The punchline is that the result is delicious. And that the handle doesn't melt off like some warn. This is a well-made tool.It does not produce the longer, broken-spaghetti-like spaetzle that comes out of the original German tool that looks like the garlic crusher (and costs 3-10x the price). Instead, what you get is chickpea-sized fresh pasta that Mario Batali would serve in his kitchen. Read on for the recipe.But first, nota bene: Wash immediately after use lest you face a future of having to scrape off dry dough.===Every recipe I looked up gave either the ratio close to the one on the packaging (2c flour, 2 eggs, 2/3c milk) or double the egg.If you look up recipes in German (spaetzle rezept), the recipe leans closer to the latter - but the tool used is the over-the-pan-slide-silicon-blade slate. Read: not this tool. For this tool, you can’t have batter be that wet.So follow the recipe on the packaging. As a meal for two people, I use 2/3 the recipe. (But that’s only so that we wouldn’t overeat, because we otherwise would.) I also add fresh herbs into the dough (chopped parsley, green onion, thyme, tarragon, dill, whatever’s on hand).The most important thing is dough consistency and tension, which is more than just the wetness of the dough. People vary in opinion on this, too; some say don’t overmix, and some say knead for 15 mins. I like my fresh pasta with a little more bite, so I make my dough in a Ninja food processor and “knead” it for 2-3 mins until I start seeing tiny bubbles in the dough as it stretches. (Btw, start boiling the water before mixing the dough, and salt it.)Whatever your desired consistency, once the dough mixing is done, remove it promptly and fit it into a small (not flat) bowl. I let it rest at least 15 mins after mixing it so that it gets slightly more glutinous.I sautée onions in a pan with salt and pepper, add vodka sauce out of a jar, and set it aside to simmer on low. Don’t over-sautée the onion.I then boil the pasta in a separate pot. Lower the heat so that the steam doesn’t burn you. Wet the tool with cold water. Put the dough in the square box; it will be sticky but wet enough that it would slowly start to fall through the hole - but not drip all the way down. Note the time. Hang the far edge of the tool on the pot and slide the box back and forth.Watch the clock the whole time so that you don’t overcook the spaetzle. Drain and place directly into the simmer sauce. Throw on some nutmeg, Parmesan, and more herbs, and voila! Yumminess served. I’m not sure I’ll ever buy boxed shell pasta again.What a great addition to my kitchen! I had been longing for spaetzle but had never made it before. The recipes I found online kept referring to a "spaetzle maker" so I headed to Amazon to find one. After reading many reviews, I decided to purchase the Norpro 3129 Stainless Steel one.I am delighted! Both the holed board and the sliding hopper are sturdy stainless steel. The hopper has a thick plastic edging that enables it to slide smoothly within the board's rolled edges. The handle has a rubberized grip so it is very easy to hold. There is a little lip on the far edge of the board that keeps it in place on top the pan of boiling liquid, and I was pleased to see that it is not bolted on but is an integral part of the board itself. This looks and feels like a tool that will last for decades.On the cardboard packaging sleeve that encloses the board is a recipe for spaetzle. This is the first recipe that I tried and it worked out perfect! Spaetzle batter/dough should be thicker than pancake batter, but thinner than brownie batter, so if yours is too thick or thin, add a bit of water or flour to adjust its consistency.My background is Hungarian, so I grew up with chewy spaetzle (which are called nokedli in Hungarian.) Along with your flour, add a couple tablespoons of farina (uncooked Cream of Wheat cereal) to create the chewier Hungarian "little dumplings." We like ours with chicken paprikash, goulash, beef stroganoff, or added to soups or stews.Because spaetzle is made with egg, the batter has a tendency to stick to the metal. REMEMBER THIS TRICK: whenever you are dealing with protein compounds (eggs, cheese, meats, etc.) always soak the utensils in COLD WATER before washing. The cold water helps break the protein bonds, so you will be able to wash the item much more easily.I have read at least one review that said the spaetzle batter "cooked" onto the board after they placed it on the pan. You should not be cooking the entire batch of spaetzle at a time. Push just enough dough through the board until the surface of your water is almost covered. Then remove the spaetzle maker from the pan and place it above your dough bowl while you remove the cooked spaetzle from the water and drain it. Then do another batch of spaetzle. Because the spaetzle dumplings cook in about two minutes, it's easy to do the entire batch in less than ten minutes (same time it would take to cook a pot of egg noodles!) By the way - here is a wonderful mesh strainer that will quickly gather up and drain your spaetzle in seconds: Unlike so many others who bought this, I never had spaetzle.I saw a video (CIA BOOTCAMP) of a chef making it however, and it seemed easy enough. With all of the other great things in that video, figured it was probably good.I'm glad I took the chance!I'm sure there's probably a way to mix the dough in a food processor, but I got my upper body exercise in and did it in a bowl like in the video. I used the *exact* recipe that was on the spaetzle maker box. (hint: it's not rocket science)It was my first time, however, and everything worked as I had hoped.Spaetzle is just like noodles, but kind of like tiny dumplings. It's different and something you don't find on the supermarket shelf, so it's kind of "special" which was perfect for the day after Thanksgiving.Spaetzle is fine by itself with salt and butter (as a side replacing potatoes or rice), but they go *very* well with commercial chicken stock for a "home made" soup.You can freeze spaetzle and I could imagine there being any number of ways you can mix things in and/or serve it.I'm holding back one star because I'd like for the main part with the holes to be slightly longer to have a "staging area" where the "chute" could rest without the dough dripping through. Working alone, it gets a little awkward putting the dough in AND moving it back and forth.But don't let that stop you. It's not something you'd make every week and it's pretty cool to make something everyone will like (who likes noodles) that's different.Auffressen!