Storing homemade pasta???

[lindrusso]

Whew...Just cranked out 65 ravioli last night and am now encouraged to make more use of my hand-crank pasta machine. I freeze the raviolis (but didn't have any containers to try Mamasue's nifty tip), but I don't know how to store other types of fresh pasta like linguine or spaghetti. I'd like to try some herbed pastas, but I know I'd be less likely to use it if I couldn't make a larger batch and save some for later. What do you all do?? My cookbooks are no help in this area!

[mightyh]

I freeze my linguine by kind of rolling it around both my arms after it's dry--so that it kind of looks like the refrigerated pasta that you buy... Then I just put it in a freezer bag. The problem is getting it out--never pretty, always breaks a lot. I'm debating cutting into 12 inch strands and trying that...

Will be interested to hear others' solution to this.

[Mamasue]

Alysha,

Sorry...I don't freeze or dry egg noodles, linguine, or angel hair. Maybe because when I want fresh pasta, which is usually a weekend thing, I just make it and then lay out on cotton table cloth until time to cook it that day. Maybe someday I will try fast freezing the strands of pasta and see what happens. I tried once drying the pasta, formed them in nice little round nests and wound up with moldy noodles http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif Haven't done it since!

[emilycat]

I have personally never made my own pasta, but my roommate last year did, and when she froze it, she laid it flat in long Tupperware containers and folded it over in half. So I guess if it did break when she thawed it, the pieces would still be linguine-length. Hope this helps!

[Anne]

I've never tried ravioli but I have frozen thick egg noodles. I air-dry the left-over noodles overnight, wrap them well with saran wrap the next morning and gently place in a spot in freezer where they are least likely to be disturbed. If I use them before stuff gets piled on top of them they seem to come out ok - some breakage but the flavor and texture are still there. Good luck - its really fun to enjoy the homemade noodles without the work (at least that evening).