Characteristics

• No-boil lasagna noodles are thinner than regular noodles, and have accordion-type pleats; these characteristics make it easier for the noodles to absorb water and to expand during cooking. The noodles come in 7-inch by 3.5-inch rectangles and 7-inch squares. It's best to prevent the noodles from reaching all the way to the edge of the pan, since they may expand over the edges and get tough and dry on the ends.

Manufacturers

• No-boil lasagna noodles are manufactured by Barilla, Creamette, Delverde, Pasta DeFino and Ronzoni. De Boles makes a gluten-free rice version of no-boil pasta; Dellalo also makes an organic whole-wheat version.

Tips

• No-boil lasagna noodles are rehydrated by the lasagna sauce when they cook. They are specially designed for this. The America's Test Kitchen website reports that when its cooks substituted regular uncooked noodles, rather than no-boil noodles, the result was starchy and gummy regular noodles; in other words, substituting regular uncooked noodles won't achieve the same result as no-boil noodles.

Complaints

• Some people who have used them complain that no-boil lasagna noodles have a gummy or glue-like consistency, although this might have resulted from inadequate liquid during cooking. Others complain that the noodles can come out crunchy and underdone, especially when they expand past the edges of the pan; and others claim that you don't need them at all, because regular noodles will work as well, as long as they are thoroughly moistened with sauce.