HOW TO STORE FRESH HOMEMADE PASTA

There is nothing quite like homemade pasta. When it’s fresh, pasta is a delightful meal for your family or to serve to guests.

Since most recipes leave you with some extra, it’s important to know how to store fresh pasta to preserve everything that makes it so delicious.

Every home chef needs to know how to store homemade pasta. These tips can help guide you through the process. You’ll learn the best methods for storing fresh pasta, including how to dry and freeze it so you can enjoy it in the days or even weeks after it’s been cooked.

Pasta can be either dried or frozen. The storage method should depend on how long you intend to keep your pasta. While some commercially dried pastas can stay fresh for up to two years, homemade pasta has a more limited shelf life – typically around 2-6 months for dry pasta or up to 8 months for frozen pasta.

There’s a process to drying fresh pasta. Start by tossing the strands with a small amount of flour to keep them from clinging together. The next step is to lay each strand of pasta in a single layer on a baking sheet or clean cloth towel, or to hang them neatly from a drying rack. If you intend to eat the pasta the same day, you should let it dry for about 30 minutes to allow the excess flour to absorb the moisture from the eggs.

If you are planning to store your dry pasta long-term, you should let it completely air dry. This can take anywhere from 12-24 hours or longer as it’s dependent on the temperature and humidity of the room where you are drying it. You can speed up the process by using a fan on a lower speed and aimed toward the pasta.

We recommend testing the pasta every few hours to see where it’s at in the process. You will know if your pasta is ready if it snaps in half when twisted. On the other hand, if it bends or flexes, it requires more time. Once it’s ready, make sure you store the dried pasta in an airtight container.

Yes, fresh pasta can be frozen rather easily.

There are several ways to do this and it mostly depends on what you’re planning on doing with it:

• For leftover pasta dough, or if you want to pre-make your dough to use later, simply make your dough and roll it into one big ball. Wrap the dough in two layers of heavy duty plastic wrap, then put it in your freezer. It should stay fresh for up to four weeks. When you want to use it, thaw the dough overnight in your refrigerator before using it to make your favourite pasta or noodle dishes.
• If you’re looking to freeze batches of cut noodles, lightly dust them with flour and let the pasta air dry for one hour and then place them in an airtight container.
• You can also freeze your pasta by shaping it into the shape of “nests”, which is a smart way to store individual portions.

To do this, grab a handful of pasta strands and lightly coat them with flour. Next, dry on a baking tray or a clean, flat surface for around 5 minutes. The next step is to carefully pick up a small bundle of noodles from one end with your thumb and forefinger. Loosely wind the rest of the pasta around your hand, and then proceed to slip the pasta off of your hand and back onto your surface of choice. It’s wise to let the pasta dry a bit longer so that it can retain its shape before placing the nests in an airtight container and then inside the freezer.