by Rick Goldman
Pasta that is made from scratch must be dried before it is served.
When pasta that you have made yourself is too wet after being served, you'll wind up with pasta that sticks together and pasta that loses its texture.
That is how important a drying rack is for your pasta.
Drying racks can also help you organize the pasta that you have made as this is also important when making pasta from scratch.
The pasta that you make by yourself does not deserve to stick together after it has been made. A drying rack will help you make sure that this does not happen.
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There are a few things that you should pay attention to when choosing a pasta drying rack.
Choosing the most popular or the largest drying rack isn't usually the best course of action to take because one size definitely does not fit all when it comes to pasta drying racks.
Among the many things that you'll want to consider is how much pasta you intend to make. One of the reasons why the biggest drying rack may not be right for you is if you only intend to make small amounts of pasta. Place a small amount of pasta on a large drying rack, and it might fall off the rack.
You should also know what kind of pasta you want to make. Certain pasta racks are designed for certain kinds of pasta and this is something else you should be aware of.
The material that pasta drying racks are made of are very important to how it can be used to dry out the pasta that you just made. A lot of racks are made of rubber or wood, but never a combination of the two. This results in a drying rack that is a little less than optimal than it should be.
Norpro has solved this with its drying rack. Being made of rubberwood, you will not need to worry about pasta that might fall off the rack which is what happens to rubber racks and you will be able to clean them easily, which can't be said about most wooden pasta racks.
The base of Norpro's pasta rack is thick enough and the arms extend long enough to where you do not have pasta dragging on the ground, but the arms themselves are not as sturdy as you might want them to be. Look elsewhere if you are looking for a pasta rack that can accomodate volume.
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One of the biggest issues that most pasta racks face is that they simply do not have enough arms to hang pasta on. If they do have enough arms, chances are good that the pasta you place on the arms could weigh them down to where the pasta will fall off, defeating the entire purpose of your pasta rack.
Goziha's noodle stand addresses both of these issues. Containing 10 arms, you'll have plenty of room to hang all the pasta that you need without any real concern. You'll be able to dry up to four pounds of pasta with it, making it perfect for heavy volume usage.
The stand design of Goziha's pasta rack also decisively prevents it from toppling over. This is something that you don't see in a lot of pasta racks that utilize a base. Again, this makes it very nice for large volumes of pasta.
There are a couple of things that you'll need to watch for with Goziha's noodle stand. First, it will start to tip if you don't hang pasta on it evenly. Also, the arms are made of plastic. Chances are very good that whatever pasta you hang on it will slide off.
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Most pasta drying racks claim that they are easily collapsible, but most of them do not perform well when it comes to this. Most of the time, you'll spend a lot more time than you might want when taking them apart and this is very frustrating to deal with.
Bellemain solves this with its pasta rack. All 8 of its arms fit into the dowels of the rack very easily and literally all you need to do to take it apart is remove the dowels from the shaft of the rack. There aren't many pasta racks out there that are easier to take apart.
A lot of pasta racks tip over a lot of the time. Bellemain solves this by containing a very thick base that measures ⅞ of an inch in height. This will prevent it from tipping no matter how unbalanced the pasta on the arms are.
The only thing that you might want to watch for with Bellemain's pasta rack is how flimsy the arms are. Hanging pasta in any significant volume on them might cause the pasta to fall off the arms, even if these arms are made of solid wood. Choose something different if you need a rack to hang a lot of pasta on.
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Most pasta drying racks and stands simply cannot dry enough pasta. Most of them only contain 10 or so arms at most and this will not allow you to dry the amounts of pasta that you need. Dealing with this is very frustrating and most of the time you'll be forced to use two different stands or racks.
You'll be able to dry all the pasta you need with Navaris' noodle dryer stand. Its rotating design boasts well over a dozen different arms that all reach different lengths. This allows you to not only dry all the pasta you want but any kind of pasta as well. You'll be able to dry pasta that is short or long.
