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Being able to make homemade pasta is a wonderful ancient Italian tradition that is gaining more ground lately. More people are becoming attracted to preparing their own foods, such as fresh pasta. That’s because there is a growing awareness of the value of high quality and taste of food. But with this trend comes a small challenge: how to clean a pasta maker.
If this is your first time, we will cover the steps required to correctly clean a manual pasta maker or an electric pasta maker, and prolong its lifespan. But first, if you are looking to buy a good-quality pasta maker, check out our recommendations.
How to Clean Pasta Maker
A pasta maker is an inexpensive and essential kitchen tool that enables users to enjoy the various benefits of having access to any type of pasta daily. If you have a pasta maker, you are definitely interested in caring for it and cleaning it when it gets dirty.
Every pasta maker machine has its own cleaning methods. The most effective way to clean your pasta maker is to follow the instructions laid out by the manufacturer as they are in the best position to highlight the cleaning steps.
However, we’ll provide a general cleaning method that should work for just about any pasta maker. First, let’s go over the few items you’ll need to do a good cleaning job.
Things You Will Need
- Wooden skewer
- White scrap clay or scrap dough
- Paper towels
- An appropriate screwdriver that fits pasta maker screws
Source: Pexels
Steps to Cleaning a Pasta Maker
- The first step is to remove any detachable parts from your pasta maker. If these parts are dishwasher safe, they can be placed in the dishwasher. If they aren’t, you can hand wash them using your liquid dish soap. Make sure you thoroughly dry them using a clean cloth.
- Get your scrap clay or pasta dough and put it through the roller. This process should be repeated a couple of times until you can collect all the leftover bits of dough stuck in the crevices of the machine. You might want to consider doing this 4 to 5 times, adjusting the thickness setting as you clean. Start at the widest setting, before switching to the thinnest setting, where you will also repeat the process for the same number of times.
- Do the above until you achieve the thinnest setting possible.
- Next, get a wooden rod or brush to clean the cutters and rollers. The wooden rod or brush can be used to remove any residual dried dough stuck in between the rollers or any other part of the machine.
- If your pasta maker cannot be disassembled, you will need to simply use a dry brush to get any small inaccessible parts.
Washing Your Pasta Maker
Pasta makers are available in two major types. There are expensive electric options and others designed to be operated by a hand crank like the Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine.
Source: Amazon
Do not wash any of these machines in a sink, regardless of the type you have. Keep in mind that cleaning a hand crank pasta maker is not the same as simply washing a plate in the sink. The last thing you want to do is to fully submerge your pasta maker in water or use too much water around it.
Most pasta makers are constructed using metal, and they generally have small working parts that can’t be easily washed or rinsed. If these parts come in contact with water, they can rust. That’s because it is quite difficult to get rid of all the water after washing.
The most effective way to clean the rollers in your pasta maker is to use clay or scrap dough. If you want to clean the smaller working parts inside, you will need to disassemble your pasta maker.
Considering that you cannot put your pasta maker in the sink, you shouldn’t place it in a dishwasher. Doing so can spell doom for your pasta maker and maybe even damage your dishwasher. Always follow the instructions that come with your specific pasta maker.
When it comes to disassembling your pasta maker, you should do so carefully. The cleaning of every pasta maker is unique, so you have to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when cleaning.
You might be able to take certain pieces off the pasta maker. These pieces can be placed in a dishwasher only if they are made from stainless steel.
This is the only scenario where any component of the pasta maker can be placed in the dishwasher.
How to Disassemble a Pasta Maker
To disassemble your pasta maker, you simply need to follow the instructions laid out by the manufacturer. This might involve the use of a screwdriver to loosen the screws.
For the difficult-to-reach places, you can use a wooden skewer. You should use the wooden skewer to scrape off any debris found on the cutters.
Get a dry paper towel to clear any dough debris found on the easy-to-access areas and large surfaces.
Once done, reassemble the pasta maker by following the manufacturer’s instructions
Conclusion
A clean pasta maker goes hand in hand with proper storage. This is why you should store the pasta maker in a clean and dry area. This can help to prevent rusting. You might want to consider placing the pasta maker in its original box as this helps you move it in and out of storage when it is to be used.
Your pasta maker should always be placed and used only on a flat surface. Doing so ensures that the internals does not begin to warp. Additionally, you should clean your pasta maker with a dry cloth after each use.
By simply following the steps in this article, you should be able to ensure your pasta maker remains relatively debris and dust-free, making your food safer for consumption.
If you want to continue your own pasta making, one thing you should always remember is to not use water on any moving parts or metal parts, for that matter.
