For years, I've been thinking about getting a pasta maker. My wife just brought up the possibility of some homemade noodles, and that got me thinking about it again. I'd really like to get a hand-cranked version. Any recommendations?
Pasta Maker?
- Thread starter The Nid Hog
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I have a pasta maker back home in Sweden. I think it's a Marcato that I got from my mother many years ago. I think I've only used it a handful of times as it turned out to be a ton of work. Quite frankly, I didn't think it was worth the effort. But if you have time and want to try it, it's fun for at least a couple of times 
Imperia,ours is 30 yrs old and works like new.
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We also have an Imperia and it's a great device. Very inexpensive too IIRC.
I got one that I paid around $30 AUD. Not the best but it does what it has to do. I can make lasagna sheets and linguini, that's fairly easy. The spaghetti cutter doesn't cut well now so I stopped using it...
I usually make egg pasta - for one person:
~1 cup of tipo 00 flour
1 egg
Mix together but don't overmix otherwise it will be tough.
Keep an eye on that pasta while it cooks, it takes 2-3 mins top...
I usually make egg pasta - for one person:
~1 cup of tipo 00 flour
1 egg
Mix together but don't overmix otherwise it will be tough.
Keep an eye on that pasta while it cooks, it takes 2-3 mins top...
Love my Imperia !
For the people that actually use it, do you follow the instruction (at least this is what my instructions said) and first roll the dough into sheets, let it dry and then cut it to whatever shape you'd like and then let it dry again?
Last time I did it I remembered having drying pasta on baking towels all over the kitchen
Would love to hear if there are easier or less messy ways of doing it? Btw, I typically use 1 egg per dl of flour.
Last time I did it I remembered having drying pasta on baking towels all over the kitchen
Would love to hear if there are easier or less messy ways of doing it? Btw, I typically use 1 egg per dl of flour.
The Lidia Bastianich way:
Food processor
Measuring cups
(If available) Pasta machine
Pasta blade setting for machine
Measuring spoons
(If available) Pasta rack
Now we have our small list of ingredients, and let me just say in these hard economic times it is best to save as much money as we can and the cost of pasta is somewhat expensive and sometimes you don't always get what you pay for. This recipe makes 1 lb of pasta and it is a very versatile recipe Ill be using it through out my blogs on things like ravioli and lasagna so keep your eyes out and save the link to this blog to always refer back to it.
Dry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
Wet:
2 large whole eggs
1/2 cup olive oil (I use Colavita 100% pure)
3 tablespoons water
First place the flours directly into the bowl of the processor, fitted with the steel sharp blade. Process the flours to let some air flow through it. Next using a liquid measuring cup drop the eggs in and using a fork break them up then adding oil and water add them in and process for about a 1 minute and a half or until everything comes together. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough till it is smooth, soft and stretchy. Then wrap and rest the dough at room temperature for a 1/2 hour.
To roll out your dough using the pasta machine, make sure your rested dough is cut into four equal pieces. If you don't have a pasta rack have two sheet pans sprinkled with flour nearby. Set the knob to the pasta machine to the widest setting, you'll be using this setting for a little while. With your first piece of dough shape it by hand into a circle or rectangle and fold in half and roll it through the machine two times. It may break or have tears DO NOT WORRY! Just fold again and roll it through the wide setting about 6 more times. This will strengthen the dough and make it easier to work with. Then lay it on the pan sprinkled with flour and sprinkle the top with more flour then cover with a towel. Repeat the same way with the 3 other remaining pieces of dough. Now set the machine to the next narrower setting and run the dough through. This will lengthen and stretch the dough. Then either set it to the next setting or skip to the third. Lidia says she usually goes every other setting. Do not push or pull the dough otherwise it will tear and at this point you do not want to over roll it. Make sure you catch each piece with your hand and if the dough sticks to the rollers sprinkle a little flour. Once you get to the 5th setting cut the strips in half otherwise it will be harder to handle. Now you are ready to roll the strips through the pasta blades. Attach the pasta blade setting to your machine and insert the handle into the hole. Carefully roll the strips through the blades and if nervous use the handle of a wooden spoon to catch each strand. Lay them in a small pile sprinkled with flour until ready to place in a pot to boil and then your done.
