Pasta Equipment: Rollers, Extruders, etc.

[Varmint]

Suvir-

I've used both the Kitchen Aid attachment and the standard Atlas roller with the motor (as well as with the crank, but not any more!). I don't think you'll find an appreciable difference. With the Atlas/motor combo, you needn't find a spot to secure it to the counter -- the motor obviates the need to secure it. One benefit of the mixer attachment is that the rollers will be higher off the counter, which is helpful to separate the strands of the pasta, particularly if you're dealing with long sheets.

In the end, either option will make fine sheets of pasta. Now it's just a matter of technique and ingredients! All semolina or add some finely milled durum, too? Egg? Olive oil? Tomato/spinach/squid ink?

We also cheat by making the dough in a food processor to get it started. Much simpler and quicker than the egg in a well method (although not traditional). You just need to be careful not to overmix it, or it could get gummier than you'd like.

Have fun.

[Suzanne F]

I also own, use, and love the Pasta Roller/Cutter attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer. So much easier to be able to guide the dough with both hands, and the extra height off the counter is a plus.

I have the extruder too, but never used it. I do, however, use a variation of the non-English recipe that came with it for the dough: 500 gr semolina, 500 gr AP flour; 3 to 4 large eggs; between 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

[plunk]

I love the kitchenaid pasta rollers, it's great to have both hands free. Do not waste your time and money with the extruders, I saw a demo of them being used and the texture of the dough comes out weird. Remember the Play-Doh toys where you can extrude the stuff out of various shapes and the surface can turn out jagged if the dough is too dry? It's sortof like that.

[torakris]

I've only seen this one by Imperia.  It works great.  The problem is that I can't make pasta.  It's always white and gummy.

I just checked out this Imperia model and popped it into my shopping cart (for a later purchase of course) and saw that is is offering a pasta rack as well. You can by both together for the same price as the pasta machine. Is this rack necessary?

[oraklet]

i always make my pasta with eggs. anybody got a recipe with water? does it make for a different choice in sauce? any precautions to take when rolled out? (like flouring, which i don't have to when using eggs.)

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks everyone! I shall go with the Kitchen Aid attachment. Will order it soon.

Now I need recipes.....

[dave brown]

Crank handles are fun and I've got one but isn't dried pasta just better feel in your mouth?

Know a convenience food when you see one, that's what I say.

Dave

[Stone]

Crank handles are fun and I've got one but isn't dried pasta just better feel in your mouth? 

Depends. When I make pasta, it sucks. Everyone else's is better than almost everything I've bought in a box.

[dave brown]

Everyone else's is better than almost everything I've bought in a box.

Except mine, generally.

Perhaps there are two products with the same name. Your Italian, dried, durum wheat pasta which for me at best has a bite that no home brewed product could. Then the fresh egg variety, which can be velvety (but mine isn't).

[TatarsHat]

Hey Suvir,

I think no matter what you decide to buy you will be happy with it! It's just a matter of getting used to the machine whether it be an Atlas, Imperia, or the Kitchen Aid attachment. I swear by my Atlas and make pasta quite frequently. I have the grinding attachment for my Kitchen Aid because I am into making sausages and from the feedback here am sure the pasta attachment would work well also.

Good luck with it!!!

[Suzanne F]

Suvir: Fred Plotkin's The Authentic Pasta Book has wonderful recipes.

[mixmaster b]

I just checked out this Imperia model and popped it into my shopping cart (for a later purchase of course) and saw that is is offering a pasta rack as well. You can by both together for the same price as the pasta machine. Is this rack necessary?

Yes, yes, get the rack. I have one that folds flat for easy storage.

It is very good that you mentioned this--the rack is KEY. It is very helpful to have someplace to put the pasta where it won't stick to itself or to something else.

[Suvir Saran]

Hey Suvir,

I think no matter what you decide to buy you will be happy with it!  It's just a matter of getting used to the machine whether it be an Atlas, Imperia, or the Kitchen Aid attachment.  I swear by my Atlas and make pasta quite frequently.  I have the grinding attachment for my Kitchen Aid because I am into making sausages and from the feedback here am sure the pasta attachment would work well also. 

