Possible Duplicate:
Why does my homemade pasta stick to itself whilst cooking?
I have just made fresh pasta for the first time and although nice it was sticking together. Do you need to leave it after rolling for a period of time or can you use it straight away?
You should dry the pasta for ten minutes or so before cooking. You can get purpose-built driers that are essentially a series of arms on a pole, or you can improvise with a couple of wooden spoons, draping the pasta over the handles.
Getting the cooking water to a rolling boil helps to keep the pasta moving and prevent sticking also.
I think it is customary to dust the noodles with flour to avoid them clumping together before they are cooked, but as long as there is enough water in the pot I believe they can be used straight away.
I always cooked them straight away without any problem, but maybe I was lucky. Be sure, though, to dust them with flour, so they won't stick while you put them in the boiling water. I generally use rice flour for dusting my freshly made pasta. I don't know whether it's true or not, but in my opinion it does a better job in preventing stickiness, even if you plan to consume them at a later time. As a final note if you can't hang your pasta you can still dry it a bit by lying your fettuccine in a wooden board for a while, and keeping the board in a dry place.
