Cooking Resources

KissTheCook · 01-15-2012, 07:31 PM

Hey does anyone know how i can make my pasta dry faster. I was told i would have to wait 8-24 hours but it wasnt dry so i waited 2 days then it was dry. Any one know how i can get it to dry faster?

**Katie H** · 01-15-2012, 09:08 PM

What kind of pasta are you drying and how are you drying it?

Greg Who Cooks · 01-15-2012, 09:51 PM

I'm no expert, in fact haven't made my own pasta at all, but from what I've heard you can cook it directly and skip the drying step.

I hope I don't get slapped down for this reply. All I know is what I've heard.

How about cooking it fresh and report back how it went?

Andy M. · 01-15-2012, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gourmet Greg

I'm no expert, in fact haven't made my own pasta at all, but from what I've heard you can cook it directly and skip the drying step.

I hope I don't get slapped down for this reply. All I know is what I've heard.

How about cooking it fresh and report back how it went?

It is certainly possible to cook it before it dries.

...unless you've made several tons of the stuff and want to save some for later.

Greg Who Cooks · 01-15-2012, 10:02 PM

I've seen TV show chefs cook it as soon as making. Pardon me if I coin a term: "fresh pasta."

As I've said I've never made my own pasta. I've always used dried store pasta. I hope to have the opportunity to fix that soon some day.

I've always enjoyed the concept to cook more than you need now particularly if you can use it later. Some things are even better later. (Okay, meatloaf! True, right?)

Addie · 01-16-2012, 02:29 AM

How are you drying it? I have a very large laundry rack. It has three levels. It works perfectly. You can buy a small wooden one and hang it, spaced out. It depends on how much you make at one time. When I make noodles for chicken soup, I make enough for two meals. That means I have to hang it for drying. Mine and my daughter's. Sometime if she is in the mood for fresh pasta, I will make up a bunch, Enough for two people and one meal. No need to dry it, as she is going to be using it immediately.

The thinner your pasta, the quicker it will dry. The more moisture in your pasta, the longer it will take to dry. But the important thing to remember is to space it and if necessary, put a fan on it to speed up the process. But have the fan far enough away, so that the hanging pasta is not waving in the wind. You just want to have circulating air in the room. It being winter time, you might want to put the rack near your heat souce. Any more questions, let me know. Only too glad to help.

Addie · 01-16-2012, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gourmet Greg

I've seen TV show chefs cook it as soon as making. Pardon me if I coin a term: "fresh pasta."

As I've said I've never made my own pasta. I've always used dried store pasta. I hope to have the opportunity to fix that soon some day.

I've always enjoyed the concept to cook more than you need now particularly if you can use it later. Some things are even better later. (Okay, meatloaf! True, right?)

I have a very tall pasta jar with a canning like lid lock. If I make extra, it is perfect for the extras. I do prefewr to use it a couple of days later. Specially the needles for soup. It give the noodles more drying time, thus the noodles can absorb more of the broth of the soup.

letscook · 01-16-2012, 07:29 AM

Put a fan near where it is ,not directly on it. Air moving will dry it faster.
I use one that rotates (osilating spelling?) move the air nicely and pasta dries quicker.

GLC · 01-16-2012, 08:08 AM

I would be leery of a method that you thought had quickly dried pasta. It would be disasterous to leave the slightest moisture in the core. It can take hours to days, depending on how thick the pasta is. And environmental humidity is a factor. Your dried pasta typically would have been made with semolina(durum) and water.* No eggs. Dried pasta is not just fresh pasta that has been dried. So the two are quite different. The regional division of Italy into dried vs. fresh began mainly according to where durum wheat would grow.

*Definitely try different flours. APF and Italian "00" are alternatives that have different characters and different ease of working.

Kathleen · 01-16-2012, 11:46 AM

Definitely hang the pasta. If you do not have a drying rack, you can make them. Plastic coat hangers work well. So do wooden spoons, chopsticks, and basic unvarnished dowels. Does your oven have a pilot light? If so, you can dry it in an oven with a pilot light. You can also use a dehydrator. If you use the laundry rack idea, place a bare-bulb lamp in the center with a 100 watt bulb. That will help with the drying.

I'm lucky because our house gets very dry during the winter, so the pasta dries pretty fast.