Grades K–2 · Everyday Life
How does a lump of dough become long spaghetti?
A pasta machine pushes soft dough through little holes. The dough changes shape as it squeezes through. Round holes make long round strands, rather like a soft pencil with no wood around it.
Inside the machine, a turning screw carries dough toward a strong plate called a die. The plate blocks most of the path, so the dough must pass through its openings. More dough pushes from behind and the strands grow longer. The drawing shows this path cut open so the dough inside can be seen.
Follow the yellow dough through the cut-open barrel and out of the holes as spaghetti strands.
The shape of the opening helps set the shape of the pasta. Different dies can make flat ribbons or other shapes. A cutter separates the moving pasta into chosen lengths. Drying can then make it firm enough to store.
The machine does not carve every noodle from a large block. It gives soft material a new shape by pushing it through a shaped opening. One small opening can make a very long piece.
About this explanation
This drawing shows one way to make pasta; some pasta is rolled into sheets and cut instead.
Starting knowledge: Recognize that soft dough changes shape when pushed.
Sources
- Bühler — Pasta production solutions