Here are some things I’ve learned in my time making pasta. With a lot of practice, what was once and intimidating and frustrating process has become something I can make regularly with ease, and even a process I look forward to. If you follow my advice you’ll be serving up a bowl of homemade goodness stress free in no time!
Do not start this process hungry, or even peckish for that matter. There’s a reason the Italians are the masters of antipasto or little snacks. Do. Not. Get. Hangry. During. This. Process. It will ruin it for you, as it has for me many times over. Pasta, while ultimately a simple thing to make, is a process of patience. There’s no rushing it, so don’t let hunger pangs make you feel rushed yourself. Open some wine, set out some snacks. Or better yet, get your prepping done earleir in the day. Pasta dough can rest for —- and be ready in time for the cooresponding fillings and/or sauces.
Mies en place. Make sure you have everything organized and ready! Check for enough eggs, enough flour, enough olive oil. Homemade pasta cooks fast! As James Beard writes, don’t even think about putting your pasta into the cooking water if your sauce and garnishes aren’t already ready to go. That goes for everything else in the meal. Homemade pasta is supposed to be served immediately and fresh, make sure everything else is in order before you cook it or even think about serving it to guests.
Practice makes perfect. This is supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be an evolving experimental thing. You will get the feel of it over time. You can’t help but do so with a ten minute kneading period, right? But relax and feel the dough, pay attention to its springiness and color each time you make it. See how the environment, process, flour, humidity, or whatever else may come your way change the final outcome. Note the difference between a dough with eggs and a dough made with warm water. This is how you’ll develop a good sense of when a dough is right, with or without the guidelines. And finally, remember, it’s just a little bit of flour and water or flour and some eggs. If you don’t get it right the first time, at least you’re not losing a ton of expensive ingredients in the process. Just have fun!
As a bonus, here are some things I think will help you along your journey. The one you absolutely most need is a scale, so let’s start there!
Greater Goods Digital Food Scale - simple, small, has multiple measurement modes, easy to use and store!
Pastry Scraper - I don’t actually own one of these, but a lot of people use them to scrape up all the sticky bits that can get stuck on your wood surface during pasta making.
Pasta Roller - This is the one I own, but there are a lot of options out there. Most should come with about 8 settings for thickness and an attachment that can be used to make linguine noodles. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, there are also attachments available for those machines!
Pastry/Ravioli Wheel - This makes cutting stuffed pasta shapes super easy and clean looking!