How do you use a pasta machine?

powershopper

Thanks cleo, I'm going to give it a go, may need a bit of oil in moving bits first, the main rollers are a bit stiff yet..................

Magentasue

I thought I'd bump this thread up because along with my new energy monitor my pasta maker is my favourite new toy. Actually it's the Kitchenaid mixer attachment, rather than a pasta maker. What I love about it, is that you start with a bowl of flour and some egggs and end up with a product that is better and more nutritious than the supermarket product. Now you can say that about a lot of things, but the bonus in this house is that everyone eats it. Even me and I don't like pasta. Anyway, I know that a lot of people have a pasta maker in the cupboard and have gone wrong with it (well, I'm guessing but three people I know have 'fessed up to this). This is what I've learned:

1) All can be done by hand but, unless you have loads of time, you need at least a pasta roller if you're going to make pasta regularly. I wouldn't bother if I didn't have a mixer for the dough either.

2) For six of us it's 6 eggs, large pinch salt and 600g white bread flour (Tesco 48p a bag). I know it's a lot of eggs but it's only one each.

3) It's hard to make the dough properly without a mixer - it takes so long you end up adding water which makes it sticky. Not hard work but enough to put you off.

4) Flour is the saviour. Every piece of dough needs dusting. My first batches weren't so good because I was in a baking mindset and didn't use enough flour.

5) It's best to make the dough and get it rolled before you start making the kitchen steamy with other cooking or boiling the water, I think.

6) Cleocat's method is good - I hang the pasta from coat hangers as I roll or cut it. I've found it easier to roll it all first and hang it up and then cut immediately before cooking. This is because I have to change rollers to cut.

7) It only takes a minute or two to cook so everything else needs to be ready first including colander in sink. When it rises to the top of the boiling water, it's ready.

FrenchMaid_2

I have a Pasta Machine which Dh once got as a pressie, I don't think it was a super expensive one and now after about 5 years of regular use it is slowly disintegrating...

Do any of you have a pasta machine and if so what brand? I am thinking of replacing it next month.... I use it about 1 or 2 times a week.

Cheers

nuttywoman

I`ve been after one for ages & managed to get a really good quality one from local freecycle.:D
Anyway was wondering what hints or tips are best for them ie: best flour
thanks

greenbee

Use proper pasta flour (Italian '00'). It makes a huge difference.

Otherwise... practice :rolleyes:

If you didn't get a drying stand with it, then you can hang the pasta over the back of a chair to dry, or use radiator airers. Don't make it too long as it will be too heavy and break, and then land on the floor!

If you're drying pasta to store, make sure it is completely dry, and check regularly.

Enjoy!

nuttywoman

greenbee wrote: »

Use proper pasta flour (Italian '00'). It makes a huge difference.

Otherwise... practice :rolleyes:

If you didn't get a drying stand with it, then you can hang the pasta over the back of a chair to dry, or use radiator airers. Don't make it too long as it will be too heavy and break, and then land on the floor!

If you're drying pasta to store, make sure it is completely dry, and check regularly.

Enjoy!

Can it be frozen? thanks for your help :T

greenbee

Yes, you can freeze it. You only need to dry it a bit (to make sure it doesn't all stick together).

Penelope_Penguin

greenbee wrote: »

If you didn't get a drying stand with it, then you can hang the pasta over the back of a chair to dry, or use radiator airers.

I use clean wooden coat hangers Another tip is not to skimp on the kneading (both by hand and initially throught the machine) or it ends up lumpy

I'll add this to the exisitng thread to keep ideas together.

Penny. x

[Deleted User]

oooh seeing this thread I dug out my 6 year old unused new (hangs head in shame) pasta machine. It always looked so complicated and the instructions weren`t brilliant so I couldn`t cope with learning it then

I made the dough, 2 eggs and 200g of 00 flour and kneaded well and passed a lump through the machine over and over again like the instructions above. Brilliant, it got smoother and silkier. I then passed same lump through each of the 4 cutters that I have, over and over again so I was cleaning the machine. Some got a bit caught in the fine cutters but no panics, I re-rolled the dough and floured the rollers and that did the trick. Wow it was so easy and the pasta is drying on a rack that was also tucked away for 6 years

Now how long do I cook this pasta for? I made long strips like tagiatelle

Penelope_Penguin

kittie wrote: »

Now how long do I cook this pasta for? I made long strips like tagiatelle

Depending how thick it is - 3 to 5 minutes

Penny. x