This tutorial is superb. I’ll pass along one little trick I learned of a Chinese cook, which is to use corn starch to dust the pasta sheets right before reaching the final thickness. Corn starch has no gluten so the sheets lose all tendency to stick. You can also dust the final cut pasta with it. Corn starch dusted pasta keeps in the fridge fine without sticking at all and the starch washes off in the cooking water completely.
People have to understand that this is the absolute most perfect video tutorial on pasta dough, there is NO more thorough video, she literally covers EVERYTHING to get you perfect results, bonus points for weighted measurements
I've been trying to make pasta off and on for the past 4 months and I have seen every single RU-vid video you can imagine and every time it turns out horrible. I finally found the holy Grail of pasta making videos THAT ANSWER ALL OF MY QUESTIONS and I seriously have a tear in my eye. THANK YOU HELEN! Edit: 2 hours later and I finally made a successful batch of spaghetti!!! ❤️💕❤️
This is what a PROFESSIONAL video is all about ! NO.. cellphone camera in an unlit room, NO camera microphone in an echoing room ! This is one hell of a presentation with a clever and charming presenter, and should be held up as outstanding ! Brava, Brava !
And no horrible noise in the background passing itself off as music! I was watching one pasta video and the 'music' sounded like a bad construction job outside the window!
I was planning on finding a summary of the video in comments or just skipping it so I don’t have ho spend 20mins but she explained so well and in such a nice manner I ended up watching the whole video
This is the best pasta tutorial I’ve watched. HANDS DOWN!!! I was having such a hard time finding tutorials or recipes that measure in weight instead of volume. Thank you Helen for all the great tips!
And where's the weight when she uses egg (not weighted) and yolks (not weighted)? In the proper recipe everything is measured and there is no need to add extra flour while using machine. It's just another pathetic, long and boring tutorial. Find something better.
I'm a baker, and I had to go through too many videos of pasta making in RU-vid to find out this one. By this time, I end up finding out and learning all this little details by myself, and it feels so good to see to a person explaining so well all the facts that I had to learn by making so many mistakes through my whole process of learning. This is exactly what everyone interested in the pasta making should watch if they really wanna have good results from the first try. Thank you for the video 🙏
Helen Rennie: Can't believe I am just now finding you. Hands down, the very best all round, clear, egoless, knowledgeable helpful cook on the internet.
I absolutely love the precise instructions, there's nothing worse than following a recipe that says "season to taste". Chefs have to understand that if we're looking for recipes on RU-vid we have no idea what we're doing and we need measurements!! Made Helen's pasta last night, followed the instructions to the letter and it was absolutely amazing!! THANKS HELEN!!!
And another shout out: The more I watch your videos and watch others’ videos, the more grateful I am for your accurate (weight-based) measurements, *insanely* detailed and helpful instructions, and your super clear descriptions of what dough should look at feel like (and what it shouldn’t), and the great video work to make it feel like I’m in your kitchen with you seeing and feeling the dough. You’re a real inspiration!
@@eveningstar5776 I doubt she ever answers these questions so you would have to go onto RU-vid and search to see if you can freeze the pasta do I know that if you make ravioli you can freeze the ravioli for later.
@@eveningstar5776 Yes you can freeze the pasta dough or the formed shapes to use later. Put shapes on a cookie sheet to freeze individually and then put in ziplock bag.
My father for over 70 years subscribed to this misnomer from his grandmother. "Don't knead it more than 100 times." He always used to yell. Well? As I got older. Started perfecting my wood fired pizzas and dough management. Learned about bakers percentages, measuring in grams and weight, hydration percentages, etc. 1 egg per 100 grams of flour as a general rule of thumb. (Or 85 grams here.) Cut back on the whites and add more yolk for more yellowed pasta. I blend my flour into thirds. 100 grams AP 100 grams Semolina 100 grams 00 pizza flour.
1) I like the calm, friendly, clear way you communicate. 2) You share your information in a really thorough way; it is almost like a scientific explanation (which I enjoyed). 3) You have been really thorough in researching all the possibilities. 4) The video is put together nicely; it has a warm, gentle clarity. Thank you.
