The first time I ate homemade pasta, I felt like I was tasting the world in 4K. There’s nothing wrong with the store-bought stuff — Sfoglini’s whimsical Vevusio pasta enchants my dinner plate on the regular — but something shifted in me, on a molecular level, when I first ate pasta that was made from scratch. Few joys in life are as delightful as a Sunday night spent eating pumpkin and nutmeg ravioli with butter-crisped sage, all from the comfort of your couch.

Making pasta from scratch also doesn’t require an elaborate list of ingredients or techniques. As Eater correspondent Jaya Saxena explains, the egg well method beloved by Italians, while visually impressive, can be needlessly fussy; as Saxena writes, plenty of “recipes for French ravioli (a culture no less finicky about tradition) say you can make pasta in a bowl.” A few choice tools can help, however, in your quest to make a hearty lasagna for the next big family function, or colorful ravioli filled with homemade ricotta.

Below, you’ll find a short list of the best kitchen tools for making pasta from scratch, many of which you may already own (think, colanders and thermometers), and a few — including a head-turning Italian pasta machine for less than $100 — that will help you cook like a seasoned tagliolini master.

The best countertop pasta machines for under $100

This clamp-equipped pasta machine

Imperia Pasta Maker Machine

Prices taken at time of publishing.

You don’t necessarily need a high-tech pasta machine to make pasta, but a traditional, low-tech extruder can be such a fun, easy, and efficient way to do it, especially if you’re cooking with kids. This Italian-made, manual model includes a clamp that secures it in place on your countertop, and includes cutting attachments for tagliolini, fettuccine, and dough sheets at a maximum width of nearly six inches. 

This Marcato machine is super-popular for good reason

KitchenAid’s iconic pasta attachment for stand mixers

Cookies, bread, ice cream — a powerful stand mixer can be a portal to cooking so many cool things — including pasta — thanks to the right attachments. KitchenAid makes some of the most beloved pasta accessories out there to go with its iconic stand mixer, but you can also find plenty of comparable, budget-friendly options online.

This 6-in-1 stand mixer attachment

KitchenAid Gourmet Pasta Press Attachment

Prices taken at time of publishing.

At the swap of a disc, this long attachment that’s a major fave of pasta-loving home cooks allows you to make spaghetti, bucatini, rigatoni, fusilli, and large macaroni and small macaroni. Plus, it comes with a stainless steel cleaning tool. 

This 3-in-1 stand mixer attachment

Antree Pasta Attachment

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re shopping on a budget, Antree makes a solid stand mixer attachment for under $100 that can help you whip up spaghetti, ravioli, and roll out sheets of pasta. 

Tools for every pasta shape

Whether you need crimped edges for your spinach ravioli or an easy cavatelli maker for creating the charming shell-shaped pasta, the right tools can be a game-changer in your pasta journey.

A ravioli cutter for perfectly crimped edges

A cavatelli maker (that is surprisingly easy to use)

Fantes Cavatelli Maker

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Our senior commerce editor Hilary Pollack notes that cavatelli is one of the easiest pastas to make at home — you can churn out (literally) dozens of perfect little pasta pieces in just a few minutes.

A gnocchi board for doing things the traditional Italian way

Williams Sonoma Gnocchi Board with Dowel

Prices taken at time of publishing.

There’s nothing chicer than displaying a traditional wood gnocchi board and dowel on your flour-dusted countertop — well, besides serving perfect homemade gnocchi to your hungry dinner guests.

A great lasagna pan

Pyrex’s dish comes with a freezer-safe lid

Pyrex Casserole Dish (9 x 13 inch)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Call me basic, but Pyrex makes one hell of a workhorse when it comes to affordable lasagna pans. This oven-, freezer-, and microwave-safe dish might not be the flashiest out there (there are plenty of more colorful options from brands such as Le Creuset and Caraway) but it gets the job done for the cost of a Midtown brunch. Plus, it includes a BPA-free plastic lid that makes storage in the freezer and/or fridge easy.  

