Pasta Maker Machine- Steel Construction, Spaghetti & Fettucine Attachments

I am not a great cook. I love to cook - but I was intimidated reading some of the other reviews, so although I really wanted the machine, I wasn't sure how it would all turn out. Well, don't be afraid! Its pretty easy. Not to say that you shouldn't read the advice by others and be careful, especially if you like to improvise, as I do. Make sure to run some pasta through to practice and clean out the metal bits, as people warn, don't wash with water, be sure your dough isn't too sticky, etc - but don't be afraid! Its fun and easy and fast once you get the hang of it - which will be pretty fast. Right away (one practice hour but no practice evenings) I make a couple great batches of ravioli and a dinner of fresh liguini. Three great dinners so far, many more to come. And so it gives you confidence in the kitchen! Suddenly I felt like I could do anything! (Then I tried making ethiopian bread, oops, lost that confidence pretty fast when that failed!) The reason for my review, though is the following which may be helpful to any others who live in the high desrt or mountain regions - above 6,000 feet. As you know, if you do, baking and things with yeast and most bread-related stuff can be tricky. Dough of any sort can require additional water but then get sticky, require more flour, be dry and crumbly then, etc. If you have experienced any of those problems, BUY THIS MACHINE. Whether for pasta, wontons, perogies or just to make your dough malleable, this thing is amazing!! What you would never be able to do with hours of kneading, this thing can do with a few runs through the widest setting. You'll still have to add water, then add four, knead a bit maybe use a rolling pin a bit, trying to get that right initial doughiness, but then once flat enough, run the dough through a couple times on the widest setting and you'll see what I mean - consistant dough-like texture and moisture as you haven't seen since your last trip to the east coast. In the future when I make biscuits, I'll run the dough through this a few times before shaping them and I bet it will improve the taste - at least it will improve my confidence!

I was a bit hesitant on this purchase, but I'm so glad that I made it. I use the "00" pasta flour, although I've tried cutting it with 1/2 regular white flour. Nothing wrong with that at all, and I could tell no difference, but I still like to use the "00". I always use 2 cups of flour, 2 eggs, and add warm water to adjust (usually 1/3 cup). The funny thing is that I had a great dough the first time I tried, and using this method has always worked for me (I was nervous after hearing horror stories). One batch of the above dough creates 4 sheets of long flat pasta sheets for me. I let these dry out slightly, then run them through the cutters. I didn't have a drying rack at first, so I just let the cut shapes dry on a floured cutting board. The rack is much easier though!. I've made raviolis twice. Not with an attachment, but with a separate piece where the sheets are laid across the "mold" and cut off with a rolling pin. No problems at all with cleaning (pastry brush only) or with chrome flaking off. The clamp isn't as wide as it could be, but fits on my kitchen table, and the hand crank likes to weasle it's way out of it's holder. Personally, any machine roller seems a waste, unless you have arthritis problems or the like. The effort required isn't that much at all. There is time involved than breaking out a package of dryed pasta, but from what I've found, it's well worth it. The machine cleans up easily, it's the flour on the counter that makes the most mess.