I love your method of teaching. It was perfect. I can not explain to you what a single father goes through trying to teach his three daughters to cook a great dinner. Thank you, and my daughters thank you. God bless.
This is so generous of you to share the specifics. I have been baking and cooking with increasingly complex recipes and always found it so frustrating when they are not specific. Your last comment of developing intuition through specific practice was music to my ears! I'm warmed by the generous sharing of your knowledge and can't wait to make my next batch of pasta. I felt quite affirmed that I had avoided most of the rookie mistakes you outlined LOL!
The biggest comment I got from this entire video is "you can't over-knead the dough, so if it's your first time...do 10 minutes!". This has ALWAYS been my issue, I was always afraid over over doing it and it forced me to always under-knead it. Well done video, and thank you!
My first attempt at making homemade pasta was an epic failure! My second attempt was with this video. The results? Perfection! Helen, you are a terrific teacher.
I made this pasta for sausage ravioli and spinach and bacon ravioli that I wanted to make. I invited my 93 year old Italian ex-marine ( Korean war) neighbor over for dinner to be my true taste tester. He told me that he had not had a meal this good since his mother was a live. She was from the old country and made everything from scratch. So thank you so much for allowing me to make a meal for a veteran that brought happiness to his day. Keep making your video's they touch many lives.❤❤
I received a pasta attachment for my Kitchen aid mixer for Christmas, super exited but nervous about making my own Pasta....then i stumbled on your youtube video, so today I tried it with your recipe, it was super easy to follow, made a few errors but nothing to serious and i think I did a really good job making spaghetti noodles. Hubby loved it and it can only get better - thank you so very much.
Today , I bought a Kitchenaid pasta press attachment and I tried it using 00 flour instead of the all-purpose flour or semolina I have been using for over 30 years and I must say that you are totally right. It makes a huge difference. The consistency of the cooked pasta is absolutely perfect. I wish I had known that sooner!
I recently found this video. I"ve struggled with making pasta for years. I've followed recipes from well known chefs, to book authors to professional cook books. NONE of them address the mistakes like Helen does in this video. Since finding this video, I've made pasta twice and both times it comes out exactly like you'd expect. My sons, who love pasta and have been my critics for my pasta making abilities, have loved both attempts at making fresh pasta. THANK YOU HELEN!!! Since watching this video, I have also purchased the KitchenAid pasta rollers, and yes, they make the process MUCH easier.
as someone who is very detail-oriented with some borderline OCD tendencies, I really appreciated this video. your thoroughness and tips for the minutiae of problems we may encounter (e.g. leave your fingers up when kneading to avoid breaking of dough), I imagine, will prove very useful when I attempt my first pasta this weekend.
as an italian who looks at Italian you tube english youtube trying to get an understanding of so many misunderstood reasoning and un answered questions this video is the best damn thing ever on pasta...it should be filed in the cooking library of congress !!
Followed the instructions and the pasta turned out delicious. I was so impressed with the results considering it was my first time making the pasta. Thank you! Can’t wait to try out your pelmeni recipe.
After watching this video, I made pasta that turned out perfect my first try. I added italian seasoning to my dough and used garlic salt for the salt in the pasta dough. It was Perfect. Ms Rennie's method is solid gold! She is the best instructor I have ever had teach me anything. I made fettuccine with brown butter sage sauce and asparagus...my husband was very very happy!! Thank you Ms Rennie!!!
Dear Helen Finally!!! I was searching for long for such a good an detailed tutorial because I always hated insufficient explanations and sloppy measurements So I recommend all serious pasta lovers to take the time and watch this video carefully! Guido
At 65 years old, I have decided it's time to learn to make my own pasta. Your tutorial is wonderful! I will be watching (and taking notes!) several more times. Thank you! 😀
Not a pasta maker by any means but over the years I've muddled through. I made a batch per your recipe, weighing instead of using volumes and it turned out great. Better than anything I've done, silky texture and a delight to work with. I used a Kitchenaid to mix and knead (8 mins), rested 2 hrs, rolled with Marcato and cut by hand for Chicken noodle soup. Thanks for sharing the knowledge, you've saved my noodle making career :)
@@normanziegelmeyer7693 thanks for posting this Norman, I want to use my KitchenAid as well for kneading and have been very pleased with the results. 10 minutes of kneading would be hard for me. I've never done 8 minutes though on my KitchenAid so will do that.