Something you will need to watch out for about Navaris' noodle dryer stand is that the arms of the stand are very close to each other. This is problematic as the pasta on it has a tendency to stick to each other.
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Drying different kinds of pasta is a major challenge for many who wish to make pasta from scratch. Most pasta stands only allow you to dry certain kinds of pasta and this will usually prompt you to acquire multiple stands.
iPstyle's folding noodle stand addresses this challenge in a creative way. There is enough space in between its 10 different arms for you to hang whatever kind of pasta you need. You'll be able to hang lasagna on one arm and fettuccine on another arm without any issues at all.
You'll be able to literally take iPstyle's folding noodle stand anywhere. It collapses and folds very easily, making it very compact and easy to carry around. Combine this with its ABS material and you have a pasta drying rack that is easy to clean and is also much more food safe compared to wooden pasta stands.
The ABS material of iPstyle's folding noodle stand can be problematic, however. There are a lot of times where you'll find that the pasta you lay on it will slide right off of it.
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Noodle drying racks can lose their stability pretty easily if too much pasta is placed on them. This presents a major challenge for anybody who needs to dry substantial amounts of pasta on their drying racks.
Ourokhome's pasta rack makes it much easier to hang substantial amounts of pasta on it, as it contains 4 rubber feet on the bottom of it that make it much more stable than other noodle racks.
Another really nice thing about Ourokhome's noodle rack is that it is very easy to put together and take apart. Most noodle racks require you to use at least a couple of tools to put together, but not Ourokhome's. You can put it together and take it apart without requiring any tools.
There isn't much space in between the arms of Ourokhome's pasta drying rack. This can crowd it when you do hang substantial amounts of pasta on it and this is one challenge that it presents.
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Most pasta drying racks are not easy to fold up and carry. This is especially true if they are made of wood, since the ones that are made of wood often require you to take out each arm and store them separately.
Cambom's pasta rack answers this challenge by being very easy to fold. Each arm on the rack folds inward, transforming it into a very compact structure that you can take practically anywhere. This makes Cambom's pasta rack perfect if you are travelling.
The feet of Cambom's pasta rack are much more stable than other pasta racks like it. This comes in very handy when you are hanging substantial amounts of pasta on it and it allows you to indeed hang substantial amounts of pasta on it.
One challenge that you will undoubtedly face with Cambom's pasta drying rack is that its arms are made of plastic. These arms are not nearly as durable as their wooden counterparts and you'll get better use of a wooden pasta rack if you need to hang substantial amounts of pasta.
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One of the biggest challenges that surround any given pasta drying rack is that their arms are just not sturdy enough to hang a substantial amount of pasta on. If they are sturdy enough, they are often not long enough or not high enough from the table.
Kitchendao has solved this challenge decisively with its pasta drying rack. The arms are made of stainless steel, which will ensure that it doesn't tip over at all. You'll be able to hang all of the pasta you want on its 8 rods, 6 pounds in total. This makes it perfect for hanging substantial amounts of pasta.
You'll also be able to transfer the noodles that you hang on Kitchendao's noodle rack easily, as it has a rotary design. Another thing you'll enjoy about it is that it folds up very easily, making it easy to clean and store.
Stainless steel is nothing like wood as a material. Because of this, there is a good chance that the pasta that you hang on it might just slide off, especially if you intend to hang substantial amounts of pasta on it.
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Pasta racks that contain plastic or stainless steel arms to hang pasta on face a significant challenge in that pasta is liable to slide off of them. This is especially true if you know that you'll need to hang a substantial amount of pasta on them.
Being made of natural beechwood, you will not need to worry about any pasta sliding off of the arms of iSiler's pasta rack. This kind of material will prevent pasta from sliding off of the arms of iSiler's drying rack where other racks do not do this as well.
Other noodle drying racks will indeed dry pasta quickly, but it does this at the expense of the pasta's shelf life and freshness. iSiler's rack may dry pasta a little slower, but this also means that said pasta will retain its freshness.
