Bronze cut pasta and commodity pasta are not the same thing. The bronze dies used to extrude these shapes leave a rough, porous surface that grabs and holds sauce the way smooth, Teflon-extruded pasta simply doesn't. It's the reason Italian home cooks and professional chefs have always sought it out — and why it's worth keeping a few good shapes on hand.

This collection brings together two American producers doing it the right way. Zelli Pasta in Springdale, Arkansas, uses organic North American durum semolina and bronze dies custom-made in Italy, slow drying each shape in small batches with nothing but flour and water. Nicoletto's Pasta Co. in Nashville, Tennessee, sources their dies from craftsmen in Como, Italy and builds their business around the same unhurried process. Between the two, you'll find shapes for every sauce and every occasion.