Macaroni is a variety of dry pasta made with durum wheat.

Small amounts of dry pasta, enough for one serving, can be broken off, crumbled and cooked for the child.

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes for packaged dry pasta.

Each 8.5-ounce package includes dry pasta and a foil pouch of sauce, which are cooked in the same pot.

Other types of dry pasta (particularly rigatoni) are also used, whereas fresh pasta is generally avoided.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups, enough for 3 pounds of dry pasta.

And with dry, factory-made pasta, imported usually is better than domestic.

Whether to use fresh or dry pasta depends on the recipe.

Since 1967, Italian law has required that dry pasta be made with 100 percent durum wheat.

Arabs adapted noodles for long journeys in the fifth century, the first written record of dry pasta.