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Italy has done a lot for the world, from Da Vinci's wheel lock to Eau de Cologne. But has any Italian invention ever been as iconic as pasta? In the spirit of such innovation, we test the best pasta makers on the market.

****: WIRED asked chef Simone Remoli, owner of London restaurant Pasta Remoli - specialists in traditional handmade pasta - to test five of the latest pasta makers.

****: Remoli assessed each model on performance, durability, ease of cleaning and versatility and told us what type of pasta would work best in each model.

****: We timed how long it took Remoli to make a sheet of 50cm egg pasta and a batch of tagliatelle in each machine. He gave each one a WIRED score out of ten.

Remoli found this model to be a very intuitive design, with a timer and electronic setting, that was simple to use and easy to clean. "The machine can create the dough, and then extrude the pasta from the different cutters," he says, "so it's straightforward." The dough did come out a little crumbly, however. The process, from making the dough to cleaning the machine, took just 20 minutes. "Its best use is for spaghetti and tagliatelle," says Remoli.

7/10 £169 coolshop.co.uk

Time to prepare: Dough 3 minutes Sheet of pasta 90 seconds Tagliatelle 90 seconds

For those who already own a stand mixer, this steel and plastic attachment will come in useful. The dough is prepared in a metal bowl and the plastic spinner is filled to extrude pasta from the cutters. In our test, the middle part of the pasta sheet came out evenly, if not a little thick, but both edges were ripped. "The pasta comes out slowly and I don't feel the cutter is safe as it doesn't have any protection," says Simone Remoli. "This model is good for short-shape pastas such as fusilli." 

6/10 £499 for stand mixer; £199 for pasta attachment kitchenaid.co.uk

Time to prepare: Dough 2 minutes 30 seconds Sheet of pasta 17 seconds Tagliatelle 25 seconds

Quiet in operation and with all the features to create perfect pasta, this machine impressed Remoli. He particularly liked the dryer, which makes sure the pasta doesn't stick. 

8/10 £136 wayfair.co.uk

TIME TO PREPARE: Dough 4 minutes 30 seconds Sheet of pasta 12 seconds Tagliatelle 22 seconds

Designed for tagliatelle, fettuccine and sheets, this machine made smooth pasta. Remoli found that the pasta-sheet rollers were not straight, so the results were not as even as he would have liked. As it is easy to clean and flexible enough to make a variety of pastas, this is a good budget option. 

7/10 £22 lakeland.co.uk

Time to prepare: Dough 18 minutes by hand Sheet of pasta 4 minutes 10 seconds Tagliatelle 5 minutes 50 seconds

Pasta dough has to be prepared by hand before using this machine. In our test, Remoli noted "smooth and even" results. He also liked the eight thickness settings and that the machine created uniform shapes. "This design is ideal for ravioli," he concludes. 

6/10 £32 procook.co.uk

Time to prepare: Dough 18 minutes by hand Sheet of pasta 3 minutes Tagliatelle 3 minutes 30 seconds[#image: /photos/606da1aef19707fe1aef3103]

This article was originally published by WIRED UK