What is the best pasta machine to buy?

Question

I want to buy a handcrank pasta machine so I can start making homemade pasta. Any recommendations as to which ones are the best?

Answer 1

Hi Lisa,

I recently started using an Imperia manual pasta machine, like the one here on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Imperia-Pasta-Mach...

This heavy, steel machine is supplied with a large hard-wearing s***w to help attach it to your work surface (required or else it will topple over when you attach any of its equally heavy accessories).

Once you have made your pasta dough and rolled this out flat, the machine is used first to flatten the pasta even thinner. I pass sheets through a couple of times, reducing the roller width each time, to get really thin, seriously long sheets.

The machine's supplied attachment then allows you to thread these long sheets of pasta through again to make either tagliatelle (flat strips) or linguine (very thin, like a flat spaghetti).

(You can buy all kinds of additional attachments too, such as the ravioli maker below - which I also own but have yet to try...)

http://www.amazon.com/CucinaPro-150-25-I...

All in all, the machine works a treat; I'm very pleased with it indeed. It's so heavy and well-built that it feels like it will last forever too.

Matt

PS: Two additional thoughts:

1. On the ravioli front, the attachment above is probably going to be way better than the company's 'Raviolamp 24' ravioli tray. This is a bit of a nightmare to use... I had pasta dough stuck everywhere, shapes that I had to prize out of the tray with a knife, splurging ingredients... all sorts of fun (not).

See it here: http://www.kasbahouse.com/villawareonlin...

2. If you're a newbie pasta maker, I have a video pasta making guide online that you might find helpful. It's here: http://www.pasta-recipes-made-easy.com/h...

Ciao!