In these days of "fresh is better," wouldn't it seem like fresh pasta would be preferable to dried pasta? After all, fresh pasta is often locally-made and uses, well, fresh ingredients, while dried pasta is shipped over long distances and has been sitting on shelves for an unknown period of time.
But not so--like red and white wine, like soft and hard cheeses, like the West Coast and the East Coast, neither kind of pasta is superior to the other. They're just different!
Fresh pasta is made from a simple dough of eggs and flour, usually all-purpose flour or "00" high-gluten flour. The dough is kneaded like bread dough and then pressed through rollers until it's as thin as desired. Then it's cut into long noodles or formed and stuffed into tortellini and ravioli.
Fresh pasta is best served with delicate sauces where the texture of the pasta can take front stage. Fettuccine Alfredo is a whole new experience with fresh pasta, no question!
Dry pasta is made from finely ground semolina flour and water (no egg, usually) that is mixed into a paste, pushed through molds, and cut into the multitude of pasta shapes we know and love. (Just like those old Playdough Fun Factories!) Unlike fresh pasta, this pasta is dried at a low temperature for several days until all the moisture has evaporated, allowing it to be stored almost indefinitely.
Dry pasta is best suited for hearty dishes like ragu sauces, soups, and casseroles since it's a firm structure will hold up better with other ingredients.
Just like any other product on the market, you can find high-end forms of both pastas, as well as cheaper supermarket versions. But fresh or dry, long noodles or intricately shapes, it all comes down to personal taste.
What's your favorite pasta?
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Trader Joe's organic whole wheat rotini is very good (dry pasta). For fresh pasta, I go to a local Italian grocery/deli (Vace, for those in the DC area) and they have good meat ravioli, cheese tortellini, pumpkin ravioli, mushroom ravioli....
view Susmita's profile
i prefer making my own. it's not hard/time consuming if you have a machine and the texture is well worth it.
view TheVillageVegetable's profile
I'm allergic to eggs, so I only go for the dry, egg-less pasta. Due to my allergies, I basically never order pasta dishes (or desserts) in restaurants...I know I'm missing out on some really good food!
view Danio's profile
TJ's Papperdalle (sp?) is delicious. It's a wide, flat noodle and it tastes fantastic with a light sauce. Hearty sauces overwhelm it.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
I like making my own pasta... it's pretty easy, definitely cheap, and delicious. Once you know what you're doing, you can knock out fresh pasta in about 15 minutes of prep-time.
Here's my recipe, with photos: http://angorian.livejournal.com/79523.html
view angorian's profile
i have always wanted to make my own pasta. does anyone have any recommendations for pasta makers to purchase? there's such a range in price and i don't know what features i should be looking for.
view cassiopia's profile
Buitoni is good for fresh pasta -- I purchased their four-cheese ravioli last week, and it was delicious.
However, due to the fact that I live alone, dry pasta is a far more economical choice for me. I made Trader Joe's annellitti pasta last night, which was great, but I normally swear by Barilla Multigrain - the rotini and penne are delicious!
view halvorsen's profile
cassiopia ,
You DON'T need a machine. To start just roll them out with a rolling pin and cut at desired width. That's how they were made for centuries.
view joebelt's profile
You don't NEED a machine, but pasta dough is very stiff and it will take a lot more arm work to make without one. I have a "Jumbo Handy Machine", which is the Chinese knock-off of the atlas and imperia machines from Italy. It's all metal, just like the more expensive ones, except for the plastic grip on the handle. I got it from my local kitchen shop, and it was sold right next to the Italian ones.
view angorian's profile
thanks for the pasta making tips! i'm not sure if my arms are up to the rolling challenge just yet... so i'm going to look into the Jumbo Handy Machine.
view cassiopia's profile