How Far Ahead Can I Make Fresh Pasta?

[Andy M.]

I'm making fresh fettuccine as part of our Easter dinner (flour and eggs). How far ahead can I make this and store it refrigerated without loss of quality? I'm talking about one to three day range.

 

[tenspeed]

Fresh pasta changes in hours. When I make fresh pasta to take to daughter's house, I'll dry it for an hour or so on a rack so it doesn't clump together, and then put it in a container for transport. It appears dry enough to be concerned about the pasta breaking up. By the time it's cooked (about 2 - 3 hours later), it's much soggier, but the cooked pasta doesn't seem to suffer. By the way, I do flour and water in the pasta machine.

Not that I have any experience in doing so, but you might want to consider freezing it while spread out on a baking sheet. That way it probably won't clump together.

 

[medtran49]

We made the imprinted pasta last night, but then got interrupted and it didn't get cooked until tonight. It was a little darker and was just a tiny bit tougher than same day pasta.

 

[Andy M.]

...It was a little darker and was just a tiny bit tougher than same day pasta.

Could you cook it a tad longer to compensate?

 

[medtran49]

I actually cooked it longer than what I would normally cook freshly made pasta.

I'd probably just make the dough ahead and freeze it, then roll out day of.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Andy, I make flour and egg pasta
(100g to 1 large egg and just a pinch of sea salt)
for ravioli and as well as handcut well tagliatelle
(wider than fettucine)
and I have been taught by my Italian in-laws to make your dough,
wrap it in plastic and park it in the `fridge for at one hour prior to rolling --- roll&cut it and leave it sit on a tray, tossed with some extra flour
(or semolina flour that I use)
for no more than the afternoon, covered with a tea towel.
If I don't use it all that evening, I freeze it and it's fine weeks later,
just cooked a smidge longer.
When I leave the dough, uncooked, in the `fridge longer than a day, it turns a funny gray-ish color.

 

[tenspeed]

and I have been taught by my Italian in-laws to make your dough,
wrap it in plastic and park it in the `fridge for at one hour prior to rolling --- roll&cut it and leave it sit on a tray, tossed with some extra flour
(or semolina flour that I use)
for no more than the afternoon, covered with a tea towel.
If I don't use it all that evening, I freeze it and it's fine weeks later,
just cooked a smidge longer.
When I leave the dough, uncooked, in the `fridge longer than a day, it turns a funny gray-ish color.

I make pizza dough for thin crust pizza using a Jim Lahey recipe and method. After the first rise and fold over, I let it rest for 30 minutes. Otherwise, the dough is too elastic and difficult to spread over the baking sheet, as it wants to spring back. Much easier after the 30 minute rest. I suspect the 1 hour rest for the pasta dough is for the same reason.

I refrigerated finished pasta once, and noticed the same gray discoloration the next day.