Pasta Making Table

Fresh pasta cooks quicker, is usually better for you, and you get to decide what goes into it. I would like to give credit to the Great AB (aka Alton Brown of Good Eats "Use your noodle II) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r4ZUdIomsc ) for this idea. With mine you do not have to drill any holes to clamp anything down. You do not have to worry about messing up the dining room table. Though I grew up In a half Italian home. Mom never made anything from scratch. About a decade after she past away, I began to get interested in my heritage. Had a lot of relatives in the food business, but never became really involved in it. The last several years, I have become immersed in making the foods I love most. Though I prefer to make rustic pasta which can be made by hand, the traditional pastas are important too. For what they charge for fresh pasta in the grocery store, our pasta maker has paid for it self easily many times over.

What's needed:
Pasta machine with a clamp. (used: $12)
Ironing table. (used $2)
Enough wide foil to cover the length of the ironing table and then some. ( $1)
Freeing space in the kitchen (priceless)
Easy cleanup (priceless).
Block of wood for the clamp to press on to.

Fresh pasta price:
Home made: Less than $2.
Store bought: can be $5 or more.

Fresh pasta dough recipes at the end of the instructable.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Pasta-drying-stand/

Part 1.

1. Set up your ironing table where there is plenty of room. Was able to get this table for a couple of bucks at Goodwill. (Instant additional counter space and easier cleanup.)

2. Take and roll out enough foil to cover the table. Foil is disposable, so it is easier to maintain the table as long as you have plenty of foil.

Part 2. - Done.

1. Set the pasta maker on one side of the table preferably the one closest to you. The original pasta maker was from Sur la Table at a premium. later I found a much less expensive on at Goodwill.

2. insert the clamp in the pasta maker and around under the edge of the table.

3. Take the block and place it between the clamp and the table so that when you tighten up the clamp it is secure.

4. Make your pasta!

Where's the Pasta?

We did an egg pasta in https://www.instructables.com/id/Our-spaghetti/. You can get more information there. Some people even use pasta machines to make torillas to make tacos and quesadillas, Though I call them piadini.

There us a pasta that is made without eggs called trenette. Usually made with just water and flour and is very elastic. This dough is usually not good for pasta machines, In the orient, they like to use it, as it stretches very easily, An art has been made out of pulling the noodles to very long lengths.
Something would I like to try. might cause a whole new health exercise fad. Enjoy the table.

Other Pics.

Screenshot-Pasta making table : Recent Instructables : DIY : Portfoli - Mozilla Firefox.png

Other tables I have found around the web for making pasta. One looks vaguely familiar.....

You can always make pasta without a machine:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Home-made-pasta-shapes/

Trenette (aka Eggless Noodles).

Eggless Noodles consist basically of flour and water.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 - 2/3 cup water

Egg noodles are made by using two eggs plus enough water to make 1/2 cup instead of the plain water.

A stiff dough is prepared from flour and water. Knead the dough thoroughly, cover with plastic, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. The resting time allows the flour to absorb water uniformly and makes the dough more pliable and easier to handle. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin and make a sheet 1mm thick (the thickness of a U.S. penny). Dust with flour to prevent sticking, as necessary. Roll the sheet into a log, and cut slices of the width desired for the noodles. A pasta machine, such as the one illustrated here, can be used to roll and cut the dough evenly. When using this type of pasta machine, the dough must not be too wet, otherwise it will stick in the machine. Once you have rolled the sheets, it may be necessary to let them air dry for about 10 minutes to be able to cut them properly. The drying time will vary depending on the humidity of the air and the amount of moisture in the dough. If the dough is too moist, the noodles will tend to clump together. The noodles may be air dried by draping them on plastic coat hangers or a Pasta Drying Rack for several hours, or they may be refrigerated for use at a later time.

Egg Pasta (Fettucine).

Noodles consist basically of flour and water.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (well cooked potato can be partially substituted)
4 large eggs (I use extra large) (also some purists just use the egg yolk)
1 tablespoon oil or water
1 pinch salt

Egg noodles are made by using two eggs plus enough water or oil to make 1/2 - 2/3 cup.

A stiff dough is prepared from flour, salt, oil, and eggs. Knead the dough thoroughly, cover with plastic, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. The resting time allows the flour to absorb the eggs uniformly and makes the dough more pliable and easier to handle. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin and make a sheet 1mm thick (the thickness of a U.S. penny). Dust with flour to prevent sticking, as necessary. Roll the sheet into a log, and cut slices of the width desired for the noodles. A pasta machine, such as the one illustrated here, can be used to roll and cut the dough evenly. When using this type of pasta machine, the dough must not be too wet, otherwise it will stick in the machine. Once you have rolled the sheets, it may be necessary to let them air dry for about 10 minutes to be able to cut them properly. The drying time will vary depending on the humidity of the air and the amount of moisture in the dough. If the dough is too moist, the noodles will tend to clump together. The noodles may be air dried by draping them on plastic coat hangers or a Pasta Drying Rack for several hours, or they may be refrigerated for use at a later time.