Pasta is produced through a process of mixing milled durum wheat with water and sometimes eggs to form dough. This dough is extruded through dies to form different pasta shapes then dried and packaged. Key steps include mixing ingredients to form dough, extruding the dough through dies to shape it, pre-drying to harden the exterior while keeping the interior soft, then final drying to reduce the moisture content before packaging and shipping pasta for consumption. Pasta should be cooked al dente by stopping the cooking process before it becomes soft.