Stand mixer pasta attachment

14 years ago

I posted this on the KT...I thought about posting this on Cooking but I know you guys will give me your opinions just as well ;o)

I'm hoping some of you can weigh in and help me with a decision. My old Atlas pasta machine has bitten the proverbial dust. We love home made pasta and I don't want to make it without "assistance". I used to make it by hand in a previous life, but at this age and with lessening steam in my engines, it's not gonna happen LOL. I'm deciding between buying another hand crank pasta machine or a pasta attachment for my Viking stand mixer (similar to the Kitchenaid mixer). The attachment makes 6 different types of pasta, which includes a lasagna disc. I would use the lasagna sheet for square ravioli (ravioli are one of our favorite pastas).

Does anyone have a pasta attachment for their stand mixer and if so, do you find it works well? Has anyone used both a hand crank and a mixer attachment, and if so, which one do you like better. A good hand crank pasta maker costs about $50 and the mixer attachment runs around $70.

I make the pasta dough in my stand mixer now so I figured that it would be an easy thing to just take the dough and finish the process using the mixer attachment. If I go with another hand crank machine, there's the extra step and a bit more tedious cleaning. But if the stand mixer pasta attachment doesn't work well, then I'll stick with a hand crank one.

Any thoughts?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

judiegal6
14 years ago
I've been planning to get one for my KA, my SIL loves hers.
kgwlisa
14 years ago
You can get pasta from somewhere other than a box???
Related Discussions
kitchenaid stand mixer and attachments
Q
Comments (12)
Some atachments are very pricy and if you use the strainer atachment, its use is usually limited to just tomatoes. Seeds of smaller berries are going to jam or go through the holes. The strainer as no optional sieves. My old Oster Kitchen center as more stuff for cutting and slicing that I used all the time, especailly the slicers, and grater disks, not to mention a food processer. The KA seems to have wire wisk beaters which tend to make you use a spatula to clean off the sides of the bowl all the time. The Oster has an offest beater and goes against the bottom and sides while also rotating the varios bowls. then there is a blender atttachment as well as an ice crusher, and ice crem maker that uses the traditional rock salt and ice. Its no longer made, but if you find a used one, grab it, try it out, and I am sure it will become a necessary device for many food prepping issues. If they were to atart making them again, they would probably outsel any other multifunctioanl product, proved it was advertised well. Now Oster/Sunbeam are Jarden owned, who also make Food Saver, and many other products, as well as all Ball canning supplies..
...See More
KA stand mixer attachments gifted!
Q
Comments (4)
klseiverd, I have the meat grinder, which works great when making sausage. I also have the slicer, a gift from beachlily who never used it, but I use it when canning pickles or making large batches of scalloped potatoes for family dinners, etc. and the shredder when packing sauerkraut. I have the pasta extruder which I haven't been able to make work yet, the pasta comes out I strings and then all sticks back together in a lump, no matter what I do, so good luck with yours. I think the fruit/veggie strainer might be for making apple or tomato sauces, as CLBlakey mentioned. It is a very nice gift indeed. Have fun. Annie
...See More
Worth it? Kitchenaid pasta attachments
Q
Comments (11)
I have a manual roller that I use, although the Kitchenaid pasta roller works well. My problem is that I'm 5'1" and my counter is too tall, I don't have a shorter table or anything to set the mixer on, so it's too tall for me to reach comfortably. I haven't gotten the knack of the "extruder" yet, my pasta comes out and clumps right back up, and I can't cut the strands, lay them out and still catch the stuff still coming out. I'm not so coordinated I guess, because I just can't figure out how it's ever going to work without an assistant. I've lent it to a couple of people who think it works great, though, so it must just be me. Now the slicing attachment? That works like a charm, I can do scalloped potatoes for 30 (or 300) without a blink! (Thanks, Beachlily!) Annie
...See More
Do you have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer?
Q
Comments (49)
As an unrepentant kitchen gadget person, I tried to tell myself life wasn't worth living without a Kitchen-Aid. Years ago I had a Sunbeam stand mixer which went to appliance heaven after a horrible kitchen accident, and frankly, it was a blessing it went. It never was any good at yeast breads, which is what I purchased it for. After I won an International Recipe Contest for low-glycemic recipes and a nice cash prize, I kept looking at KA mixers to blow the winnings on. All the lovely colors - what's not to love. Then I was watching Emeril Lagassee one day on TV. His comment about how many KA mixers they burned up in the kitchen made me face reality - not that I shouldn't buy one, but that I really didn't need one. I do just fine with a hand-held electric mixer (like rhizo). My favorite mixers are a rotary OXO mixer (hand-powered) and a Danish Dough Whisk. I can whip egg whites faster in a stainless steel bowl with a whisk than the mixer. As a foods judge at fairs, I found when the popularity of Kitchen-Aid mixers went up, the quality of the baked goods went down substantially. They are great for creaming fat/sugar, but too many people over-mix quick breads, cakes, and other baked goods that don't require a lot of gluten-development. They were full of tunnels and holes, and had tough crust and crumb. Stand mixers are easy to use, but also easy to OVER use. Batters are really best mixed with a Danish Dough Whisk, not an electric mixer of any kind, taking care not to over-develop gluten. Even yeast breads are compromised because the KA tends to aerate the dough too much. A Zojirushi Bread Machine has been developed for making yeast breads, and has been shown, through side-by-side tests, to be superior to stand mixers. King Arthur Flour uses Zojirushi Bread Machines for making bread dough in their test kitchens. -Grainlady
...See More
mrsmarv
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, Lisa, you can LOL ;o) There's a place in Hopewell, Mario's Bread, that makes and sells fresh bread and pasta. We go their for their bastone loaves and they're absolutely excellent. DH can't make it home without consuming at least 1/4 of a loaf (so he'll always buy 2). Friends had us over for dinner and they had gotten some of the fresh pasta. I have to say it was yummy.
golddust
14 years ago
I have an Atlas and a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid. I inherited the Kitchen Aid mixer with every possible attachment that fits on. Most have never been out of the box and the mixer must be 30 years old. LOL!

