Making your own homemade ravioli is an art form in itself – achieving the perfect taste and texture, while avoiding the ravioli remorse: watching them fall apart during the cooking process. Here are a few cooking tips on making your homemade ravioli:
1) The first tip is a technique that is used in restaurants but is also a must for the home cook. When cooking homemade ravioli use a large frying pan filled with water instead of a saucepot. The water will boil quicker and it will give you much better control over the cooking process.
2) Homemade Ravioli and Store-bought Are NOT Cooked The Same. A common mistake when cooking homemade ravioli is thinking they are like cooking the mass-produced ravioli you find in your grocers’ freezer. This type of ravioli usually has very thick pasta around the filling, which makes them more durable and can withstand a lot of activity in a rolling boil. Homemade ravioli should have a dough that is pretty transparent and very delicate. If the water is at a rolling boil, no matter how well they are made might have a tendency to split or open up. My second tip is to bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer, where the ravioli will thoroughly cook, but gently enough that it won’t tear or split the pasta.
3) The cooking time may vary with thickness and the dough recipe you choose, but a quick tip to know they are cooked to perfection is checking the edges to ensure they are cooked al dente – not to hard or too soft. Once done, lift out with a slotted spoon or strainer, do not dump into colander.
