Pasta machines are they worth it?

[Guest kacifl]

It seems to me that you have to roll out the dough, then feed th rough the machine. By the time you do that, most of the work is done, just cutting. (I had the rolling out part) I'm trying to decide if we should purchase one. Looking for one that isn't expensive and hand crank. Thanks, K

[Deeke]

They are worth it, all except the Cuisainart pasta attachemnt, I cannot tell you how disappointed in that item I was. I could have made a mountain of pasta with my hand crank model in the time I spent making enough pasta for dinner with the Cuisainart pasta maker lol.

 

Once you have home made pasta, you never go back they say. My kids actually do all the cranking now, so even less work for me. I have heard the Atlas model is the best, but mine is a Shule and it has worked well so far. I think I remember reading just make sure it is heavy and clamps down to the counter.

[KS_]

I really like mine - I have the Imperia:

http://www.amazon.com/Villaware-V150-Imperia-Noodle-Machine/dp/B00004SPDH

 

And I don't roll out the dough before I put it in the machine - I take small chunks of dough and feed it into the machine and the machine does the rolling. Makes it so much easier than doing it all by hand. There are other cutting attachments you can get for the Imperia to make different sized noodles, which sometimes I think would be fun, but I haven't yet. . .

[Kim in Appalachia]

I have a hand-crank one. You don't roll out the dough first. You make the dough and put slightly larger than golf ball size amounts into the machine.

 

I mostly use mine for pot-pie dough (a PA Dutch thing), and for pierogies. I do not make spaghetti. We are a family of 7. It would take over an hour to make enough spaghetti for 7 people. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to make enough for 2 to 4 people.

 

We only use it a few times a year, but it is very helpful those few times. Mine was a gift. I do like it, and someday dream of making all of our pasta. That will probably not happen until all of the children are out of the house. :001_smile:

[HSMom2One]

I have a hand-crank one. You don't roll out the dough first. You make the dough and put slightly larger than golf ball size amounts into the machine...

 

Me too! I don't use mind that often, but when I do I really love it. I think one of the real benefits of it is that the pasta is uniform in size and shape.

 

We sometimes have a get together with friends and have dinner all prepared except the pasta. Then we gather around the counter together, roll out the pasta, cook it (it's very fast) and serve it up fresh with the dinner from there. People think it's fun and interesting and it is always a hit.

 

There are never any leftovers when we fix fresh pasta!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Rosie_0801]

Well, no, but that's because I don't use it. It makes me happy smiling down from the top of the cupboard though. I love kitchen gadgets :D I remember when we were playing with it a few years ago it took the same time to make and cook the fresh pasta as it did to cook the supermarket dried stuff. There is also a lot of room for variety with a machine. My sister has a recipe for strawberry pasta but none of us have been brave enough to try it yet! You've inspired me, I think I'll pull it out again. Maybe I'll even try that recipe!

 

:)

Rosie

[Ria]

I had an electric one years ago (it was a wedding gift). It died and now I have a hand-crank one. I love it and would never go back. I make the dough in my KitchenAid food processor or mixer and then use the hand-crank thingy. Just this past weekend dd and I made homemade ravioli. Yum!!

 

Ria

[Spy Car]

The way these hand crank pasta machines work is there are "two sides".

 

One has plain rollers. These rollers are attached to a knob that allows the space between the rollers to be reduced. You start feeding a "ball" (I actually stretch it into a log) of dough through at the widest setting. And generally each pass get a knob turn (and therefore the space becomes narrower) and by the end (6 steps) the "ball" is transformed into a "sheet".

 

After a little drying time (a broom handle or the like is good for this) the "sheets" are fed though the other side which has "cutting heads" that cut the pasta into uniform widths.

 

One you get the hang of it making pasta is really easy, and fun.

 

Tips:

 

Real pasta is made with "semolina" flour, but many people find semolina difficult to work with (and to have hold together). I can work it my hand, but I've also discovered working the semolina and egg mix in a food processor with a steel blade is "fool-proof" and a better option than resorting to white flour.

 

It's easy to make "colored" pasta by pureeing in spinach, beets, carrots. cooked pumpkin/winter squash and the like. It makes the pasta very pretty and does something nice for taste and texture.

 

It is a good idea to work the dough with your hands and/or a pin and let it rest a bit (under a lightly moistened tea-towel) before running it through the rollers. Especially the hand work will give the pasta a silkier texture than if you don't work it at all.

 

Hanging the sheets for a short time will make them less sticky and easier to run through the machine, but too long makes them brittle.

 

I've had my Atlas over 30 years and its still going strong.

 

Good luck,

 

Bill

Edited March 5, 2009 by Spy Car