This is one of the most useful cooking videos I've ever watched. I've been having a number of problems with home-made pasta and I am pretty sure you've solved everything for me. Thank you so much!
Made this pasta tonight…OMG! It was amazing. Your accuracy, humor and expertise is so very much appreciated! Thank you!!! Looking forward to making many more of your incredible recipes.. hugs!
I love to cook and love making different styles of food. Italian is one of my favorites. Making homemade pasta has always been a challenge for me. The weighing ingredients vs mesurments has changed everything for me when it comes to making pasta. I now have a reliable recipe for making pasta. Thanks so much for this video.
I have been an executive chef for 30 years and have always purchased fresh pasta from some very talented folks. I recently bought an Atlas 150 to play with at home. I understand technique, and this is one of the best videos I have ever watched!!
I love how you don't shy away from telling how you've been missing out on great flour for so long - and let us learn from that! Fantastic video for someone who loves pasta, but is definitely a "foreign speaker of pasta". =]
EXCELLENT VIDEO!!! I've been making pasta for a million years and literally every single part of this video is 100% on point accurate. Kudos to you for doing such a great breakdown! :) One thing I might mention is that the origin of "don't add salt to the pasta dough" came about in the 1950s(?) when iodized salt starting becoming the norm. If you add iodized salt to your pasta, it will develop a slightly grayish hue as it sits.
Thanks for the tip of not using iodized salt. I'll look for a better substition until I find the Diamond Crystal Kosher salt Helen uses. I wonder if I could mill my ordinary Kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt a little finer or use sea salt.
Tippy Mueller Yes you can grind your Kosher or Himalayan to a fine grind. I have done this for years, and I keep a mason jelly jar full of the salt so I have it on hand.
Also if you dont use the dough right away and put it in the refridg over night, it will turn green bc the eggs oxidize. It's ok to eat, just looks gross.
@@TippyMueller I get my Diamond Crystal Kosher salt at Cash & Carry, a restaurant supply store in Washington/Oregon/Idaho, maybe California. I imagine any restaurant supply store would carry it. And it's very inexpensive there -- 3 pound box for a bit over $2, as I recall.
Thank you for giving knowledge, I do not believe in "you just got to know" style "training". You are definitely providing useful knowledge that allows others to develop their skill and intuition
This is the real deal. I just tried for the first time (I've seen people make fresh pasta before with semolina, but never tried it out myself). Using only 00 flour results in a dough that's easier to knead, but that ends up being a little harder to manage after opening, since it tends to stick a lot. The clothes hanger + corn starch solution that Helen provided in another video is absolutely flawless (remember not to drain the pasta, but to scoop it out, this is important when using a lot of corn starch). So, thanks to Helen, my first attempt was a huge success: I was able to try different cuts for each ribbon, different thicknessess, was able to troubleshoot stuff from the first ribbon to the last (use the back of the hands and adjusting the width, for example) and was even able to freeze some for later. This is hands down the best video on the topic and I cannot recommend Helen's channel enough. Having great results the first time around ensures that I'll keep making it and developing a new skill, which is awesome in the long run. Thanks Helen. Hugs from Brazil.
My son and I made pasta tonight following your tutorial, I’ve done it in the past and it has been mediocre at best! Thank you, it was perfect! My wife was beside herself it was so good!!
Cooked fresh pasta for the first time 2 years ago and after looking at a lot of recipes and videos went for yours. First time was kinda messy, but it was delicious nonetheless. The later tries were even better. All of those I rolled by hand. Finally bought a Kitchenaid and of course the pasta attachment, so it was time to watch your video again! Loved it as much as the 1st time, and learned even more.
I am a chef that loves making pasta. I am honestly very impressed with your level of detail and the explanations you provide to the craft. Thank you. Also I am in the Boston area, you should come try my pasta sometime.
