Crank out the pasta dough

It’s no secret that preparing a meal from scratch can be a rewarding experience (especially when the reward is eating it). Getting hands-on with your food is fun, and it has the additional benefit of being appropriate and educational for both kids and adults. When it comes to making pasta, even the tools are fun.

Cranking out pasta like a Play-Doh Fun Factory, the Italian-made Marcato Pasta Extruder features hand-operated usability that the whole family can enjoy. After dough is placed in the hopper, the crank is turned, producing a variety of pastas. Chrome-plated steel and plastic discs are included to make macaroni, maccheroncini, rigatoni, bucatini and fusilli.

Clamping directly to the edge of a tabletop, the ABS plastic and chrome-plated stainless steel pasta extruder is designed to be used by anyone. With a footprint of 10 inches wide by 5 inches deep, and a height of 7.5 inches), the pasta extruder is compact enough for easy storage; or, depending on the involvement of the kids, it may be appropriate to simply leave out on the counter. Just make sure they put real dough in the hopper.