The newest technologies are appearing so quickly that there’s barely time to think about one before it’s obsolete, and something better has taken its place. Because of that, though, we’ve forgotten that there are many simplistic things we can make ourselves, rather than going out and buying the latest interpretation. For instance, something like a pasta drying rack doesn’t have to cost a hundred bucks. You can easily make it for a couple of dollars and it will work just as well as the latest in pasta drying machines.
If you’ve making your own pasta you’ll appreciate how easy it is to create a noodle dryer. It’s just a simple, wooden rack you use to hang spaghetti, egg noodles, and other long pasta types. All you’ll need is a couple of things from a craft or home improvement store. If you purchase the inexpensive wooden pieces from a home improvement store they’ll cut it for you with no charge.
Purchase a dowel that is 1-½” in diameter. This rod should be about 22″ long. Purchase two more dowel rods; these should be ½” in diameter, and 18″ long, each. You’ll also need a wooden base. It can be square, round, or another shape, but should be at least 1″ thick.
Set the longest dowel in the middle of the base. From the underside, drive a screw in through the base, and into the dowel. Or, hammer a nail in to hold the dowel in place. On top of the base, make a circle of hot glue, right around the bottom of the dowel, to give it a little more sturdiness.
Near the top of the dowel, drill a hole, from left to right. Drill another hole, slightly lower than that one, from front to back. These holes should be the same size in diameter as the last two dowels. It can be helpful to bore out the small holes – just a tiny bit – so that the rods slide in a little easier. However, the holes shouldn’t be so large that the dowels can wiggle. Slide one dowel into each hole. Use a little hot glue, or even wood glue, to hold the dowels in place.
Make your pasta and hang the individual noodles on the dowels. They stick out pretty far so you have lots of room to hold many noodles. You’ll use the simplistic but useful pasta dryer for many years.