Food processor
Measuring cups
(If available) Pasta machine
Pasta blade setting for machine
Measuring spoons
(If available) Pasta rack
Now we have our small list of ingredients, and let me just say in these hard economic times it is best to save as much money as we can and the cost of pasta is somewhat expensive and sometimes you don't always get what you pay for. This recipe makes 1 lb of pasta and it is a very versatile recipe Ill be using it through out my blogs on things like ravioli and lasagna so keep your eyes out and save the link to this blog to always refer back to it.
Dry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
Wet:
2 large whole eggs
1/2 cup olive oil (I use Colavita 100% pure)
3 tablespoons water
First place the flours directly into the bowl of the processor, fitted with the steel sharp blade. Process the flours to let some air flow through it. Next using a liquid measuring cup drop the eggs in and using a fork break them up then adding oil and water add them in and process for about a 1 minute and a half or until everything comes together. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough till it is smooth, soft and stretchy. Then wrap and rest the dough at room temperature for a 1/2 hour.
To roll out your dough using the pasta machine, make sure your rested dough is cut into four equal pieces. If you don't have a pasta rack have two sheet pans sprinkled with flour nearby. Set the knob to the pasta machine to the widest setting, you'll be using this setting for a little while. With your first piece of dough shape it by hand into a circle or rectangle and fold in half and roll it through the machine two times. It may break or have tears DO NOT WORRY! Just fold again and roll it through the wide setting about 6 more times. This will strengthen the dough and make it easier to work with. Then lay it on the pan sprinkled with flour and sprinkle the top with more flour then cover with a towel. Repeat the same way with the 3 other remaining pieces of dough. Now set the machine to the next narrower setting and run the dough through. This will lengthen and stretch the dough. Then either set it to the next setting or skip to the third. Lidia says she usually goes every other setting. Do not push or pull the dough otherwise it will tear and at this point you do not want to over roll it. Make sure you catch each piece with your hand and if the dough sticks to the rollers sprinkle a little flour. Once you get to the 5th setting cut the strips in half otherwise it will be harder to handle. Now you are ready to roll the strips through the pasta blades. Attach the pasta blade setting to your machine and insert the handle into the hole. Carefully roll the strips through the blades and if nervous use the handle of a wooden spoon to catch each strand. Lay them in a small pile sprinkled with flour until ready to place in a pot to boil and then your done.
I use the attachemnt on my Kitchen Aid.
Making the dough is easy. For about a pound of pasta:
Make a mound of about 3 cups of flour. Make a well in the center. Drop and egg into the well, and start incorporating flour from the inside with the egg. Do this with 3 more eggs for 4 total. You will end up with a messy dough. Start working that on a board and knead for ~3 minutes. Rest for 20 min, then roll through the machine. I cut mine straight away and put them into boiling water. You can pile them on a sheet pan if you want to dry for a little, but its not really that important.
This can be used for any pasta. Noodles, ravioli, Orecchiette etc. Pretty much any of the fresh non extruded varieties.
Making the dough is easy. For about a pound of pasta:
Make a mound of about 3 cups of flour. Make a well in the center. Drop and egg into the well, and start incorporating flour from the inside with the egg. Do this with 3 more eggs for 4 total. You will end up with a messy dough. Start working that on a board and knead for ~3 minutes. Rest for 20 min, then roll through the machine. I cut mine straight away and put them into boiling water. You can pile them on a sheet pan if you want to dry for a little, but its not really that important.
This can be used for any pasta. Noodles, ravioli, Orecchiette etc. Pretty much any of the fresh non extruded varieties.
I have a cheap hand cranked one. I used the recipes that came with the machine and they were quite good. Haven't used it in a while though because it's time consuming and messy, plus you have pasta hanging around drying all over the place. Dried pasta is so cheap that most of the time I don't bother making my own. Still a fun thing to do every now and then though, especially the specialty recipes that use ingredients like squid ink or spinach to make multi-colored pasta. My machine can only do flat noodles and I have had the most success with fettuccine. I also made my own ravioli from scratch, which was awesome.
Unless you are trying to save pasta for cooking later, you don't need to dry it. The pasta you make at home is considered "fresh pasta". You cook it as soon as you are done cutting it. Since its not dried, cooking time is usually 3-5 min, or until it floats.
For the people that actually use it, do you follow the instruction (at least this is what my instructions said) and first roll the dough into sheets, let it dry and then cut it to whatever shape you'd like and then let it dry again?
Last time I did it I remembered having drying pasta on baking towels all over the kitchen
Would love to hear if there are easier or less messy ways of doing it? Btw, I typically use 1 egg per dl of flour.
I don't dry my pasta anymore... I did at first but now, I make it, roll/cut it and cook it pretty much right away.
