Manual pasta machines have been around since pasta was introduced by the Arabs to the Italians in the 8th century. Italians fell in love with this new food and began the trend of making fresh pasta in different sizes and shapes. The Italians are credited for inventing most of the different varieties of pasta that we can enjoy today.
After you have tasted good fresh pasta, you will learn that there is no comparison between the dried and fresh. Fresh just tastes better. It is simple and fast to make for any meal. You can make the pasta dough ahead of time. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before it goes bad.
Learning how to make fresh pasta is fun and rewarding. It’s not hard and you can even get the kids to help. In fact, it is a great way to introduce nutritious homemade cooking to your kids. Family time in the kitchen is always a great way to get everybody together to enjoy the rewards of cooking a great meal together.
What is Involved?
It all begins with the dough. The dough recipes are easy to make, with simple ingredients. Most consist of flour, eggs and oil. There are thousands of recipes with different types of flour, semolina, wheat, and all-purpose. The trick is to learn create the right dough consistency and master the kneading technique. Once you have done that you have most of the work done. The only thing left, is putting your dough through a pasta machine for the finished product before cooking.
Please don’t imagine though that any pasta roller machine will do. After all the effort you put into making great dough, don’t make the mistake of ruining your outcome of perfect pasta by buying inferior equipment to make the dough shapes.
What to Look for When Purchasing Your First Pasta Machine
The manual pasta machine is a pretty straight forward piece of kitchen equipment. However, the differences between models is usually apparent in the construction material and adaptability to make different shapes and sizes of pasta. The very basic machines do not offer more than a couple of different ways to roll out your pasta. That may not seem important now, but when the pasta making bug catches you, you will want to be more adventurous and want more shapes available to you.
First, make sure that the pasta machine that you purchase can accommodate additional attachments for making several different kinds of pasta. The company you are purchasing from should have a wide variety of these attachments available for purchase. The pasta machine should be made heavy metal that will wear well over time. Also, a good machine should have a warranty and provide good instructions.
The best machines and the most popular worldwide are the pasta makers made in Italy factories. Italian made pasta rollers are made to specific and strict quality control standards. With higher quality, you know you will be getting a great quality pasta machine for your money if you buy an Italian made one.
As with everything, the prices vary greatly. Generally prices online for Italian made machines are far less expensive than at the mall stores. It can be difficult to find imported Italian pasta machines at regular mall stores. With a good warranty and product name you should have no problem purchasing a machine within your budget online, often with free shipping.
Conclusion:
Once you have mastered making fresh pasta with your new manual pasta machine, your imagination will take off. There are endless recipes for doughs and fillings. The best part about making fresh pasta is knowing you are providing a good quality meal without any preservatives and that the taste is terrific. Get a great Italian manual pasta machine and begin your Italian adventure today.
