How To Cook Fresh Pasta: A Step-By-Step Guide

Italy is well known for its stunning pasta dishes and delicious pizzas. Whether you’re visiting Italy or cooking Italian at home, you’re going to want to sample carbonara or penne all’arrabbiata.

But to enjoy the best taste you need to be using fresh pasta. Whether you prepare it yourself or buy it fresh, once you’ve discovered how long to cook fresh pasta for, you can marvel at how delicious and satisfying your dish has become.

What Is The Difference Between Pasta And Fresh Pasta

Most people are used to heading to the supermarket and buying one of many different types of dried pasta. It’s easy and convenient and you can just take the pasta you like the most. The same is true of fresh pasta, since there are many different kinds of Italian fresh pasta. Creating your own fresh pasta is rewarding. If you don’t have the time, then you can still enjoy the taste by indulging in fresh pasta from your local store.

Dry pasta is generally made from semolina flour and water. Otherwise, fresh pasta will contain eggs, giving it a different texture and far superior taste.

Of course, dry pasta is generally more durable, making it a good option when creating a meal with large chunks of meat and/or vegetables. Fresh pasta is more likely to tear and ruin the dish, making it the better option for smooth recipes and sauces.

There are two distinct advantages to choosing Italian fresh pasta:

1. Time

Fresh pasta doesn’t need to hydrate and is generally thinner than standard pasta. That means it cooks faster and will be softer, allowing you to enjoy the array of flavors.

1. Taste

It’s not just faster to use fresh pasta, it’s also tastier. Fresh pasta has a different flavor from dry pasta, mainly because it's made with eggs. That can make a huge difference to the flavor of any dish.

Step-By-Step Cooking Instructions

If you’re interested in making fresh pasta you’ll need pasta flour, salt, eggs, and olive oil.

• Start by sieving 500g of flour onto a clean work area and add a pinch of salt.
• Beat six egg yolks with four eggs.
• Create a hole in the middle of your flour and pour the eggs in.
• With clean hands slowly mix the ingredients together.
• Knead for roughly ten minutes, then create a ball, wrap it in clingfilm and leave it in the fridge for at least an hour.
• Remove the clingfilm, cut the ball into small sections and flatten one section at a time.
• Push it through the pasta machine, so that you have sheets of pasta. You can also cut shapes from this.
  
  

You now have to prepare your sauce and know how long to cook fresh pasta for.

• Put a saucepan of water on the stove and add a drizzle of olive oil. The oil stops the pasta pieces from sticking together.
• Drop the pasta into the pan and stir it gently. The aim is to stop it from sticking without deforming it. Within 3-5 minutes the pasta will start floating. That means it’s al dente and you need to drain the water immediately.

When looking at how long to cook pasta you should note dry pasta will take at least eight minutes, sometimes longer.

Summing Up

The answer to how to cook pasta is simple. Whether fresh or not, the pasta needs to go into boiling water. Fresh pasta cooks faster and tastes better, but you’ll still need a sauce to go with it.

Don’t forget, there are many different types of fresh pasta, it’s a good idea to try as many of them as you can!