Jump Ahead
During the last year, I’ve developed some new hobbies to pass the time. While lying low and waiting for the world to recover, I got super into film photography, downloaded TikTok (I have lost full afternoons to that app) and started making fresh pasta every Tuesday. Pasta is one of those amazing versatile foods that you need nothing but flour and eggs to make. But variety is the spice of life, and to keep my “Pasta Tuesdays” interesting, I’ve invested in some toys! Here are five of my favourite accessories for making homemade pasta.
1. Pasta Roller
If you follow the Instagram account @pastagrannies you know that a pasta roller is not necessary. There are 90-year-old women rolling out their pasta dough with a rolling pin! But since I’m a lazy millennial who needs to invest my time in understanding what’s happening on TikTok, I love a pasta roller!
There are two types and I love them both. The first is the hand-crank pasta roller. If you like to blast 90s R&B and dance in your kitchen while you cook, this is the pasta accessory for you! I bought my pasta roller second-hand – you can thrift most kitchen equipment.
If you’re more about efficiency, then I would recommend the Kitchen Aid attachment. It’s a little bit more expensive but will have you eating in no time
2. Pasta Bike
A Pasta Bike is a super useful tool for many pasta shapes. The tool has six circle blades that lock in place so you can cut multiple equally sized strips. This is so helpful when trying to make uniform squares of pasta dough for tortellini!
3. Chittara Pasta Accessory
If you don’t have a pasta extruder, a chittara is one of the easiest ways to make spaghetti! Chitarra translates to guitar. This pasta accessory is a simple wooden rectangle strung with metal wires similar to guitar strings. To use it, simply place your pasta sheet onto the wires and go over it with a rolling pin until the pasta falls through the wire. It creates thin noodles with flat edges and is oh, so satisfying.
Related Articles
4. Pasta Wheel
Now we’re getting fancy. A fluted pasta wheel just adds those fun and fancy details! I will never understand why a farfalle looks so much better with a fluted edge, but it does. There are many different types of pasta wheels, but I like the fluted ones because they also work to seal a stuffed pasta and can be used on pie crusts.
5. Gnocchi Paddle Pasta Accessory
The gnocchi paddle is maybe the most fun pasta accessory there is! It’s used to make gnocchi (obviously) and garganelli. The little wooden ridges create the perfect sauce-catching texture. You can use your fingers or a thin wooden dowel to roll your dough on the board — they each make a different shaped pasta.
There, now you know what pasta accessories you need in your life.
And if you’re worried about spending money on pasta accessories you might only use once, check out your local thrift shop for secondhand kitchen equipment.
Go forth, carb-lovers, and make your own pasta to serve with that famous feta cheese Tik Tok pasta recipe!
Photos courtesy Darby Sutherland
