The Pasta Drying Rack

If you love to cook and you also love Italian food then you’ve no doubt tried your hand at making your own pasta from scratch. Nothing quite matches the taste of freshly made pasta. And if you’ve ever tasted it, you know it’s hard to go back to the packaged variety.

So if you’re serious about your pasta, then you probably already have your own pasta machine. You probably have several different pasta recipes too. But there’s one more little accessory you just might want to consider adding to your kitchen took kit – a pasta drying rack.

Why Dry Pasta?

Drying your pasta isn’t an absolute necessity. There’s no law against taking freshly made pasta and cooking it right away. It can still taste absolutely delicious. Of course it might put up a little fight when you cook it because it might bunch up while it’s boiling. But you can easily overcome that with a little elbow grease.

On the other hand, if you’re planning on keeping your pasta and storing for a time then drying it completely is a must. Pasta that’s even a little damp will not store long or well. It will tend to attract mold and you’ll just end up throwing it out. So if drying it properly seems like the thing to do, you definitely need a drying rack. Drying racks will allow the air to circulate through and around the pasta noodles which helps them dry much faster than they would if you laid them out flat on a cloth or towel.

Now you don’t have to buy a rack if you don’t want to. You can make one pretty easily with a little ingenuity. For instance, if you have some spare curtain rods lying about, you can stretch them out between a couple chairs and voila, you have an instant pasta drying rack! Wooden dowels will work too, just use your imagination.

Of course if you’ve already been doing this sort of thing and find that it just somehow doesn’t match your kitchen’s décor, maybe it’s time to break down and buy a real drying rack.

Styles and Types of Racks

Racks are made of wood, plastic, or some polycarbonate material. They’re really nothing more than a base of some sort with rods or dowels attached. These dowels support the pasta much like a towel rack supports a kitchen towel.

Drying racks tend to come in two basic shapes. They’re either rectangular or what I call “Christmas tree” shaped. The rectangular ones are very sturdy and won’t easily tip over if you put too much pasta on one rod. The Christmas tree racks have a central spine and several dowels jutting off in all directions, perpendicular from that spine. They’re taller and less sturdy than their rectangular brothers.

Some racks are designed for specific types of pasta shapes too. Make sure the one you buy fits the kind of pasta you’ll be making. Basic “starter” racks are designed to handle the longer noodles like spaghetti or fettuccini. Others handle the more compact shapes.

Features of a Good Pasta Drying Rack

• It will be sturdy and be able to hold three or four pounds of pasta noodles.
• It will disassemble or fold up easily so it can be stored away when you’re not using it.
• It will be tall enough (18 inches or more) so you can make long pasta and not have the ends drag on your counter top.
• It will be easy to clean.
• It will have a fair amount of drying space – 6-12 dowels or more.
• It will have a wand-like utensil that will help you pick up and transfer the pasta onto the rack.

Some racks fit into particular kitchen decors better than others. If you buy one that fits yours (or if you have a big kitchen), you might be tempted to just leave it assembled on your counter top. Of course if you make pasta all the time, you might want to keep the rack assembled all the time then too.

Pasta Drying Rack Maintenance and Price Points

Racks are pretty easy to maintain – you just need to keep them clean and dry. To clean them, just use a mild soap. Wooden racks require just a little bit of extra care. After washing them, let them dry completely. Then use a little mineral oil on the rods/dowels to help preserve them. This is the same kind of thing you’d do to a good butcher block table or cutting board.

Cost isn’t a big concern with these racks. You can buy a good, solid drying rack for $10 to $15 pretty easily. You can also get one for $30 to $50 or so. They’ll all do the job.

Last Word

Making your own pasta is a joy both in the making and the eating. Doing it all with the proper tools makes the experience a lot more fun too. A pasta drying rack is a simple little accessory but it’s a fun one. You almost feel a little bit Italian when you use it!

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