To get my Home-Ec teaching license, you can imagine the number of cooking classes I got to take.  I LOVED them!  Cooking classes were the highlight of my week!  I must admit I failed miserably on my first fondue, but one of the things I was fascinated with was making pasta in class one day!  Since then, I’ve often thought of how cool it would be to own my own pasta machine and make my own pasta again.  Happy day when HIC asked if I would review their Fante’s Great Aunt Gina’s Pasta Machine!  Yes, please!

First of all, this thing is super substantial, and weighs something hefty.  To me, that signifies quality, and no corners cut.  Though it looks tricky, it assembles in less than a minute.  Just clamp it to a counter or table, slide on the cutting piece, and pop in the crank handle.  The clamp is extra wide, so I imagine it would fit on nearly any counter width.

I was relieved and excited to find a nice booklet of recipes included with the machine.  The recipe for pasta was just perfect, and it makes a TON!  We’re talking feeding a family of 5 or 6 on one recipe—which is actually just 3 cups of flour and 4 eggs.

This pasta machine is so simple to use!  Just like it looks, you send the pasta down the conveyer belt and change the dial to get smaller and smaller as you pass the dough through several times.  Then send this flat sheet through the double cutter attachment piece and out comes your beautifully cut pasta!

I was giggling through the whole process!  Using a pasta maker is like a play-dough contraption for moms.  It was slick, easy to use, shiny, efficient, and looks like it will last a lifetime.

This pasta machine is not a one-trick pony.  Fante’s pasta machine has 9 different thickness settings, and the double-cutter attachment can make perfect fettuccine and perfect spaghetti.  For years, I’ve wanted to try out a chocolate spaghetti recipe, but alas, no pasta maker, so this year, my chocolate spaghetti dream will come true, mark my words.

Cook it up, serve it up, eat it up!  “Charlie” was quite impressed and told me that we should do this again when we have company over for dinner next week.  I can’t wait to make pasta with my kids when they’re a little older on rainy days!  These noodles would be delicious in a homemade chicken noodle soup.

Find out where you can buy Fante’s Pasta Machine and other gourmet kitchen supplies from Harold Import Co.

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*This posting was sponsored by Harold Import Co., but all opinions are strictly my own.