Having the right pasta tools in the kitchen makes you better equipped and more confident when working with pasta dough. Quality is key if quality pasta is the goal. No matter the shape or style, these are my 7 go-to items that I can rely on to deliver beautiful, dreamy fresh pasta each and every time.

Dough Scraper

The first go-to item of mine is a dough scraper (also known as bench scraper, or bench knife). This tool is primarily useful for cutting off chunks of dough when beginning the rolling process. Whenever working with fresh dough, you want it to remain as moist as possible without drying, working with smaller cut chunks when you’re starting out on your fresh pasta making journey will guarantee that and create a streamlined process. The dough scraper can also come in handy for transferring delicate gnocchi and stuffed pasta to drying racks or baking trays. Using the scraper on your work surface makes cleaning easy, will allow you to lift all the stubborn dough and flour for a clean workspace. It’s a great tool to start with and to bring all your spaces back to square one.

2. Fresh Pasta Machine

Now when it finally comes to working with the dough, the old school rolling pin aka matarello is great, therapeutic actually. However it takes practice to roll pasta sheets by matarello and takes slightly longer to get the perfect sheet of pasta ( I do highly recommend learning how to roll fresh pasta by rolling pin). My favorite pasta machine, the Atlas 150 Marcato, makes rolling exceptionally convenient and produces such satisfying results with the different featured levels for desired thinness and quickly. This machine can roll out thicker needed sheets for spaghetti alla chitarra, thin sheets for tagliatelle and ravioli, even light-as-a-feather pasta sheets for lasagna. It’s an investment that I do not regret and delivers perfection each time.

3. Flour Shaker

Flour shaker, flour sifter, flour duster it goes by many names it allows the perfect veil of flour to sprinkle out onto your fresh pasta. In Italian this is called spargifarina. Flour is the magic ingredient in the art of pasta making as it prevents dough sticking to surfaces and tools. For clean and seamless rolling and cutting, sprinkle flour on your dough throughout the process. Sure, you can sprinkle flour by hand but that might result in clumps of flour clinging to your fresh pasta sheets that you never want to end up in your finished plate. To prevent this, use semola flour in a flour shaker with fine holes to sift the flour onto your dough and workspace. It is also economical with the amount of flour that dispenses. The finest dusting of flour will guarantee a smoother in your pasta’s transformation.

4. Brass Pasta Cutter

A pasta cutter is your best friend. When combating lengthily rolled pasta sheets, a pasta cutter can assist in trimming dough down to a more suitable size for clean rectangular surfaces. Pasta cutters can come in different edges and this tool pictured is double-ended featuring a straight and festooned edge. Straight edged cutter is more practical when trimming sheets and great for simple shapes. The festooned end is perfect for when I’m wanting to add a decorative flair to pasta shapes, great for ravioli and tortellini, also providing more surface area to work with for stuffed pastas.

5. Ravioli Stamps

For the most beautiful ravioli shapes, ravioli stamps allow your creativity to run wild. I work with a variety of stamp shapes for whatever mood I’m in, season, weather, ingredients I’m using, you name it. Using a knife to cut out ravioli is fine but a stamp is a quick one-and-done tool for uniformed ravioli. These stamp cutters are brass, meaning they are extremely durable and allows for precise cutting and sealing, because no one wants their delicious fillings to escape the pockets of ravioli. For whatever style I'm trying to achieve, there are also a variety of shapes to choose from (spring is on its way and flower shaped ravioli is my favorite to have on hand to welcome the new season!).

6. Spray Bottle & Water

The other magic medium in pasta making is water. As we know, dry pasta is every pasta-maker’s nightmare and dough can become dry in the process before you are finished shaping it especially for stuffed pasta shapes, thus using water sparingly is the trick. Having a spray bottle filled with water on hand is convenient and can restore life back to any egg or water based dough. When working with pasta shapes that need to be sealed, water acts as the binding agent to ensure locked in shapes. Just a quick spray gives the right level of moisture for any pasta.

7. Dusting Brush

Last but certainly not least, the underdog of tools you might not realize is a total necessity, a brush. A brush is the hero for all your tools and dough, saving it from excess flour. It is worth noting that these other pasta tools are not washable so to ensure a proper cleaning, use a brush to get them back to new. A brush, as well as a handy damp cloth, are all you need for wrapping up from your pasta making adventure. I find making fresh pasta very relaxing, and cleaning up my tools, brushing off excess flour of the surfaces of the pasta machine & stamps is equally relaxing.

These are my “lucky 7” that I can always rely on to give me effortless pasta time and time again. To shop any of these tools mentioned and more, check out the “Shop” page on my site or some items linked below. Happy pasta making!