What Tools do you Need to Make Pasta?

Making your own fresh pasta is surprisingly simple. Quite often you don’t need any tools other than your hands, a knife, and a good measure of patience – especially if you're making pasta shapes from la cucina povera, traditionally from the South of Italy. For the rest, the exact kit you need depends on which type of pasta you’re looking to make, so here’s our rundown of the essentials.

Pasta shaping tools 

Rolling pin 

Whether you’re making tortelloni or lasagne, a rolling pin is a pasta-making must-have. Once you’ve kneaded your dough and let it rest, you’ll need a rolling pin to flatten it out and for some shapes, even finish the process. For tagliatelle or pappardelle, you can use an indented rolling pin to get the perfect width of ribbon – our Raffaello pasta making kit includes one! 

Straight pasta cutter 

A straight (or wheel) pasta cutter is used to slice through your pasta sheets, dividing them up into more manageable strips or to make your very own shapes. Its ridged edge indents on the pasta, making it easier to bind together if making a filled-pasta shape like triangoli or ravioli. 

Pasta stamps 

Circular, square, and even heart-shaped – pasta stamps are used to make filled pasta shapes. Just fold one layer over another with a spoonful of filling, and press down with your stamp. You’ll have a whole batch of precious pasta parcels in no time. 

Pasta finishing tools

Gnocchi board 

Making gnocchi is very simple. A gnocchi board comes into play near the end. Once you’ve formed the small potato dumplings, you roll them down this rutted board to give them ridges – these will help cling onto whatever delicious sauce you pair them with. If you’re not sure which sauces to use, here’s 9 of our favourite to use with gnocchi. 

Pasta drying racks 

Ambling around the winding alleys and streets of Bari on a Sunday morning, you’re likely to come across stacks of wire-mesh racks. They’re holding layers of orecchiette, drying them out ready to be submerged in boiling water for Sunday lunch (learn here how to make orecchiette like a Pugliese nonna). These stackable racks aren’t the only way to dry out fresh pasta – you can also hang tagliatelle and other long forms of pasta.

Pestle and mortar 

Not exactly needed to make the pasta, but any self-respecting pastaio will have one close to hand. Use them to grind pine nuts, wild garlic, basil, and parmesan – fundamental ingredients in a classic pesto alla genovese. If you want to try something a little different, why not experiment with our vegan pesto recipes? 

Pasta is gloriously simple to make. Apart from only needing a few ingredients, it requires just a couple of tools to make a plate of pasta worthy of the pickiest of Italian nonna. If you’re looking to make your own pasta, check out our very own pasta-making kits. We have different ranges to suit everyone –  from the fledgeling pasta chef to the pro pastaio. 

At Pasta Evangelists, we bring a taste of Italy to your kitchen. Prepared using the freshest ingredients, our gourmet pasta dishes are perfect for those looking to enjoy restaurant-quality meals, delivered to your door, and ready in under five minutes. Order from our weekly menu today, and we’ll offer you 25% off your first delivery - simply enter the code BLOG25 at checkout.

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