This is not a toss-in-the-dough-and-out-comes-pasta machine. This is a work-a-day hand roller and noodle cutter that, once you learn a few tricks, makes fresh pasta a snap. I've had those big, bulky and complicated pasta machines, and they all cracked, burned out their motors, and made a huge mess. This is a surprisingly simple gadget that anyone who's willing to devote a little time, can use to make delicious fresh pasta. The beauty is in the simplicity! There are a number of reviews in here that offer excellent tips. I suggest reading them. Here are a few of my own: 1. Dough consistency is key. The dough should form a homogenous, elastic but not sticky ball. You should be able to knead it without pieces crumbling, and without it leaving any residue on your hands or the surface. Some recommend letting the dough rest for a while. I haven't had any trouble diving right in after mixing it, but try it both ways to see what works best for you. 2. I use Semolina flour, but you don't have to. I just like the taste better -- reminds me of Grandma's pasta. 3. If you use two cups of flour and two eggs (as recommended in the directions), split the dough into six pieces to make your strips. This gives you manageable sizes, without having to roll out so many strips that it's too time-consuming. 4. The instructions say to run the strip through six times, each time reducing the thickness notch. I found that running it through the first notch twice worked best -- it can come out in pieces the first time, so you just press those pieces together and run it through again. You'll have your single strip. 5. Since the machine only clamps down on one side, I had a little trouble with the other side lifting as I rolled. When you start rolling with your right hand, just press down a little on the unsecured side with your left palm. (I would have liked to see the design include a better spot to rest your palm, perhaps over the thickness knob.) 6. Let the strips rest about 10 minutes before cutting -- any longer and they might dry too much, any less and they're too soft. Cut each strip in half with scissors before running through noodle cutter -- this will give you manageable strip lengths, and also a nice straight edge to start in the cutter. 7. I bought the drying rack, which works wonderfully. When you are cutting the noodles, halfway through the strip, insert a dowel under the noodles and catch them on it as they emerge. You will come away with the noodles hanging neatly on the dowel, which you then just place on the rack to dry. (Do let it dry for at least an hour, so it doesn't stick together.) Then, when ready to cook, just pick the dowel up and tilt it so the pasta falls right into the pot. This way, the brittle pasta won't break. 8. Note that the handle does not lock into place. I had a lot of trouble at first with having it pop out while I was turning. If you keep an eye on this and just exert a little inward pressure, it should be fine. (It is this minor glitch, and the lifting side, that brought this review down to 4 stars.) Ignore the naysayers who weren't willing to put the effort into learning how to use this thing. They may have been expecting something like a bread machine, where you toss in the ingredients and four hours later, have bread. In my experience, I haven't found a single motorized pasta maker that works as well as this. Yes, this one requires some actual effort and a little artistry. The fact is, pasta, like bread, IS a little tricky to make...but unlike bread, a machine can't do all the work. Take an afternoon and experiment, and don't give up the first time if it feels awkward or strips come out crumbly. Once you get your dough consistency right and get the feel for how to roll it, you'll be whipping out homemade pasta like the pros! I can make a full batch of pasta in less than a half-hour.

I already had a polymer clay 'pasta machine' that I purchased at Michael's. It worked, but kept jamming, and it continually left ridges in the clay. I had actually gotten accustomed to it, until I watched a video of a machine that didn't jam, didn't leave ridges, didn't have a jerky movement, and I began to get irritated with my machine. I was looking for another machine that was for craft use, but no longer trusted the craft industry to produce one that was smooth-operating. So I decided to look into a machine specifically for pasta, but needed to stay within my craft budget - not a huge budget these days. When I saw this one, which was about the same price that I paid for my craft machine, I decided to take a chance. I have been thrilled ever since. It rolls the clay smoothly, no jerky movements, no jams and no ridges in the clay. My only complaint - and it is not about the machine but about pasta machines that clamp - is that the clamps are too short to fit my table. I have a 3" lip on my craft cart and needed a longer jaw on the clamp. Since most clamps with longer jaws also don't fit through the provided hole, I decided to clamp it in a different place. So I placed my clamp to the left side on the front of the base, and now I'm not restricted to the side of my cart. I can place the machine anywhere on the cart, and still clamp it. The larger clamp cost me a few extra dollars, but it's been worth it. This machine also came with some attachments for pasta that I won't use, since my machine is specific to polymer clay. I'm not a cook anyway, so they'll just sit in the box in the closet. The price was right for this machine, comparable to the cheaper craft machines, and you won't be disappointed if you buy this one for polymer clay. It's a terrific machine!

