Fresh-Frozen Pasta Handling Instructions - Full Video

Antonio "The Pastaman" D'Alelio walks you through the proper way to handle fresh-frozen pasta, from receiving your case to preparing a delicious dish.
Buying fresh-frozen pasta for your restaurant is a perfect way to serve authentic fresh pasta that tastes like it was rolled out in your own kitchen, while saving labor and allowing you to keep inventory on hand.
When your business becomes famous for delicious "house-made" pasta, you don't want to run out during Friday night's service if your fresh pasta delivery isn't scheduled until Monday!
Key takeaways:
1. Handle frozen pasta with care! Frozen pasta can break if mishandled, especially long cuts like linguine and pappardelle.
2. Be sure to let fresh-frozen pasta thaw for 24 hours in the original packaging before attempting to portion.
3. Once thawed, store "nests" of your desired portion sizes on a sheet pan for quick and easy preparation on the line (remember - 5 ounces of raw fresh pasta cooks up to 7 to 8 ounces!)

[@richardgreen5637]

We recieve freshly frozen pasta, portioned ready for service, loosly packed and the portion size we want. What to do with the rest of the pasta in a busy kitchen and controlling the defrosting can be timely. There will be wastage and this needs to be managed. I understand proper care needs to be taken, however this is not practical in a busy restaurant that doesnt sell alot if pasta. Or alot of pasta for that matter. Run out of the 24 hour rested pasta and then what. Hope for the sake of your business this has changed and you see the constructive feedback.

[@lillysfreshpasta]

Hi Richard, it sounds like you’re struggling to find the profit in the pasta! Not sure what brand you are using, but Lilly’s Fresh Pasta has a 16 day shelf life allowing for some wiggle room when portioning for the week.
We realize fresh pasta is not for everyone and some restaurants simply do not sell enough pasta but with protein costs up nearly 60%, we see pasta as a great opportunity to introduce your customers to something new that you were not previously known for!