clare* Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Ok, I need a little bit of help here as well I have made 2 batches of pasta this week. One with plain flour the other with 00 flour. I have hand rolled both a thin as I could. But both lots were like chewing a bit of old carpet I spent last night reading though all the other pasta comments from ages ago on the forum. Everyone else seems to making fab pasta. Why oh why is my pasta tough as old boots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Did you hand roll it Clare* or use a machine? I only use Spelt flour for cooking so my pasta is made with it as well - I only use a pasta machine. You haven't been watching Gordon Ramsey roll it by hand have you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 I use Dove's Farm pasta flour which I think is "00" grade. The recipe I use is for 8oz pasta flour to 2 eggs - nothing else and it works a treat every time. I've got a cheap pasta machine from Argos for around £18. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clare* Posted November 14, 2005 Author Share Posted November 14, 2005 Yes I am hand rolling. I've just been to Tesco and looked at a bag of fresh pasta. Maybe I am not rolling it out thin enough I know your not meant to cook it for very long. Could over cooking toughen it up. Oh I don't know. All I do know is what with shaking the butter in the jar,making the bread by hand and rolling the pasta. MY ARMS ARE KILLING ME I will get the Argos book out and look for a cheap machine to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Over cooking would make it slimy, maybe you are right it is not thin enough or you haven't kneaded it enough that could make it chewy.............You can't fail with a machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clare* Posted November 14, 2005 Author Share Posted November 14, 2005 Thanks Nicola Have checked Argos - What do you know. Pasta machine reduced to £9.99 Off to get a machine tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 I don't believe it. Now you're all making fresh pasta as well!! (Another thread talks about homemade bread and butter and I am now feeling totally inadequate!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 It's Clare*'s fault - she started both topics! If you look through Nesting Box, you will find the topic on home-made cleaning products - just to make you feel totally inadequate. (It's that Kate - she makes everyone feel inadequate ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Oh thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 I'm already feeling totally inadequate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Don't worry - so long as you know how to pour a glass of wine / eat a box of choccies (whatever takes your fancy) (or both!) you're just fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 I'm inadequate in most other things in life so being handy in the kitchen is all I'm good for ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Ginette, I'm with you I aspire to doing all these wonderful things, and go a certain way to home-grown, home-made, environmentally sound, but there's just only so many hours in the day, so for me if it's a choice between Sainsburys ready made organic pasta, or however long knocking my home-made version, and spending time with my children or chickens (or on the forum ) then that's a fairly easy compromise for me. Ditto with the butter-making I do prepare all my meals from fresh ingredients though, and the breadmaker takes care of the weekends bread. So, a compromise between aspiration and achievable. Maybe one day I'll have more time, and start butter-making, but not right now Oh, and I'm great at the wine pouring as advocated by Red, 2 glasses of that and I don't care who makes my butter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Relieved! KateA. You put it so well and it echoes entirely my feelings. If only I had a bigger kitchen. Then I could have a bread-maker. I make my own yoghurt (in an electric maker) because that's really easy and not at all time-consuming. My dream is to have a big farmhouse kitchen with a long table in the middle where people can sit drinking cups of tea and coffee, chatting to me while I cook. It's not going to happen in the foreseeable future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 If this forum gets any bigger Kate and I will also be resorting to ready meals - well, I will, can't really speak for Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 This forum is something of a double edged sword, gives us brilliant ideas (well, me anyway), and some of you guys are so inspirational , but at the same time the more time spent on here the less time spent putting ideas into practice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Ginette, I'm with you I aspire to doing all these wonderful things, and go a certain way to home-grown, home-made, environmentally sound, but there's just only so many hours in the day, so for me if it's a choice between Sainsburys ready made organic pasta, or however long knocking my home-made version, and spending time with my children or chickens (or on the forum ) then that's a fairly easy compromise for me. For me, this all comes down to guilt. Guilt that I've never been able to run around with my boys, playing football, going for walks, stuck at home on crutches for all of their early years and guilt that my LSH goes out working long hours while I stay at home doing what I want. I put all my efforts into giving them good home produced food and as much homegrown fruit and veg as I can because I can't do all those other things that they want me to do. Don't let me make you feel inadequate. You all make me feel very inadequate too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 There's another brilliant site along the self sufficiency lines which Kate and I visit - add that to your list and you could spend all day on forum and not get anything done at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Oh, Kate, I feel bad now. I feel like I'm not trying as hard as some of you, especially you and Lesley who both seem to have the Domestic Goddess thing sewn up (move over Nigella ), and I wish I could be as keen and effective in the kitchen and garden as both of you seem to be. But it's all down to abilities, interests and compromises. Don't go and let me down by feeling all inadequate..... you're my hero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Oh, no Lesley, please don't tell me about it I only post regularly on this forum, but there are 3 others which I visit occasionally, 1 being purely chickens, the otheres are more along the self-sufficiency lines, and I waste so much time on the forums it's not true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Don't go and let me down by feeling all inadequate..... you're my hero You haven't seen the state of my oven though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 I have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Only the clean bit on the outside. I don't show the inside to anyone without a full body protective overall on ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Everything looked immaculate when we visited Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 My point exactly - you didn't see inside the oven ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
