Perfect homemade pasta

MAKE A WELL Weigh out your flour and pour it onto your surface in a pile. Then, with your fingers, make a hole in the center. Now add your eggs to the center, no reason why you can't whisk them ahead of time. Add any other ingredients you're using - salt

MIX Using a fork or your fingertips, gradually start pushing the flour into the pool of egg. You'll keep adding flour until it no longer makes sense to use the fork—the dough will be wet and sticky, but holding together as a single mass.

KNEAD Around ten minutes of kneading will allow you get a smooth ball of dough without drying being an issue. To knead, simply press the heel of your hand into the ball of dough, pushing forward and down. Rotate the ball 45 degrees and do it again. You'll want to keep going until the dough no longer looks powdery—it should have a smooth, elastic texture similar to a firm ball of Play-Doh. If your dough feels wet and tacky, add more flour as necessary. Once you have your ball of kneaded dough, wrap it tightly in plastic. If you'll be coming back to it later in the day, stick it in the fridge. For more time, tuck the wrapped ball into a zipper lock bag, removing as much air as possible, and freeze it for up to three weeks. Otherwise, you can leave it on your countertop.

RESTING 30 minutes to 3 hours

ROLLING Cut your dough into four pieces, set one aside, and wrap up the rest. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to at least half an inch thick. Try to keep the shape and size relatively even from end to end. This will make our later steps a little easier. For this stage, you'll want the flat roller—the ones with teeth come later. Turn it to the widest setting (on most machines, it's labeled either "0" or "1"). If you're hand cranking, you'll just want to be steady and consistent. First timers may want to work with a partner, so that one person can crank the machine and the other can feed the dough into the rollers. You'll want to gently support the exiting end with the flat of your hand or your index finger. Send it through the first setting until it passes through without resistance—at least three times. Then turn the dial to the next setting. This will narrow the space between the rollers, pressing your pasta even thinner. You'll notice it getting quite a bit longer as you proceed. You'll want to pass the dough through the rollers at least two or three times for each of the first three settings. Later settings will only require one or two passes, though.

LAMINATING Laminating is basically a process of folding the dough into a smaller package and feeding it back into the pasta-maker. The main argument for laminating has to do with the final texture of your dough, but it's also a great way to patch up any pesky holes. Once you've rolled, laminated, and rolled again all the way to your preferred thickness, you'll want to cover up the pasta with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Dust some flour onto parchment or wax paper, lay the pasta on top, and continue to sprinkle flour as you fold it over.

COOKING Personally,I like my pasta cooked for around 90 seconds, but you may find that you prefer a shorter or longer boiling time. Just don't exceed two minutes—that's when it starts to get mushy.