Dried Pasta....what happens after "sell by" date?

[erica]

I have a bag of cut pasta from Puglia that I purchased in Italy a few years ago. It is now past its sell-by date by (gasp..) a few years. OK..three years. What exactly happens to dried pasta when it gets old? Should I throw this out, or can I use and just cook for a longer time? It is the tri-colored pasta that I thought was so cool when I bought it and now know better..that it loses its' color when cooked....

[Shazam]

The only thing I've ever had happen to me with really old pasta is that it disintegrates while cooking.

[macrogal]

Shouldn't make any difference at all....dried pasta has an infinite shelf life if kept dry and relatively cool. Eat up!

[Eat_Nopal]

It just takes longer to cook. (There are no food safety issues to worry about since there isn't enough moisture for anything to grow in/on the pasta)

[Cheese Boy]

Yes, it will take longer to cook - to rehydrate. It's been "drying" for a real long while. The pasta should be fine otherwise. Check for any Grain weevils just to make sure. [If you're going to keep *any* dried pasta around for a really long time, like three years, Bay leaves will help keep bugs away]. Other than that, you should be fine with your "aged" pasta.