Good luck with it!!!

Thanks for the encouraging words.

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir: Fred Plotkin's The Authentic Pasta Book has wonderful recipes.

I shall look for it. Thanks Suzanne.

[TatarsHat]

Hey Suvir,

I have a killer pasta recipe... Not for the dough, although it is so basic I think you probably have figured all that out. After my stage in the Uk I was fortunate to take a brief trip to Bologna. Rather than order off the menu I thought it would be nice to have the chef bring out some antipasti of his choice and pasta also. Unforgettable!!!!

One of his pasta dishes was Pappardelle with Porcini and White Truffle Oil.. There was no way I could leave there without the recipe. Through an interpreter I think it's as good as his.

Use what ever pasta you like. I normally use a Penne. Pasta Rags, Bowties, Pappardelle. Whatever. I have only made this so far with good Italian dried pasta and can't imagine what it would be like with fresh... Damn.

Take a giant handful of dried Porcinis and place them in a bowl.. Pour boiling water over to cover and let them rehydrate for 30 minutes. I would suggest straining them through a fine mesh sieve. They can be a bit gritty depending where you buy them.

In the meantime start a large pot of water boiling with salt for the pasta.

2 TBS Butter

3 TBS White Truffle Oil. But you can vary this. I can't get enough!!

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Parmigiano Reggiano to thicken. I just grate it in and watch it..

Melt the butter in a small saute pan, and add the Porcinis. Saute for 5 minutes, add truffle oil.. Add cream and cook to reduce for a few minutes. Add the desired amount of Reggiano.. Taste and adjust seasonings..

Drain your pasta and toss with the sauce. Died and went to heaven!!!

Hope you enjoy it!

BTW... I don't want any compensation for this. ;-))~~

[Stone]

I just checked out this Imperia model and popped it into my shopping cart (for a later purchase of course) and saw that is is offering a pasta rack as well. You can by both together for the same price as the pasta machine. Is this rack necessary?

Yes, yes, get the rack. I have one that folds flat for easy storage.

It is very good that you mentioned this--the rack is KEY. It is very helpful to have someplace to put the pasta where it won't stick to itself or to something else.

good point. I drape the pasta over chairs. not very practical.

[TatarsHat]

Personally I found the racks pretty small when it came to making a bit of pasta and I figure if I am going to go to the trouble, I like to make more. Dependning on your kitchen set-up or chairs etc.. I bought some long dowels from home depot. They work really well and allow plenty of space for the pasta to dry..

[Jonathan Day]

Here is now Giancarlo Caldesi showed me how to make egg pasta, at his restaurant (Caldesi, 15-17 Marylebone Lane W1, 020 7935 9226) in London.

Pasta flour ('tipo 00', 'doppio zero')

Eggs (he imports these from Italy; the yolks are almost red and give the pasta a wonderful colour)

Water

A pinch of salt

Proportions: 500g flour, 4 eggs, perhaps 10-15 ml water. These are approximate.

Make a 'well' with the flour. Add eggs to the 'well'. Use a fork to start incorporating the eggs into the flour; then add a splash of water; incorporate more and more of the flour; knead vigorously. The dough will eventually stop taking on more flour, at which point you know you've gone far enough. A skilled maker will end up with almost no leftover flour or dough bits on the board, because the proportions will be right and the kneading done effectively. The dough bits can't be kneaded back into pasta but they can be boiled up and eaten as a snack...

Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes before rolling.

He uses an electric roller, a huge and expensive machine. It turns very quickly -- the flattened dough flies out of the machine -- and apparently this speed is important for the quality of the pasta. He tends to cut the sheets with a knife rather than the cutting setting of the machine. The rollers of the machine looked like hard rubber rather than the metal you find on home pasta machines.

Where dried pasta has to be watched carefully because it will overcook, egg pasta can be cooked almost indefinitely without losing its texture. He demonstrated this by leaving some in the boiling water bath near the stove; 30 minutes later it was still fine.

The pasta Giancarlo produces is delicious: a firm but smooth texture, a brilliant colour (because of the eggs, I guess) and a flavour that is almost nutty rather than the bland flavour you get with most pasta.

