Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)We've been using this brand for a couple of years on a subscription basis, and that includes a stage where the packaging and quantity was discontinued and reintroduced with a slightly larger quantity, better ability to recycle the packaging itself. The product itself remained consistent. It is a very hearty and filling pasta, the ingredient list is easy to interpret and understand, and seems to strike us as one of those products you can feel pretty good about consuming. The packaging is fully recyclable, too. I should note that we have also tried the thin spaghetti version (this brand doesn't run the gamut with shapes or sizes, but it's really the same stuff, so I couldn't care less!) with similar results to what I'm writing below... rotini, spaghetti, etc.
My advice when cooking is to constantly check to see that it's not undercooked, as its texture will otherwise remain somewhat grainy. Overcooking isn't a problem; if it puffs up too much and floats while boiling -as most pasta will when it's overcooked- just let it cool and drain for a little while so it becomes the "al dente" you may be more accustomed to. Make no mistake: there's a clear difference between eating this product cooked to its best versus the usual overprocessed "white" pasta that we've likely and normally grown up with. In fact, certain immediate family members often crave the "regular" kind over this healthier stuff, and I believe that there are two reasons for this:
1) The texture of "regular" pasta retains its smoothness, even after refrigeration. This whole wheat version loses moisture more quickly, therefore it slightly hardens, which should be common for what it is. No big deal; sprinkle on some water before microwaving it or re-boiling it should restore it to its excellence.
2) This pasta doesn't absorb other flavors well, which is why I give it 4 rather than 5 stars. For instance, when cooking with a sauce, it may benefit to actually cook the pasta with the sauce so as to allow those flavors to "stick," rather than just dumping the sauce over the pasta (which is typical) before serving. This particular brand, for some reason (and it may have to do with its density and texture; I don't know enough about the food science behind whole wheat products such as pasta) does not allow for a more complete absorption while cooking. In other words, the pasta's flavor itself is not fully masked. Considering that it's not spinach-flavored or has squid ink added to it like some "gourmet" pastas do (and those unique flavors SHOULD show up in the final dish by design), I'd see it as adding another dimension to a dish, taking the positive spin on it. But people used to cooking with regular, over-processed, bleached, and "enriched" pastas may not be used to actually tasting the pasta itself when eating a dish with certain sauces.
Overall, I'd strongly recommend it for its overall benefits, and we plan to stick with it for a long time.
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Heartland 100% Whole Wheat Rotini, 13.25-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
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