I've made these twice now. The first time I cooked them up right away and they were really good. I made them again tonight but made them ahead of time and let them sit under a towel for between 4 and 5 hours. This time, they became gummy, soft, sticky and lost their shape even though they looked ok when I first formed them. My family wouldn't even eat them this time. I'm not sure that letting them sit so long works. Of course, our kitchen is very warm, and the dishwasher was letting out steam this afternoon and the gnocchi were on the counter over the dishwasher. Maybe that had something to do with it? I would still make these again, but I'm not sure about leaving them for too long before cooking.

Especially delicate gnocchi made with the least amount of flour as possible, they will not sit out for long, especially in a warm place with nearby steam. What happens is that the starch in the gnocchi continue to hydrate, just like a resting pie dough in the refrigerator. Your resting time is limited, about 30 minutes or so before cooking. If you want to prep them ahead of time, cook them immediately and cool them. They then store for even 2-3 days, as long as they are tossed in some oil.

My mom would cover them under a towel for a couple of hours, but it explains why she did her gnocchi in the basement in a cool, dry place...plus she always added extra flour to hers.

Jeanne, sounds like you had success already, and your family has no idea what a hero you are for making them gnocchi with your own hands. Keep this up and they will!!

It's all about learning, right? Now I know that I can't let gnocchi sit unless it's cool and dry. My family is spoiled, but they also appreciate good food, and I like to cook. I make them homemade pies, ice cream, pasta, stews, sauces, soups, homemade stocks and broths, and plenty of other things as well. I'm really pleased to find rouxbe because I'm learning to do all these things better. So, thanks!!!!

I was at my Mother's side at the ripe age of 6 or 7 while she made
gnocchi and the measurements were a handful of this and a pinch
of that. When my daughters married and wanted the recipe, I was forced to measure the this and that and these are my results. I too
have found that the use of a microwave to cook the potatoes is the
best method---the potatoes are drier---which makes them easier to
knead with the flour. I found that it takes one-and -a-half cups of flour
for each pound of potato (added gradually) but I always hold out one
half cup for dusting the board while rolling the dough. I mix the riced
potato,2 eggs and flour in a bowl until a ball forms and then I turn it
out onto the board and continue adding flour (unbleached) until it is
no longer sticky. We roll the little "pillows" on the back side of a
curved cheese grater (for the indentations) and they come out look-ing like sea shells. When I have a cookie sheet full,I put them in the
freezer. When frozen, I bag them for future use.

can i use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? since it has less gluten. I just made it yesterday with apf and it make out a little chewy and dense. I might have over worked the dough too much. Also Tyler florence added parmesan cheese in his gnocchi. Would that change the texture of the gnocchi? at what step could I add the parmesan cheese? thanks

Careful with cake flour, as many have leavening agents added. You can use a less gluten flour, by all means, but I'd stick to all-purpose so you have to train your hands to make them just right. Adding some parmesan affects more the taste than anything else, so it's up to you. I'd mix it with a bit of flour so it is less sticky, add it in the beginning while mixing in more flour before bringing the mass together.

Is there a genuine advantage of using oven oven microwave?
Seems an earlier comment had success with mw but if oven is better I will stuck to that.

Again, as mentioned in other threads regarding microwave cooking, we do not focus on this cooking method in our lessons; we focus on the methods taught in professional culinary schools and those include the old-fashioned ways of cooking. If you want to use the microwave, the best thing to do is to test both methods yourself and see if you like one over the other. Cheers!