Life without the occasional steaming bowl of fresh pasta may not be worth living, and bragging rights are never more deserved than when you’ve rolled out the dough yourself. Plus, it tastes better than the dried stuff.
Fancy mastering the ultimate Tuscan pappardelle, perfectly formed ravioli or classic linguine shape? The secret, in part, is to do with achieving the perfect consistency for the dough itself, not too crumbly, not too wet. If you want to score high on presentation, Stephen Harris recommends using eggs with yellower yolks, such as Burford Browns, in his recipe for home-made pasta with fresh truffle). Eggs, flour and a touch of salt are all you really need to get started, but you can also experiment with different flours: think chickpea, green pea or red lentil for a healthy kick.
And while you can give it a good go with a humble rolling pin, a pasta machine with a variety of thickness settings and different shape cutters will help you to achieve the best results. Classic metal, manual pasta machines are very reliable usually feature a crank and work well for spaghetti and flat dough, from which you can craft ravioli - or simply use as lasagne sheets. You may need to buy additional blades for different kinds of pasta. However, you'll need to clean them thoroughly and then dry them out completely to keep them hygienic without letting them go rusty.
Electric pasta makers can make it easier to form more complex pasta shapes such as macaroni, and can be easier to disassemble and clean - but they're slightly more expensive, and can break more easily than a simple manual contraption.
Another option, which requires very little effort, is a stand mixer attachment - if you already own a KitchenAid, for example, you can simply purchase the KitchenAid three-piece pasta roller set for flat-sheet pasta, linguine and tagliatelle. Make sure you buy a gorgeous wooden pasta stand, too (£18, John Lewis).
1. Imperia pasta machine
The widely popular Italian chrome-plated steel Imperia model clamps to the side of your worktop, leaving your hands free for feeding dough through the rollers on to the guiding tray.
It is particularly easy to use and clean and has an adjustment dial that lets you make six different thicknesses of pasta - like linguine, ravioli, tortellini and super thin spaghettini. Buon appetito.
2. SMART noodle and pasta maker
Easy for beginners to use, although not one for traditionalists, this clever bit of kitchen kit boasts a kneading function and will allow you to make fresh pasta straight from flour and water with very little effort. A fan drying function dries the pasta during its production, making it easy and quick to cook.
3. Lakeland pasta maker machine
Lakeland's model is exceptionally good value for money and makes excellent lasagne, tagliatelle, spaghetti and linguine. It clamps onto your work surface, which is clever, and boasts eight different thickness settings. Delicious.
4. Philips 'Viva' pasta maker
This Philips pasta and noodle maker is quite an investment, but it's an efficient way to get your fresh pasta fix without too much time or effort. Surprisingly compact, it does everything automatically, and the parts are easy to take apart and clean. It comes with a free recipe book, and you can expect to churn out make 450g of fresh pasta and noodles in just 18 minutes. It's a winner if you need to whip up enough penne to feed a large family regularly and quickly.
5. Marcato Atlas pasta maker
The sturdy Marcato Atlas machine is made of nickel and chrome-plated steel for easy cleaning and makes spaghetti, fettucine and lasagne.
It also comes with a brilliant 12-page recipe and instruction booklet and has 10 thickness settings for maximum pasta precision. You'll be the envy of your friends, that's for sure.
6. KitchenAid pasta roller three-piece set
The Lakeland, Imperia and Marcato machines featured here are all hand-crank models that rely on a degree of energy, however minimal, to turn the handle and encourage the dough through the rollers. But here is another, even lazier, option for you to consider.
These brilliant KitchenAid attachments fix into the head of a KitchenAid mixer so when it is turned on, they automatically draw the dough through themselves. The set of three cutters make flat-sheet pasta, linguine and tagliatelle. There'll be no excuses for shop-bought dried pasta with this in your kitchen cupboard arsenal.
7. Kenwood pasta roller attachment
Kenwood's pasta rolling attachment fits most Kenwood machines and makes fresh pasta in just minutes. The heavy duty stainless steel body makes it perfect for large quantities alongside the nine easy-to-adjust thickness settings to make tagliatelle, trenette, tagliolini and spaghetti.
8. John Lewis pasta machine
With nine thickness settings for kneading and rolling, a fixing clamp and the ability to make spaghetti, fettuccine and sheets for ravioli, you can't go too far wrong with this pasta maker - although it's not dishwasher safe, it's reliable and not too bulky.
Our conclusion?
The Imperia pasta machine (£69.95, John Lewis) is well-loved by pasta fans, and for good reason, since it's easy to use, clamps to your workspace and has six different thickness settings. But if you already own a stand mixer, an attachment is the easiest option - and if you're on a tight budget, the Lakeland pasta maker machine (£26.99, Lakeland) is great value.
For an automatic machine that takes the fuss out of your fusilli, go for the Philips 'Viva' pasta maker (£170, Debenhams) or the SMART noodle and pasta maker (£139.99, Robert Dyas).