What You Need To Know
Whether they’re supporting a generous portion of beef stroganoff, swirled through a casserole, or swimming in chicken soup, egg noodles are a staple of many of our favorite comfort foods. These noodles, which are typically found in a broad, loose corkscrew shape (though other shapes and styles do exist), have a deeper yellow color and a slightly savory flavor due to the addition of eggs to the dough, unlike most boxed pastas you find in the supermarket.
We tested seven best-selling items with prices starting at $2 in our quest for the greatest egg noodles. 50 to $4. 15 per package ($0. 21 to $0. 27 per ounce). When a company produced multiple shapes, we chose to use its “wide” or “broad” noodle, which is what we use in recipes the most. With the exception of one, every product in our lineup can be found nationwide. Our previous winner, Pennsylvania Dutch, is a big seller, but if you live on the West Coast, you will need to mail order it. We tried the noodles in Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole, Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup, and boiling and tossing them with butter.
Tasters Favor a Classic Corkscrew Shape
All in all, we can suggest the noodles we tried, but our top picks differed in a few significant ways. The first was shape. Even though all of the noodles are marketed as “wide” or “broad,” there is no standard for these terms. Indeed, our selection of noodles included everything from long, thick, flat planks to thin, wispy corkscrews. Shape didn’t affect the flavor of the noodles, but it did affect the dish’s overall cohesiveness and texture.
The products varied in length as well, with the longest two finishing lower in our rankings at 1½ to 4½ inches. These noodles fell off our spoons when we ate them in soup, and tasters felt the dish was less cohesive when we used them in a casserole because the long strands didn’t hold the other ingredients together very well. But shorter wasnt always better. One product, shaped like a corkscrew, was the perfect length but too thin: these noodles, which were less than ¼ inch wide, slipped through our forks when we ate them by themselves and vanished among the other ingredients in the tuna-noodle casserole. The noodles that we enjoyed the most had a thick, spiral shape that, when dry, measured about ½ inch wide and 1½ inches long. No more chasing noodles around our plates—once cooked, these noodles were simple to pierce with a fork when eaten plain or in casseroles, or to scoop up with a spoon in soup. Their soft curves also helped the casserole’s sauce, tuna, and peas stick together, creating perfectly matched bites.
Water, egg yolks, and eggs, bleached enhanced wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, NIACIN, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid),
Instructions for Cooking: Quickly bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt, if desired. Return to a rolling boil after adding the frozen noodles, stirring to separate. Cook noodles, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until desired tenderness, covered. Drain thoroughly. Noodles will be tender but still slightly firm. For Soups Omit salt. Keep frozen.
The original mighty noodle. Reames Noodles are made without preservatives and are never dried, using just three basic ingredients. That’s how we keep them hearty. Perfect for soups, casseroles, entrees and side dishes.
