Let's talk about pasta machines...

E

evan

Well-known member
I and DH had dinner with fresh pasta last weekend at a friends house, and we loved it so much we have decided to invest in amachine.

I just have a few questions:

Is there a particular brand that is better than others?

Is there anything I need to look out for?

And do I buy one with a motor, or do I settle for one that operates on muscle power?

 
Eva, I have both the Atlas manual machine and the KitchenAid attachments. I use the attachments most

of the time because they're motorized. The manual was okay before I got the attachments but it's much slower--best for smaller amounts. It doesn't take muscle power--it's just tedious.

Before I had either I had a cheap imitation that looked like an Atlas but wasn't. It was lightweight and the parts kept popping out under pressure.

So I recommend an Atlas, with a motor.

 
Ditto...I love my Atlas but we use the KA attachement more often.

I even use it for crackers and fondant rolling.

 
And Ditto here- I have both and usually use the Atlas. I don't have the motor.

Like desertjean I use mine for much more than pasta. I roll out strips of pizza dough, crackers, Naan bread, pita bread, strips of bread dough that I twisted into bread sticks, etc.

Oh yes- and pasta. I make pasta with it. My Atlas is about 30 years old and I would not give it up for anything.

 
I had to give my Atlas awy to son when we remodeled our kitchen as it didn't

fit our stone counter tops. ( actually, easy fix would have been a bigger C-clamp) So I got the attachment to my KA. Nice because one person can do it. Then I wanted try out a ravioli attachment. I didn't want to buy the KA one cause it didn't get good reviews. So my MIL gave me her old Atlas with the rav attachment and I did find a place to attach it on my counter. So I roll the big strips with my KA attachment and then use the hand crank Atlas to make and fill the raviolis without having to change out the Atlas attachment.

 
Curiosly, I've noticed in Italy that even if people have a KA or similar, they'll use a motorized

Atlas, assuming they don't roll and cut by hand, which many do.

(And I know it's spelled "curiously.")

 
I have a 30 yr old Atlas too -- with the motor, and I love it! Never thought to get the attachment

for my KA, because it works so well!

 
Speaking from very little experience, I know Atlas is a pretty good one. And

I think I'd go for a hand-crank one until you see how often you use it. You can always add a motor, I think.

As for mine, I bought it at a consignment shop around Christmas time. I opened up the box when I got it home and found it didn't have a handle! THAT is one thing to be sure and get. Someday I'll get a repacement handle, but it will be 2x the price I paid for the pastamaker! :eek:O

 
KA is nice, since it leaves you with two hands to hold the dough coming out of the machine....

With the hand crank, you have one hand to crank, and one to hold the pasta. So much easier with tow hands.

 
I have an Atlas hand crank...not much work, I control the speed....

I control the amount of pasta that feeds through, so one hand isn't a problem. Now, I wouldn't MIND having the KA attachment, but...one thing at a time!

 
I've had my hand cranked Atlas for over forty years and love it. It's easy to use and to control.

 
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