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I'm discovering the universe of fresh pasta, and I saw that many people let the pasta dry. Does that apply to raviolis too?

aragaoalana
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  • You don't need to ... but it's much more important for fresh pasta (vs. dried) to make sure the water is at a rolling boil before you put it in. (so it cooks before it turns into paste) – Joe Nov 09 '20 at 14:49

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Counter-question: Do you think it’s a safe practice to let a filling that may contain raw meat or dairy hang around at room temperature or possibly even warmer for hours?

So no, you shouldn’t let homemade ravioli dry. Attempting to, even if you used a filling that is safe at room temperature, takes way longer than plain (and thin!) regular pasta. Commercial ravioli products are either quick-dried and sealed to make them shelf stable, or sold in the refrigerated section of your supermarket.

If you can’t cook and serve your ravioli immediately, either refrigerate them for short-term storage or freeze them.

And there’s no need to let plain pasta dry before cooking, one of the special charms of making fresh pasta is that it’s fresh, i.e. not dried. Drying is done for long-term storage. It allows working with larger batches (messing up the kitchen only once...) and having the pasta at hand without kneading, resting and rolling.

Stephie
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    Freezing immediately after making (if not cooking immediately) makes it much easier to handle, especially as you are learning, because it is easy to err on the side of the dough being too sticky. It can be cooked from frozen. – moscafj Nov 09 '20 at 13:02
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    You know they could dry in the fridge, right? Drying doesn't automatically mean "leave it out on the counter at room temperature". – Joe Nov 09 '20 at 14:47
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    @Joe yes, but it’s a bit complicated. – Stephie Nov 09 '20 at 14:48
  • @Joe What are the benefits of letting the pasta dry? I don't use any meat in my preparations, just cheese. – aragaoalana Nov 10 '20 at 15:20
  • @aragaoalana : the main advantage is being able to pack it up to freeze it without it all sticking together. But even if you're not freezing it, it's useful to be able to separate the assembly of the food and the actual cooking of it, so if you're having guests over you're not trying to rush to get everything done. So the drying is more a side-effect than the main intent. – Joe Nov 10 '20 at 15:26