The Coliseum. Venice’s Grand Canal. Michaelangelo’s David. All great reasons to visit Italy, but they don’t even come close to the attraction of delicious, freshly-made pasta. If you want to truly enjoy this great Italian splendor from the comfort of your home, ditch dry pasta and invest in a pasta maker.
Manual pasta makers are often the most budget-friendly option when it comes to pasta makers, and they’re ideal for making long noodles like fettuccine. However, if you’re going to invest in a manual pasta maker, make sure you have a cooking partner—you’ll need an extra set of hands to hold the dough while you turn the handle.
If you’ve already invested in a stand mixer, there’s a plethora of pasta-making attachments to choose from. Standing in-between a manual and an electric pasta maker, this 3-in-1 attachment allows you to use both hands to feed and catch the dough. It’s less work than the manual pasta maker but still allows for a personal touch.
If you want fresh pasta without the hard work, then an electric pasta maker is for you. They tend to be larger and harder to clean than manual pasta makers, but it’s worth it when you can sit back and let the machine do all the work for you.