My pasta keeps sticking together
I make my own pasta and love the recipe I use, it tastes delicious and is very versatile. It makes awesome ravioli but whenever I do just plain noodles they all clump together when cooked. I had this issue when just using a large pot of boiling salted water so I bought some pasta baskets hoping that would help and it doesn't. My pasta usually rests anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes after cutting it before cooking. I keep the noodles dusted with flour and tap the excess flour off before cooking, I've even tried not knocking the flour off or not dusting with as much flour. I've even tried different amounts in the baskets and it still sticks. Am I missing a step?
Best Answer
If it is keeps sticking together that probably means you are over cooking it. Might mean for your pasta recipe you need to use a lower cooking temperature. Go back to the original recipe and then start messing with the cooking temperature. Here are some helpful tips as well: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/tips-for-better-easier-pasta.html
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Quick Answer about "My pasta keeps sticking together"
Stir your pasta. During the first two minutes that you drop your noodles into boiling water, they're covered in a sticky layer of starch. If you don't stir them continually during the first two minutes, the noodles will stick to each other and stay stuck because they'll cook adhered to one another.Italian Secrets To Prevent Spaghetti/Pasta From Sticking Together.
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Answer 2
Fresh homemade pasta is normally more sticky than common dried pasta as spaghetti etc.
If your pasta sticks upon cooking make sure it has enough space/water.
Moreover, a common trick to prevent pasta from sticking is to add a tablespoon of oil to the cooking water. The small droplets that results from boiling prevent that. It is usually done when cooking lasagne - they are obviously more susceptible to adhere - but nothing forbids the same trick for noodles (it can be less effective tough, but this is more geometry than cooking).
Overcooking as suggested is a probable reason. Cooking fresh pasta as well gnocchi ravioli etc here we say "dui boggi" not minutes. It means literally " 2 boilings" and means a couple or few up and down movements of the items in the convective flow of the pot. 5 to 6 minutes is the upper limit for fresh but industrial pasta. Homemade I would say less than 3 minutes but not sure as I go with the aforementioned feeling.
Answer 3
Your pasta may be too wet to begin with. If it feels sticky when you roll and cut, it is too sticky. In that case knead in more flour. Also, try allowing the rolled sheets to air dry on your counter for 15-30 minutes per side before cutting. When cutting, toss with a small amount of semolina or bench flour. Hang to dry, or lightly nest on floured plate (for noodles), or lay out flat on plate or sheet pan. I am a believer in freezing fresh pasta right after cutting (unless it is immediately going into boiling water). I then cook from frozen with no problems. Use a large pot with plenty of salted water. Finally, don't overload your pot. It's hard to tell from your description, but I bet sticking isn't a result of overcooking. Sticking or clumping usually happens early in the cooking process, if it is going to happen. In my experience, it means the dough is too wet at the onset.
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