Edited November 23, 2002 by JD (London) (log)

[Suvir Saran]

Hey Suvir,

I have a killer pasta recipe...  Not for the dough, although it is so basic I think you probably have figured all that out.  After my stage in the Uk I was fortunate to take a brief trip to Bologna.  Rather than order off the menu I thought it would be nice to have the chef bring out some antipasti of his choice and pasta also.  Unforgettable!!!!

BTW...  I don't want any compensation for this.  ;-))~~

Thanks for the recipe.

You are far more generous than I.

[schneich]

i own a kitchenaid set and i use it many times a month.

it is sooooo nice to have your hands free and able to

"concentrate" on the dough ;-) especially if you do a pretty

dry/firm dough you need to be carful to avoid folding over and so...

also its very nice since the pasta attachment is pretty "high", so you

have lots of space for handling....

my next photo recipe will feature making filled pasta

cheers

t.

[Mottmott]

OK, I'm going to take advantage of this coven of pasta mavens to pose an embarrassing question.

Does anyone know of a pasta shape that begins with the letter "Q"? Or perhaps a pasta dish name that begins with that letter? Many years ago in the early 60's when Italian meant red sauce to me (or scallopini on a good day), a beau fed me a wonderful dish at an upper east side restaurant. I'd like to identify the dish. My recollection of it plus later knowledge suggests it might have been some small out of the way pasta shape (would small squares have a name?) with a pesto sauce spiked with either minced prosciutto or pancetta. I confess in those days to never having heard of any of these. Unfortunately the beau was even more beautiful than the pasta dish, so I neglected to make notes.

[Katherine]

OK, I'm going to take advantage of this coven of pasta mavens to pose an embarrassing question.

Does anyone know of a pasta shape that begins with the letter "Q"? Or perhaps a pasta dish name that begins with that letter? Many years ago in the early 60's when Italian meant red sauce to me (or scallopini on a good day), a beau fed me a wonderful dish at an upper east side restaurant. I'd like to identify the dish. My recollection of it plus later knowledge suggests it might have been some small out of the way pasta shape (would small squares have a name?) with a pesto sauce spiked with either minced prosciutto or pancetta. I confess in those days to never having heard of any of these. Unfortunately the beau was even more beautiful than the pasta dish, so I neglected to make notes.

Sure, pasta quills.

[slkinsey]

Mottmott, the Italian word for "square" is quadrato.

When one takes tagliatelli (a fresh strand pasta ~1/4 inch wide) and cuts it across the strand to make little squares, the result is a soup pasta called quadrucci. I suppose this shape could be sauced like as normal pasta, but it wouldn't be a traditional use.

[Mottmott]

Thanks, Katherine and Sam. I knew there would be suggestions. My memory of this dish is quite fuzzy, but the pasta was definitely flat, so while it could have been the quadrucci, it was definitely not the quills.

I suspect that it was something like home made quadrucci hand cut at about 1/2" or slightly larger with the irregularity of size that making it by hand would be likely to bring about. When I start making pesto again, I'm going to make some quadrucci even if that's not what I had I'm sure it would come close. I think I'll compromise when I make the pasta: roll out the sheets on the machine, but hand cut them into the quadrucci.

But speaking of quills, has anyone here ever hand rolled them? I saw it done on one of the TV shows. Talk about labor intensive.

[Katherine]

But speaking of quills, has anyone here ever hand rolled them? I saw it done on one of the TV shows.  Talk about labor intensive.

Several times (though not lately) I made fusilli al ferro, which are small pieces of pasta dough wrapped around a piece of metal like a #2 double-pointed knitting needle (which is actually what I used), and rolled into tube shapes (easier done than said). The tube is somewhat larger than the metal piece, and releases easily. Depending on how large the dough piece is, the resulting tube can be rather long. I believed I stuffed them with a pastry bag once. It's a fun pasta to eat, and as far as hand-shaped pastas go (big caveat here: definitely slow food), not all that time-consuming to make.

Which means that you can make enough to feed two before you get bored, but a party of eight is totally out of the question.

Now if you want time consuming, try trofie.