Pasta drying problem

[Zhizara]

No it won't. That'll be enough for one meal for me and my DH.

We got exhausted making that 500 gram batch of pasta. Not getting any younger. I can't even imagine doing it without the hand crank pasta machine. It does a lot of the kneading. I used to make lasagna noodles all by hand.

Maybe I should just make up the 500 or 1000 gram batch of dough and put that in the freezer in portions. It would be a fair bit less work just cranking out enough for one meal and I wouldn't have any hand kneading with the pre-made dough.

I'd think that if you were going to make that big a mess, you'd try to do at least several months worth at a time.

I get it, no space? Right?

I commend you for doing it, but I still love that 89cent pre-made in my cabinet. It makes a month or even two months worth of carbohydrates. I love egg noodles. They are much more delicious than macaroni IMHO.

Just like the drop biscuits instead of rolling. I just don't want a floury mess to deal with. It makes my back scream just thinking of cleaning the floor.

I'm curious, TL. What would you have with Armadillo and Roadkill? Something is missing. Is there a dessert you like to serve with it? Is there another vegetable?

 

[taxlady]

I'd think that if you were going to make that big a mess, you'd try to do at least several months worth at a time.

I get it, no space? Right?

Actually, there is a lot of cranking that pasta maker. More would completely exhaust me. I'm not getting any younger.

I commend you for doing it, but I still love that 89cent pre-made in my cabinet. It makes a month or even two months worth of carbohydrates. I love egg noodles. They are much more delicious than macaroni IMHO.

Just like the drop biscuits instead of rolling. I just don't want a floury mess to deal with. It makes my back scream just thinking of cleaning the floor.

It's the standing and cranking that kills my back.

I'm curious, TL. What would you have with Armadillo and Roadkill? Something is missing. Is there a dessert you like to serve with it? Is there another vegetable?

Potatoes. A salad would go, but we are usually too lazy and the roadkill counts as veg

 

[taxlady]

How about dehydrating it in the oven?
It's just a guess on my part. Don't know if you have a dehydrator unit.. But if not wouldn't an oven at it's lowest temp- removing the racks work? I see you already have a pasta rack.

For me to dehydrate a batch of pasta takes less then 1 hour in my Ex. I don't think it would be much more time if you did use your oven.

I use a flour sifter over the pasta to help keep the strands separated before drying.

I never thought of using the oven. Would I lay out the pasta on a cookie sheet? My toaster oven is also a dehydrator, but it isn't wide enough for the pasta.

That's not really a pasta rack. It's an indoor clothes drying rack that I gave a good scrub

 

[Zhizara]

Actually, there is a lot of cranking that pasta maker. More would completely exhaust me. I'm not getting any younger.

It gets worse and you're younger than I am, I think.



It's the standing and cranking that kills my back.

Just the thought of that makes mine hurt.


Potatoes. A salad would go, but we are usually too lazy and the roadkill counts as veg

I'm not really surprised that you wouldn't add anything more. I would probably scarf down an inch or so of Armadillo and have a taste of roadkill and I'd be stuffed and beddy bound.

You know I've gotta make some Armadillo now. The Roadkill will have to wait until my next Walmart trip, hoping they have red cabbage. I've never seen it there, though. Guess I'll have to get my DN (dear neighbor) Margie to take me over to Rouses. They have nice produce.

 

[Chef Munky]

I never thought of using the oven. Would I lay out the pasta on a cookie sheet? My toaster oven is also a dehydrator, but it isn't wide enough for the pasta.

That's not really a pasta rack. It's an indoor clothes drying rack that I gave a good scrub

You could cut the pasta to any length that suits you. In your case toaster oven rack size.
Lay it as flat as you can. Dust it with the flour sifter to help keep them separated. Load it up.Keep a close eye on it. I don't know much about those ovens.. Drying time I have no idea about.Guessing 45-50 minutes on the lowest heat setting. Check the manual. I could be wrong.

It should dry your pasta without your having to to turn it. I wouldn't use a cookie sheet. You will have to turn the pasta to make sure it dries evenly. If you have a rack for it I'd use that instead. The pasta will be easier to handle with the smaller cuts. When it's cooked nobody would be the wiser. Except you

Your clothes rack certainly fooled me. Thought that was a pasta rack. Ok let's forget that bright idea of mine.. I'd certainly appreciate your not spreading that misinformation around LOL!

Munky.

 

[taxlady]

You could cut the pasta to any length that suits you. In your case toaster oven rack size.
Lay it as flat as you can. Dust it with the flour sifter to help keep them separated. Load it up.Keep a close eye on it. I don't know much about those ovens.. Drying time I have no idea about.Guessing 45-50 minutes on the lowest heat setting. Check the manual. I could be wrong.

