Choosing a Pasta Maker

True pasta lovers prefer fresh spaghetti to dry kind. However, they are rarely available at the local store and usually quite costly. Therefore, making fresh pasta on your own has so many advantages. Not only that the taste is better, but you can also select the finest ingredients for your food, such as freshly ground sea salt, extra virgin olive oil etc. If you want, you can use water instead of eggs, different kinds of flour or simply spice your pasta up with tomato juice or spinach, herbs and spices. Only thing you need, beside good will and creativity, is a basic pasta maker. If you have started pining for this kitchen appliance, here are a few things you should consider before making a final decision.

On the market, the most of pasta makers are hand-crank models that clamp on counter tops or tables with a vice. There are sockets (or a single socket) on the side of the pasta maker in which the crank arm slips and by turning it you make the rollers do their job. A knob on the side of pasta machine is used to adjust the distance between these rollers and this is how the thickness of your pasta is determined. Choose the pasta maker with at least 5 thickness settings. The crank arm should be easy to turn, although some resistance should be felt while turning. Also, go for the models made of stainless steel with all-metal parts. There are also electric versions, highly priced but easier to handle, leaving you both hands free to guide pasta dough through the rollers.

In case you plan making fresh pasta everyday and money is not an issue, some pasta maker machines do all the work for you and all you need to do is to simply place the ingredients. The machine will do all the rest: mixing, kneading and rolling.

Not only that you can choose the thickness of your pasta, but there is a possibility to choose their shape. For example, there are models allowing you to make even six shapes: ravioli, fettuccine, linguine, macaroni, regular and thin spaghetti. The wider variety of shapes, the better pasta maker is, but don’t spend too much money on something that you won’t use.

Good luck in your quest for the best pasta maker and enjoy fresh and healthy food!