I purchased this for use with soft modeling chocolate, to be able to roll out even sheets. I'd read the reviews about metal shavings getting into things even after the first few runs, but many pasta machines had that warning so I decided to go with the inexpensive one. Boy, am I sorry. I kept using it even as the shavings continued because I was making a display piece that wouldn't be eaten, but if I'd purchased this for actual food use, I still wouldn't have something safe to feed my family. Every batch produces metal shavings. Even when you think they've stopped, they come back again and again. Then it seized up frequently and is difficult to clean out. So much for a quicker way to roll! The rollers, when you look down into them, are actually slightly narrower on the adjuster end. So much for even rolling! And just now, the whole thing seized up again and when I got it going once more after tedious cleaning, the adjustable roller is swaying back and forth by a huge amount on each roll. That means if I rolled something out, it'd be wavy. This is garbage. I'm going to see if Amazon will let me return it. Don't buy this product. Edit note: The manufacturer says they're sending me a check for a full refund, so I do give them marks for customer service.

I bought this pasta machine 6 months ago, and I've used it at least once or twice a month ever since. I also bought one for my mother and taught her how to use it. This machine really just replaces a rolling pin and a big knife for cutting noodles (how my mom has been making hers). A lot of people think fresh pasta is better than dried pasta... I disagree. They are just different types of pasta. Dried pasta give you a firmer bite, while fresh pastas are softer. Keep that in mind when you cook. Also, don't be limited to pasta making. I think of it as a better rolling pin, so I also use it to crank out wonton skins. You should dry your pasta sheet a little before attempting to cut it, especially if you are going to cut them thin (like angel hair), so they don't stick to each other and form a lump. I usually catch the cut noodles in a bowl and mix more flour in to keep them from sticking to each other. You should let the noodles dry out a little bit more before cooking it. A few words about making the dough: it will take you a while to get a feel of how firm your dough needs to be, to go through the machine smoothly. If the dough is too wet, it will stick to the machine; if it's too dry, your pasta sheet will break. But once you got it down, you can crank out noodles pretty fast. The key is you need to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, so the flour can fully absorb the moisture. I took the tip from Alton Brown (Good Eats), and set it up on a ironing board for my mother. This is genius! It's so much easier using an ironing board than trying to do this on a kitchen counter! And you can move it to other places if your kitchen is small. Many people may complain about the inconvenience of the machine, because it really is easier to have two people working on it (one feeds pasta sheet in, one cranks the handle and guides the sheet coming out). But I make it into a fun little social event, my wife and I have a lot of fun making noodles together, and we have friends over to make noodles together too. It makes eating them later a lot more enjoyable too. This machine is a little tricky to clean, I usually let it dry out a little, then use a brush (I use an old pastry brush) to clean it. There are lot of places where pasta pieces could get stuck, makes you wonder why they didn't improve the design. I also use a toothpick to clean the noodle cutting attachment. Don't bother with water, it only makes it harder to clean (flour + water = sticky goo on your pasta machine). Pros: ===== - Cheap - Many attachments available (I like the angel hair one, makes great Asian noodles) - A lot of fun to use (great to get family and friends involved) - Much easier than rolling pin - Stainless steel is nearly indestructable - Fresh noodles taste great! Cons: ===== - Heavy, might be a problem to some people (like my mom) - Requires minimal assembly. Again, it's very easy, but my mother and my aunt both have problems getting it right. (The above two issues are solved by permanetly mounting the machine to an old ironing board) - Can be tricky to clean - Not as easy to operate with one person - Even the thickest setting is still kind of thin, so you may need to press on your dough a little before running it through. I usually use a rolling pint (or empty wine bottle) to roughly roll the dough just so it's thin enough to be fed to the machine. This is troublesome... I wish they made the openings thicker. - Takes a while to get the right dough consistency to put through the machine Watch outs: =========== - Make sure you clean it thoroughly the first time! Make a test dough, and run it through the machine multiple times. You will get little shreds of metal (I think they are metal), but according to the manual, this is normal. In fact, I had to run two doughs through to really clean it. - Don't wash it! Other than that it might rust (I don't know because I haven't actually seen it rust), it just makes it harder to clean. Drying it out completely then brush off the pieces is probably the best way to go. Tips: ===== - Try open ravioli, it's very simple with this machine - If you made thin angel hair-type noodles, and you are planning to serve it in hot soup (like some Asian noodle soup), I found out that I don't even need to cook the noodles. I just pour the piping hot soup over the thin angel hair noodles, and they are cooked to perfection! I made a ginger-chicken noodle soup, and placed a small bunch of fresh noodles in each bowl, and pour the boiling hot soup over the noodles in front of the guests, it's a great WOW factor. - I was hoping to get a fettucini attachment, but for some reason I was unable to get it from Amazon (they told me the part is no longer available). After looking at the width (6.5mm), I decided that I can just use a knife to cut it into the width I want. - Use a toothpick to clean the hard-to-reach parts - If your surface is too thin (as in an ironing board), you might need something to "pad" it. I used a stack of old business cards. - I use the rack from my oven to dry pasta, although I am thinking about getting a Norpro drying rack.

