Choosing a Commercial Pasta Machine
Making pasta by hand is a labor-intensive process that requires both time and patience to make noodles with relatively consistent results. While some operators may prefer to make pasta by hand, you can save on labor costs by purchasing a commercial pasta machine. Commercial pasta machines are popular in specialty markets and restaurants offering fresh, from-scratch pasta. Below, we'll go over the options available to help you find the right commercial pasta machine for your business.
What is an Industrial Pasta Machine?
An industrial pasta machine helps operators prepare high volumes of pasta with consistent results. Available in electric or manual variations, these pasta makers have outputs ranging from 17 to 88 pounds an hour, with electric units producing the higher end of that range.
Electric Pasta Machines
- Motor driven
- High output
- Available in countertop and floor models
Manual Pasta Machines
- Hand cranked
- Low output
- Available in countertop models only
When purchasing a commercial pasta maker, operators should consider how much pasta they serve daily. Businesses that don't serve a lot of pasta can make do with a manual pasta sheeter, while restaurants serving high volumes of pasta dishes would benefit from an electric unit. Operators can choose from two types of pasta machines: extruders and sheeters.
Pasta sheeters are mounted on countertops and come in electric and manual options. These machines require operators to premix dough and feed it through the sheeter to create several different types of noodles.
Pasta extruders allow operators to load ingredients into the machine, which then mixes the dough itself. All these units are powered by electric utilities and typically paired with dies to create different types of pasta.
Pasta Machine Dies
Operators can choose to purchase pasta dies to create different shapes of pasta. These brass or silver molds, which are available in various sizes, are usually placed on pasta extruders and sheeters. Restaurants offering a wide variety of pasta dishes on their menu can purchase more than one die to offer several pasta types with one machine.
Pasta Die Shapes
Fettuccine and tagliatelle dies create the thick and flat pasta typically paired with cream sauces for alfredo and pad thai.
Spaghetti dies make thin, round noodles popularly used in conjunction with marinara-based meat sauces.
Capelli d'angelo pasta dies make very thin rod-shaped noodles – also known as angel-hair pasta – that are paired with light and simple sauces.
Trenette pasta dies create flat but narrow pasta and can be used interchangeably with linguine.
Lasagna and lasagnette dies make wide, flat sheets of pasta. Lasagna tends to be thicker than lasagnette.
Like trenette, linguine pasta dies create a narrow pasta traditionally paired with seafood and red sauce.
Penne dies help operators make short and hollow pasta with ridges. These noodles pair well with thick sauces.
Bucatini pasta dies create spaghetti-like noodles with a hollow center. This pasta shape is often used in recipes with buttery sauces.
These dies make spiral-shaped pasta that can be paired with virtually any pasta sauce including butter, oil, and cream sauces.
Similar to penne pasta, rigatoni pasta dies help extrude pasta into hollow, short noodles and are great with hearty sauces.
Gigli lisci, or campanelle, pasta dies make cone-shaped noodles with ruffled edges that are used to capture sauce for a consistently flavorful bite.
Gargati pasta dies create short and rough noodles that are typically firm in texture. Its ridges allow sauce to cling to the pasta.
Maccheroni rigati pasta dies create tube-shaped pasta with ridges that is typically served with creamy sauces.
For creating ribbon-shaped pasta, reginette pasta dies help operators extrude pasta with wavy edges that is later paired with light sauces.
Pipe rigate pasta dies create pasta resembling snail shells. This pasta is typically paired with liquid-based sauces.
Also known as shells, conchiglie pasta dies form shell-shaped pasta that can be used with several different sauces.
These pasta dies also make shell-shaped pasta, but gnocchetti noodles have ridges along their exterior. Gnocchetti pasta pairs well with practically any sauce.
Casarecce pasta dies create short, twisted noodles that are served with a variety of heavier sauces and meats.
Like fettuccine, pappardelle pasta dies make wide and flat noodles, with pappardelle being a little wider than fettuccine.
Tagliolini pasta dies make a pasta similar to spaghetti, though typically thinner. This pasta can be paired with creamy sauces.
Resembling macaroni noodles, gramigne pasta dies create short, curly, hollow noodles when paired with a pasta machine.
