Test 1 is complete! Elbow macaroni as a side dish to some grilled salmon.
About an hour ago, I cracked open a 1 lb. package of the (Prince) elbow macaroni I vac-sealed in January of 2001. After a VERY close inspection, I found no evidence of insects whatsoever.
The macaroni appeared near normal - a barely perceptable amount of "shrinkage" was noticable, and the pasta seemed to have become slightly more brittle.
I cooked it al dente and about 5% of the pieces split open lengthwise or broke apart during the boiling process. Next came the taste test (without any sauce) when it when done. There was a barely perceptable degradation in flavor, but I didn't find any significant difference in the texture or "chewiness" of the pasta.
After draining the pasta, I added some butter, parsley, and crushed garlic (and just a dash of salt and black pepper) and again taste tested it.
There was absolutely no discernable difference in taste or texture when the butter sauce was added.
The next time this stuff goes on sale, I'll be vaccuum-sealing a ton of it.