Start with a great flour

Make sure you select the right flour for your pasta, as it will determine the elasticity and texture of your precious, slightly firm penne or a delicate, silky noodle. 00 flour is a finely ground wheat flour that is popular in Italy for its smooth texture, and is ideal for softer pastas such as ravioli and tagliatelle (it’s also recommended for pizza dough). Founded in 1924, Caputo has been making some of the best flours for Italian cooking for over a century, including this silky 00 flour with high gluten content for stretchiness.

00 flour

Durum flour

Durum flour has a higher protein content (usually 13 percent) and is made from extra-hard wheat, making it great for fresh and dried pastas with more architecturally bold shapes (think, penne and fusilli). We like this pasta-ready flour from King Arthur.

Semolina flour

Finally, semolina flour is made from hard durum wheat for a heftier, chewier dough, and, in addition to having a high protein content, is another ideal option for shape-heavy pastas that could benefit from a coarser texture (again, think, fusilli, orecchiette, and farfalle).

Want to make ricotta? A thermometer is your best friend

KT Thermo Instant Read 2-Inch Dial Thermometer

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Making ricotta at home requires your milk to reach a temperature between 175 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit (the higher the temperature, the grainier the curds), so make sure you have a thermometer on-hand such as this stainless steel option, which also comes with a clip to secure it in place. 

A big, round Dutch oven (is actually perfect for pasta)

You may typically associate Dutch ovens with homemade breads and stews, but they can also be ideal for cooking pasta thanks to their high sides and heavy bottoms, which help keep sauce and pasta from spilling out, and provide great heat distribution for more evenly cooked pasta. In this Eater guide to shopping Dutch ovens, Stephanie Ganz breaks down why Le Creuset and Great Jones make two of her favorite options.

Le Creuset is a classic for a reason

Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven (4.5 Quarts)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

A beloved culinary heirloom, Le Creuset makes the gold standard of Dutch ovens. I’m still using the one I borrowed from my parents’ kitchen 20 years ago, after who knows how many years of it being used to make our family’s beef stroganoff and day-long Bolognese. The enameled interior shows a few signs of wear from over the years, but it only adds to the pot’s vintage charm. 

Le Creuset’s lids are designed with raised bumps that function as condensation points, creating what Le Creuset calls a ‘self-basting’ effect, which makes it sounds more like an AI turkey than what it is — a clever way to keep moisture locked in and moving around so that food cooked in its Dutch ovens stays tender and juicy. This is also one of the lighter-weight enameled cast iron Dutch ovens on the market, at 9.6 pounds, which is a nice feature for those who don’t like heavy lifting to be part of their cooking process. Cleaning the enameled cast iron is easy, although it’s worth noting that according to Le Creuset, the Dutch oven is technically dishwasher-safe. (For any stuck-on spots, I just bring a little water and baking soda to a simmer and then go at it with a dish wand.) – Stephanie Ganz

The best budget Dutch oven

Great Jones Dutch Baby (3.5 quart)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Sometimes, a big Dutch oven is more than I need, and for those occasions, I go with the Great Jones Dutch Baby, which I love for making batches of Roberto or sundubu-jjigae. With its petite size, six fun matte or glossy colorways, and lower price point, the 3.5-quart Dutch Baby is the perfect choice for a first kitchen, couples, and cooks who live alone or in smaller spaces, and you can have them monogrammed, which is a nice gifty touch. The wide, rounded handles on the lid and sides are well-suited for transporting the pot from the stove to to the table, but they tend to get hot quickly, so handle with caution. – Stephanie Ganz 

Invest in workhorse kitchen basics that are primed for pasta

A versatile trio of mixing bowls

Cuisinart Mixing Bowl Set, Stainless Steel (3-Piece)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Cuisinart’s stainless steel bowl set (which includes a 1.5-quart, 3-quart, and 5-quart lidded bowl) is lightweight and freezer- and dishwasher-safe. It’s important for your pasta to retain as much moisture as possible, and stainless steel won’t absorb water the way a more porous wood bowl (although glazed ceramic would be fine). 

An excellent rolling pin

Williams Sonoma Maple Rolling Pin

Prices taken at time of publishing.

A sturdy rolling pin will go a long way in your kitchen — it’s an essential, period — but especially for rolling out pasta dough by hand. This maple rolling pin is made in Maine from a single, solid piece of maple wood, so it won’t splinter. 

A big-boy stainless steel colander

Buon appetito.