Spaghetti
Spaghetti is one of the three types of pasta which all pasta machines will make. These are long thin tubes which are used in Italian favourites such as spaghetti Bolognese and spaghetti carbonara. Lots of pasta makers will also have settings to let you choose how thin or fat you want your spaghetti strands.
Lasagne
The second type of pasta which all pasta makers are able to produce is lasagne. These are the large flat sheets of pasta which are used in the over-baked dish lasagne al forno. Although this may seem quite simple to make without the help of a pasta maker, the pasta machine will actually let you roll them much thinner than you would easily be able to do manually. This lets them cook quicker and you can produce a dish with many more layers of pasta and meat.
Fettucini or Tagliatelle
Fettucini are long ribbons of pasta which are known as tagliatelle outside of Rome. These are also most commonly found in carbonara dishes or fetuccini alfredo. These are the other pasta which virtually all pasta makers are equipped for.
Linguine
Linguine, which translates to English as 'little tongues' are like a flattened spaghetti. These are commonly used in the Campania region of Italy and are the pasta of choice in many seafood dishes. If your pasta machine offers fettucini then it is quite likely that it will also be possible to make linguine.
Ravioli
My personal favourite, ravioli are the small parcels of pasta which have a filling inside, which is most often some type of cheese or meat, but can be almost anything you fancy. Choosing a pasta machine which can also make ravioli will let you get a lot more choice in terms of the meals you can prepare with your pasta machine. Ravioli are a very fiddly pasta to make manually and having this feature on your pasta machine will no doubt save a lot of time and irritation!
Macaroni
Macaroni, or maccheroni, is popular in the US in the dish macaroni cheese. These are the small tubes of pasta which are curved around to give a shape which is kind of like half a tyre. Being able to make macaroni with your pasta machine may be a great bonus if you have kids as they usually find it much easier to eat than messy spaghetti.
Other Shapes
Some of the fancier machines may also let you make many more shapes and styles of pasta, although if you can make each of the different types described here then you will be able to use these in a diverse range of Italian cuisine. Any extra shapes that you can make may be a bonus but are not necessary to make the pasta machine a worthwhile investment for your kitchen.
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