Electric Pasta Machine for Gumpaste

[Deborah]

This year I've started working with gumpaste and have decided that making flowers/bows etc would be much easier with an electric pasta machine to roll out the gumpaste evenly and thinly.

So here are my questions. I have a KA mixer should I just get the attachment? How well does it work? If you have it, what do you like or dislike about it.

Or should I get the counter top pasta machine with the motor attachment. What brand do you have? Again what do you like or dislike?

Finally, if you had to do it all over again would you buy one over the other.

Thanks!

[JeanneCake]

I like the pasta machine, and use it myself (I don't have the attachment for the mixer. The pasta machine can be clamped to the worktable when I am doing gum paste work so it isn't taking up space all the time.). I wish I had the motor because having both hands free makes it much easier to manage doing longer pieces for ribbons and you don't get that little line mark for when you stopped ever so briefly when using the hand crank! (for flowers, smaller pieces work best because when the gum paste is rolled that thinly, it dries very very quickly).

You need to be religious about thorough cleaning regardless of which way you go; there's nothing worse than trying to clean a forgotten piece of gum paste from the rollers! Keep it wrapped in a plastic bag between uses (the machine, that is!) to keep the dust/dirt out.

[chefpeon]

I've always rolled my gumpaste by hand....and here's why.

Gumpaste dries out FAST. Even when you keep it covered. I only want to roll out a little at a time so that it doesn't dry as I'm working my flowers. When it starts to crust even slightly, you end up getting rough looking edges on petals and leaves.

I've always considered machines for when I'm doing stuff in volume. Certainly makes the job easier. If I'm only doing a little bit, then the machine isn't worth the expense. But then, as everybody on here knows by now, I'm cheap.

I've got a KA with the pasta maker attachment. The drawback to that is that none of the plates extrude anything very wide. Great for ribbons and bows I guess. But not good for certain flowers.....like orchids for instance. Also, in the KA manual (and from experience), when you make pasta with it, the pasta dough has to be a lot on the dry side. If it's just a tad gummy, it doesn't extrude very well. So I wonder about gumpaste.....it may be too gummy for the KA.

But I've never tried it......it's just a guess on my part.

I actually think a little hand crank pasta machine would be great for a lot of gumpaste work. I know Colette Peters recommends it. Cheaper than electric too.

Just remember.....roll out a little at a time.

[K8memphis]

Isn't it fascinating how we all get from point a to point b so uniquely???

Wull, I roll out my gum paste by hand mostly when I'm making flowers. I like to roll out a lot though, cut out as many petals as I can and remove the excess. I do use a fast drying kind and before glad press & seal, I just ran a light swipe of shortening around what I had rolled out and this secured the piece of plastic wrap covering it. This keeps it from crusting up for me. I would also brush the plastic wrap with shortening too. Just grab out a petal at a time & re-seal.

I have an Atlas Marcato crank pasta machine - I roll more fondant through it than gum paste. Mine has enough clearance under it that I can run my product up and down my arm if it's something long. Fortunately, mine doesn't leave a mark if I stop in the middle of a crank. It makes great wads of strings too and strips.

I might get a motor for it but the hand crank works fine. If I got very busy, I'd try a motor.

In addition, what I've learned the hard way of course about an extruder as opposed to a roller is that gum paste/fondant doesn't work itself through very well. It blobs up, gets hot, and is not a good substance to go through an extruder because it stretches. It does of course go through the pasta rollers ok though.

This pasta machine was my little Mom's peirogi maker too so sentimental favorite besides everything else, sniff.

[bkeith]

Actually, I bet Deborah is talking about the KA pasta roller attachment, not the extruder.

I've used one belonging to someone else, and it works great. I've got a standard pasta roller with the motor attachment, and I use it all the time. If I didn't already own that, I'd probably invest in the KA attachment, mostly because of noise. My KA motor is pretty quiet, especially on low speed. The pasta machine motor attachment sure makes its presence known, though.

If I'm doing just a couple flowers, I don't bother getting it out and just roll by hand. But if I've got a bunch to do, it's very handy indeed.

One note to make use/cleaning easier. Lay a couple wooden skewers down and place your gum paste between them. Give a quick roll to flatten the paste to the width of the skewers before sending it through the pasta machine. If you start with a piece that thin, it's much less likely to deposit bits on the underside of the rollers, so you end up cleaning it much less often to remove the dried bits that tear up your paste.

[Wendy DeBord]

Add me to the list of people that roll it out by hand. I roll it between two silpats.

[Deborah]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate all the great tips on rolling, cleaning and storage. I think I may be leaning towards the KA roller attachment just because of counter top space issues in my kitchen.

Thanks again!

[joshalow]

I have the KA attachment for pasta and use that all the time for all of my gumpaste items, except when I'm just doing one or two small pieces. It's one handy piece of equipment! I used the fettucine roller to for gumpaste.

I do roll out my gumpaste first by hand, so it's not too thick before putting it through the KA pasta machine. This helps to keep it from sticking. I usually end up with a really long piece, which I then cut in half and place half under a plastic film (a plastic folder) to keep it from drying it out while I'm cutting pieces from the other half. I then put my cut pieces under the plastic again to keep them from drying out while not in use. (I've forgotten a piece or two in the folder and have found them a couple of hours later and they have still been moist enough to work with).

What I like best of my KA pasta attachment is that I have two hands to work with/hold my gumpaste while putting it through the pasta machine, instead of having to crank the handle on a manual one. If working on loads of gumpaste items, I move my KA mixer to the table and it's within hand's reach. It's, hopefully, helping to save my wrists from carple tunnel s. (or so I hope )

Sharon

Sharon's Creative Cakes

[Deborah]

Thanks Sharon I appreciate your input. It would be nice to have both hands free to feed and capture the gumpaste as it's being rolled through. It looks so much easier to do that way.

[simdelish]

I can't imagine life without my Atlas, and the motor with it. Although I am not using it now nearly as much as I did in my heyday of wedding cakes, it is invaluable... if you are doing ribbons, bows, lace pieces, strings or large volume production of flowers. You cannot imagine the time saved until you use it. You get really fast at changing the number (thinness) while you are loading, and it all becomes a blur going from a lump to a paperthin sheer piece in seconds. It doesn't really take up that much room on the counter either. Mine sits parttime on a shelf right above the counter where I roll out, covered, so all I do it pull it down for use. I have 2 KA 5 qts, and they are usually occupied with other tasks, so I wouldn't want to take over my prep area with gumpaste work (even if I didn't have an assistant). I don't know what the price differential is, but I like having a separate machine dedicated to my gumpaste/fondant pieces... keeps cleanup worries to a minimum.

I have heard good things about the KA attachment tho. You just need to think about how you work, and what would work best in your kitchen.

Funny, I even got another Atlas to use for pasta... so my gumpaste isn't "tainted"

and yes K8... isn't Press and seal the BOMB for gumpaste work? It makes doing large pieces/ribbons ever so much easier! (and still easier for little stuff too!)

Edited November 18, 2004 by simdelish (log)