664883 Thu Nov 05 06:57:42 -0800 2009 8 31 Home Cooking 0 5157724 Every winter I take on a project with the intestacy of Bourdain scraping that last piece of marrow from a bone. Two years ago, it was how to roast the perfect chicken and what to do with the lovely carcass. Last year was all about roasting, braising meats, mostly shank. This year it's Pasta! What can you recommend? Books, Machines, Techniques. I have a kitchen aid mixer and have found several used parts on Ebay/craigslist. I'm all for buying good quality machine but that doesn't have to be new. Thank you for your help!!!! Thu Nov 05 06:57:42 -0800 2009 239418 Stuccolow 1 5157842 You can roll out pasta dough at high speed on the kitchen aid but I prefer the Imperia with a motor. The kitchen aid machine with the rollers for me presents an awkward height to work with and results in too much stretching of the sheets. As far as books, you can get everything you need from the internet. Fresh pasta couln't be much easier to make. I pretty much always use a 50/50 mix of fancy durum and semolina because I like the mouth feel it produces. Thu Nov 05 07:41:22 -0800 2009 5157724 41679 Den 1 5157903 Personally I use an atlas (hand cranked) machine that is about 20 years old. It works *really* well for me; very consistent, and pretty quick. Thu Nov 05 08:05:02 -0800 2009 5157724 18353 DGresh 1 5157916 I've been researching stand mixers lately and all the feedback on different forums is that the newer (post 90's?) KitchenAid mixers hava plastic parts which do not stand up to heavy torque loads. Doesn't seem to be an issue with older KS mixers. So this might be an issue with a pasta maker attachment. Hopefully someone will respond to this point who uses a KA with pasta attachment. I have an old hand crack Atlas table model for which I got an after-market motor drive . It works well, but is noisy. But makes great sheet-type pasta. The key is patience. I roll & fold 3 times a setting, moving slowly to the thinner settings, notch by notch. Silky smooth pasta. Great for making lasagne adn ravs, flat noodles,etc. Thu Nov 05 08:09:19 -0800 2009 5157724 11234 toodie jane 1 5158177 I use a Simac machine that I bought for my dad about 30 years ago. Bowl is plastic, but the discs are metal. I have had nothing but a good experience with it's performance for kneading and extruding the dough. Works very well, as long as you follow the directions and recipes that are given. I use it mainly to make spinach lasagne noodles. But have also used it for whole wheat linguine & penne. Not sure if they are still in manufacturing. Glad I still have it. Thu Nov 05 09:36:41 -0800 2009 5157724 90755 Phurstluv 1 5159591 I bought my KA in the late 90s and have used the pasta roller 4 or 5 times a month since then - no visible plastic parts and it works like a charm. I started by using the pasta recipes that came with the mixer - still use the spinach one - and just keep experimenting. I have the extruder which I have barely used - it doesn't do a great job and I prefer the roller and cutter. Thu Nov 05 17:15:48 -0800 2009 5157724 12828 ElizabethS 2 5161199 I make pasta the way my born-in-Italy grandmother did. Mix and knead the dough by hand. Roll it out by hand. Cut into rough squares using a pizza-cutter type roller (but has crimped edges, not sure what you call it). I have a pasta machine (Atlas) and used it a bit, but found it more trouble than what it's worth and stopped using it. I find rolling and cutting by hand much faster. Fri Nov 06 10:29:06 -0800 2009 5159591 56815 pemma 1 5161282 I'm a KitchenAid girl. Loves it. And I mix the dough in my Cuisinart. No fuss, no muss. Fri Nov 06 10:56:57 -0800 2009 5157724 12724 eLizard 1 5161343 jfood uses an Atlas Cranker, about 20+ years old with 6 settings. Best tip is do not take too big a piece of dough when you start. Fri Nov 06 11:11:52 -0800 2009 5157724 11290 jfood