Today I am sharing how to dry and store fresh pasta. This tutorial will have you making THE BEST homemade pasta ever.
For the longest time now I have been making fresh pasta in my kitchen. A few years ago my husband and kids bought me a Kitchenaid mixer for Christmas, and since then, I have been experimenting and creating beautiful food with it –including fresh pasta!
Since making fresh pasta can be a laborious job, I decided to try and see if I could make a large batch of it and then dry it and store it for use later.
Here are the tips I learned along the way and the do's and don'ts if you love making fresh pasta as well.
How to Dry and Store Fresh Pasta
If you want to dry your homemade pasta for future use, spread it in a single layer on a large baking sheet. When I am making fettucine noodles, I have learned that if I am cooking it right then, it is okay to swirl them into nests. But if I am going to be using the nest week, I lay the noodles in a single layer on the sheet pan.
Leave the pasta uncovered in a dry area for 12 to 24 hours, gently stirring and turning it a few times. A fan can be a big help ensuring your homemade pasta dries quickly and evenly. Don't use too much flour, especially if it is hot outside or inside your home. The humidity might cause issues.
When the pasta is completely dry (it should snap when you twist it, not bend), store it airtight at room temperature. It will only last a few days at room temperature, so if you are not going to be using it during that time, simply put it in an airtight container and freeze it.
Avoid very humid days for making and drying homemade pasta. If you do decide to make pasta when it’s humid out and drying conditions aren’t optimum, either cook it fresh, or freeze it.
It's really that simple to make larger batches of fresh pasta to dry and store for later use.
What about you? Have you ever made fresh homemade pasta?
Rochelle
Wednesday 16th of February 2022
We made homemade pasta using my brothers tried and true recipe. Angle Hair pasta came out great. Cooked it the same day. The fetuccine pasta, we dried for 24 hours. It was very dry, then placed in a cleophane bag. All looked great but when we cooked it the following week, it fell apart into pieces while cooking. Brothers have not ever had that happen. Any Ideas?
Jennifer Sikora
Friday 18th of February 2022
I am not sure how to answer this since I don't know the ingredients you used. You would have to share that info with me and then I can help you figure out why.
Pam
Thursday 1st of April 2021
Great tips. I just wanted to add that the dough freezes very well. I always make a double batch and freeze the other half for later. I wrap the ball tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. To use, thaw for a few hours on the counter and then roll as per usual. Saves time and the mess (and a great way to use up extra eggs).
Jennifer Sikora
Monday 5th of April 2021
Thanks for sharing that info!
Marisa
Sunday 11th of August 2019
I want to dry my pasta and give it to my friends, I don’t want to freeze it, can you help me with this task. It would save me money not to have to buy Christmas gifts and it wwould be from the heart!
Jennifer Sikora
Sunday 18th of August 2019
If you are giving it as Christmas gifts, you will have no choice to freeze it unless you make it just a few days before Christmas. If your gift is not going to be used up right after giving it to them, they will need to freeze it.
Marisa
Saturday 10th of August 2019
Hi, I love making pasta and tried drying it but my pasta changes color. I don’t like the dark shade it turns, any suggestions?
Jennifer Sikora
Saturday 10th of August 2019
Hi Marisa
After doing some research, once you dry your pasta, they say to freeze it to keep it from changing colors. I have tried leaving it out in the pantry in an air tight container and it does change colors (it's because of the eggs). Hope that helps!
Sarah
Saturday 22nd of June 2019
I've never made my own pasta, but it's on my list of things to learn to make this year. So this information will come in really handy when I do start making it and don't want or need to use it right away.