Comments on: Open Thread: The Pasta-bilities

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sat, 28 May 2011 13:41:41 +0000

I cheat and buy Al Dente Pasta, so much easier, and my kitchen stays cleaner! LOL! It tastes exactly like homemade, because it is handmade in their factory, and cooks in just 3 min.

By: deb

deb — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:09:35 +0000

In response to Molly, although its more than a year since you posted so….I’ve used both and now have neither — If you really decide you’re going to make pasta often (I thought I would) then I would recommend getting a dedicated maker — I found the kitchenaid attachment difficult to use and somewhat unsteady. Neither take up much room and are both relatively inexpensive so its not a bad thing to have on had even if you only use it once or twice a year

By: Rubygirl

Rubygirl — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:31:44 +0000

I am with Liza, it does depend on the humidity in your kitchen. I enjoyed the “picture recipe” from the Pioneer Woman. Don’t forget that if you boil them in homemade broth it makes a world of difference. Nothing better than noodles!!

By: Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week | Endless Simmer

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week | Endless Simmer — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:37:44 +0000

[...] Thanks for all the homemade pasta tips. Sounds like The Pioneer Woman is our go-to source. Other ideas? Keep ‘em [...]

By: Jason Sandeman

Jason Sandeman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:13:55 +0000

I like to use 00 semolina. I use a 3 egg to 1 pound flour ratio. I mix by hand, let it rest, then process it through the machine.

By: Liza

Liza — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:16:10 +0000

Here’s my Great Grandma (Mama Susie) recipe and tips (and she just turned 103 on Feb 1st!): In keeping with my family tradition, I only make noodles for Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to Mama Susie, It’s all about the humidity – which of course you can’t really control, and I don’t think our generation is as in tune to the humidity as they were in the 1910s. When I make noodles in DC, I kneed the dough a lot – however, when I made noodles in Tulsa, the kneeding ruined it and I had to start over.

Beat 2 eggs well
add 2 tsp of salt, and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of flour depending on the humidity (I swear that’s what it says) – I always end up using more flour but you don’t want the dough too thick to roll out.
Mix with a fork until egg and flour are blended.
Shape into a ball, and divide the ball of dough in half and roll out each half as thin as you can get.

I’m not sure what the process is with a pasta maker, but with these noodles, you have to let them dry, which, of course, also depends on the humidity.

By: Stephen Hait

Stephen Hait — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:58:59 +0000

I will second thepioneerwoman.com method Shana links to. That’s the recipe we use. We don’t use a food processor, though, as it’s ready in almost no time without it. And we just cut the pasta by hand with a knife to whatever shapes we want after rolling the dough thin with a rolling pin. It takes longer to boil the water than it does to make the pasta. Plus it’s fun if you’re 7 years old.

By: Shana

Shana — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:53:15 +0000

I usually use this recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/homemade-pasta/ (basically, two eggs and a cup of flour), let my food processor do most of the work, knead it a bit, then roll it out and cut it by hand. I am currently in the market for a ravioli mold, as such: http://www.kasbahouse.com/villawareonline/cavatelliandraviolimakers.asp as they are supposed to make that process a lot easier. I love my homemade, handcut noodles though. They taste amazing. And I just use regular large eggs and all-purpose flour.

By: Molly

Molly — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:36:37 +0000

I’m curious, too. My fiance and I really enjoy pasta as well and I’ve been trying to decide if I want to put a pasta machine like you have pictured on my bridal registry, or attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer…if anyone has any experience with both, or either….I’d love to hear. We got engaged in Rome a month ago, and spent that week eating amazing pasta dishes…I’d love to be able to recreate some of those meals at home….