Pasta machine

[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

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.

[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

Enjoy Italy!! I will be that way in July. Nothing but food, wine, and observing on my agenda :-)

Yes, the academic process sounds similar. It looks like you are through the hurdles and have a great way to forget about it for a while.

Pdiff

[gvzepp]

Re: Pasta machine

Hi Rossco,

Went through the same dilemma a few years back... with a couple of cheap pasta machines that kept breaking after a short period of use, then my wife got tired of me moaning that I'd broken another one.
So she brought me a very nice Italian pasta machine for about $100 Aussie and you could see the quality straight away. I could send you some details..model, pictures ect... if you like, though its a hand crank machine which personally I dont have an issue with, you seem to learn to master dough ,sheets, dusting and cranking all at once after a short while.

As a side note I seem to remember a couple of guys in this forum saying that they had made a bit, to fit into their cordless battery drills to crank their pasta machines ... as they say necessity is the mother of invention

Regards Brett..

[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

Enjoy Italy!! I will be that way in July. Nothing but food, wine, and observing on my agenda :-)

Yes, the academic process sounds similar. It looks like you are through the hurdles and have a great way to forget about it for a while.

Pdiff

Thanks for that - quite looking forward to it now that all the academic hoo haa is out of the way. I will try to post any interesting info during the travels to this forum.

Your holiday sounds great - how long will you be in Italy? Going anywhere else along the way?

[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

Hi Rossco,

Went through the same dilemma a few years back... with a couple of cheap pasta machines that kept breaking after a short period of use, then my wife got tired of me moaning that I'd broken another one.
So she brought me a very nice Italian pasta machine for about $100 Aussie and you could see the quality straight away. I could send you some details..model, pictures ect... if you like, though its a hand crank machine which personally I dont have an issue with, you seem to learn to master dough ,sheets, dusting and cranking all at once after a short while.

As a side note I seem to remember a couple of guys in this forum saying that they had made a bit, to fit into their cordless battery drills to crank their pasta machines ... as they say necessity is the mother of invention

Regards Brett..

Hi Brett - thanks for the info...

Funny I was chatting to the wife in the car this morning saying maybe I should just buy a $20 machine .. and she said "NO, forget it, buy once properly". I think she's right!! Your experience supports this thinking too... so looks like I will need to go shopping for a quality machine. If you have details of the one you got, that would be great.

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

Your holiday sounds great - how long will you be in Italy? Going anywhere else along the way?

Italy is the only destination. We have three weeks to explore. Right now we are planning on mainly North Italy after a couple of days in Rome. Plans are for Pisa, Cinque Terre, Sienna, and ...., well, still planning that. Any suggestions would be welcome. We leave eventually from Milan, barring Volcanos, Strikes, or other unforseen bumps :-)

Pdiff

[gdest]

Re: Pasta machine

As you all know, there is nothing like the taste of homemade pasta. However, one of the reasons most people rely on store bought is convienence. As I mentioned before and on some other threads, using the roller on either the electric or hand crank enables one to easily decided to make their own pasta easier. Rolling out pasta with a pin may change the texture a bit but I don't see where it would improve the taste.
In addition, clean up would be much easier unless you have someone is so greatful to you for efforts volunteers, I would encourage you to go with the electric.
By the way I still think that cutting the pasta by hand is the way to go and forget about using the machine cutters.

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

gdest, I would agree completely. Use what ever it takes to get that fresh pasta :-) On my end, it s a pain to get out the machine, attach it the best I can, crank out the pasta, detach and clean the machine and then cut the pasta ( I still hand cut, even with the machine). Hand rolling, for me, is the more convenient method (as is hand mixing), but I doubt the taste or texture are any different. And I do enjoy the challenge of developing a skill.

But if you invite me to dinner for machine rolled pasta, don't worry, I'll be waiting, fork in hand :-)

[gdest]

Re: Pasta machine

Pdiff,
Dinner this weekend come on down!

I know its early for this suggestion, but what I have done at times for Christmas dinner was to make green and red pasta. You add cooked and well drained spinach to the flour and tomato paste to the other batch. Makes an intresting presentation at the dinner table.

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

Pdiff,
Dinner this weekend come on down!

I know its early for this suggestion, but what I have done at times for Christmas dinner was to make green and red pasta. You add cooked and well drained spinach to the flour and tomato paste to the other batch. Makes an intresting presentation at the dinner table.

Be careful. Might take you up on that. We're supposed to get snow today!!!

Do you have trouble with color fade when cooking tinted pasta. Mine always tends to bleach out. Spinach isn't too bad, but carrot and beet have trouble. I need to try the tomato.

[gdest]

Re: Pasta machine

Pdiff

Come on down I will even pick you up at the airport! However you must be ready to work on the pizza oven. Going to start the brick work this weekend!

Yes the color does fade a bit but not to bad. I haven't used beet or carrot, I have thought by adding some food coloring to the spinach and tomato paste would help reinforce the colors, but I never tried it.

[Pdiff]

Re: Pasta machine

Pdiff

Come on down I will even pick you up at the airport! However you must be ready to work on the pizza oven. Going to start the brick work this weekend!

Yes the color does fade a bit but not to bad. I haven't used beet or carrot, I have thought by adding some food coloring to the spinach and tomato paste would help reinforce the colors, but I never tried it.

Need to finish mine first. Been too busy using it to git 'er done

I've wondered about using a bit of salt in the dough. I know it is used as a color fastener in some cloth dying. Good excuse for an experiment! :-)

[heliman]

Re: Pasta machine

Been looking at more pasta machines and they all seem to come out of the same factory. Overall quality is poor. Have decided that I will hold off buying untill I've done some more research.