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I am thinking about getting a pasta maker. Of course it takes more time to make your own pasta but it seems like it would be fun and nutritious. What are the real advantages to making your own pasta from scratch with a pasta maker, as opposed to using store-bought pasta?

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By fresh and store-bought are you referring to fresh egg pasta and dried eggless pasta? Because now you can pretty much buy all the types of pasta. – Megasaur Mar 2 at 17:15

7 Answers

The best part of making your own food is the ability to experiment! Sure, you can get spinach or tomato pastas in the store, but is there something else you've always wanted to try? Try some chili peppers for a Mexican flair, or ginger and leek for Asian foods. I've heard that even certain fruits work well, and chocolate could form the base for a unique dessert.

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It depends on what store you buy your pasta from, and what sorts of pasta they have to offer (there are at least 2 shops here in Bruges that make better pasta than anybody I know would ever be able to make, but "in the countryside" people don't have that luxury).

Oh, and of course if you like to cook, making it yourself might be more fun of course, especially if you like to experiment. ;)

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So - fresh pasta vs. dried, boxed pasta: (1) cooks waaay faster, and (2) also absorbs sauces better. Boxed pasta is great too - but fresh pasta is preferable!

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I think the point about cooking faster doesn't really apply if you make it yourself though (since making pasta from scratch takes way longer than boiling store-bought pasta). – Brendan Long Apr 2 '11 at 1:30

Fresh pasta simply tastes better, and as Aparna said, absorbs sauces more than boxed pasta. Also, fresh pasta is way cheaper than boxed one.

In a while, getting experience at preparing fresh pasta by yourself will let you do it faster and faster...

And you won't experience the "Oh no, my sauce is ready but I'm out of pasta" anymore!

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Just try both of them and you will feel the difference by yourself. The taste, the texture, the cooking time and more.

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I've been making my own pasta for a few years and I roll by hand which I find very enjoyable. Every time I make it, it gets better flavor and texture that store baught doesnt compare too. Plus its fun and its cheap. In fact I only use store baught pasta in emergencies now. Some of the best home made pasta is for lasagna and stuffed pasta tubes called cannelloni!

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Just made our first homemade pasta...it's no better than the normal shop-bought dried stuff.

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This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post - you can always comment on your own posts, and once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post. – SAJ14SAJ Mar 1 at 22:26
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@SAJ14SAJ I'm going to leave this, because it is a sort of answer - it says there are no advantages to homemade pasta. It's also pretty definitely wrong (see all the other answers), but that's what downvotes are for. – Jefromi Mar 1 at 23:25

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