Our family like pasta a lot, but 80% of the time we have boring dried stuff and occasionally fresh pasta from Sains.
I make my own tomato sauces and we have our own hens/eggs so making pasta seems a natural progression.
Saw Jamie Oliver making it on telly and of course he made it seem very simple and quick but I'm guessing that may not be the case.
So, is it worth it when you can buy fresh stuff from the supermarket?
Yes, try it. It's easy and rewarding, and you don't need a pasta machine just a rolling pin, a flat surface and some patience. I've never had much success with ravioli, though 
I presume it's easier with a pasta machine though.
It's pretty easy to make but time consuming and messy (if you're like me). Then you've got to hang it all to dry somewhere.
You'll make it, agree it's really good, then never make it again because fresh pasta is now pretty cheap to buy and also tastes really good.
Give it a go anyway.
PS Don't EVER make ravioli - it takes for ever!
I've been making fresh pasta for years - even sourcing the proper "00" semolina flour.
These days we prefer the taste of De Cecco dried pasta (available from Tesco and probably other supermarkets).
It's what most Italians use.
As said before, it's pretty easy to make - you do have to add make it with more flour than you think.
I've never hung it anywhere to dry - just roll it out, flour it up, roll it up, cut to required width and chucked it in the pan of water.
I was impressed with the chef on I'm a Celebrity - he made fresh pasta in a *jungle* with hardly any utensils.
It's easy and fun and nice, but I didn't find it that easy to roll very thin without using a pasta machine roller thingy.
S'funny. I lived in Italy for 2 years and never met anyone who made their own. I second De Cecco (currently cheap in Sainsbury's).
Pasta is, by nature, quite plain. It is the sauce that makes the dish.
BigJohn - Member
I've been making fresh pasta for years - even sourcing the proper "00" semolina flour.These days we prefer the taste of De Cecco dried pasta (available from Tesco and probably other supermarkets).
It's what most Italians use.
BigJohn is right most Italians use dried pasta & De Cecco is very nice
http://www.dececcousa.com/
Easy to make. Pasta machine for rolling saves a lot of faff and they're not expensive, but try with rolling pin before investing. Proper OO flour makes all the difference too.
+1 re. Ravioli or other stuffed shapes. Takes forever. I do it once in a while as a treat (got a fab 4 cheese ravioli recipe) but need to be in the mood for an afternoon pottering in the kitchen. Good thing to do with the kids on a wet Sunday afternoon...
An italian colleague of mine told me once about the differences between dried and fresh pasta, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it was. Something along the lines of dried pasta being better for more robust sauces as it will absorb more of the robust juice whereas fresh pasta is better with light sauces where you just want it to gently coat the outside. But there are definitely some recipes that work better with one or the other.
theotherjonv - Member
An italian colleague of mine told me once about the differences between dried and fresh pasta, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it was. Something along the lines of dried pasta being better for more robust sauces as it will absorb more of the robust juice whereas fresh pasta is better with light sauces where you just want it to gently coat the outside. But there are definitely some recipes that work better with one or the other.
Correct - dried better for spicy/oily sauces, fresh better for milder/creamier sauces.
It's a bit of a faff to put it mildly. It's kind of like pastry - simple in theory, but getting it just right is quite hard, especially as there are almost as many recipe variants are there are cooks.
I did it as a fun game with my daughter once. To be honest, compared with the ease of using pre-made, the effort is not really worth it, but it's an experience!
With a pasta mangle and a little practice it is easy and worthwhile. The pasta itself is very soft and particularly good with a lighter sauce, esp anything creamy. Also makes very good lasagne because the resultant complete dish isn't as stodgy. Filled pasta is quite tricky and easy to get wrong.
The process is good fun and satisfying - if you consider the rocess part of the food experience (I certainly do, and strongly believe in enthusing children that way) then I recommend. On the other hand if you buy sliced bread, or can't see the point in making yorkshire puddings from scratch, and so-on then you're probably not going to get it.
As for pastry - good example. Shortcrust pastry is so simple and satisfying to make why would you bother buying ready-made? If you care only about the eating then I suppose the packet is appealing - for me (and my family) the making is part of the meal.
Shortcrust pastry is so simple and satisfying to make
But it's really hard to get it spot on. Cue everyone giving out a list of tricks and tips, cold water, leave it in fridge, marble slab, don't touch it, touch it a lot, sing whilst you make it etc etc.
if you consider the rocess part of the food experience
Well that all depends on if you want to get home from work and spend the effort creating something fabulous, or you just want to eat so you can do something else...
I look forward to cooking when I get in. Radio 4 on for 6.30 comedy and a good old cook-up. I guess I'm lucky that the something else I want to do is cooking.
Decent pastry comes with practice, and the level of satisfaction thereby just keeps getting higher. Make it quickly and don't fuss it too much is my tip.
Once again, stick with the dried stuff like Italians do - making your own is just middle class one-upmanship (very tounge in cheek as I have done it myself).
It's not difficult though it can be quite time consuming and it's essential to use the right flour I find. Rolling is much easier with a machine but I have rolled it with a wine bottle before at a pinch.
I'm with GlenP - in fact I'm even past GlenP. On sunday my daughter's and I made some jam filled cake things. It was a blummin' nightmare; we ended up with cake mixture all over the kitchen, in youngest daughter's hair, the jam leaked through the bottom of the cakes where the mix was too runny and they didn't even taste that great compared to the work involved. We could have had a pack of Mr Kipling's from the shop 3 minutes round the corner for about the same price and a shedload less effort and they'd have probably been nicer.
But as an experience we loved it, and next time we'll do it better.
In this case the process was everything, the actual eating bit was of secondary importance.
middle class one-upmanshipI like it, I'll go two up. My other half does it, she makes raviolli mostly with salmon and courgettes, mmmm, which is great. Doesn't take her too long, an hour or so (perhaps its because she's italian) although it does look like its been snowing in the kitchen afterwards.
As above though, when we are at her families'in Italy it's mostly dried pasta being eaten.
making your own is just middle class one-upmanship
Right, well I'm FAR more middle class than you!
Didn't realise I was being so middle class. Damn. My working class credentials will be in tatters if this comes out.
Oneupmanship I can live with. I do make sourdough from a starter that I keep in the fridge.
I do make sourdough from a starter that I keep in the fridge.
I've never had the patience to bother doing that, I bake my own bread from time to time, but sour dough recipes seem to take DAYS
Actual time spent doing it is minimal, but you do need to know two days in advance that you are going to make a batch and you do need to work out the timings, which have twelve or more hours in between. If it all goes wrong on the timings you can just put the whole thing in the fridge, which slows the growth down to almost nothing.
We watched one of the TV chefs make it, and thought I'd have a go.
Machine was cheap, but Jesus what a faff - really good to eat though.
I might make it again once I've forgotten how much effort it takes.
making your own pasta is a waste of time. Pizzas on the other hand...
nickc - Member
making your own pasta is a waste of time. Pizzas on the other hand...
Now you're talking - I've got my Pizza dough making down to a tee.
less than an hour from starting to make dough to eating ace, ace pizzas, and therefore easier and less hassle than a delivery, and tastier.
that may have inspired me for tonight....
I just pop down to the market and by freshly made fresh pasta
Et voila 
or use decceco
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