Like many pasta racks that are made of wood, the challenges of iSiler's rack come in the form of its ability to be taken apart easily and the organization of its arms. You'll need to physically remove its arms in order to store it, and transferring the pasta is also a little more difficult since it does not contain a rotary design.
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Perhaps the biggest and most common challenge that faces almost any pasta rack has to do with exactly how much pasta can be dried on it. Most racks that are designed for drying substantial amounts of pasta do an underwhelming job and leave a bit to be desired.
You will be able to dry all the pasta you want when using Eppicotispai's pasta rack. Being able to dry an impressive 20 square inches of pasta, you will have no problem drying all the pasta you need. Other pasta racks do not even come close.
The natural beechwood arms of Eppicotispai's pasta rack also make it not only easy for your pasta to remain stationary and not fall off, it also makes things easy to clean. Not many other wooden pasta racks offer this.
You need to be very experienced to dry pasta on Eppicotispai's pasta drying rack properly. You need to make sure that all of the pasta you are hanging on it balances out, otherwise it will tip.
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You need to be careful with most pasta drying racks. They will tip even if there is a slight imbalance. This is especially true when it comes to wooden pasta racks as most of these racks do not contain a solid base that prevents tipping.
Delven's pasta rack contains a very solid tripod-like base that does a very good job of preventing tipping. Even if the pasta you hang on it isn't perfectly balanced, you will not need to worry about it tipping at all.
The transfer wand and double-wheel pizza cutter that comes with Delven's pasta rack also come in very handy. Very few pasta drying racks come with these kinds of accessories and they are certainly useful if you make other kinds of pasta or italian food.
The way the arms of Delven's pasta rack are designed can be a little confusing to use. They aren't spaced apart too well and you'll need to watch out for pasta that intertwines with each other.
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One of the biggest issues that any wooden pasta drying rack faces is that they are either partially foldable or they are not foldable at all. This makes them difficult to store and it makes them almost impossible to carry around should you need to travel with one.
It is a little easier to fold and store Eppicotispai's noodle rack than other wooden racks like it. The bottom part of it folds, creating a flat rack that you can store and carry a lot easier than other wooden racks like it.
The natural beechwood material of Eppicotispai's pasta rack prevents pasta not only from slipping off of it, but also from sticking to it. This is a major challenge that other racks made of plastic or stainless steel face.
Something you'll need to watch for with Eppicotispai's pasta rack is that the arms are not nearly as durable as they should be. Place too much pasta on these arms, and the rack will tip.
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Pasta drying racks have a tendency to skid when pasta is placed on them, especially when a lot of pasta is placed on them. Not only can this cause your rack to tip over, it can also cause the rack to move around a lot more than you would like it to.
One of the best things about Hin Plus's pasta rack is that it's legs have a little more space in between them than other racks, making it that much more sturdy. It won't skid and it won't tip over either if you balance your pasta on it properly.
You'll also be able to fold Hin Plus's pasta rack a lot easier than most others, making it much easier to store or even carry with you. This is because it folds into a flat object.
The ABS plastic material that Hin Plus' rack is made of is both useful and problematic. It may be a lot more safer than other materials, but this also means the pasta you dry on it can fall off easier. This is something about it that you should be aware of.
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One of the biggest issues that surround any given pasta rack is that most of the time, their arms spread out completely evenly. This can limit what you can do if you are tasked with drying pasta of different lengths. Not all of the pasta you need to dry are all the same length.
Anni's pasta rack is your solution if you are looking for a rack that can dry different lengths of pasta. With each of its 16 arms being a different height from the base, you'll be able to dry practically any length of pasta you want with very little frustration.
Another very convenient thing about Anni's pasta rack is that it comes with a scraper and a multipurpose wand. These two accessories are difficult to come across, and it is a good thing that Anni's pasta rack contains them.
