two tablespoons for a gallon of water — the salt helps season the pasta during cooking and also helps regulate the water temperature) to a high, rolling boil. Add the pasta and stir. Cover the pot to bring the water back to boiling as quickly as possible. Stir again, then boil for a few minutes (the exact time depends on the shape and size of pasta you’re cooking).

Start checking the pasta long before you think it’s done because overcooking pasta is unforgivable and totally avoidable. To test, use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove a piece of pasta and bite down. It should be tender with the faint hint of crunch (this is called al dente, or “to the tooth”). You can throw it against the wall if you like, but that’s really just wasting pasta and messing up the wall.

When the pasta is nearly finished, strain it out and stir it into your sauce (which should still be on the stovetop). Don’t dump the pasta cooking water; sometimes a spoonful or so added to the pasta and sauce will help ease pasta stickiness and help the sauce emulsify and thereby adhere to the pasta more readily. The pasta will finish cooking in a minute or two, soaking up the sauce as it finishes.

High-altitude note: Because water boils at a lower temperature at Denver’s altitude, pasta may take longer to cook than at sea level. Don’t rely on the guidelines on the packaging; the only way to know when your pasta is done cooking is to taste it.

Something new: toasted pasta

If you’re short on sauce ingredients, you can still make an unexpected pasta dish. This recipe, from “Commonsense Cooking,” by Tom Hudgens, is a crowd pleaser, and remarkably easy.

Toasted Pasta With Garlic

From “Commonsense Cooking,” by Tom Hudgens. The author writes, “this treatment transforms dry linguine or spaghetti into a new species of pasta, especially inviting in cool weather.” Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

1     pound dry spaghetti or linguine

1     tablespoon olive oil

      Salt

4     to 6 cloves garlic, crushed

2     tablespoons butter

1     tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil

1/2   cup chopped parsley

1/2   cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line up the uncooked pasta on a sheet pan. Drizzle the oil over it and work the pasta around until evenly coated. Spread the pasta out in an even layer. Bake until the pasta is toasted to a deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Once it begins to change color, it burns quickly, so keep checking it. While the pasta is toasting, put a gallon of water on to boil.

When the water comes to a boil, salt it until it tastes lightly salty, and boil the pasta just until cooked in the center. This will take several minutes longer than cooking untoasted pasta. Being sure to retain 2 or 3 ladlefuls of the cooking water, drain the pasta. Return it to the pot with a ladleful of pasta-cooking water and the garlic, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, parsley and parmesan, quickly and thoroughly tossing everything together. Taste for salt and moisture, adding a bit more hot cooking water, olive oil, or butter if necessary. Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan and black pepper, and serve immediately.

40 favorite pasta combinations

Once you pick a pasta, supper is as simple as 1-2-3. (See for 10 favorite pasta combos, marked here with an asterisk.)

WITH SPAGHETTI:

Tomato + oregano + basil