How does an Atlas die?
mrsmarv
Original Author
14 years ago
That would be a number of things that caused its demise...the clamp broke, the handle doesn't stay seated in the gear hole and it constantly wobbles and "misses", and the little "spokes" get jammed...it's those small things that shouldn't be bothersome on their own, but combined are a PITA ;o(
tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM
14 years ago
I bought an atlas after ruling out the attachment for my KA. The main reason I ruled the other out because I thought the height of the attachment was awkward. I have always found cleaning the atlas to be a breeze. For ravioli I roll it into a thin sheet that I fold into half. I also prefer to cut the pasta myself so the different cuts were not a deciding factor for me. I also generally do the pasta dough in my food processor instead of the mixer.
mrsmarv
Original Author
14 years ago
I'm leaning towards replacing the Atlas. I don't need another headache and the Atlas has always worked well for me. Plus, I've been perusing and I can get it for a very reasonable price.

Anyone else like to opine?
User
14 years ago
Wish I had the talent to make our own pasta. I love traditional cooking, make most everything home made even our pizza and spaghetti sauce but I've never had the guts to try and make my own pasta. Is it hard to do?
mrsmarv
Original Author
14 years ago
"We go their for their"

Oy! After reading the posts I discovered this error...I am truly embarrassed. It should have read, "We go there for their..." (hanging her head in shame).

Home made pasta is really very simple and easy and tastes so much better.
tomorrowisanotherday
14 years ago
You get a bye from me mrsmarve, but only since you used the word "opine." LOL!! Truthfully, I missed that mixup--I was too busy trying to convince myself that I needed a pasta attachment for my KA ;)

Do you have to cook the pasta right away, or can you save some for another day? Hmmmm...wondering if it would be worthwhile...
awm03
14 years ago
Would the Viking attachment offer any advantages? Speed? Consistency? Maybe those aren't really advantages. Perhaps you have more control with the manual machine.

Stand mixer pasta attachment

Comments (11)

judiegal6

kgwlisa

Related Discussions

mrsmarv
Original Author

golddust

mrsmarv
Original Author

tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM

mrsmarv
Original Author

User

mrsmarv
Original Author

tomorrowisanotherday

awm03

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Stand mixer pasta attachment

Comments (11)

judiegal6

kgwlisa

Related Discussions

mrsmarvOriginal Author

golddust

mrsmarvOriginal Author

tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM

mrsmarvOriginal Author

User

mrsmarvOriginal Author

tomorrowisanotherday

awm03

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

mrsmarv
Original Author

mrsmarv
Original Author

mrsmarv
Original Author

mrsmarv
Original Author