Checklist · 13 picks · 5 categories
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Pasta night is the cheapest way to feed a crowd and still look like you have your life together.
The gear is short: a big pot so the noodles have room to move, a colander that drains fast, tongs for tossing, and a grater so everyone can bury their plate in Parmesan. America's Test Kitchen tried all of it, from 12-quart stockpots to rotary graters you can pass around the table. Want to flex? TechGearLab's top hand-crank and automatic pasta makers turn flour and eggs into fresh fettuccine. Each card shows the drawback the testers called out, or says plainly when they didn't name one. Start with the pot, colander and grater, then add a pasta maker once pasta night becomes a weekly thing.
Who this is not for. Skip this if you're stocking a whole kitchen from zero; the First Kitchen list has the cookware set, spatulas and mixing bowls.
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Estimates based on typical prices, checked Oct 31, 2026. Prices change; see the store for today's price.
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-fal Specialty Stainless Steel 12 Qt. Stockpot | budget | $25-50 | a big pot that's easy to lug to the sink | 1 outlet |
| Cook N Home Stainless Steel Stockpot with Lid 12 Quart | mid | $50-100 | comfy handles for a full pot of water | 1 outlet |
| Made In Stainless Clad 12 Qt. Stock Pot | splurge | $200-300 | a splurge pot that also does soups and stock | 1 outlet |
Best pasta potbudget pick · 12 qt
Best for a big pot that's easy to lug to the sink
America's Test Kitchen's co-winning stockpot: one of the lightest models it tried, and one of the least expensive.
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen co-winning stockpot.
$25-50
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mid pick · 12 qt
Best for comfy handles for a full pot of water
America's Test Kitchen's co-winning stockpot: it performed well and excelled in comfort.
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen co-winning stockpot.
$50-100
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splurge pick · 12 qt
Best for a splurge pot that also does soups and stock
Recommended by America's Test Kitchen: shorter and wider than most of the pots it tried, so it was easier to maneuver.
Heads up. America's Test Kitchen notes it weighs more than 5 pounds
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen recommended stockpot.
$200-300
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Best colandermid pick · 5 qt
Best for buying one colander for life
America's Test Kitchen's winning colander, which it calls the best it has ever tried: tiny perforations drain fast and it didn't dent when dropped.
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen winning colander.
$25-50
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budget pick · 5 qt
Best for draining a big pot without sink water sneaking in
Highly recommended by America's Test Kitchen: lots of perforations drained liquid quickly, and its tall base lifts it above the sink.
Heads up. Its handles are attached with rivets, the only notable difference from ATK's winner
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen highly Recommended colander.
$25-50
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zyliss Classic Cheese Grater | budget | under $15 | passing around the table so everyone grates their own | 1 outlet |
| Microplane Premium Classic Zester/Grater | budget | $15-25 | parmesan plus lemon zest and garlic | 1 outlet |
| Microplane Gourmet Series Fine Grater | mid | $15-25 | big fluffy piles of Parmesan, fast | 1 outlet |
Best cheese graterbudget pick · Handheld
Best for passing around the table so everyone grates their own
America's Test Kitchen's winning rotary grater: it grated Parmesan more quickly than every other model it tried.
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen winning rotary grater.
under $15
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budget pick · 7.25 x 1 in blade
Best for parmesan plus lemon zest and garlic
America's Test Kitchen's best zester-style rasp grater, for its impressive grating performance and soft, grippy handle.
Heads up. Many ATK testers preferred the wider surface of the paddle-style grater
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen best Zester-Style Rasp Grater.
$15-25
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mid pick · 4.25 x 2 in blade
Best for big fluffy piles of Parmesan, fast
America's Test Kitchen's best paddle-style rasp grater: lots of relatively flat, supersharp teeth across its large blade.
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen best Paddle-Style Rasp Grater.
$15-25
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Best tongsbudget pick · 9 in
Best for tossing pasta in a small kitchen
America's Test Kitchen's best smaller tongs: the shorter version of its favorite 12-inch tongs, and it easily picked up foods of all shapes and sizes.
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen best smaller tongs.
under $15
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mid pick · 12 in
Best for one pair of tongs for everything
America's Test Kitchen's winning tongs and its longtime favorite: the scalloped, uncoated pincers felt very precise.
Heads up. The uncoated pincers didn't securely grip ceramic ramekins
1 outlet. America's Test Kitchen winning kitchen tongs.
$15-25
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine | mid | $100-150 | getting hooked on fresh fettuccine | 1 outlet |
| OxGord Hand Crank Pasta Maker | budget | $25-50 | trying fresh pasta without a big spend | 1 outlet |
| Philips Compact Pasta Maker | splurge | $150-200 | fresh pasta with no cranking | 1 outlet |
Best pasta makermid pick · Countertop clamp
Best for getting hooked on fresh fettuccine
TechGearLab's best overall pasta maker: spaghetti aside, it has impeccable performance any homemade pasta fan can appreciate.
Heads up. Doesn't make spaghetti
1 outlet. TechGearLab best overall pasta maker.
$100-150
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budget pick · Countertop clamp
Best for trying fresh pasta without a big spend
TechGearLab's pick for value-oriented shoppers: a user-friendly machine at an unbeatable price.
Heads up. The clamp may not work with all countertops, and TechGearLab saw minor stripping on it
1 outlet. TechGearLab best for Value-Oriented Shoppers (pasta maker).
$25-50
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splurge pick · Countertop
Best for fresh pasta with no cranking
TechGearLab's best automatic machine: it does the bulk of the work without the bulky size.
Heads up. Tedious to hand-wash
1 outlet. TechGearLab best Automatic Machine (pasta maker).
$150-200
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means three independent outlets recommend a pick, means one, and limited evidence means none has yet. I research these picks. I have not tested them myself. How I pick · Broken link, wrong price range or an outdated pick? Tell me
A 12-quart stockpot gives a big batch of pasta room to move, and it's the size America's Test Kitchen tried. Its co-winning T-fal was one of the lightest it tried, and the Cook N Home excelled in comfort.
America's Test Kitchen's winning rotary grater, the Zyliss, got through an ounce of Parmesan in about 23 seconds, faster than every other rotary model it tried. A rotary one is great to pass around the table; a rasp also zests lemons and grates garlic.
Not for boxed pasta. For fresh noodles, TechGearLab's best overall pick is the hand-crank Marcato Atlas 150, though it doesn't make spaghetti. The automatic Philips Compact does the bulk of the work for you.