Dried versus fresh store bought pasta

I just happened to read the following that was part of an answer in a very old hotline question that had been dug up from the past "a good quality of dried pasta will almost always be better than fresh pasta in a grocery store". Agreed? Disagree? I have plans to make a "special" lasagna when it cools down a bit and had been considering buying fresh pasta sheets( which I have never used). Now I am wondering which to use. Please no recommendations to make my own, that is not happening. Thanks.

caninechef
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8 Comments

PHIL August 4, 2017
agree on the no-boil, works well for Lasagna. I also prefer dried over fresh in most dishes
 
caninechef August 4, 2017
Thanks for all the info and the votes for dried pasta. I was surprised( but delighted) to see the preference for no-boil. l have used it in the past but always felt like I was taking a short-cut.
 
klrcon August 4, 2017
I second the recommendation for no boil lasagna noodles - they tend to be much thinner than the kind of dried pasta you have to boil and that will give you the best texture. Commercial fresh pasta is rarely worth the money because they add too much flour to make it durable and shippable and that ruins the texture. So if you can't make your own, and I totally get that, go with good quality dried.
 
BerryBaby August 3, 2017
Recently I bought fresh linguine and was disappointed. Tasted more like egg noodles and fresh is definitely a softer texture.
Dried holds up better to sauce IMO.
 
PieceOfLayerCake August 2, 2017
Well....I know the fresh vs. dried dilemma usually comes down to what dish you're making. Pastas where "al dente" is an important characteristic will call for using dried. 99% of the time, I use dried because I'm looking for that.

Ideally, making lasagna one would make fresh pasta and allow the baking to do the cooking of the pasta (my grandmother just sticks a knife to test the texture). So there are both opportunities where one would use either or. I can't speak on the quality of fresh pasta in the grocery store, but ideally, that's what one would use for lasagna. I won't suggest you make your own, but I'm curious as to why you're not open to the idea.
 
QuesoB August 2, 2017
I prefer the dry for its texture and taste v fresh. We eat pasta almost every day. Occassionally I've bought the fresh for something different but was always disappointed. I used to make all our pasta from scratch because we lived far off the trail. Now that we are back in civilization I buy the dry (for everything except ravioli which is just so much better ala me). For lasagna I would definitely use dry over fresh sheets. Cheers.
 
Nancy August 3, 2017
Similar experience.
Favor dry (durum wheat, made on machines with bronze dies or plates) over fresh, except for ravioli or kreplach.
(I know, I know, I can use won ton wrappers as a short cut, but home-made tastes better for these.)
 
Liz D. August 2, 2017
Personally, I like the texture of dried pasta better. Fresh pasta is more tender, and I like the substance of dried pasta. The store-bought packaged fresh pasta has a funny taste to me. If you could find fresh pasta sheets truly made fresh, like in an Italian grocery, it would be better, but I think I'd still prefer the dried.
 
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