To make egg pasta, the ingredients are
mixed in proportions that give a stiff dough;
the dough is kneaded until smooth, allowed to
rest and relax, rolled out, and then cut into the
desired shapes. The fresh pasta is perishable,
and if made with eggs carries a slight
possibility of salmonella contamination; it
should be cooked immediately or wrapped and
refrigerated. Prolonged drying at kitchen
temperature may allow microbes to multiply
to hazardous levels. Fresh pasta cooks
quickly, in a few seconds or minutes
depending on thickness.
Dried Durum Pasta The standard Italian
pastas, and Italian-style pastas from around
the world, are made from durum wheat, with
its distinctive flavor, attractive yellow color,
and abundant gluten proteins. Durum pastas
are seldom made with eggs. Their gluten
proteins give the dried noodles a hard, glassy
interior; during cooking they limit the loss of