Cath Muscat
Channel your inner Italian Nonna with these hands-on tips for making pasta at home from our contributing food editor, Kerrie Worner.
- Always use ‘OO’ plain flour to make pasta – it’s a fine ground flour suitable for bread, pizza and pasta.
- Fresh room-temperature free-range large eggs are a must.
- Prevent pasta from sticking together with a coarse ground all-purpose flour – dust the work surface, pasta maker and tray with rice flour or durum wheat semolina instead of the ‘OO’ flour in the recipe.
- If you’re not confident mixing on a bench, use a bowl. Make a well in the centre of flour before adding the eggs and olive oil.
- It is important to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. This will take at least 5 minutes, don’t take short cuts.
- Avoid over-flouring the bench when kneading, add just enough so it doesn’t stick to the bench. If your dough is feeling too dry, add a few drops of olive oil.
- Don’t over-flour dough as you fold and pass back through the pasta machine.
- Divide your pasta dough into quarters when processing through the machine – be sure to cover those you’re not working with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
- When cooking, drop into boiling water. Keep a watchful eye to ensure your pasta is al dente
5 pasta-making essentials
01
The Cooks Collective pasta maker in black, Myer
$44.95 (usually $89.95)
All great pasta starts with a trusty pasta maker. This one from The Cooks Collective comes in black or red and has seven thickness settings so you can create fettucine and spaghetti just the way you like it.
02
Avanti wooden gnocci board, Harris Scarfe
$7.95
There’s something meditative about the process of making gnocci. This board will give each pillowy tuft a professional, lined finish.
03
Academy rolling pin (45cm), David Jones
$50
A rolling pin is a pasta-making essential. This marble and timber style is comfortable to hold and looks great too with its matching stand.
04
KitchenAid pasta roller and cutter attachment, David Jones
$299
If you need another excuse to invest in a Kitchenaid standmixer, this is one of them. This automatic pasta-cutter and roller attachment will make homemade pasta-making an absolute breeze. The best-selling tool also has hundreds of glowing reviews. Note: KitchenAid mixer sold separately.
05
Homemade pasta making at home kit, RedBalloon
$149
Keen to get started? This gourmet pasta-making kit is just the ticket. It comes with a kilo of ’00’ fine pizza flour, a pasta-making machine, pasta sauce and a bottle of Riprossa Illuminati red wine.
