Dried Pasta
Dried pasta is readily available in many sizes and shapes. It is factory made and fully dried before it is packaged. Dried pasta is most often made with just semolina flour, water and salt, but it is also available made from other types of flour and seasoning. It rarely contains eggs so it can be stored indefinitely without refrigerating or freezing. The firmness of dried pasta allows it to be stored easily without damage.
Dried pasta requires a longer cooking time than fresh pasta and will swell a considerable amount when cooked.
Uncooked Pasta Cooked PastaWhen the same amounts of dried and fresh pasta are cooked, the dried pasta will produce approximately 60% more than the fresh pasta. You will need to take this into consideration if substituting fresh pasta in a recipe that calls for dried pasta.
Because of its firm texture, most dried pastas, except for the more delicate sized and shaped types, work well with thick sauces and sauces containing meat and vegetables.
Fresh Pasta
Fresh pasta is available in a variety of sizes and shapes but not to the extent of dried pasta. It is, however, available in a greater variety of flavors. Fresh pasta most often contains eggs and has high water content, making it necessary to refrigerate or freeze the pasta to keep it from spoiling. The eggs in the pasta brighten its color, add flavor, and give the pasta more nutritional value. Fresh pasta is made daily in Italian specialty stores and is found commercially in food stores both refrigerated and frozen. If refrigerated, it should be used within 3 to 4 days of purchasing it and within approximately one to two months if frozen. Fresh pasta can be dried and stored at room temperature, but it is important that the pasta is completely dried before storing. Fresh pasta is more delicate than dried pasta, making it more difficult to store.
Fresh pasta has a softer texture than dried pasta and requires only a short cooking time. Testing often for doneness is required to prevent pasta from overcooking. Fresh pasta does not swell in the same manner as dried pasta when cooked. It will swell only slightly.
Uncooked Pasta Cooked Pasta
Because fresh pasta does not swell in the same manner as dried pasta you will need approximately 50 percent more fresh pasta to equal the same amount of dried pasta. Fresh pasta's softer texture goes well with lighter sauces, such as tomato sauces, cream sauces and simple sauces made from oil or butter that is flavored with herbs.
Making fresh homemade pasta provides an opportunity to create many different flavors of pasta. A variety of flours, such as wheat flour, buckwheat flour, rice flour, soy flour, and oat flour can be used to provide different flavors. Also, other flavoring agents can be used, such as herbs and spices, corn meal, cheese, fruits, chilies, spinach, tomatoes, beets, and carrots. The different flavoring agents will also affect the color of the pasta and its texture.