I have never make fresh pasta and think it’s time to start. Looking at the machines online, kitchen shops, Amazon etc, they all look more or less to me, some includes the ravioli features… price varies a lot.
There are a number of masters in fresh pasta in Hungry Onion, can you throw some light what are key features to look for when buying one? Things to avoid? Thanks a lot!
Marcella Hazan did not like any of the electric pasta makers, but she did “allow” the hand cranked model. If you get one, you can never wash it, so the first pasta you put through it has to be discarded. And you always have to keep the pasta away from the sides when it’s going through or else you can get some machine oil on it. But it does a good job of kneading the flat sheets and cutting them into tagliatelle.
I’ve had my Atlas for a long long time. But I agree most of the brands seem the same. I’m amazed how expensive they have become.
I wouldn’t get an electric one unless you really know you’ll make a lot of pasta. The cranking isn’t that hard.
If you have a kitchen aid, I love my roller attachments.
I wouldn’t focus on attachments other than the cutters. I’ve never been able to get my ravioli attachment to work well and I never use it.
Don’t forget you can roll pasta out by hand. It isn’t that hard. And if you’re just seeing if you like making pasta, it is a viable option to try before buying a machine.
I would also recommend just double checking your kitchen cabinets to make sure you have a good spot to clamp the machine onto. The “suction” models have never held well when I’ve used others machines and all the others use a c-clamp. The size of that c-clamp can vary among makers. Really small ones or cabinets with a very small overhang can make holding the machine down difficult.
I agree that the size of the c-clamp and the place that you have to attach it are important considerations.
Hey!
I “just” started to make pasta! I had a “Remy Olivier” pasta machine that I received as a gift (its a stokes brand name) and it broke on the second try. I bought a lagostina that I paid a bit more (the remy olivier was about 36$, the lagostina 60… most regular pasta machines were between 40 and 60).
Its wayyy easier than I thought. My god if I just knew I’d have a started earlier. No need for ravioli accessories I just use a melon baller to portion the fillings.
A couple of videos that helped me:
I use Gennaro’s 150g of 00 flour, 50g of semolina and 2 whole eggs approach. Unlike him, I initially use 3/4 of the flour mix and I add more flour bit by bit until the dough is no longer sticky. Depending on humidity and eggs, the amount of flour the dough needs will vary. You know its ready when the dough springs back when poked with a finger. I let it rest 30 minutes at room temp after:
For the shapes, I also use Gennaro’s tips:
I initially used italian saussage, onions, ricotta and parmesan for my fillings and finished my ravioli in brown butter. Worked very well!
I have never had a machine to make pasta. I always make the dough, let it rest, divide, and roll by hand. It really is not that hard to roll out. If I’m doing a long noodle I just roll out a very thin large circle, then I roll that up into a “log” which is then easy to cut into whatever width noodle you want. Ravioli is easy too, if you roll more of a strip, a bit thicker than for long noodles, plop on filling of choice, fold over the dough, press with your hands, and cut with a knife.
I have used Lidia’s recipe successfully many times. From memory, it’s three cups flour, three eggs, three yolks, 4 TBS evoo, and ice water. The dough takes seconds to make in the food processor. After it rests for 30 mins to an hour, I divide and freeze what won’t be used immediately. Made fettuccine last night (see WFD thread for photo) and have 2/3rds of the dough recipe in the freezer for a later date.
