Pasta machine

[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

I still haven't made up my mind if I should go electric but I like the idea simply for convenience sake. I'll be in Italy next week so will probably return home inspired to make truck-loads of pasta.

Will pop out at lunch time today and see what is available at K-Mart and the kitchen shops. I have seen cheapo pasta makers for around $20 so it may be worth just getting one of those to tide me over while I am thinking about the electric ones.

===
By defend do you mean discussing the examiner's thesis reports? Just got together with my supervisor and he suggested what changes I should make. One report was glowing and passed with spelling changes only, and the other passed with 6 minor changes suggested. Took a day or two to change then it was signed off. It's currently at the print shop being bound. Faculty thesis committee to sign off, then goes to university council for sign off and that's it. Is that the same over your way? Ha secret handshake - yes indeed ... it is DEFINITELY a secret society.

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

To be honest, I usually roll by hand unless I need really uniform pasta sheets for lasagna. I've been trying to master the long rolling pin style, as in this video, but haven't had too much luck. I think it's like those damn baguettes - practice, practice :-)

Pasta Rolling (YouTube)

Two things in this vid: 1) I love how unconcerned she is about using a small space where the dough eventually just flops over the edge of the table. There's a lesson in there, I think. 2) The use of the table cloth. It seems to give her some flexibility to move the dough around the table. Maybe some wicking action too, to dry the dough a bit? Or perhaps just a way to prevent it from sticking to the table without using too much flour.

[texassourdough]

Re: Pasta machine

The KA set is a lot cheaper than that in the US. I have them (birthday present) and they work pretty well. The big advantage of a motor powered set is that you have both hands free to work with the dough.

As an aside, when I took a pasta class with a chef of Italian heritage he made his pasta dough much stiffer than any I had ever made and that did a lot to solve some of the handling problems and issues. Wish we had toucharama so you could feel the dough!

Jay

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

I've never used a motorized one before, but know they can be loud. I never had a problem hand cranking. I just let it pile up under the machine and then quickly grab it and spread it out. If it is clumping and sticking together, it is probably too wet or you did not have enough flour before it went in. I di tend to keep my dough on the drier side.

Yeah, I should look into a heavy board. We have a stone smith in town. I bet I could find a chunk of marble or granite there. He has lots of bit and pieces leftover from counter installs.


BTW, did you defend yet? We'll have to teach you the secret handshake soon :-)

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[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

Well the 2nd machine has been returned and now I am machine-less. Wondering if I should get the KA - 3 x set which looks superb quality but sells for a monsterous $300, or the electric version of the crank-handle model that's made in Italy.

Any suggestions on a suitable model to buy. I think the motorised ones are far better as you can use two hands on the feeding process and don't need to bother about turning the handle.

PS - I clamped my previous makers to the granite board which protrudes over the edge of the kitchen counter top. The board is very heavy so doesn't wander around very much at all...

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

This is similar to what I use. It does cut the strands. Sorry to hear you are having trouble with them, though. My biggest beef with them is getting the base to firmly clamp down. My counters over the years never seem to be quite right :-)

[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

Yes indeed ... pasta machine ;-)

I did some looking on YouTube and saw a couple of pasta machines in action and saw how they should be operating. I will be returning the machine today and may upgrade to a better quality one. I like to use good quality equipment and don't like being let down in the middle of a baking session.

This is the one I currently have, which will be returned today:

Baccarat Pasta Machine - 180mm

It's the second one I have got of that brand - first one had rough gearing and was returned.

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

I assume you mean pasta rolling machine :-) The cutter attachments on my machine (linguine and spaghetti) will actually cut and separate the strands. The only time they wouldn't is if the dough was really wet, but that would be a mess anyway. Can you post a picture of the cutter attachment?

(Your recipe sounds good too!)

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[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine - quick Question

I was just wondering if the cutter attached to the pizza roller machine should actually cut the pasta into separate strips.

My machine kind of scores the pasta which requires you to manually separate each strand before drying/cooking.

Is this normal or should the machine separate each piece?

