Making Fresh Homemade Pasta with a Manual Pasta Maker
Making fresh homemade pasta has never been easier or tastier thanks to manual pasta makers. Manual pasta makers make it easy to craft EXACTLY the type of pasta you’d like, from linguine to shells, rigatoni to tortellini. With the right ingredients and a little bit of know-how, you’ll be making fresh pasta in no time.
The Benefits of Using a Manual Pasta Maker
When it comes to making pasta, a hand-cranked pasta maker may not seem like the most obvious choice. But this is actually one of the best ways to craft your own delicious, custom-made pasta. Here are some of the benefits of using a manual pasta maker:
- It’s more affordable than an electric pasta maker.
- Manual pasta makers are more adjustable than electric ones.
- You have greater control over the thickness and shape of your pasta.
- You can experiment with new shapes and textures.
- They require less counter space than electric pasta makers.
- Most manual pasta makers are dishwasher safe.
Ingredients and Tools
Before you get started making pasta with your manual pasta maker, let’s go over what you’ll need. First up, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Water (optional)
In addition to the ingredients, here are the tools you’ll need:
- A manual pasta maker
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Cling wrap
- Knife or ravioli stamp
- Large pot
How to Use a Manual Pasta Maker
Once you’ve gathered all the necessary ingredients and tools, it’s time to start making pasta. Here is our step-by-step guide to using a manual pasta maker:
- Combine the flour, eggs, olive oil and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Mix until the dough forms a ball. If the dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Dust the work surface with flour and knead the dough until it is soft and elastic.
- Cover the dough with cling wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Now it’s time to use the manual pasta maker. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a log about 10 inches long. Feed each log into the pasta maker, turning the crank handle to roll out your desired thickness.
- If you wish to make flat pasta such as fettuccine, turn the crank handle in one direction to roll the dough, then switch directions and roll back to your desired width. Cut the pasta with the cutting blades included with the pasta maker.
- If you’re making filled pasta such as ravioli, prepare the filling first. Roll the pasta dough into thin sheets and place small amounts of the filling on one sheet. Place the other sheet over the top and press the edges together with a knife or ravioli stamp.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then gently drop in your freshly-made pasta. Cook for 2-3 minutes for fresh pasta, or up to 8 minutes for filled pasta. Drain and serve!
Conclusion
Now that you know how to use a manual pasta maker, it’s time to get creative and experiment with different types of
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