15

Is there a way to handmake alphabet pasta? I want to make the small pasta the is shaped into letters that is sometimes used for alphabet soup for kids.

It's usually about half a cm in length. And I cannot imagine that if I cut letters out they will keep their shape if they are that small. And it would take ages. I would guess there must be a device you push the pasta through so that it would get the right shape, but cannot find any reference of such a device.

Thank you

Lavandysh
  • 594
  • 5
  • 9

2 Answers2

10

That's the exact way alphabet pasta is made in industries, it is called extrusion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_extrusion)

Considering rheology specifications, I think you can repurpose a clay extruder for that, but not sure if there is an alphabet attachment for the tip. Mind that it is only productive if you are going to make a LOT pasta since you're going to make a lot of the same letter before moving on to the next.

(Clay extruder: https://www.amazon.com/Makins-USA-35055-Professional-Ultimate/dp/B0018BOXWQ/)

Juliana Karasawa Souza
  • 2,820
  • 11
  • 32
  • 5
    I recommend OP search for "pasta extrusion gif" or "... video", it's [quite satisfying](https://media.giphy.com/media/fQquuOdbf79hC/giphy.gif). – BruceWayne Jul 15 '19 at 16:24
  • 1
    You can easily make an alphabet attachment with 3D printing, or by hand with appropriate drill bits/carving tools. – R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE Jul 15 '19 at 16:47
  • 2
    @R.. 3D printing generally doesn't create food-safe items, even if the polymer itself is food-safe. Porosity is an issue and some sort of glaze/smooth coating that is itself food-safe and stable will be needed. – nanofarad Jul 15 '19 at 17:47
  • 1
    @hexafraction: They're sufficiently small that you could just treat them as disposable, or yes you could coat them with something (e.g. a foodsafe polyurethane). – R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE Jul 15 '19 at 17:55
  • 1
    They're more expensive than clay extruders, but even if you DIY your extrusion tips you probably should start with a [pasta extruder](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pasta+extruder&i=garden&crid=2DRRQG6N98YIR&sprefix=pasta+ex%2Carts-crafts%2C140&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_8) so that all the other parts of your system are food safe. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Jul 15 '19 at 19:16
  • 1
    Small batch alphabet pasta is just crazy. Setting up and cleaning 26 extruder dies just for one batch of pasta?! I'd probably want a die that could do at least 5-6 letters at once... even then, this will be an expensive investment. – J... Jul 15 '19 at 23:19
  • The only easy solution for this is buying dried pasta in the shop xD a fondant cutter can work but the letters will be too big for soup (the smallest I ever seen makes letters about 1/2 inch big) – Juliana Karasawa Souza Jul 16 '19 at 07:17
  • I assume alphabet pasta would be made using one very large die that has 26 holes. – Robyn Jul 16 '19 at 08:07
  • 1
    I've seen fondant cutters with letters as small as 3/8". Haven't looked yet to see if anything smaller is available. – Cindy Jul 16 '19 at 10:26
9

You might try using a fondant cutter, similar to this one found on global sugar art. Just grabbed this for an example. I'm sure there are many more available online or in stores.

Should be much less expensive than a professional extruder and would be more feasible for home use.

As an alternative, if you're not set on homemade pasta, dried alphabet pasta is easily found online and in stores.

Cindy
  • 18,331
  • 12
  • 52
  • 92