I made this tonight and it came out amazing! I used it in a chicken noodle soup recipe using fettuccini with a food processor for making the dough and the Kitchen Aid attachment for setting the thickness and slicing. I modified the chicken noodle recipe by cooking the noodles separately using your instructions (1 minute to cook, lots of salt) and then added the cooked noodles (I used the strainer you recommended) to the finished soup. It was perfect! Looking forward to trying the 00 flour but even with all purpose the results were way better than store bought. This was my second try, the first try was a bit of a fail at the last minute because I didn't "powder" enough flour on the strips before slicing and the pasta ended up glueing back together a bit. What I understand now is to generously use flour before running them through the slicer, the flour keeps the pasta from sticking together while it's waiting to cook and ends up harmlessly in the bottom of the pot after the pasta is cooked, the strainer makes sure it stays there and doesn't goop up the finished pasta. Thank you!
OMG, have been making homemade pasta for years...thought I knew what I was doing. I have a whole new take on pasta making...can't wait to try some of your techniques! This is the best pasta tutorial I have ever seen. I have learned soooooo much! Thank you.
Made this pasta today. This recipe is spot on. Turned it into ravioli. I will make this again (and again). I love this lady. She explains things so very well.
What a superb tutor. I love this lady ❤. The extreme attention to details, the thorough guide to mistakes avoidance, the weight measurement, the attempt to transfer visual and sensory experience into descriptive speech, and last but not least the soothing calm voice and smile. Perfection!
I am so ecstatic--I finally nailed a beautiful sweet potato fettuccine thanks to this video. It took making a lot of making not so great pasta after watching many tutorials and recipes. Definitely a tactile education but worth it--Thanks so much!!
I'm currently on a quest to make homemade pasta. This video is so thorough and I absolutely love it! You are the queen of research and you are fantastic
For the first time in my life, I measured my ingredients to make egg pasta. I used the info you provided, and my pasta dough was perfect. I made my first dough at age 7 for my Italian family. We never measured anything as we adjusted the dough by feel. As years went by, I stopped making pasta dough. I redeveloped an interest, and this time, I wanted to understand the type of flour and method better. Your video is a blessing. I watched it a few times and took notes in my recipe book. I just wanted to say thank you Helen, and send you a hug. ❤
You are the perfect instructor. You give necessary information and back it up with examples. Your detailed recipe gives confidence to rookies like myself, a 73 your old man. Many thanks. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
6:43 "I think it's comforting, when you can recreate someone else's results." I'm a software engineer, not a chef, but... I still kind-of love it when I come up with the same solution to a problem as someone much smarter than me, working years before me, because that suggests to me I must be on the right track! =3
I watched several other videos, and then I watched Helen. Ok, I don't need anyone else. It is so easy to listen to and superb instructions. I was searching for a pasta roller. I have a kitchen aid, so now I am going to order my attachment instead of the tabletop. No more confusion. Great job, Helen!! Thank you so much!
I really appreciate your in depth guides to cooking. I wasnt lucky enough to have an Italian nonna taech me how to make pasta, but after 30+ years of practice, watching every nonna on RU-vid and buying every😅 Italian pasta cookbook im confident. All your tups and tricks are spot on! Bravo.
Okay, so for those of you who have been researching pasta recipes and have found 1000 different recipes for pasta online like I have- I tried this recipe last night and it was perfect!!!! I did make one small change- I used about a Tbs of olive oil in place of some of the water used to “get to 185g of wet ingredients”. My research showed olive oil encouraged a smoother, stretchier pasta, and those were characteristics I wanted in my pasta. It turned out way better than the semolina pasta I’ve been making (although, disclaimer- I did start using a pasta maker this time around, where I was using a rolling pin before. I was probably getting it too thick before). Bottom line- if you’re on the fence- try this recipe!!!! You will not be disappointed!!!!
THANK YOU! I've been searching the comments for this. I've been making "egg noodles" using this recipe and AP flour, but I've been wanting the silky feel of pasta.
@@ck4429 :) just make sure your wet ingredients (eggs plus water plus olive oil) still come out to 185g. I’ve done this multiple times since making this comment and it’s come out perfectly every time!
I used 300 g of flour, 3 eggs, some olive oil and a tbs of salt for my dough and had no problems with the pasta. The pasta was nice and chewy. The best pasta I have ever eaten
exactly the Italian rule of thumb is 1 egg and 100 grams of flour (a variable percentage semolina!) per person, a few tbsp of oil and a bit of salt. But those noodles in the video look good!
