How to Choose a Pasta Machine: A Buyer's Guide

The short answer: for most home kitchens, the best pasta machine is a 150mm manual roller made in Italy with all-metal rollers. The Imperia 150 is the classic. Add a clip-on motor later if you want to, and look at a wider 220mm roller or an extruder only if you are feeding a crowd or want short shapes like maccheroni.

That covers most people. If you want to know why, or you are weighing up something bigger, read on. We sell these machines and stock the parts for them at our shops in Laverton North and Epping, so this is what we tell customers across the counter.

Which pasta machine suits you?

Roller, motor or extruder: the three kinds of pasta machine

A roller (sheeter) is what most people picture. Two steel rollers squeeze the dough thinner with each pass, and a cutter on the side turns the sheet into ribbons. It makes lasagne sheets, ravioli and every flat noodle from angel hair to pappardelle. This is where nearly everyone should start.

A motor is not a different machine, just a different way of driving a roller. A clip-on motor like the Pasta Facile turns the rollers for you, which matters more than it sounds. With both hands free you can feed and catch long sheets without them tearing.

An extruder pushes stiff dough through a shaped die, so it makes the hollow and twisted shapes a roller cannot. Brass dies leave a rough surface that holds sauce better, which is why good dried pasta is still made that way. Manual extruders clamp to the bench. Electric ones like the Imperia extruder are built for 1.5 to 2kg batches, so they suit a busy kitchen more than a Sunday lunch.

What to look for in a manual pasta machine

• Metal rollers and gears. Plastic wears, and dough sticks to a scratched roller. The Imperia is chrome-plated steel.
• Roller width. 150mm is the home standard and fits most benches. Wider rollers make bigger sheets but need a sturdier bench and more dough.
• Thickness settings. Six is plenty for home cooking. You want something thin enough for ravioli and thick enough for pappardelle.
• A clamp that actually grips. The machine has to stay put while you crank. Check your bench edge before you buy.
• Attachments and spare parts. This is the one most people skip. A machine you can add cutters to and get parts for will last decades. A forty year old Imperia usually needs one small part, not a new machine.

What about electric pasta makers?

"Electric pasta maker" covers three quite different things, so it is worth knowing which one you are looking at.

• Countertop all-in-one extruders. You tip in flour and water and pasta comes out the front. Handy, but they are mostly plastic, you are limited to the discs supplied, and they cannot roll sheets for lasagne or ravioli. We do not stock these.
• A motor on a roller. A manual machine with a motor attached, like the Imperia 150 with the Pasta Facile. You still make and knead the dough, but the rolling is effortless. For most home cooks who want "electric", this is the better buy.
• Commercial machines. The Imperia R220 electric, the Imperia extruder and the Bottene are built for restaurants and serious producers. Worth a conversation with us before you commit.

How to use a pasta machine

1. Rest the dough. Knead it until smooth, wrap it and leave it 30 minutes. Rested dough rolls without tearing.
2. Clamp the machine firmly to a clean, dry bench.
3. Start on the widest setting. Flatten a piece of dough by hand, dust it with flour and feed it through.
4. Fold and repeat. Fold the sheet in thirds and roll it again on the widest setting two or three times. This finishes the kneading and squares up the edges.
5. Work down the settings one notch at a time, dusting lightly as you go. Stop when it is as thin as you want: thinnest for ravioli and filled pasta, a notch or two thicker for tagliatelle and lasagne.
6. Cut. Move the handle to the cutter, feed the sheet through, and catch the ribbons. Hang them on a drying rack or toss them in semolina so they do not stick.

How to clean a pasta machine

Never wash a pasta machine in water or the dishwasher. Water gets into the rollers and gears and rusts them. Let any dough left on the rollers dry, then brush it off with a dry pastry brush or a wooden skewer. Wipe the outside with a dry cloth and store it in its box. That is all the care a good machine needs.

A straight word on price

You will sometimes find the same Imperia cheaper online, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. What you get from us is a shop where you can turn the handle before you buy, the cutters and spare parts on the shelf when you need them, and people who can tell you why your machine is tearing the dough. For a tool that should last thirty years, we think that is worth something.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best pasta machine for beginners?

A 150mm manual roller. It is simple, it teaches you what good dough feels like, and it grows with you as you add cutters or a motor. If you are not sure fresh pasta will become a habit, the Incasa or Habi is a cheaper way to find out.

Do I need a motor?

No, but if you make pasta often or make long sheets for lasagne, a motor makes the job a lot more pleasant because you have both hands free.

Can I make pasta without a machine?

Yes. Nonne have done it for centuries with a long rolling pin and a big wooden pasta board. It takes practice to roll a sheet thin and even by hand, which is why most people end up with a machine.

Can a pasta machine make spaghetti?

A roller with a spaghetti cutter makes a square-edged spaghetti, which is excellent. For round spaghetti and bucatini you need an extruder with the right die.

What else do I need to start making pasta?

A board, a bench scraper, a cutting wheel and somewhere to dry it. Our pasta making kits put the basics together.

See the full range of pasta machines and pasta makers, browse Imperia and pasta machine attachments, or come and try one at Laverton North or Epping.