Pasta Maker

Regrets I've had and now want to remedy. As we downsized and I worked I gave up a lot of my kitchen equipment. The kids got a lot, some I sold at a garage sale, some I just gave away or threw away. Now I'm retired and back to cooking and baking again. I got a 6 quart professional KitchenAid stand mixer a year ago and have been baking up a storm including bread. Got the grinder as a special for purchasing the machine and am now making chopped liver again. But what I want to do again is make pasta.

When I was cooking before I had the Atlas pasta machine. KitchenAid did not make one. Now on my wish list for Hanukah and agreed to by hubby is a pasta maker but don't know which to choose. The Atlas or the KitchenAid. Please help.
Paulette

Hi,

On general principle, my preferred pasta maker rolls the dough between rollers rather than extrudes. I have the type you bolt onto the counter and roll. I was at a tortellini making party a few years ago. The Italian Grandmother had an electric attachment to her roller that moved the wheels for her at any speed she set it for. I was advised they were not easily obtained. My use is so little, I am not exactly searching for it either.

At the Highwood resale shop a few years ago, I bought a second pasta roller that clearly had been someone's favored machine. I bought it because the gear mechanism moved much more smoothly than my current one plus the price was less than $10.

Recently I made noodles for Turkey Tetrazinni entirely by rolling it out on counter and cutting with a pizza cutter. A far more chewier product due to thickness than when made via my roller.

Regards,

If you already have the kitchen-aid stand mixer, it seems like a no brainer to get the pasta attachment - if for no other reason than it won't take up much extra room. I've had it for a couple of years now, and it's terrific.

Assuming you are talking about pasta rollers, not extruders. I have owned both the Atlas and the KitchenAid rollers. I highly prefer and recommend the Kitchenaid rollers if the price difference is not an issue. The reason is simple - the fact that the rollers move automatically frees up both hands to handle the pasta feeding in and feeding out. With the Atlas, I was always having problems on one end or the other.

Thanks all. I am talking about rollers and not extruders. I like the idea that the kitchen aid takes up less space. I think both are priced about the same on Amazon.com. Also my understanding you can use the meat grinder as an extruder. Haven't tried it.
Paulette

Can you get Kitchen Aid rollers without extruders? What I own is the 3 peice roller set, which includes the roller, and fettucine and linguine attachments.

Its the three piece roller set I'm looking at. Isn't that similar to the Atlass pieces. My understanding the extruder is the grinder. Do you need to use both. Or do I do like I did years ago with my Atlas. I used to make the dough in my Cuisinart and then use the Atlas to roll it out and cut it.
Paulette

The rollers are a three piece set that I also own and love. You don't need any of the other accessories to use them. They fit right into that accessory slot on the front of the mixer.

I suppose you could use the grinder attachment as a pasta extruder, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. The home machines that are designed for that purpose do a truly terrible job, to say nothing of a piece that wasn't even designed for it. Best to leave extruded pasta to factories.

Its the three piece roller set I'm looking at. Isn't that similar to the Atlass pieces. My understanding the extruder is the grinder. Do you need to use both. Or do I do like I did years ago with my Atlas. I used to make the dough in my Cuisinart and then use the Atlas to roll it out and cut it.

The extruder is like the meat grinder with a special plate to make shapes like macaroni or round pasta. You don't need it for flat pasta like fettucine or ravioli.

Once you have the KitchenAid grinder, the pasta extruder kit isn't that expensive. (Currently $22.80 on Amazon). Even though I got it early this year, I have yet to try it, but the reviews on Amazon are decidedly mixed, to be kind. I'll let you know if I do try it. I use my Atlas whenever I feel like messing up the kitchen with lots of flour, but obviously it won't do macaroni.

Did you know you can get a motor drive for the Atlas type pasta maker? I got the drive unit from Sur la Table and it works quite well as it frees up my hands to handle the pasta.

I received the grinder/pasta extruder for the KA many years ago. I don't love the pasta, somehow the machine seems too warm and the noodles that extrude don't have any real character (or shape LOL). Can't recommend that one anyway.

I can tell you the first time I used it I inadvertently used one of the grinder blades by mistake, it was some crazy looking noodles until I realized they reminded me exactly of spaetzles.

(FGA) There is the KitchenAid Food Grinder




To that you can add

(SNPA) KitchenAid Pasta Maker Plates to use with the FGA





Or get them together, which is listed as:

(SNFGA) KitchenAid Pasta Maker

Features:
Food Grinder Plus Plates for thick or thin spaghetti, flat noodles, macaroni and lasagna.






In the roller department, there is:

(KFETPRA) KitchenAid Pasta Roller/Cutter Set


The 2 Piece, all metal set, includes:

* Pasta Roller
* Fettuccine Cutter






Then there is also:
(KPRA) KitchenAid Pasta Roller and Cutter Set

The 3 Piece, all metal set, includes:

* Pasta Roller
* Fettuccine Cutter
* Spaghetti Cutter




Actually there is a whole bunch more at :

http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/product_list.asp?SKW=6QTACC&HDR=attachments

The important thing is to have the right code such as KPRA, so your comparing apples to apples when your shopping.