"Don't know why in the world I did it." Wanda, you did it because homemade noodles are the best ever. It's not an appliance you'll use everyday, but when I want to crank out a big batch of pasta I could fall down on my knees and give thanks for having one. You don't need many clues, lol. They're so simple and even my g'kids helped use it when they had to sit on booster chairs to reach the countertop. Did you get the stainless steel kind with rollers and a crank? They're so much better in the long run than the fancy ones on food processors.

Your unit should have a basic book telling you about noodles. If it doesn't, you use the same directions as if you were to roll them out by hand. If you've never done that, then here is how I do it. We are huge noodle fans here. The amount I make for two could be a normal batch for four or more people. You don't need to measure anything, really.

First I go gather eggs, LOL. If you have them handy them crack about three or four of those dudes into a heavy bowl. Then I add about a tsp of salt, you can omit that if you need to be sodium free, but it sure improves the taste. Then I start adding flour and keep stirring the egg/flour mixture with a heavy spoon. When it gets to be so stiff you can hardly stir it anymore, I turn the whole mess out onto a floured board or pastry cloth. Then I knead it and keep working flour into it until it gets to a firm but workable consistancy. Some folks add a little yellow egg dye, but my eggs tend to be very dark and rich, so I don't.

Separate the mess into about eight balls of dough and start feeding each through the crank device. It helps to flour them each time you run them through. Open the crank up to its largest gap and run the balls of dough all through, then keep narrowing the gap in the rollers until you get the thickness you like after each pass through. My dh likes his very thick, and that's number three on my machine. If I don't have pounds of them I'm doing, I just lay them out on a cloth to dry a bit, or you can hang the sheets of dough on a rack. Don't let the dough get overly dry, or it'll crack when you run it through the noodle blades. Keep the surface well floured! After you run the sheets through the noodle blade part, seperate them and hang on racks to dry, or fluff them with your fingers and spread them out on a cloth. At this point, you can let them get as dry as you wish. They are a done deal.

It just depends on what kind of noodles I'm making what kind of flour I use. I use seminola for pasta and bread or all-purpose flour for noodles.

I know if they are properly dried, they can be stored on a shelf, but with humidity and such, I don't risk it. If you're using them soon you can just store them in a paper bag in your ice box, but I make pounds and pounds of them at a crack when I have too many eggs to sell, so I put mine in plastic gallon freezer bags and lay them flat on the freezer shelf. It's so wonderful when you want to fix a quick dinner to have the work already done. I can make chicken and noodles in a jiff.

Have fun, and poke around on the inet, you'll get lots of good ideas.

And if you don't have pasta racks for drying, use your wire baking racks (the kind you cool cookies on), putting the each rack's end edge on top of a stack of books so the noodles can drape down. The old-fashioned way was to hang the noodles over a broomstick propped up on chairs.

I never make noodles on high-humidity days... the dough is just too sticky.

Once you taste homemade noodles you will want them all the time. They are so good and easy. I don't make huge batches at a time,and cut my own so it takes a lot of time but worth it. Congratulations on joining the noodle makers.

I dry mine on a cheap curtain tension rod. I store the compacted rod in my utensil drawer, and extend it in the void between my cabinets over my sink to use it. I cover it with some flour-sack towels so the pasta doesn't stick to it.

My pasta maker would have remained mostly unused had I not also purchased this book. I was making homemade ravioli, tortellini, fettuccine, linguine and lasagne like a pro in no time. I even followed their recipe for Pappardelle with Rabbit and Shiitake Mushrooms when Izzy fetched me a (mortally dog-chomped-on) rabbit out of my garden last winter. The step-by-step rabbit dismantling pictorial included in the book was especially handy. (Waste not, want not... and I swore I could taste the veggies we grew the previous summer as we ate the bunny!)

The book is by the editors of Cooks Illustrated, so it's ridiculously didactic, but this is great for novices like us...

When I got to the chapter on spatzle I was so intrigued (I LOVE the stuff and hadn't realized it was so easy to make fresh) that I went out and bought a spatzle maker so now fresh sauteed spatzle has become our defacto wintertime accompaniment to roasts and such.

Good luck Wanda! Hope it becomes as addicting as your shoes.

I was thinking this moring, "Where's Jaz? She does this.". Have you learned to clean your pasta making implement efficently yet?

