Storing raw pasta dough?

[AwesomeOpossum74]

Recently got a new KitchenAid Artisan mixer, and the pasta attachments. Time to make pasta from scratch is about 30-45 minutes (including 20 minutes to allow the dough to set). I'm thinking I can cut that time down to 5 minutes on busy days by pre-making the pasta dough into portions and either freezing or refrigerating.



The recipe is egg-based.



My questions:
Is extruding it into noodles before storage a good option, or would it just "melt" back together?
- Is freezing a viable option? If so, I assume I'd need to thaw it over the day before I can use.
- How long would it last in the fridge?
- Issues with taste/texture quality?

 

[Andy M.]

I make batches of fresh pasta (with egg) and freeze meal-sized portions. It's just the rested dough. At mealtime it still has to be rolled and cut. No issues with taste, texture or quality.

I don't think frozen cut noodles would melt together when defrosted. However, they could be break up in the freezer if treated roughly.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...I don't think frozen cut noodles would melt together when defrosted. However, they could be break up in the freezer if treated roughly.

Uncooked dough would probably melt together before it had a chance to freeze. My Mom once made a large batch of pierogi. She cooked some immediately for supper - it was delicious! The rest was neatly layered into a Tupperware container and refrigerated until the next day for packing away in dinner sized portions. Except that the next day she had one huge potato-cheese-prune-kraut blob. [emoji45]

 

[taxlady]

I make batches of fresh pasta (with egg) and freeze meal-sized portions. It's just the rested dough. At mealtime it still has to be rolled and cut. No issues with taste, texture or quality.

I don't think frozen cut noodles would melt together when defrosted. However, they could be break up in the freezer if treated roughly.

What do you do to defrost it and how long does that take?

 

[taxlady]

I have made fettuccine and frozen it. My pasta maker rolls the dough, it doesn't extrude. I lay the individual noodles on waxed paper, in layers and froze that. It worked, but it was a real PITA and I didn't think it was worth the effort. To use, I just boiled it a bit longer than fresh, since it was still frozen when I put it in the boiling water.

 

[Andy M.]

What do you do to defrost it and how long does that take?

Take the dough out of the freezer and set it on the kitchen counter or defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. I package smaller amounts. Just enough for two. It should be close to room temperature for rolling out.

 

[AwesomeOpossum74]

Thanks all. We feed a family of 3-5 generally (depends on who's coming). I think we'll probably make and freeze about 10 servings, rolled but not cut. Then we can make spaghetti, fettuccine, or lasagna as needed. See how it goes.