A Homemade Pasta Machine for Slow Food Enthusiasts
For 50 years, Marcato’s Atlas 150 has been a handsome countertop workhorse for devotees of dough.
Marcato Atlas 150 countertop pasta maker in red.
Photographer: Will Anderson for Bloomberg Businessweek
For all of Italy’s noodle knowledge, the country hasn’t had the same success creating pasta machines. But Marcato’s Atlas 150, produced in Campodarsego, about 20 miles west of Venice, has been around for more than 50 years. At 5 pounds, the $100 device is lightweight but sturdy, with a steel body and anodized aluminum rollers. An adjustable dial offers three settings—for lasagna, fettuccine, and tagliolini—and 10 thickness options, ranging from paper-thin, for ravioli, to ¼-inch, which works well for udon.
• Another Italian brand, Imperia, makes an $80 model with seven thickness settings, but it can’t go as thin as the Marcato.