Light 'n Fluffy: Background Information

Enrichment is the addition of nutrients to foods. The semolina flour, which is used to make pasta, is enriched to return any nutrients that may be lost when the wheat is ground into flour. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the addition of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron and folic acid to pasta.

What is Thiamin Mononitrate?

Thiamin Mononitrate is also known as vitamin B1. It is used to enrich flour, pasta, bread, and cereals and is essential for energy utilization.

What is Riboflavin?

Riboflavin is also known as vitamin B2. This vitamin is essential for normal growth, development and energy utilization. Riboflavin is used to enrich flour, pasta, bread, and cereals.

How do I determine if there any eggs in this product?

Each of our packages contains a list of ingredients. This listing is found directly below the Nutritional Information Label. If there are any egg products in your package of pasta, it will appear in the list of ingredients.

How can I tell how old my pasta is?

To help you determine when the product was manufactured we place an ink-stamped date code on the package.

Within that code, the first three characters represent the year and month the product was manufactured.

The first number (0 - 9) indicates the year in which the pasta was made and the next two numbers (01 - 12) indicate the month.

Keep in mind, however, that storage conditions greatly affect the quality of our products. Pasta products should be stored in a cool, dry place.

What is the shelf-life of your products?

Shelf life varies from product to product.

From the date of manufacture:

Non-egg pasta maintains its peak freshness up to 3 years

Egg pasta maintains its peak freshness up to 2 years

Vegetable-containing pasta maintains its peak freshness for approximately 18 months

Roasted garlic and garlic and herb products maintain their peak freshness for approximately 24 months

Other flavored pastas maintain their peak freshness for approximately 18 months

Where can I buy your products?

New World Pasta manufactures several brands:

Ronzoni

American Beauty

San Giorgio

Skinner

Light -n-Fluffy

Mrs. Weiss

P&R

These brands are only available in specific regions of the country. See our Regional Map for brands near you.

What do the numbers on the carton or package mean?

The number associated with the shape, or cut, of pasta is known as a "cut number". Cut numbers are commonly used in the pasta industry. These numbers identify the actual cut, shape, length or width of the extruder which is used to produce that particular shape of pasta.

What are your most frequently requested recipes?

Frog's Eye Salad
New World Easy Lasagne (no-boil lasagne method)
Creamy Vegetable Lasagne
Taco Lasagne
Wedding Soup
Cheese Filled Manicotti

How much pasta should I cook?

A 1 lb. (16 oz.) box of pasta serves 8 people, on average. This can vary depending on whether you are cooking for hearty or "light" eaters. Look on the package cooking directions; the first line in the directions tells you how many cups of cooked product will be made from cooking the whole package. A 1 lb. box of spaghetti, for example, cooks to 10 cups.

On average, pasta doubles in size when cooked but this varies by shape.

Should I rinse pasta after cooking?

We recommend rinsing pasta only if you're preparing it for a cold salad; rinsing in cold water will help to cool it quickly. For all other uses, we do not recommend rinsing since it reduces the serving temperature of the pasta and sauce may not cling as well because surface starch is rinsed away. However, if you are accustomed to rinsing pasta, please do whatever you prefer or feel comfortable with.

Can I cook pasta ahead of time or reheat leftover pasta?

You can, however best quality comes from cooking pasta right before it's served. To cook ahead, prepare as directed on package, tossing with vegetable oil. Store, tightly sealed in plastic bags 3 to 4 days. When ready to serve, boil water; remove pasta from plastic bag. Immerse pasta in boiling water 1 minute or until heated through. Drain in colander and serve.

Can I freeze pasta?

Combination dishes with red sauce (like lasagne) freeze best. Cooked pasta without sauce does not freeze particularly well.

Should I add uncooked pasta or noodles to soup and cook it with the broth, or should I cook pasta separately, then add to broth?

Either way is fine. But keep in mind that if pasta is cooked with broth, a cloudier (not clear) broth will result. For hearty soups, this is usually not important.

If cooking pasta in broth, be sure to start with an extra amount of broth since pasta will absorb roughly 25% of the liquid.

Can I boil Oven Ready Lasagne?

We do not recommend boiling this product, since it is precooked. Oven Ready was designed to rehydrate in typical lasagne recipes. Boiling can result in starchy broken pieces that are difficult to separate.