With endless shapes and sizes available the pasta aisle can be an overwhelming place. Do you need a long, thin pasta or a short, tube pasta? What about the twisty ones? The good news is that there is there is no absolute right or wrong pasta for a sauce - as long as it tastes good, it is good! However, there are a number of simple suggestions to get the most from your pasta dish. Generally, strand pastas work best with smooth sauces, shaped pastas work best with chunky sauces (the nooks and crannies hold the chunky bits). Here are some more details to help achieve pasta perfection: Flat, long shapes (linguine, fettuccine) - Best with robust tomato-, oil-, or dairy-based sauces. Flat, round shapes (spaghetti, capellini) -  Light tomato-, or dairy-based sauces, oil and herb sauces and carbonara. Specialty shapes (shells, farfalle, orecchiette, elbows) - Chunky meat or vegetable sauces, hearty tomato sauces, pasta salads, rich dairy and oil-based sauces. Tube shapes (penne, rigatoni, ziti) - Fresh tomato sauces, chunky meat or vegetable sauces (especially ridged tubes) and spicy sauces. Twist shapes (fusilli, gemelli, rotini) - Light tomato sauces (with or without vegetables) and dairy or oil-based sauces.   image: Ryan Brook, TC Media