I personally just love pasta. I enjoy preparing it, serving it to others, even reading and writing about it. So, when I tell you that even the best, most expensive dried pasta can’t hold a candle to what you make yourself on a bad day, you can believe me (or at least go out and try it yourself).
Fresh pasta is simply silkier in texture, tender without being mushy, as well as more subtle in flavor. Not only that, you’re free to make ravioli stuffed with whatever ingredients you want and experiment with different colorings, flavorings, and shapes.
Pasta Maker Overview
Regardless of your level of experience, you can add pasta making to your portfolio of “things I do like a well-rounded adult” just by buying the right pasta maker. Every one of these machines offers good value; just read on to learn which one will work for you.
Good: Pretty much the gold standard when it comes to roller pasta makers, it’s constructed well enough to make it into your will.
Not so good: This classic model involves a little bit of a learning curve before you’ll be satisfied with your pasta.
Bottom Line: Expensive, as quality products tend to be, this is an investment the dedicated home cook will love at first sight. To save money you can start with just one or two attachments.
Good: Fully automated yet capable of creating a wide range of pastas, this machine can be used by anyone who’s able to operate a stove.
Not so good: It costs an arm and a leg and doesn’t seem to be designed for long pasta-making sessions (it’s fast!).
Bottom Line: Greatly superior to most automatic extruders, this seems to be a case of getting what you pay for.
Good: Piggybacks on your existing KitchenAid mixer, allowing you to prepare a huge amount of pasta with little effort.
Not so good: The convenience of doing everything with one machine comes with a limited selection of shapes and at a fairly high price.
Bottom Line: If you already own any kind of KitchenAid, this is the first option you should look at. If you don’t own one already, pass and go for the Philips above.
Good: Not too expensive, your purchase can be customized for whatever type of pasta you plan to make.
Not so good: The pasta roller itself, the backbone of the whole set, is pretty cheaply made compared to most.
Bottom Line: The stars of the show here are certainly the specialty tools for making types of pasta few non-Italians will know.
Good: This pasta maker costs less than many manual models yet comes with a motor attached.
Not so good: Capable of producing only three kinds of pasta and somewhat rickety, this is clearly an entry-level machine.
Bottom Line: As long as you’re not planning to cook for large groups, the extra convenience of having powered rollers is well worth it.
Good: Works very well at forming semi-liquid batter into thin strips.
Not so good: Unlike any other pasta maker we’ve chosen to review, this one has only a single use and purpose.
Bottom Line: If you know you like spaetzle, you’ll want to have this in your kitchen; if you’ve never heard of spaetzle, you probably won’t want this.