It was with hesitation that I purchased this product after reading reviews of difficulty in handling the machine and cleaning. However I did go ahead with my purchase because my family (and I) enjoy homemade pasta. Setting aside a Saturday afternoon to focus on mastering the maker, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use. I followed the directions, making sure that the pasta was floured before going through the rollers and that the sheets were dried properly and floured before going through the cutters. After I finished making the pasta, cleanup involved brushing the excess flour from the machine with a soft bristle brush. My pasta making background is with an electric pastamaker. The gears burned out after one year and that is why I purchased a mechanical maker, at a lower price I might add. The Imperia is easier to use, takes very little time to make the pasta, and is much easier to clean. I also like the way the dough is conditioned, through the use of rollers, before it is formed into pasta. I think this makes a better pasta. Also, the mechanical unit does not use electricity and is quieter to operate. After using an electric and a mechanical unit, I'm not sure why electric ones are sold. If you're thinking about buying a pastamaker, and you must be if you're reading this review, the Imperia is a good place to start.

New at pasta making was doing it by hand seen this in a video and I have no regrets for buying it. It's truly amazing not only saved time it easy and fun to use. The pasta cut quality is beautiful from the noodles to the ravioli everything is shaped perfectly. Works Fantastic Clean up is a breeze

Best one..loving it.Works very smoothly.

It is a good pasta machine. The lasagna goes well, but the spaghetti Orion doesn’t cut the pasta as it should, the spaghettis stay stick, other machines are easier to use for this kind of pasta. In general I recommend because it is a good product with low cost.

だったので購入を決めました 使い勝手 ☆☆ クランプでしっかり固定しても、生地が硬めの場合は本体がガタついて動いてしまうことがあります。 また、ハンドクランク（手回しハンドル）が簡単に外れるため、安定して作業するには工夫が必要です。 初期メンテナンス ☆ 使用前に軽く清掃し、捨て生地を何度も通してローラーやカッターを慣らしましたが、鉄粉が生地に混ざらなくなるまで相当な回数が必要でした。 初回の準備にかなり時間がかかります。 仕上がり ☆☆ 生地が柔らかいと、カット後に麺同士がくっつき、1本ずつ手でほぐす必要があります。 逆に生地を硬めにすると、伸ばし工程でハンドルが重くなり回らなくなるため、分量や打ち粉の調整に試行錯誤が必要でした。 総評 ☆☆ 自動パスタマシーンの価格高騰で手動タイプを選びましたが、調理時間を短縮したい人には向きません。 安定した仕上がりや時短を求めるなら、自動製麺タイプの購入をおすすめします。

Love this pasta maker. Easy to use for a beginner like me. No fuss

Encantado, resistente y lo mejor.... El precio. Recomendando y llego antes de tiempo, mucho antes de tiempo.