I have one. I like it fine! I don't make fresh pasta very often as we don't eat much pasta but I don't find it difficult to use at all.

Not sure if it's the same model but mine is an Atlas and looks the same. Agreed - it works fine. If the KA attachement weren't so darn expensive I'd go for that. But it IS so darn expensive.

Thanks!

Barnmom: We don't eat tons of pasta either, but I feel kind of silly buying it when all the ingredients are right there staring me in the face! I'd also like to make my own whole wheat pasta. That stuff costs way more than it should!

FOAS: That's exactly what I was thinking.

FOAS , I have the KA attachment and I never use it...never. I find it a PITA.

I have a cheap, manual, crank style that attaches to the counter and it works like a charm.

I love my KA pasta roller attachment! Use it 4 or 5 times a year and make enough to freeze. Very easy, very good!

Interesting, Sharon. My only difficulty with the manual one is occassionally wanting two hands free, in particular when the sheets get long and thin. I figured it might be a challenge at first to learn to keep up with the KA but that overall it would be easier.

Now I wonder. But I know I've read good reviews here (like beachlily's) and elsewhere...

I have one like that and I really like it. I had an electric pasta maker - it mixed and extruded the pasta and I didn't like the pasta at all.

I mix the pasta in the FP and then send it through the pasta maker to roll and cut. Very easy, though a bit messy with flour, but the end product is so worth it.

Enjoy

I have both the Atlas (Goodwill for $10), the KA attachment (gift from friend), and an electric "Pasta Machine" ($20 at a second hand store) that has several different dies for assorted pasta shapes. I've never had much luck with that door stop and I have to get the dough just exactly right for it to work properly = why I call it a door stop. The KA is touchy and I'm told the little plastic piece breaks with no replacement part available, but I've been gentle with it only using very soft dough, and still use it several times a year. As for the Atlas - I really love it because we like wide noodles the best. I add all kinds of extra stuff in the dough like tomato powder, dried basil, dried spinach flakes, or dried veggie flakes (that I make in my dehydrator). There is something soothing about turning that handle and seeing the dough progressively thinning out and getting so very long. A control thing for me I guess. If I want a width bigger than my one spaghetti/linguine cutter makes, I use a regular pizza cutter on the uncut rolled dough down the edge of a clean ruler with several passes. If you don't want to do all the one-by-one strip cutting, you could do as I did and splurge on a "Pasta Bike" for $28.. It is a multi-wheeled gizmo that cuts 9 pieces (adjustable for wider/fewer strips) in one pass down the whole length of the rolled dough. It works for my noodles and for the best homemade tortellini that I never thought I'd ever fiddle with! I also use it for making those pesky strips for a lattice top crusts for my pies too! Too way simple.

I've always loved fresh pasta and had spent a bundle on just flour, water, and a bit of egg, for commercially made pasta over the years, even though it seems cheap for $1 a pound box, I realized that about 15 minutes of my time every couple of months was so much more enjoyable, tastier and amazingly cheaper (like 10 cents a pound). 'Course pride comes calling too. "I made it myself!"

With your chickens' products and your own flour, plus a bit a water, I'd think it's a no-brainer for you IMHO. But convenience over effort is your call.

Nancy

I have a Popeil pasta machine sitting in my basement. It's rather easy to use and the pasta quality is not bad. The only reason I don't use it often is that my husband always complains about having to clean the machine especially the dies. Yup, cleaning is the only part I don't like about it. It's a pain to have to listen to my husband whine every time I use to the machine. So off it went to the basement a year ago and hasn't been back to the kitchen since. :-)

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Popeil Pasta Machine reviews

Al the directions that came with my electric pasta maker say to let the dies dry with the dough in them overnight on the counter; the next morning knock the dies on the counter and the little bits of dried dough fall out. Actually the directions said to let all the parts (disassembled) dry out. Another hint was to place the parts with stuck on dough in the freezer for ten minutes or so and that the frozen dough should release easily.

Hope this helps.

Lee

Thanks Lee! Our manual says the same thing too. But my husband is a neat freak and he can never stand leaving any utensils in the kitchen unwashed! If there's something cooked on the bottom of a frying pan, instead of letting it soak, he will try to scrub it off. I know, he's weird. He doesn't like to clean up yet he hates dirty dishes! LOL

By the way, do you like your Popeil?

Al

Al, I have an OLD Simac 700 electric pasta maker. I used it for the first time in 25 years for the Pasta Party on Saturday. It worked perfectly and I think it is easy to clean, but a part did get deformed (see my picture on the Party thread!). I think Max has been able to fix it.