One challenge that you will face when using Anni's pasta rack is that it can get a little crowded. The arms tend to be a little too close together and this can cause some frustration. While it can dry 4 and a half pounds of pasta, you'll need to know exactly what you are doing to achieve such a thing with Anni's rack.
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The material that most pasta racks are made of are either completely safe and have a tendency for pasta to fall off while drying or they are made of material that guarantees that pasta will stay on it, but is not nearly as safe as it should be.
Coming across a pasta rack that is made of material that is not only safe but also prevents pasta from slipping from it is very difficult to come by. The Atlas, by Marcato, is one such pasta rack. Being made of polycarbonate material, it is just as safe as it is effective.
Each of the Atlas' 16 arms stretch out at not only a different length, but at different heights from the base, allowing you to practically dry any kind of pasta of any length, and most importantly, at any volume. You'll be able to dry over 4 pounds of any kind of pasta you want with it.
Just like other pasta drying racks like it, you'll need to be very experienced if you do decide to dry so much pasta with the Atlas. Pasta can quickly become crowded when you hang it to dry on each of its arms. Consider something else if you are not experienced.
Although they all accomplish the same thing, pasta drying racks are not all built the same.
Because of this, you'll need to consider more than a few things when buying one.
There is nothing worse than having a pasta rack that you cannot even use, and you'll avoid that predicament when you consider these things.
This is the first consideration and other considerations will revolve around it.
Certain pasta racks are designed to dry large volumes of pasta while others take a more concentrated approach, allowing you to dry very finite amounts of pasta.
This is why you need to determine how much pasta you want to dry.
If you do not know how to operate a pasta cutter or a pasta wand, you might need to back away from using pasta racks altogether.
Aside from very few basic designed ones, the design of most pasta racks will assume that you know how to cut and hang pasta.
Being able to dry pasta made from scratch effectively is at a premium in any italian dining establishment that dares to take itself seriously.
Pasta racks that are designed for drying such an amount of pasta certainly exist, and you need to know which ones are designed for the home and which ones are designed for an establishment.
Don't make the mistake of getting a pasta rack that is designed for the home when you really need one for an establishment.
Most pasta drying racks claim that they can dry any kind of pasta.
This is one of those claims that is only half-true.
The real truth is that certain racks are better at drying different kinds and lengths of pasta than others.
One of the best things you can do is determine what is the most popular kind of pasta you tend to make and which drying rack would be best for it.
A: Pasta drying racks are used not only for drying pasta that has been cut and molded, but they also function as a measuring device of sorts. Because pasta racks allow you to see all the pasta you have out in front of you, you'll be able to extract information from it about how much pasta you have that is ready to be made.
A: Pasta drying racks are typically only necessary if you are making certain pastas from scratch. Most of the time this is going to be spaghetti types of products. There is no need for a pasta drying rack if you are making pasta that doesn't extend or does not belong in the spaghetti or fettuccine family of pasta.
A: Drying fresh pasta so that you can store it must be done with a drying rack. When you do this, make sure that there is plenty of room between the pasta itself and the countertop that is underneath the pasta that is currently drying. Use a pasta wand to affix the pasta onto whichever rack you are using.
