When I have extra pasta I let it dry overnight and then store in plastic storage bags or air tight containers.

Pasta does not keep well stored in liquid. It absorbs all the liquid and just gets fat and globby. Best to store dry.

I would not dry it....but just freeze it fresh....not in a "blob" but sort of sapread out so you could drop it frozen into boiling water.
But I have frozen cooked pasta, but not in liquid....then just drop into boiling water to thaw and quickly remove.
Linda C

I normally dry homemade noodles or pasta in the dehydrator and store in a canning jar vacuum-sealed with a FoodSaver.

How to: Spread in a thin (single) layer over trays and dry at 145°F (65°C) until crisp, stirring occasionally. Noodles will dry in 4-6 hours.

You can also dry them in your oven in a thin layer on cookie sheets. 150°F (65°C) until crisp, stirring occasionally.

-Grainlady

Thank you for the suggestions. I knew this forum would have answers.

I didn't even think of my Food Saver - I usually use it for solid items like steaks or individual portions of casseroles that I've already frozen. But I did buy a few canisters to keep crackers in - after the noodles dry I could vacuum seal some in one of those.

And I'll also try drying some and then freezing them too.

Thank you all again.

mcmann

Did this work when you attempted to vacuum seal them with your food saver?

BackGarden-

I make large batches of (egg-free) sourdough noodles AND dehydrate them --- then vacuum-seal them in jars using my FoodSaver and the jar attachment. You wouldn't want to vacuum-seal them in the bags or they would be crushed. Using this method I only have to make the mess in the kitchen a couple times a year and always have dried noodles in the pantry.

Something I should have mentioned in the post above from 4 years ago -- if your recipe includes egg/s and you are going to dehydrate them, you MUST use a pasteurized egg product such as Egg Beaters, commercially pasteurized eggs, or pasteurize your own whole in-shell eggs before using them in the dough destined for dehydrating as a food safety issue.

To pasteurize eggs:
Place room temperature eggs in a pan of water. Bring the water temperature to 140-degrees F and maintain the temperature for 3-1/2 minutes. This is enough to kill bacteria, but not "cook" the egg.

I also think egg-less noodles store better than those with eggs or egg yolks in them. Both homemade or commercial.

-Grainlady

grainlady, would you share your recipe for eggless noodles?
I'd like to grind my own wheat and make pasta.

Also, could I make egg noodles, air dry overnight, then freeze without the pasturization? Seems like it would be fine....if frozen within 12-18 hours.

Thanks,
Deanna

EGGLESS SOURDOUGH PASTA

(makes 2-3 servings)

1 c. freshly-milled durum wheat flour (or other whole grain flour of choice - including spelt, kamut, einkorn, etc.)
1/8 t. salt
2 t. coconut oil or lard
1/4 c. active sourdough starter
water or whey (I use whey from homemade kefir)

Mix flour and salt. Cut in fat with a pastry blender or fork (Helpful Hint: If you are making a large batch, it is easier and faster to use an electric hand-held mixer to blend in the fat). Add the starter and enough other liquid to make a stiff dough. Knead for a few minutes. Wrap in a sheet of parchment paper and set aside at room temperature for 8-24 hours to ferment (this is a traditional method for making pasta/noodle dough that has been all but forgotten). When ready, knead the dough while in the paper a bit and then roll out. Cut or extrude. You can now use it immediately or dry it on a pasta drying rack to cook later. For longer storage you can dehydrate it until completely dry. The link below gives information about how to freeze whole wheat pasta.

FYI: The preferred grain to use for pasta and noodles is durum wheat (which is the type of wheat noted on most commercial pasta). Use durum flour for making noodles and a coarser grind similar to semolina for making pasta - especially if you are extruding pasta shapes. Semolina is a coarse grind of durum wheat which has the bran and germ removed, so you are essentially milling a wholegrain version. If you have a Nutrimill, use the coarse setting used for cornmeal to make a grind similar to semolina.

Durum wheat has a high protein content, but it is higher in the protein gliadin than glutenin (these are proteins from the gluten group we often reference as "gluten"). Bread flour is higher in glutenins for that elastic quality that allows bread dough to expand and lower amounts of gliadins. Gliadins contribute to the viscosity and extensibility and are important in pasta and are in higher amounts in durum wheat.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Freeze Whole-Wheat Pasta

Thank you!!

I would normally use eggs from my chickens, but you never know when you might want to make something different!

Deanna