@@pizzagorgonzola Well if you want to make fresh pasta and you use it right away you don't need to dry it. And in case you want to make some and want to use it later you can put it in the freezer
@@xames3725 ok, but i still dont see the need for olive oil and it's just not part of any recipe for pasta dough, unless I want the taste of olive oil for some special recipe. Besides, I prefer to dry my pasta than to put it in the fridge, or a combination of both, if you put fresh ravioli in the fridge the humidity of the filling weakens the dough. (I don't keep them anyway, fresh pasta is not for keeping
Great video. It is the one that helped me the most when starting out. The kneading instruction and mentioning how the dough should feel makes all the difference. After mastering this I have started using part semolina flour for a coarser texture. 250g 00 and 50g semolina. With the semolina I use some olive oil to get additional flavour and it seems like more liquid is needed when adding semolina.
I also wanted to chime in. This is one of the best explanations of pasta dough preparation. I refer back to this video whenever I have a question. Thank you for unlocking the pasta experience.
I’ve watch’s probably a dozen pasta making videos today and not a single one told me that egg dough is tougher and should only be used if rolling it thin, and if I want to make shaped pasta, I should use water based pasta dough. Thank you so much for telling me that because I would have used an egg pasta dough and made thicker pasta shapes. It would have been a disaster!
This tutorial is wonderful! My kids got me the pasta roller and cutting attachments for Christmas so I followed this tutorial step by step and my very first attempt at making fresh pasta was an absolute success! Thank you so much! I’m making a second batch today!❤
6:45 Well, here are my many thanks sent your way. It is fundamentally important to do what you do. I can't believe we live in a world where cooking recipes don't care about repeatability as much as you do.
Love ur guide Helen, I learnt the hard way by the rough estimate of 100g per egg ratio. I think that when starting out having accurate measurements would’ve saved plenty of batches of lost pasta. Nothing store bought can match the fun of fresh pasta so its worth it to learn.
Best pasta video ever! We only make homemade now. QUESTIONS: Any special recommendations for using the KitchenAid mixer rather than the food processor for mixing dough? Also, when making ravioli, do you have any recommendations for re-using/re-combining the scraps? It adds a lot of labor and looking to cut that down (besides throwing out the scraps!). I'm also finding that the ravioli stamp doesn't cut through well and am now using a scone cutter and fork to seal the edges (which is very pretty).
you can bring the wet and dry ingredients together in a mixer using a paddle attachment (whisk all your eggs first). I find that kneading works best by hand. You can totally reuse scraps when making ravioli.
I’m new to pasta making. Where else does anyone go these days to learn something except RU-vid? Watched several other videos and thought I had it down till I found you. Your video was fabulous! Thank you very much!
I love these videos. I hope Helen never stops educating us. Be it food or something else. The format and delivery keep me clicking every video even if I don't think I'll make the dish. I watch it for the euducation.
#realcomment I used to make my own pasta years ago, still have the manual pasta machine. After watching this video, I just may do it again.. Thanks Helen !
I am getting a lot of comments saying that it sounds like I am saying "285g" of wet ingredient. Just want to confirm that it's 185g of wet ingredients. Here is what I meant to say "get TO hundred eighty five", not "get TWO hundred eighty five" Another question that comes up a lot is why can't you knead this dough in a mixer. You can bring the wet and dry ingredients together in either a mixer or a food processor. If you are using a mixer, I suggest putting the wet on the bottom. The kneading is best done by hand. In my experience neither machine kneads this dough well because it's too stiff. if you have a kitchenaid with a spiral hook (like pro 600 series or better) and you are making a double batch, there is a possibility that it will knead pretty well, but for the batch that I made in the video (which serves 4) it doesn't do well for me. The KitchenAids with a C hook (like Classic and Artisan) don't knead this dough at all, just bang it around.
Do you have a perfect recipe for pasta using semolina instead of flour? I love the texture and flavor of semolina pasta and being Italian and having my nonna teaching me about feel and intuition, I'd love something more consistent.