It should dry your pasta without your having to to turn it. I wouldn't use a cookie sheet. You will have to turn the pasta to make sure it dries evenly. If you have a rack for it I'd use that instead. The pasta will be easier to handle with the smaller cuts. When it's cooked nobody would be the wiser. Except you

Your clothes rack certainly fooled me. Thought that was a pasta rack. Ok let's forget that bright idea of mine.. I'd certainly appreciate your not spreading that misinformation around LOL!

Munky.

Would I have more than one layer of pasta on the rack? If I lay it out on a rack, I think it will have to be partly dry or it will sag. That would make some funny looking pasta

It's starting to sound like it's more trouble than it's worth

I'll probably just hand knead about a kg of dough and put portions in the freezer. Then I can machine knead and cut the noodles when I want them. There's almost no work advantage to machine kneading and cutting a big batch instead of a small one. Making up the dough doesn't take much longer for a bigger batch.

 

[Zhizara]

Would I have more than one layer of pasta on the rack? If I lay it out on a rack, I think it will have to be partly dry or it will sag. That would make some funny looking pasta

It's starting to sound like it's more trouble than it's worth

I'll probably just hand knead about a kg of dough and put portions in the freezer. Then I can machine knead and cut the noodles when I want them. There's almost no work advantage to machine kneading and cutting a big batch instead of a small one. Making up the dough doesn't take much longer for a bigger batch.

That's the way it was starting to sound to me. Is it really that much tastier?

 

[taxlady]

That's the way it was starting to sound to me. Is it really that much tastier?

It is tastier. I think it's worth making. It's the drying it that seems too much effort.

 

[Claire]

To me, completely drying pasta would defeat the purpose of making it fresh. You can buy dry pasta anyplace, any time, and often for a heck of a lot less money, time and effort than making it yourself.

The first few times we tried making pasta, we thought we had to hang it 'til dry. After awhile we learned that you only dry it for long enough that it stays separate in a big pot of heavily boiling water. That can be most easily done by tossing it with a bit of flour and letting it sit on good cotton towels for a bit. But you're not looking for dry enough to store on the shelf, you can buy that in a store, and you're not looking for store-bought quality. If you want that, buy it, save yourself money, time and energy.

Mother-in-law made fresh noodles and froze them. Worked really well.

 

[taxlady]

To me, completely drying pasta would defeat the purpose of making it fresh. You can buy dry pasta anyplace, any time, and often for a heck of a lot less money, time and effort than making it yourself.

The first few times we tried making pasta, we thought we had to hang it 'til dry. After awhile we learned that you only dry it for long enough that it stays separate in a big pot of heavily boiling water. That can be most easily done by tossing it with a bit of flour and letting it sit on good cotton towels for a bit. But you're not looking for dry enough to store on the shelf, you can buy that in a store, and you're not looking for store-bought quality. If you want that, buy it, save yourself money, time and energy.

Mother-in-law made fresh noodles and froze them. Worked really well.

We cook the pasta for that night's meal as soon as we are done fiddling with the whole batch.

I use whole grain wheat flour when I make pasta. It's half the price of the good tasting pasta from the store. It certainly wouldn't be worth the effort for the $1.50 or so that I save on a 500 gram bag. I buy organic, stone ground, whole grain, wheat pasta made in Italy. I haven't found any whole grain pasta made here that tastes good. My home made pasta has a lower carbon footprint.

I was originally taught not to let the pasta dry at all. I don't remember the pasta sticking together in the pot. In any case, since we have started partially drying the pasta, I don't notice any difference in the taste from the not-dried-at-all stuff. I have heard several foodies say that drying it doesn't hurt the flavour. I'll let you guys know when we cook the stuff we dried.

I have frozen pasta in the past. Maybe it would be easier if I dried it more than I used to do. It was a colossal nuisance. Lots of waxed paper, flour everywhere, pasta sticking to the waxed paper.

I don't want to do everything the old fashioned way. But, I like trying the old fashioned way and knowing that I can cook and store food without electricity.

 

[CookLikeJulia]

As for me, when I do make my own fettucine. I don't dry them totally, just let the moist dry then I curl it wrap in a wax paper and refrige it. I want my fettucine still soft when I cook it.

 

[taxlady]

As for me, when I do make my own fettucine. I don't dry them totally, just let the moist dry then I curl it wrap in a wax paper and refrige it. I want my fettucine still soft when I cook it.

So, if they are partially dry, they don't stick permanently to themselves when you curl them? Do you curl them individually or a few together? I think that I have had the "permanently stuck together" problem in the past because they weren't dry enough.