Tips for Perfect Pasta
ENGLISH
•Good pasta dough is firm and leathery to touch, but also pliable. It should not stick to your fingers or crumble and fall apart. Many factors, such as humidity, brand of flour used, and size of eggs, may affect dough consistency. To test for correct dough consistency, pinch a small amount of dough together after mixing with the flat beater. If the dough stays together without sticking to your fingers, it should work well. It may be necessary to add a small amount of flour or water to reach correct dough consistency.
•Divide sheets of rolled pasta into halves or thirds before cutting into fettuccine, spaghetti, or linguine fini, as they
can become quite long and difficult to manage.
•Some hand separation may be necessary when cutting wheat or spinach dough with the fettuccine or spaghetti cutter. The small pieces of wheat bran and spinach are difficult to cut.
WARNING
Food Poisoning Hazard
Do not let foods that contain perishable ingredients such as eggs, dairy products, and meats remain unrefrigerated for more than one hour.
Doing so can result in food poisoning or sickness.
•Pasta can be cooked just after cutting. It can also be dried or frozen for future use. To dry, lay strands of pasta in a single layer on a towel or drying rack, and air dry for no more than 1 hour. Store dried pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To freeze, let pasta air dry for no more than 1 hour and freeze in an airtight container. It is not necessary to separate strands of pasta before freezing, just dust with flour and form into “nests.”
| Suggested Roller Settings |
Roller Setting | Uses |
1 or 2 | Kneading and thinning dough |
3 | Thick noodles |
4 | Egg noodles |
4 or 5 | Lasagna noodles, fettuccine, spaghetti, and ravioli |
6 or 7 | Tortellini, thin fettuccine, and linguine fini |
7 or 8 | Very thin |
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