Food - Drink
Your Countertop Is Making Homemade Pasta More Difficult To Work With
By RYAN CASHMAN
Using a smooth countertop when working with pasta dough will make things very difficult, since a rough and porous surface is needed to absorb moisture and stretch the dough.
The best type of surface for making pasta is a wooden pastry board. Unfinished wood provides a unique consistency that helps the dough pull together into a smooth, cohesive ball.
Qb Cucina, an Italian cooking site, explains that the unfinished surface brings in a certain "warmth" and "grain" that affects the overall texture of your dough.
Wood also has a more even temperature than marble or stainless steel, both of which are subject to potential drastic temperature fluctuations. However, not all wood will work.
Regular wood countertops and cutting boards shouldn’t be used because they may be treated with food-safe sealant, meaning the surface is smooth and the pores are closed.