I couldn't possibly remember how much pasta I made in the restaurant. LOTS. Oodles of noodles to say the least.
We had a commercial machine to do make with, which included dies for the various kinds of noodles we sold. The recipe included semolina flour, eggs, and water. As the pasta pressed through the die, it was broken off into 10 inch lengths, folded over once and laid on sheet trays. Then it was stored in the cooler to dry, being a fresh egg product.
Cooking it was a bit non traditional because it was a two stage process. We would precook it to aldente and then portion it into baggies, which were put back into the cooler. When served, the pasta was dumped out of the baggie into boiling water (we used no oil at any time in making pasta) to heat up and then served. Customers loved it. They would take the plate of pasta over to the Pasta Bar to top it with whatever sauces, cheeses, and other things that they liked.
We had a commercial machine to do make with, which included dies for the various kinds of noodles we sold. The recipe included semolina flour, eggs, and water. As the pasta pressed through the die, it was broken off into 10 inch lengths, folded over once and laid on sheet trays. Then it was stored in the cooler to dry, being a fresh egg product.
Cooking it was a bit non traditional because it was a two stage process. We would precook it to aldente and then portion it into baggies, which were put back into the cooler. When served, the pasta was dumped out of the baggie into boiling water (we used no oil at any time in making pasta) to heat up and then served. Customers loved it. They would take the plate of pasta over to the Pasta Bar to top it with whatever sauces, cheeses, and other things that they liked.
For the people that actually use it, do you follow the instruction (at least this is what my instructions said) and first roll the dough into sheets, let it dry and then cut it to whatever shape you'd like and then let it dry again?
Last time I did it I remembered having drying pasta on baking towels all over the kitchen
Would love to hear if there are easier or less messy ways of doing it? Btw, I typically use 1 egg per dl of flour.
I make linguine noodles I tend to twirl them into nests on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen I put them into serving size baggies and put them back in the freezer.
+1 for the kitchen aid pasta roller attachment. It works really well. You don't need another person to crank the machine and handle the pasta dough.
I've been making pasta (and pizza dough) all my life in my role as pastry (not Italian) chef. In the big 5* hotels, it falls under the responsibility of the pastry dept as pasta is considered a dough. My advice is find a local artissan style bakery and buy it. trust me, the complications due to the water, the flour, the ph value and so on it just are not worth it. I know you want to say that you can make your own pasta but lets face it...what tastes better, the pasta or the meat balls (that you can make at home) that go with it..?
I would tend to agree with you for the general public.
This group of obsessive compulsive engineers and Phd's that roll through the virtual doors of B&B are the exception. One of our Senior characters once said "it is not enough if its good enough for 97 % of the population, we obsess about the last 3%".
I have seen posted 100lb sacks of specialty flour, yeast from far flung corners of the world, and leveling agents that a Dow chemist, (wait, he is a Dow chemist) would be proud of. I have seen at least one Hobart mixer in a home kitchen here.
I know some dishes I make are not as good as a professional and other cannot be had at any restaurant no mater what.
At the end of the day men need to chase something, kill it and bring it home to eat it, Sometimes a premo pizza dough fits the bill.
The way I've heard it is to make any kind of egg pasta fresh at home but buy the non egg types.
Thatas my impression too. Any of the dry and or extruded pastas aren't worth it to make at home. Italians have been making fresh egg pastas in the home for hundreds of years. Can't be that hard to figure out.
Last Year, I got my wife a Cucina Pro Pasta Maker with multiple pasta maker attachments...I believe this Cucina Pro is the same as the Imperia, or made by the same company.
Roller to flatten the dough
Spaghetti
Angel Hair
Lasagna Noodles
Fettechini noodles
Mini Ravioli (We can't quite figure this one out though - but we think it's possible that it isn't meant to use a meat mixture that we were trying)
It comes with a hand-crank unit to roll it out; however I was also able to get an optional motor that can hook up as well if making a larger batch.
http://www.cookware.com/CucinaPro-S178-CAP1052.html
Roller to flatten the dough
Spaghetti
Angel Hair
Lasagna Noodles
Fettechini noodles
Mini Ravioli (We can't quite figure this one out though - but we think it's possible that it isn't meant to use a meat mixture that we were trying)
It comes with a hand-crank unit to roll it out; however I was also able to get an optional motor that can hook up as well if making a larger batch.
http://www.cookware.com/CucinaPro-S178-CAP1052.html
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