This clever contraption is like a bread machine for pasta
Make pasta at the press of a button with an electric pasta machine.
Making pasta from scratch is not difficult. It requires a handful of ingredients (usually flour, water, salt, and maybe eggs), a bit of counter space and elbow grease, and a reliable pasta roller. (I’m a big fan of the Atlas 150 Pasta Machine.) But what if I told you there’s a machine out there that can simplify that process even more by doing it all: mixing your dough and turning it into noodles? To be frank, I was skeptical at first — I’m not usually the first to adopt new gadgetry where tried-and-true methods have worked just fine. This machine, however, has me singing a new tune. Enter the all-in-one Marcato Electric Pasta Machine, also known as the Pasta Fresca. Making pasta from scratch just got that much easier!
How the Marcato Electric Pasta Machine works
Pasta recipes typically call for you to mix the dough by hand, or for greater ease, in a food processor. The Marcato Electric Pasta Machine simplifies that process so you only have to add your ingredients, press a button to mix, and be rewarded with fresh pasta dough a few minutes later. You then use the same machine to turn the dough into noodles (more on that below).
A specially shaped roller inside the mixing well rotates to both mix your pasta dough and knead it until it’s smooth and bouncy. This mechanization eliminates all the work of mixing and kneading by hand, which can be tiring and take upwards of 10 minutes. (This can be especially helpful if there are limits to the amount of kneading you can physically do.) It also does it more quickly, freeing you up for other tasks, like preparing a sauce for your pasta. (I recommend the Gorgonzola cream sauce from our potato gnocchi recipe.) Once the dough has finished kneading, remove it from the mixing well. If you find that some of the dough is lodged at the bottom, you can close the lid and use the “pulse” button on the machine to rotate the roller, pushing that dough up to the top and allowing you to grab it easily.
Once out of the machine, the dough usually requires just a few seconds (not minutes!) of kneading by hand to bring together any separate clumps into a single mass. From there, simply wrap the dough tightly and allow it to rest according to the time indicated in your recipe. Resting relaxes the gluten that forms during the kneading process, allowing you to later roll and shape the dough without it snapping back.
Types of pasta you can make with this machine
With your dough properly rested, it’s time to put your pasta maker back to work for rolling and shaping. The machine comes with three noodle attachments: lasagna, fettuccine, and tagliolini. Start with the lasagna attachment, which has a thickness dial that goes from thickest to thinnest, allowing you to turn your dough into delicate noodles. From there, you can leave the noodles wide and layer them in a lasagna or turn them into ravioli. Alternately, you can swap in one of the other attachments to turn those wide noodles into thinner strands of fettuccine or tagliolini.
But here’s the real game changer, and my favorite feature of this pasta maker. Because the machine is electric, the attachment rollers turn automatically, instead of having to manually turn a hand crank as you feed the pasta dough through the machine. I have much love for the Atlas 150, but freeing up both hands for feeding the dough into and out of the machine (and no longer having to juggle between those two tasks and cranking the handle) is what truly upped my pasta game. If you find that rolling pasta is easier as a two-person job, consider this appliance your new sous chef. Now you can (quite literally!) roll through some pasta noodles with ease and speed, which can also turn homemade pasta from a weekend project into a weeknight meal option.
Tips for success
I make a fair amount of pasta in the Test Kitchen these days, and the Pasta Fresca has become my new go-to tool for speedy pasta production. Here are my tips for getting the very best out of your new toy.
Keep it clean: Like any appliance, this one works best when well maintained. First, turn off and unplug the machine. Allow any small bits of dough left in the mixing well after kneading to dry up. Then you can easily flick them off and brush them away. The lid comes completely off by turning it backwards, which makes it easy to access the mixing well and clean the lid itself.
Skip the dishwasher: Avoid any temptation to clean the Pasta Fresca attachments in the dishwasher or otherwise submerge them in water. Prevent rust and damage to the internal parts by using a brush or dry cloth to wipe off any dough that might be clinging to the attachments. In addition to the instruction booklet that comes with the machine, check out our tips for cleaning the Atlas 150, which apply to the Pasta Fresca as well.
Make more than just pasta: The mixing function of this machine is not limited to pasta dough; it can also mix bread, pizza, and cookie doughs. In addition to a basic pasta recipe, the instruction booklet that comes with the machine offers recipes for pizza, bread, and even biscuits. It makes easy work of our Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe (I know because I’ve tried it!), and the results were the same as if I had made them by hand or in a stand mixer. Simply add the ingredients in the order noted in the recipe.
For the elimination of hand-cranking alone, the Marcato Electric Pasta Machine is, in my opinion, a worthwhile investment. But the fact that I can use it to make non-pasta recipes is a huge bonus, so it isn’t just a single-use appliance. Add in the savings of time, space, and energy that come with this all-in-one machine, and any home cook can benefit from owning the Pasta Fresca, whether they’re a pasta novice or a well-practiced pastaiolo.
Cover photo by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Sheila Jarnes.
Marcato Electric Pasta Machine with Attachments
1 Review Reviews
$471.88
$589.95
25 Reviews
