Authentic culinary traditions of the past never truly die. The recipes that my grandmother cooked are always in vogue even among younger people. Indeed, the time available will not be the same, but the methods for obtaining healthy and genuine recipes have not changed much over time.
The method par excellence, which we deal with today, is the machines to make pasta, even with the engine, as well as with the classic crank: who has never been enchanted to observe someone who made handmade pasta and wants to try to emulate it?
Machines for homemade pasta: How they are made
Let’s start from the basics: machines for homemade pasta have always been made from stainless steel, just like the rest of the machine body. In some models, it is equipped with rubber feet to ensure a perfect fit on the table. On the side of the base, there is a clamp to secure and tighten the machine to the table. This allows you to apply pressure to the pasta without the machine moving.
Moving upwards, there is the actual machine body that serves to roll out the dough and provide us with the desired cut. Enclosed within two solid steel sides are two rollers that smooth and reduce the thickness of the dough. Each machine has a minimum thickness, which, on average, is approximately 0.6 mm. On the right side, there is a crank to select the desired thickness. In some models, a second set of cylinders is applied to the machine body, serving to cut the dough.
How do pasta machines work?
After obtaining the ball of dough and working it by hand, you can switch to mechanical processing to achieve the desired type of pasta. Just insert the ball at the entrance to the rollers and start turning the crank. In essence, we recommend starting with the maximum thickness, as the secret to obtaining good homemade pasta is to pass it several times through the two main rollers, each time with an ever-smaller thickness, until the desired one is reached.
Homemade Pasta Machines: Recommended Models
To achieve good results with homemade pasta machines, it is essential to have the right tools, and those we show you here are highly recommended, having been tested for years and purchased with confidence.
Pasta Maker Machine by Imperia
Probably the brand of machines to pull the best-known pasta on the market. It is produced in stainless steel. In the lower part, a clamp is present to secure it to the work surface, and four feet are located in the underlying part of the base, providing a better grip on the table.
As mentioned, the feet may leave a small imprint on the surface where it is being worked, but this can be avoided by using a cloth as a thickness and consistently placing the machine in a dry location.
Imperia Pasta Maker Machine – Heavy Duty
Here is the most popular model in the homes, the classic Imperia model. Unlike the previous model, it is equipped with a machine with a valuable body for spreading lasagna, and the second is dedicated to cutting spaghetti and tagliolini. The size of the first machine body is the same as the previous one; it is only slightly shorter in the upper part since it is equipped with only one roller instead of three.
The second body adapts easily to the first, thanks to the grooves on both. Mounting the second part of the machine can be helpful, even if you decide to make lasagna. If you are alone and need to pull the dough, you can lay the dough on the second machine body while the first machine refines it. Recommended for those who have a particular fondness for lasagna!
Imperia Pasta Maker Machine- Deluxe 11 Piece Set
It is called “La Fabbrica Della Pasta.” As its name suggests, it is a complete set for creating any pasta you want: from simple lasagna to tagliolini and fettuccine, to ravioli and macaroni. In the package, there are three accessory machine bodies, two for different thicknesses of tagliolini and spaghetti, and one for stuffed pasta and macaroni. To define the dough once processing is complete, a small brush, a cutter, and two wooden bailers are used. Up to 6 different thicknesses of pasta can be obtained. A gift idea, not too expensive, and of significant impact!
Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine
A direct competitor of the previous one: also, in this case, the machine is produced in stainless steel, featuring a clamp to secure it to the work surface and feet positioned below the base for a firmer grip during operation. The rollers that work the dough are in anodized aluminum: the central ones smooth the dough, while those contained in the second machine body produce noodles and fettuccine.
The side crank allows you to choose from up to 10 different thicknesses, ranging from 0.6 mm to 4.8 mm. The width of the noodles will be 1.5 mm, while that of the fettuccine will be 6 mm. It is slightly heavier than the previous one, weighing 1.4 kg, but it is still handy and easy to store.
And to speed up?
We mentioned the engine: it enables the acceleration of pasta processing. It is also helpful if you work the dough yourself, as it helps support the dough every time it passes through the rollers. It also maintains the speed of the rolls, making the dough even more homogeneous.
The engine produced by Imperia is universal and adapts to any pasta machine. It is equipped with a snap-on hook, in our opinion, a fast and straightforward solution to transition from manual to electric operation without great difficulty. It can be used with two speeds: continuous or intermittent, and is recommended for those who need to work with a large amount of pasta, such as a large family, and especially for those who prefer to work independently without assistance.
