Spaetzle is a German style of pasta. Unlike the intrinsically shaped pasta that you get from Italy, Spaetzle is free formed. It looks like little droplets of pasta. Its commonly tossed in butter and sauted with some beef or sauce. Since Spaetzle is not really sold in a dried form, the only way you can eat it is making it fresh. Luckily, there are quite a few Spaetzle maker that makes this job easy.

What is a Spaetzle Maker?

The most common type of Spaetzle Maker is called a Hooper. Its basically a grater with a hopper on top. You load the batter into the hopper and set it over a pot of boiling water. As it drips, you push the hopper through it to cut the Spaetzle. As it boils, the pasta will eventually float to the top. At that point, your Spaetzle should be done.

In the past, the dough was cut and formed on a wooden cutting board. That method is a bit outdated and cumbersome to do.

What Can I use Instead of a Spaetzle Maker?

Some tools you can use instead of a Spaetzle Maker is a potato ricer, colander or a food mill. All of which will make your life a little easier. The issue is that they look a bit more like traditional noodles. The odd shape of Spaetzle lets it hold more sauce than a traditional noodle.

Best Spaetzle Maker List

I personally think the hooper style of Spaetzle Maker is the easiest to use. There are quite a lot of manufacturer for this and a lot of them are the same. However, some manufacturer use better material and design.

Zoie + Chloe Premium 18/10 Grade (Best Traditional Model)

Zoei makes one of the best Spaetzle Maker on the market. It uses 18/10 stainless steel for its grater. At the end of the handle, there is a comfort grip to reduce overall fatigue. You can rest this grater right over the pot and make the noodle easily. Best of all, this model is dishwasher safe.

Hicook Stainless Steel Spaetzle Maker (Best Overall)

Hicook is another well designed Spaetzle Maker. This model lets you rest it right on top of the pot like a lid. You place the dough on top and scrape it through. I would argue that this method is more secure than a traditional hopper model. Its a lot easier to use as well. Be sure that you have a pot that has a diameter of 9-1/4 to 10-3/4 inches.

Thoughts

If you ever wanted fresh pasta, this is one of the easiest way to make it. You dont have to fumble around with rolling sheets of dough. All you need to do is mix the dough batter and press it through the Spaetzle Maker. The craggly shape of the Spaetzle also lets it hold sauce a lot better than traditional pasta. Either way, I recommend you giving it a shot, you wont be dissapointed.

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