Cambom Foldable Pasta Drying Rack- Plastic Spaghetti Noodle Dryer with 10 Bar Handles - Walmart Link
Marcato Atlas Pasta Drying Rack, Tacapasta, Made in Italy, Collapsible, Red, 18.5 x - Walmart Link
Bellemain Large Wood Pasta Drying Rack - Walmart Link
Eppicotispai Beechwood Stackable Food Dryer with Net - Walmart Link
Wood Pasta Drying Rack with 18" Rolling Pin Baking, Pasta & Spaghetti Dryer Stand with 16 - Walmart Link
Marcato Atlas Pasta Drying Rack, Tacapasta, Made in Italy, Steel and Polycarbonate, - Walmart Link
Weston Bamboo Pasta Drying Rack (53-0201), 10 Drying Arms, 16" Tall, 14" Wide, Stores Flat - Walmart Link
Norpro Pasta Drying Rack Wood, 2.6 - Walmart Link
Hin Plus Pasta Drying Rack Collapsible (Yellow) - Walmart Link
Eppicotispai EP 102 Natural Beechwood Collapsable Pasta Drying Rack - Walmart Link
Navaris Collapsible Pasta Drying Rack - Tall Spaghetti Noodle Dryer Stand for up to 4.5 - Walmart Link
Pasta Drying Rack,Collapsible with Scraper,16 Rods anti slip Pasta Dry Rack-Holding Up to - Walmart Link
KitchenAid KPDR Pasta Drying Rack Attachment, 1, Stainless Steel - Walmart Link
GOZIHA Pasta Drying Rack Noodle Stand with 10 Bar Handles Collapsible | Household Noodle - Walmart Link
Ourokhome Collapsible Pasta Drying Rack, Plastic Foldable Homemade Fresh Spaghetti Stand - Walmart Link
Foldable Pasta Drying Rack | Compact for Easy Storage | Quick Set-Up | Rotary System & - Walmart Link
Cambom Foldable Pasta Drying Rack- Plastic Spaghetti Noodle Dryer with 10 Bar Handles - eBay Link
Marcato Atlas Pasta Drying Rack, Tacapasta, Made in Italy, Collapsible, Red, 18.5 x - eBay Link
Bellemain Large Wood Pasta Drying Rack - eBay Link
Eppicotispai Beechwood Stackable Food Dryer with Net - eBay Link
Wood Pasta Drying Rack with 18" Rolling Pin Baking, Pasta & Spaghetti Dryer Stand with 16 - eBay Link
Marcato Atlas Pasta Drying Rack, Tacapasta, Made in Italy, Steel and Polycarbonate, - eBay Link
Weston Bamboo Pasta Drying Rack (53-0201), 10 Drying Arms, 16" Tall, 14" Wide, Stores Flat - eBay Link
Norpro Pasta Drying Rack Wood, 2.6 - eBay Link
Hin Plus Pasta Drying Rack Collapsible (Yellow) - eBay Link
Eppicotispai EP 102 Natural Beechwood Collapsable Pasta Drying Rack - eBay Link
Navaris Collapsible Pasta Drying Rack - Tall Spaghetti Noodle Dryer Stand for up to 4.5 - eBay Link
Pasta Drying Rack,Collapsible with Scraper,16 Rods anti slip Pasta Dry Rack-Holding Up to - eBay Link
KitchenAid KPDR Pasta Drying Rack Attachment, 1, Stainless Steel - eBay Link
GOZIHA Pasta Drying Rack Noodle Stand with 10 Bar Handles Collapsible | Household Noodle - eBay Link
Ourokhome Collapsible Pasta Drying Rack, Plastic Foldable Homemade Fresh Spaghetti Stand - eBay Link
Foldable Pasta Drying Rack | Compact for Easy Storage | Quick Set-Up | Rotary System & - eBay Link
Some of the best pasta that you'll ever taste is pasta that is made from scratch.
Making pasta from scratch demands that it dries naturally after it is formed from the dough.
Drying racks make this process much easier, and you'll need to know what kind of drying rack you need to use relative to what kinds of pasta you intend to make from scratch.
Different from pasta drying racks in the past, current pasta racks are very easy to fold up, making them easy to not only store in your kitchen, but carry around wherever you need it.
There is no question about it; you are going to need a drying rack if you are considering making any kind or amount of pasta from scratch. Take some time to explore what they have to offer.
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About Rick Goldman
Rick Goldman's grandpa was a captain of a California coast cruise. This afforded Rick the luxury of traveling to exciting places along the Pacific Coast as a young boy. He got to try different, exotic foods on these journeys - something he really enjoys blogging about from his grandpa's beautiful garden home today.
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