@@eliachinellato5580 I've just today made some from 80% white strong bread flour with 20% fine ground Semolina Flour. I had to grind the coarse semolina down to nearly powder level in a blade mill that normally grinds up nuts, otherwise it would make the pasta very gritty texture and I don't think you could make good pasta with Semolina flour only - it might not be elastic enough. Mine was made in a pasta machine that did the kneading for me and it did come out well. Lovely taste. Try by experiment gradually adding a greater proportion of Semolina flour until it ends up wrong viscosity of dough.
My family has been making egg pasta "the hard way" for generations. We use American all-purpose flour, knead it by hand until it "fights back", and roll it out with a pin until we can read the recipe through it. I bought a pasta machine 5 years ago because I hate rolling by hand. They call me lazy.
You can tell them that the reason why mankind has become the absolute unit on this beautiful planet is because... *drumroll* laziness. Why go out into the woods to forage and put yourself in danger, not to mention the little amount you'll be getting all year around, when you can just grow it at home, right outside your door. Best part is, most of the work is done by nature itself. Laziness at its best. Why go out into the woods for days to hunt for meat and not to mention the amount of running you have to do. When you can just breed it at home and at significantly greater quantities. Laziness at its best. You can find hundreds upon hundreds of similar times when mankind has developed something because, well, laziness. What I am saying is, if someone calls you lazy. Take it with pride ;)
That is how I do it and that is how I will do it until the day I die. I did relent and buy a pasta machine but that is as far as I'm going to go. Wonderfully made pasta has been done for centuries without all this machinery. Our ancestors that made great pasta didn't have a scale or food processor thank God.
@@jacquiet3249 According to Nonnas, if you use the pasta machine, you'll have a smooth surface, not a toothy one that grabs the sauce. It's suitable for some types of pasta, but not others.
Wow, wow, wow! Made this today and it was a big hit! Helen’s way of explaining things step by step was the key to the success of this meal! Using my Kitchen Aid, I rolled out half of the pasta into Pappardelle. Mine took a little more than 1 minute to cook - maybe 1 min 30 seconds. Right into my sauce, topped with homemade garlic butter and it was done. Thank you for showing us the tips and tricks!!!
This is the best video on pasta I have seen! Thank you….I made the best pasta following your instructions. I have tried many methods over the years. Yours made perfect sense and cracked the code!
Update: I got one of those pasta attachments for our Kitchenaid stand mixers (like she uses) and I will never go back to my clunky Atlas again! Now it's worth making pasta several times a week instead of just special occasions!
My wifes father had his 84th birthday yesterday and he requested a lasagna. I never made fresh pasta before. I followed your recipe with bread flour and it was absolutely amazing. I love your formulas as they work great. Your gnocchi recipe is amazing as well. thank you for making his birthday a success!!
I literally love accurate measurements. Yes, cooking is some kind of art, but it also tasty laboratory practice. Do you know diferences between chem lab and kitchen? They are the same, but in chem lab you cannot lick the spoon :)
Note to self: when COVID has passed make trip to Italy, kidnap the appropriate pasta-making grandma, sneak her back home, hide her in a closet to impress my pasta-eating friends... uh, this was intended as a joke for those who can't count, okay?
@@JamesTalvy water is only there to provide moisture when there's insufficient liquid. If you weigh out the amount of flour needed from the liquid weight of the eggs, it'd be the exact amount of moisture ergo you won't need water (which doesn't add taste anyway).
I think you are missing the point. The ratio for pasta dough is 3 parts flour to 2 parts egg by weight. Flour comes in a big bag and you can portion it out however you like. Eggs vary in weight from egg to egg and we have no control over that. So rather than weighing out a fixed amount of flour and then screwing around with water to get the right amount egg, I'm merely suggesting to do it the other way around. Weigh your eggs first, then do the math to figure out how much flour you would need for the given amount of egg. And yes, 1.5 to maintain that ratio (sorry for the typo/bad math). This way, regardless of how big or small your eggs are, you will always have the correct ratio.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! for this video. I ventured out to learn how to make homemade pasta, bought a pasta roller and watched your video about 12 times so that I knew exactly how to do it. It is only my husband and I so I cut your recipe in half and it worked perfect. I can’t thank you enough. You are AMAZING!
