Equipment for Making Fresh Pasta

A biscuit cutter (or round cookie cutter) makes it easy to quickly cut ravioli and tortellini (or the mezzelune in this class) to the same shape and size. We like nesting sets that give you lots of options for different circumferences. You can also use a cutter with a fluted edge to make your ravioli look a little fancier.

You can roll fresh pasta with a rolling pin and cut it into noodles with a knife, but pasta machines make the process faster and easier and the results more uniform. Although electric models are becoming more common, hand-cranked pasta machines are still the most prevalent—and affordable—options on the market. Our favorite sports both the widest and the narrowest thickness settings in our lineup; we barely had to roll dough out to fit it through the machine, and we could effortlessly dial the machine down to produce gossamer-thin sheets. See everything we tested here.

If you’re going to roll pasta by hand, a good rolling pin is essential. Our winning rolling pin capably handles dough for pie, cookies, pizza, and pastries with gentle weight and a slightly textured surface that holds a dusting of flour for less sticking. Rolling pasta dough by hand takes some elbow grease, so a thick, sturdy model is essential.

A food processor is the secret weapon in our fresh pasta dough recipe: it ensures that all the flour in the dough gets hydrated in mere moments. Our winner has a powerful, quiet motor; responsive pulsing action; sharp blades; and a simple, pared-down-to-basics design.