Road test: Philips Premium Collection pasta maker

Everybody knows that fresh pasta beats the dried variety. But the mess! Here’s a wonderful solution.

WHAT IS IT? A device that takes the hard work out of home-made pasta.

HALLELUJAH. Yes. Ever lived out a fantasy of yourself as a flour-dusted Calabrian peasant, only to find that hand-rolling pieces of spaghetti is about as much fun as dental surgery?

HOW DOES IT WORK? Simply dump all the ingredients — flour, water, egg, squid ink if you're a nob — into the machine and press the start button.

It automatically kneads the dough, then extrudes it as pasta under high pressure. You use different nozzles for spaghetti, penne or fettucini, and cut it to length as it comes out.

SOUNDS FUN. Let's just say, if you're the sort of person who likes to squeeze buttered crackers together to make worms gush through the holes, the sight of extruding fresh pasta should make you weak at the knees.

VERDICT: Justa like mama never used to make!

$359, philips.com.au