Shelf life of dried egg pasta & pasta hanger or fridge?
I have gleaned that fresh pasta (egg and flour) can be "left on the counter to dry". My question is, how soon will the dried fresh pasta go bad. Secondly, where should dry pasta be stored? In the pantry or in the fridge?
When in the pantry, maybe twirled on itself and inside a container. My problem with pasta hangers is that it attracts ants.
Best Answer
The most accurate answer is going to depend quite a bit on your environment, the following things are factors:
- How humid is the air where you dry it?
- How clean (e.g. absence of mold and particles, dust, etc) is the air where you dry it? You'd be surprised how some dirty air ducts can contaminate a room.
- The average temperature of the room
There's also the moisture content of the pasta itself to consider. Under ideal conditions (semi-warm, relatively dry and reasonably clean air), pasta that has been dried correctly can last for several weeks at room temperature on a vented tray covered with some wax or parchment paper. I try very hard to consume it within that period, ideally within a day or two of making it.
If you do need to store it longer, you want it in an evacuated container of some kind (vacuum sealed) and then freeze it. Make absolutely certain the pasta is completely dry or the crystallization of the remaining moisture is going to affect it very negatively.
If you need to make a lot well ahead of time, consider using a bit less egg than your recipe calls for, kneading more, and then simply refrigerating the pasta in an otherwise evacuated container (plastic bag, etc) similar to how you'd purchase fresh pasta at the grocery store. It can stay refrigerated in that manner for up to a couple of months, and you can dry it fully prior to using it.
It's hard to write a blanket 'safe' answer here too, as oils you might add to your recipe could be closer to being rancid than you think - use common sense above everything else and rely on your sense of smell :)
In short, if you're going to end up freezing it ... you're kind of defeating the purpose of making it fresh to begin with, a good brass-cut pre-made commercial durum would almost be a better idea at that point. But if you do have to freeze it, try to do so in the absence of air and moisture, or you'll end up with something that sort of defeated the purpose of making it fresh to begin with.
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Quick Answer about "Shelf life of dried egg pasta & pasta hanger or fridge?"
While some commercially dried pastas can stay fresh for up to two years, homemade pasta has a more limited shelf life—normally around 2-6 months for dry pasta, up to 8 months for frozen pasta or 1 day in the refrigerator.How long can you store dried egg pasta?
Dried egg noodles will last for 4-6 weeks at room temperature, but up to 6 months in the freezer, so freezing is the best option if you want to keep your pasta for more than a month.Does dry pasta really expire?
Dry pasta: Dry pasta won't ever really expire, but it will lose quality over time. Unopened dry pasta is good in the pantry for two years from the time of purchase, while opened dry pasta is good for about one year.Can dry pasta go in the fridge?
Unopened and opened boxes of dry pasta should be stored somewhere cool and moisture-free, such as a cupboard or a pantry. You should never store boxes of dried pasta in the refrigerator or freezer because the pasta will absorb moisture.What is the Shelf Life of Dry Pasta?
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