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Good Question: Best Pasta Maker?

Dear Kitchen,

What kind of manual pasta maker is the best? Brand? Type? Anyone's experiences? Looking to buy one soon and would love some input!

Thanks!
Eric

(To All Good Questions)

Dear Eric,

There are two models found widely: the Atlas 150 and the Imperia 150. Most cookware stores have one or the other. I happen to have both, and find the Atlas nicer, only because its handle is wood, whereas the Imperia has a plastic handle. It also has 7 thickness settings on the roller, whereas the Imperia has 10, which I find to be too much. However, they both produce the same result and look almost identical. They also cost about the same ($40 - $50).

Comments (11)

what about the adapter for the kitchen aid mixer? i've been debating whether to get it but don't know if its any good.

posted by Dahlia on 2006-05-31 11:00:35

I have the Atlas and I like it, but it is not perfect. The one part that is not metal or wood is the plastic wingy-nut thing that turns the screw on the clamp that secures it to the table. This plastic is brittle enough that it broke several months ago when I dropped the clamp several feet to the floor. Now I need to use pliers to turn the screw, and I'm slowly stripping off the grippy metal, so my clamp's days are numbered, and my pasta-making days are fewer.

posted by Orion on 2006-05-31 11:09:04

I've thought about the Kitchen Aid Adapter- but honestly- part of the fun is manually rolling the pasta out. For me, it is theraputic and relaxing.

I'll never forget the first time I did this. I tried making the dough on the counter top- mound of flour with a resivoir in the middle for the eggs. It turned into a distaster. Plus, it was so humid the dough would never dry out enough and kept sticking to the rollers.

After this adventure I started using my cuisine art to kneed the dough.

posted by Luke on 2006-05-31 11:25:35

My Ex and I used to have an Imperial Pasta maker. It was Great- We had the spagetti, lingunie, angel hair and ravioli adapter.

Making pasta is a great activity for a 4th or 5th date, or a dinner party with friends.

Unfortunately, in the "divorce", he got the pasta machine... now I need to replace it- both the He and the Machine.

posted by Luke on 2006-05-31 10:43:36

Wow! Thanks for the great feedback everyone! I was really looking to find out about the manual ones - like the Marcato and Imperia brands. I know that Gourmet did a bit of a review in their April issue but I really wanted some hands on advice.
While I do have a KitchenAid stand mixer, I thought that the attachment was FAR too pricey for what will amount to (hopefully) a once in a while hobby. The Atlas sounded great, as did the Imperia and I just couldn't make up my mind.

Having said that, I decided to take a page out of Apartment Therapy's main site and check out Craigslist. Lo and behold there was a Roscan model for sale which was actually made by Marcato and looks to be identical to the Atlas line. Got it for CA$20 and picking it up tomorrow. VERY excited about making my first batch this weekend!!!

Thanks again everyone! I'll definitely chime back in on my experience and I'd love to hear if anyone has any further tips/information on how to work it best!

posted by Eric on 2006-05-31 12:40:07

Dear Luke,

One tip I can pass on about the sticky pasta dough is to refrigerate it for at least 1/2-1 hour. That seems to make a great deal of difference for rolling and it lets the dough "rest".

posted by Nancy A on 2006-05-31 13:53:33

I've had both the imperia and the kitchenaid attachment. I like the kitchenaid much more because it allows you to work with larger pieces of dough without having two people.

posted by Max on 2006-05-31 15:38:08

Two people is what makes it fun!

posted by Luke on 2006-05-31 15:57:16

Well, I just made my first batch last night and it was fun and TASTY!!
The link on my website to my Flickr set will show all the details...

posted by Eric on 2006-06-02 09:36:31

I bought a torchio pasta extruder, it's great fun, and we now have pasta twice a week. Dinner guests are always amazed:)

There is a picture of it here -

http://www.aluminiumcapping.com/acsfood/acsfoodproducts.htm

I contacted these guys after seeing it on their website, and they put me in touch with the distributors here.

Tony

posted by Tony the cook on 2006-06-05 07:53:44

I received an Atlas noodle maker from a friend but no recipe - can anyone help me out with a recipe and tips on how to make? Thanks,

posted by Rose on 2007-02-18 22:36:55