Yes I have. It requires complete dismantling with tools, but I feel good about the cleanliness of it when I'm through... (between dismantlings I run clean paper towels through it)...

suzy,
THANKS!!
You make it sound so easy but I'm sure that's years of experience speaking.

I have had the metal kind of pasta machine with a crank handle for a long time but never considered actually using it for noodles. LOL
I use it for crafts for clays.

My new one is a brand that sells late night TV by a man.
His first name is Ron.
It is electric, the mixer and extruder.
It came with 21 different pasta shapes.
You can also make sausage with it.

I stated in the spice thread I was in the cleaning out/organizing mode.
I bought this thing last spring, put it in the laundry room and found it during my every 4th year annual cleaning.

Mr. Man said I bought it because it was $3.00 at a yard sale. LOL
That's all it takes for anything...$3.00 and yard sale.
It was brand new, still in the box, never used, with the $159.99 statement in the box.

meldy,
No, I don't have drying racks but the cake/cookie cooling racks is a great idea.

Yes, it did come with a booklet but the 'life experience booklet' you guys have is so much more helpful!
Already learned some hints that the booklet didn't cover.

marda,
I have NEVER made my own noodles.
Probably because of all the kneading.
(I guess that's as good an excuse as any.)
I am anxious to try now that y'all make it sound so simple.

Jaz,
Sure have missed seeing you, gal.
Glad to see you back.
The tension rod idea is great!!
I do have a couple spare ones and have that space between the cabinets over the sink.

I also have an old wooden clothes drying rack I may try.

Robin,
Are you kidding?
Will NOT let it become as addicting as my shoes...that means it would cut into my shoe shopping time. LOL

When I make up my summertime batches, I do use a wooden clothes drying rack and use every inch of space on it.

Speaking of German dumplings, my first MIL(German family) always made it when we had meat drippings left over, usually squirrel, rabbit or chicken, in which to fry it. She threw boiled potato chunks riced up and the flour and made a dough of it. We didn't have a special maker for it, just made the dough and chunked it up or tore it off into the boiling water in small chunks. After it was cooked , She drained them and turned them into the meat drippings with diced up onion and sauteed it. She simply called it kloesse. (had to look up the spelling, for years I didn't have a clue). I know that is what most people consider the kind of potato dumpling one serves with a sauce or gravy, but she sauteed hers like a spatzle in the hot fat......and it was just wonderful on a cold winter's night after hunting. It stuck to your ribs like glue. I have not made it in years but now am hungry for it.

Ha ha ha - suzy, I hang mine in the clothes drying rack too!

And if you don't have any of these things: my MIL (Italian) told me her mother would spread a clean sheet over the table or on the bed, and spread the pasta on that, to dry.

I make pasta to make ravioli. I love home-made ravioli, and I love playing with different fillings. It freezes beautifully too: put them on cookie sheets, open, into the freezer for two hours. Then they're frozen enough to put in a plastic bag without sticking together, but not so frozen they're dried out. They can be cooked direct from the freezer, in a couple of minutes longer than when fresh. Once of my quickest dinners (I'm about to make several batches, and sauce, for my DIL, who is expecting her baby in about 3 weeks, and I want to put some quick dinners in her freezer.)

Noodles, must be a german thing. We love noodles. I find making own not any more trouble than making mashed potatos. I don't bother to dry them, just boil them. When I do buy them I like Mrs Weiss Klusky noodles. Nice and thick. Tonight I sliced smoke sausage, browned it, added shredded cabbage and a little water, put the lid on to steam, then tossed in drained cooked noodles. good winter supper. I like to make my maternal grandma's pot pie noodles, kinda cross between pie dough and noodles. It has a bit of baking powder and shortning.

And oh, can i vouch for those quickie-chickie noodles a la suzy....downright inspirational.

Back when, i used to add extra yolks...and make angelfood cake from the whites. Couldn't afford a pasta maker then, I rolled them out and cut strips with a pizza cutter.

I haven't made any yet, i'm pretty carb restricted, but as soon as i get back from the trip-from-hell (Disney with 2 physically handicapped and 5 emotionally handicapped kids) I'll be whipping homegrown eggs and chicken into a family feast!

Any noodle makers have a preference for freshest or older eggs???

Can't answer for noodles yet but I have a friend that is locally famous for her sour cream pound cake.

She would never agree to make one for a get-together until she called me to see if I had fresh eggs.
She would only make it with my fresh eggs...said it was no comparison between fresh and store-bought eggs.