Lee

Lee, yes, I saw the picture of your pasta machine. I hope Max can fix it. I am tempted to get out my pasta machine but I know hubby will complain again and I hate to hear him whine! LOL We went to the Asian store last weekend and bought some Korean Udon noodles. I made a BBQ pork stir fry with the noodles. Hubby and little man really loved it. I checked online and realized Udon was pretty much just water, flour and a bit of salt. wonder if I can use my pasta machine to make some of those. :-)

Al

I have the pasta attachment for the KitchenAid and like Chase, I find it to be a huge PIA. First, I'm short, so I have to stand on a stool to reach a comfortable height to feed the dough in the top of the machine. No place lower to set it, so that's a problem.

The second problem is that the dough is always too wet or two dry and it either comes out of the machine and crumbles or it comes out and then sticks back together into one mass. I hate the darned thing. Plus, it's a pain to clean up.

It's the only pasta maker I've ever used, and I wish I liked one because I don't care for white pasta and I'd like to be able to make my own whole wheat or spinach or basil or whatever.

I do make basil noodles, but I roll them out on the counter and cut them by hand, so maybe it's time to hit eBay, although I've never found a good deal on anything I've looked for there and I've gotten turned off by shipping costs the couple of times I've tried to buy from them.

Annie

Oooo Annie, I have always wanted to try making spinach pasta in my machine. I wonder if I can sub spinach juice for the water in the recipe. But darn, I don't have a juicer. :-)

Al

Thanks to everyone for chiming in!
Sounds like I would like the pasta machine better than a KA attachment.
I think I'll keep my eyes open for one at the thrift shops.
There's a couple on ebay too. Depending on the darned shipping charges....

In the meantime, I have NO excuse for not rolling some by hand. There's only 2 of us, it's not like I need 2# at a time!

Deanna

Deanna, I'm sorry we're hijacking your thread and I hope at least you're learning something more. Have you thought about getting one of the multi blade rolling noodle cutters so you can cut a bunch of strands at once? I've never made hand rolled pasta but I know Ann T and others have.

Al, my spinach pasta recipe has 2 oz of finely chopped, cooked and squeezed out spinach added to the basic recipe of 4 eggs and one pound of flour. It also says to reserve the squeezed out juice in case you need a little more liquid. I would think by the time the pasta machine has gone through it's kneading cycle the spinach will be pretty broken up. I'm going to make whole wheat pasta later this week but I've already added frozen chopped spinach to my shopping list.

Lee

Hijack away!! I'm interested in making pasta!
The machine is but one facet.

I am loving the idea of adding in other things.
I've got tomato powder (big can, need to use it).
Spinach sounds good.
Garlic sounds good.
Lemon sounds good.

Wish I was home........I'd just get started right now!!

Deanna

I mill durum wheat into flour for noodles, and mill a coarse grind similar to semolina for making pasta (fine flour for noodles, and coarse flour for pasta). Durum wheat is the type of wheat to use for noodles and pasta making, rather than hard or soft wheat varieties. You'll find the type of wheat used makes a lot of difference in the finished product.

I make sourdough egg noodles (a traditional lacto-fermented Russian recipe) and make a very large batch so I only need to make noodles a couple times a year (at most). It's all about the clean-up, so I make it worth the effort and dehydrate the noodles.

Noodles dehydrate very well and I store them in canning jars and vacuum-seal the lids on them. When you dehydrate noodles/pasta, be sure to use powdered whole eggs, powdered egg yolks, or liquid egg substitutes, for making the dough since these products are pasteurized, as a food safety precaution.

Quick-freeze fresh spaghetti (or other types of noodles) in serving amounts and vacuum-seal them into a FoodSaver bag and store in the freezer.

I use an Imperia Pasta Maker. I also have a noodle rolling pin (link below), and both gadgets make quick work out of the whole thing.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Lehman's - Noodle Cutter

Thanks Lee! I don't normally use frozen spinach so I probably will have to make it from fresh. How much of fresh spinach will I need to make 2 oz of chopped, cooked, squeezed spinach for the recipe?

Grainlady, I have never heard of sourdough noodles. Must be healthy and delicious!

Al

Al, the recipe says "2oz cooked spinach, squeezed dry and finely chopped (about 1/4 lb raw spinach)". I would wash the spinach, spin it dry or shake out in a colander, and cook it briefly in just the water that is stuck to the leaves, let cool, squeeze and chop.

The pasta they show is a bright dark green from that amount of spinach in a one pound flour recipe for the pasta.

L

Thanks again Lee! I will give that a try!

Al

grainlady, two questions.... please?

1. For you, what is the difference between noodles and pasta? It's all pasta to me, just different shapes.

2. I don't have durum or semolina, only hard red, hard white and soft white. In a pinch, what would you use?

I've never heard of sourdough noodles either, but if they bring any of the traditional 'tang' to the table, I'm all for it! Recipe, by chance?

Oh, just in case anyone's curious...I have a bid on ebay on a pasta machine..........

I'll probably be outbid because I'm a cheapskate (proud cheapskate, but still).

Deanna