How to dry Homemade Pasta

Dry homemade pasta before storing it in a sealed container.

Many people prefer the taste and texture of homemade pasta to prepackaged pasta. When you make homemade pasta out of fresh ingredients, the result is often so delicious that you may never want to return to pasta purchased from a grocery store. After making homemade pasta, either cook it immediately or dry it before storing it. Once the pasta is dried, store it in a sealed container for several months.

Things You'll Need

• All-purpose flour
• Plastic cutting mats
• Dishtowel
• Broom handle or towel rack
• Sealed container

Instructions

Drying Pasta Shapes

1. Place a plastic cutting mat on the counter and dust it generously with flour. Place the pasta pieces in a single layer on the floured cutting mat. Make sure that none of the pasta pieces touches each other. Dust the tops of the pasta pieces lightly with more flour.

2. Allow the pasta shapes to sit at room temperature for several hours.

3. Place a second cutting mat on top of the pasta shapes. Carefully flip both cutting mats over at the same time so that the other side of the pasta shapes is facing up. This will expose the other side of the pasta pieces to the air. Remove the cutting mat that is on the top and set it aside.

4. Allow the pasta shapes to sit at room temperature for several more hours. Continue flipping the pasta pieces over in this manner every several hours until the pasta is completely dry.

5. Store the dried pasta shapes in a sealed container at room temperature for two to three months.

Drying Long Pasta Noodles

1. Place a broomstick horizontally between two chairs or use a towel rack to dry long noodles.

2. Lay a dishtowel onto the counter and lightly dust it with flour. Drape the dishtowel over the broom handle to cover it.

3. Place the long pasta noodles over the dishtowel on the broom handle. Make sure that the noodles are not touching each other as you place them onto the dishtowel.

4. Allow the noodles to sit on the broom handle undisturbed at room temperature to dry. If the noodles are thin, they will not require turning. If the noodles are a thicker variety (such as fettuccine), turn them over to expose the other side to air after several hours.

5. Store the dried pasta noodles in a sealed container at room temperature for two to three months.

Tips & Warnings

• Drying times vary significantly depending on the size and shape of the pasta. Humidity levels and temperatures also affect how long it takes for homemade pastas to dry. The pastas are dry when they are brittle to the touch. Use a laundry drying rack to dry a large quantity of long noodles.

References

• Drying Homemade Pasta

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish