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The texture differential at the T-intersections was a deliberate choice for the mouth feel component and is one that I appreciate. It gives an inner region of tooth resistance. The frills stay on if you time it right. If I want to cook it in the sauce I pull it out of the water earlier. NBD. I haven’t yet used what Trader Joe’s offers. I suppose it’s possible the two products are not identical.

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I can tell you the Trader Joe's version was so bad with the frilly parts coming off that I hoped it was just their version being cheap, but apparently that's not the case based on parent's comments.

I’ve cooked the TJ version a number of times - the only time the ribs have fallen off was when I overcooked them. I don’t think it’s a bad pasta but I do think its virtues are being oversold- there are many pastas that achieve exactly the same thing.

Never had the frills come off. Must be the TJ version or a bad batch.

He used the term ‘toothfeel’ in the podcast, which is analogous to al-dente.

I’ve found that the amount of salt in the water, and how crowded the pot is will play a big part in how well it cooks.

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