Electric Pasta Machines - Review & Selection

I love Pasta. There I said it. I've tried making it by hand but now I want one of those Imperia Electric Pasta Machines to make my pasta both fresh and easy. My quest then was to pick which one to buy.

I did have a couple of ground rules. I did not want something like the Ronco pasta machine or the old Farberware pasta machine because it is one of those throw in all the ingredients and out comes the pasta. The Ronco pasta machine is probably fine for some but I don't mind making the dough. By rolling it myself I can control the consistency and feel of the pasta. I wanted a machine that would just roll it and extrude the pasta. Here's the results of my search and why I chose the one I did....

First before I start, the reason I'm a big fan of home made pasta is as a kid I have a vague recollection of my Grandmother making pasta. She did it the old fashion way with a rolling pin and a cutter. I do more clearly remember my dad making pasta. It took up the whole kitchen table. We made ravioli, tortolini, yum....it was very tasty, even for a picky eater like me. Now if you've never had freshly made pasta the taste is better (probably because you made it yourself!) and you can have fun with colors and shapes if you want to get creative or have kids. I myself just love pasta!

Now my search begins with electric pasta machines...as I said, I remember fondly the hand made part of it but I'm all for upgrading to modern electric equipment. I asked a couple of friends I knew who had pasta makers. Most said they bought the basic units (Ronco Pasta Machine) and they did a so so job. As is the case with much of what I research, I next took to the internet and quickly found there were a couple of higher end brands that had good products. There was the Lello pastamaker line, the Atlas pasta machines and Imperia electric pasta machines. All seemed to be high quality. I went with the Imperia line for this review because well my final choice was an Imperia and they had the best spread of options from commercial grade to the do it yourself hand roller.

This machine rated 5 stars on Amazon. The review I read had nothing but rave reviews. I even loved the title,'Rock and Roll Pasta". Make no mistake, this is the professional version. It is made of chrominum-plated steel. Specs say it can make pasta strip of 220 mm in ten different thicknesses. It is a beauty buy you are going to pay for it. Lists for about $2000 brand new and $1200 to $1400 used. Way overkill for my needs...tempting as it may be.

This machine is so new it has not yet been rated but it looks like a terrific machine. It even looks high tech. As noted in the naming of the product, Pasta Presto, you can make home made pasta very quickly. From the video it looks very easy to make the pasta and the motor seems quite powerful making for an easy rolling and creation of your selected pasta

Some of the specs include; a non-stick coating 6-setting thickness knob. The unit is fairly compact and runs about $600 new. Again, this was a bit overkill for what I wanted...but if you entertain or do a modest level of catering this might be the right solution

Here's my choice, the V152 Imperia Electric Pasta machine. I chose this because it makes all the pastas I like and it is sensible when considering the price of under $200. It is the basic hand cranked roller with a motorized attachment on it. This is really all I want.

Quick and easy pasta that is fresh and homemade. I did get the angel hair attachment as that is my favorite type of pasta but that's up to you. I'm quite excited about this machine. I figure to use it 2-3 times a month to feed my family of 4. I'm sure it could do more heavy duty workload once in a while like for a big dinner with guests but probably not on a long term basis.

If you do have heavy use on your pasta machine, I'd make sure to clean and lubricate the gears, otherwise you could strain and eventually burn out the motor. Light use like I talked about above should require only an annual checkup. Have fun!

Don't forget Attachments go for like $15 to $25 depending on the type.  Like I said I bought the angel hair attachment.  There are also racks for drying your pasta.  Don't forget the cook books with some favorite dishes to try. Mangiar Bene!