> How does the end result compare to forking over the extra $ for fresh pasta rather than dried?
Why not just make your own fresh pasta, it's not that hard!
I have an attachment for my food mixer - so all I have to do is put my dry flour in the mixing bowl until the gluten is developed and then feed it through the pasta rollers.
Because it's really messy, involves a lot of counter space, takes a fair amount of extra time, and isn't shelf stable.
Making your own pasta is a great idea. Also delicious. But it's like a Sunday afternoon idea.
Turning dried pasta into alkalized ramen-style noodles, though, is something you can set up in 4 minutes on a Tuesday night and then on Thursday when you remember you did that setup have for dinner in 3 minutes of cooking time.
The two cooking techniques just aren't comparable. The point of the Ideas In Food technique isn't to approximate fresh pasta. It's to make a better and more interesting use of dried pasta, which is simply a different product.
I use something like this [1] to make pasta very often. Ok, making ravioli is something that takes at least 30 minutes (and up to 4 hours if you're making an elaborate recipe for a large party). But you can make tagliatelle for four in the time the water boils.
"Because it's really messy, involves a lot of counter space, takes a fair amount of extra time, and isn't shelf stable."
This. I have a pasta roller and some different cutters and I really enjoy the fruits of my labor when I do it. However, it's such a PITA that I rarely do it - it's so much easier to throw a box of dried pasta in some water I often just do that.
I suppose that's true of just about everything in cooking but I'd rather skimp here and spend my time making some other component super awesome.
Same here. I have a really lovely Italian-made hand-cranked roller that I've used to make fresh noodles for lasagna or cannelloni. You can't beat the flavor or the texture. And they cook up very quickly and are ready to go... once you've put the effort into making them.
...but, here's the kicker: I haven't touched it in years (and I mean years!). Premade noodles are far too convenient to pass up. And if I'm making a few other things at once, I often don't want to be bothered with fiddly stuff like making noodles (and the counter space is usually at a premium anyway). I love cooking, but I often don't have the patience I used to for some things. These days, I'd rather sink my time into making some really amazing breads or trying out new recipes.
I'll have to clean up that old roller. But gosh, the time investment sometimes makes me dread the thought. ;)
A word of warning, though--that pasta roller will be nearly useless to you unless you have a very heavy table or countertops with a right-angle edge. If you have a rounded edge, you can't clamp it down properly, and won't be able to turn the crank.
When we use ours, it has to be clamped to a wooden TV-tray table, and I have to hold it down with my legs as I crank, because both hands are occupied with the pasta, and the table is too light to keep the work surface from bouncing around.
If you have no suitable surfaces in your home, get the freakin' electric roller.
Most people I know use a wood board to clamp it. These boards are usually made of untreated birch, beech or basswood and are available on the european amazons.
Why not just make your own fresh pasta, it's not that hard!
I have an attachment for my food mixer - so all I have to do is put my dry flour in the mixing bowl until the gluten is developed and then feed it through the pasta rollers.
$200 gets you a dedicated machine
http://www.pasta-recipes-made-easy.com/electric-pasta-machin...
or even cheaper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDImZ493V3U
Watch Gordon Ramsay do it by hand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VzXH3o88mw