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You do not need a fully equipped kitchen to make the sfoglia, the sheet of egg pasta: the azdore, the women who ran the farmhouse kitchen, rolled it with a board, a rolling pin and a knife. But every shape has its own small tool, and knowing what to look for and what you can replace with something already in the house saves you from pointless purchases. Here is our list, from the most necessary to the most specialised. No brands: it is the features that count.
The two essentials
The large wooden board
It is the foundation of everything. In the old houses it was a single poplar board that sat on the kitchen table and was put away behind the door.
- What it is for: making the well of flour, kneading, rolling out the whole sheet and cutting it. Wood absorbs a hint of moisture and gives the pasta that rough surface which holds the sauce.
- What to look for: the measurements first of all. For four people you need at least 60 x 80 cm; for a sheet made with 6 to 8 eggs, better 70 x 100 cm. A thickness of 2 to 3 cm, so it does not warp. A raised lip along one side helps to hold it against the table. Poplar, beech or fir, glued up from narrow boards (wide boards crack). A smooth surface but not varnished: varnish chips and ends up in the pasta.
- Home alternative: a marble or solid wood worktop, if you have one. A laminate kitchen table works, but the sheet slides about more; dust it lightly and keep it spotless. If you have no surface wide enough to work on, the sfoglia can even be rolled out, only rolled out, never kneaded, on a tablecloth.
The long mattarello
The Romagna mattarello, the long rolling pin without handles, is the tool that makes the difference between a sheet that has been drawn out and one that has been squashed. How to use it is explained in our guide on rolling pasta by hand.
- What it is for: rolling the sheet out by wrapping it around the wood and stretching it with your hands, into one large disc.
- What to look for: a length of 80 to 100 cm (80 for a small board, 100 for a sheet made with 8 eggs), a diameter of 3 to 4 cm, perfectly straight and smooth, with no knots. Beech is the classic: hard, close grained, it gives off no smell. It should be turned from a single piece, not glued. Rested on the table, it should roll without wobbling.
- Home alternative: a short rolling pin with handles for small quantities, rolling the dough out in pieces. In an emergency, a smooth wooden pole from the hardware shop, well sanded.
For cutting
The broad bladed knife
Romagna tagliatelle are cut with a knife from the rolled up sheet, and the right knife matters more than you might think.
- What it is for: cutting the ribbons of tagliatelle and tagliolini from the rolled up sheet, and dividing the sheet into strips for the filled shapes.
- What to look for: a blade that is broad (6 to 8 cm) and long (20 to 25 cm), straight, with no point or with a rounded one. The weight should sit in the blade, not in the handle: you cut by letting the knife fall, not by pressing. Stainless steel, easy to sharpen.
- Home alternative: a large, well sharpened kitchen knife. A light cleaver works too. A serrated knife does not: it tears the edges.
The plain and fluted pasta wheel
- What it is for: the plain wheel cuts the squares for cappelletti with a straight edge; the fluted one trims tortelli and ravioli with a wavy edge, seals better and looks nicer. Many wheels have both, one at each end.
- What to look for: the wheel should turn smoothly with no play, with a diameter of 5 to 6 cm. Brass or steel; plastic wheels wear out in a single season. A short, stubby handle gives more control than a long one.
- Home alternative: for the plain cut, the broad bladed knife; for the fluted one there is no real substitute, but you can seal the tortello with the tines of a fork.
- Modern alternative: the adjustable multi-wheel pasta cutter, often called a “pasta bike”, which cuts several strips (usually 3 or 5) of the same width in a single pass, adjustable by opening and closing the tool. In just two passes, one horizontal and one vertical, you have perfect squares, all identical.
The tarocco, or dough scraper
- What it is for: gathering up the flour of the well, lifting the dough off the board, dividing the dough into portions and cleaning the board at the end without water. It is the tool you use most often and the one that costs least.
- What to look for: a rigid steel blade, 10 to 12 cm deep, with a wooden or plastic handle that sits well in the hand. The edge should be straight and blunt: it is there to scrape, not to cut.
- Home alternative: a rigid metal spatula, or a stiff plastic card to clean the board.
For the special shapes
The passatelli iron
- What it is for: making passatelli in brodo. The mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano and egg is pressed through the holes of the iron and the passatelli drop straight into the broth.
- What to look for: a slightly domed steel or brass disc with holes of 4 to 5 mm and two solid wooden handles. Holes that are too narrow give you a passatello that breaks; holes that are too wide make it thick and heavy.
- Home alternative: a potato ricer with the larger holes: you will still get perfect passatelli.
For drying and weighing
The pasta drying rack
- What it is for: drying tagliatelle and tagliolini evenly, hung up, before cooking or storing them. It is also what you need for long drying, as we explain in our guide on storing and drying fresh pasta.
- What to look for: wooden or steel arms at least 30 cm long, 8 to 12 of them, opening out like a fan and folding away for storage. The base has to be heavy, otherwise it tips over when the pasta hangs on one side only.
- Home alternative: a clean, floured broom handle resting between two chairs, or loose nests on the board dusted with semola.
The scales
- What it is for: weighing flour and eggs. The azdore worked by eye, but to learn the proportions of the basic dough weighing is the only way.
- What to look for: digital scales accurate to 1 g, with a capacity of at least 3 kg and a tare function so you can weigh the eggs straight into the bowl. The platform should be wide enough for a container holding 1 kg of flour.
Other tools
There are also plenty of tools on the market dedicated to the art of fresh pasta: some traditional, such as the Abruzzo “chitarra” and the garganelli comb, others imaginative and modern, for making ravioli shaped like a triangle, a flower or a heart, for example.
The summary table
| Tool | Essential for | Home alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Wooden board | All sfoglia work | Marble or solid wood worktop |
| Long mattarello | The whole sheet by hand | Short rolling pin, rolling in pieces |
| Broad bladed knife | Tagliatelle, tagliolini | Large kitchen knife |
| Plain and fluted wheel | Cappelletti, tortelli | Knife and the tines of a fork |
| Tarocco | Kneading and cleaning up | Rigid spatula |
| Passatelli iron | Passatelli | Potato ricer with wide holes |
| Drying rack | Air drying and long drying | Broom handle between two chairs |
| Scales | Accurate quantities | Glass and egg as a measure |
We remember our grandmother’s board well: it had a groove along the edge, worn by sixty years of the knife, and a slightly darkened corner where she rested the eggs. Nobody ever washed it with water, and it never made a bad sheet of pasta. Good tools are the ones that grow old alongside you.
One last note: strozzapreti alla romagnola are made with two palms and no tools at all. You can start there, without buying anything. The long mattarello arrives on its own, the first Sunday you decide to make tagliatelle.
Frequently asked questions
Which tools do you need to start making the sfoglia?
Three: a large wooden board, a long mattarello with no handles and a broad bladed knife. With those you can make tagliatelle, tagliolini, maltagliati, lasagne and cappelletti. Everything else, from the garganelli comb to the drying rack, comes along when you want one more shape.
Is a wooden, steel or marble rolling pin better?
For the Romagna sfoglia it has to be wood, no argument. The long mattarello works by having the pasta wrapped around it, and wood holds a veil of flour that stops the sheet sticking. Steel and marble are smooth and cold: fine for shortcrust pastry, not for the sfoglia.
Can the wooden board be washed with water?
Better not. Clean it with the scraper and a dry cloth, then leave it standing upright in the air. If you really must, wipe it quickly with a damp cloth and dry it straight away. Plenty of water makes it warp and opens the gaps between the boards.