Thanks

[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

Bought a pasta machine last week and made a batch of dough yesterday (left overnight in the fridge) and it was absolutely amazing. The recipe I found (see link below) was 1/2 semolina and 1/2 bread flour plus some water. Intial problem experienced was that the dough was full of holes when rolling. I let the dough rest for a while and made sure it was pretty to flat to start with (rolling pin) and off I went. Made a super simple creamy, mushroom and ham sauce to go with it. Grated parmesan on top. Making another lot for lunch today.

Pasta recipe (kitchenaid): Perfect Homemade Pasta or Spaghetti for Kitchenaid Mixers - 288125 - Recipezaar

Quick sauce:

• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 25g butter
• 40g button mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 slice Parma ham, cute into fine strips
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 5 tbsp double cream
• 25g freshly grated Paramesan cheese

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the strips of ham and nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Drain the pasta and stir in the sauce and Paramesan coating the pasta evenly.

http://everything2.com/title/Fettuccine in creamy ham and mushroom sauce

[gdest]

Re: Pasta machine

Ok I might not be able to help you with your building abilities but I sure can help you with your pasta!
One of the most important things to know about fresh pasta is that the more you make it the better your feel for how it should be. Just a little comment about your receipe I add some olive oil about a tablespoon full.
1. Now for the making of the pasta.
When you start rolling out the pasta into sheets, what I do for most of my pastas is to run it thru the initial setting (#1) a number of times until the pasta stops tearing and is holding together. Sometimes this may force you to run it thru 6-12 times. If the pasta feels to wet just sprinke a little flour over the sheet before each time you fold over the pasta and run it thru again.

2. When you are ready to go to a thinner setting just go one number at a time. Again you may have to run the pasta thru this setting a number of times, however not nearly as many times as the initial setting. You will also start folding and forming your pasta into the width that you will want to work with.

3. Once to get the pasta to the thickness you want, set it aside for a few minitues and let it dry a bit. Then run it thru the cutters.
3a. For angel hair I run it down to the #6 setting for Linguine I go to #5 and for ravioli and other sheet pastas I only go to #4 or #5.

4. As for cutting the pasta, once it is dried enough then send it thru the cutters, however I have found that I can cut the pasta much easier using my knives and or a cutting roller. If you want to use a knife, again dry the pasta and LOOSELY roll it up and cut it to the width you want with a SHARP knife.

5. Store the fresh pasta into nests sprinkled liberally with flour to keep the pasta from sticking together. You can feeze fresh pasta very easily.

Just for your information I like to use 1/2 semolina and 1/2 AP flour when I make my dough. If you use all semolina then the dough is VERY difficult to knead.

[gillyronald]

Re: Pasta machine

I have a Marcato Atlas 150 which only problem is the clamp that was easily substituted with a quick action g-clamp to fit more tables/benches.

I've use my Marcato and many others that were at cooking school which have been abused been times over many years and no real problems with the handles coming loose under normal working conditions. I can say that the handles do slip out under hard cranking when we push them at a different angle.
But if you say the handle does fit in extremely loosely then you should have the staff at the shop you bought it from have a look at it. It could just be you're unlucky and recieved a machine that slipped through QC, or you were really cranking it and at a not so ideal position.

[gdest]

Re: Pasta machine

I make fresh pasta all the time. Like some of the other replies I add a little oil to the pasta, however, I think the best tip I could give you is once you roll out the sheet to the shape/size you want, let it rest a bit so that it dries up just a little. Then you can run it through the ribbon cutters.

Another tip I might give is that I don't normally bother with the pasta cutters, just the sheet roller. I perfer to cut the pasta by hand, its faster and less clean up.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Pasta machine

Ooohhhh, I like this! The spinach pasta looks excellent!

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

Gratzi, Pdiff! I hear a lasagne calling my name...

Then let it call a little louder :-) This is my fav recipe. Lots of thin layers. I believe this is in his Molto Italiano book too.

Mario Batali's Lasagna

The Rouxbe.com site is great too.

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