Drying fresh pasta - dehydrator?

[Tostitoo]

Hey everyone, starting to get some interest from some small local retailers around my area that are looking to carry some artisan pasta products. Some places don't have fridges/freezers and are interested in some dry, shelf stable products. I have dried pasta in the past with varying degrees of success, I understand that there are ALOT of variables involved - most notably humidity, time and temperature. As a small scale pasta producer im not ready to jump ship on massive pasta dryers but would like to get started into this world. A lot of the counter top dryers ive looked into are either no longer available or are only available in 220v. Anything less is simply just an over priced dehydrator.

Im wondering if anyone has had any experience using dehydrators to dry pasta OR if anyone knows of a dryer/dehydrator with a humidity control? Seems like the latter is incredibly difficult to find.

I may just bite the bullet and buy a consumer dehydrator just to give it a shot in the name of experimentation (Amazons return policy is grrrrreat).

Any advice is great advice! FWIW yes I am using a commercial extruder in my arsenal so its not exclusively handmade/fresh pastas I may be interested in drying - mostly extruded cuts.

 

[chefross]

I have a plain old everyday dehydrator table top but for home use. I make spaghetti, Linguini, and Fettucine. After I have cut them I form them into a small nest and place them on the drying rack. It take a few hours and you have to turn them midway, but it works. The downside is they are very brittle and must be handled delicately or they crumble.

 

[Tostitoo]

I have a plain old everyday dehydrator table top but for home use. I make spaghetti, Linguini, and Fettucine. After I have cut them I form them into a small nest and place them on the drying rack. It take a few hours and you have to turn them midway, but it works. The downside is they are very brittle and must be handled delicately or they crumble.

hmmm, see brittle-ness is what you don't want.. of course they will be slightly brittle to handle but if they fall apart during cooking then its not good. They have to dry for a longer period of time at a lower temperature with higher humidity.

 

[sgsvirgil]

Dehydrating pasta can be as simple as letting it air dry in a non-humid place. But, there's likely going to be more to selling pasta to local retailers than just figuring out how to dry it. With that said, the suggestions in this thread are excellent.

A word of caution: If you live in the US, I would strongly encourage you to carefully review your state's Cottage Food Laws and all applicable local and Federal Regulations that may apply to you, especially if your pasta recipe calls for eggs.

Generally speaking, foods that contain eggs are considered "prohibited items" that cannot be made or sold from your home kitchen. Again, some states allow exceptions when it comes to pasta products and some do not. There may also be restrictions in terms of how the pasta is produced and stored.

Additionally, most states impose packaging requirements as well as restrictions on where your homemade products can be sold. For example, some states prohibit wholesale of your items to in-state retailers and/or do not permit the items to be sold across state lines. Again, the requirements vary from state to state.

If your pasta is not made with eggs, then many of the potential issues go away.

Good luck.

 

[Tostitoo]

Dehydrating pasta can be as simple as letting it air dry in a non-humid place. But, there likely going to be more to selling pasta to local retailers than just figuring out how to dry it. With that said, the suggestions in this thread are excellent.

agreed, but need consistency. that's why investigating a dehydrator...however humidity control is important from what I understand.

A word of caution: If you live in the US, I would strongly encourage you to carefully review your state's Cottage Food Laws and all applicable local and Federal Regulations that may apply to you, especially if your pasta recipe calls for eggs.

in Canada, and selling mostly water/flour dried recipes.