I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
kitchen aid. Opinions on which is best and why?

pamjd wrote:

> I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
> kitchen aid. Opinions on which is best and why?

It's kind of an apples-and-oranges comparison. The roller is more versatile,
but it can't make spaghetti or udon. The extruder can't make lasagna or
sheets of pasta for ravioli.

The roller is also better at dealing with stiff pasta doughs like those made
from semolina rather than all-purpose flours.

Overall, I'd rather have the roller, but the extruder certainly has its
uses.

Bob

"pamjd" > wrote in message
...
>I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
> kitchen aid. Opinions on which is best and why?

Years ago we had the Oster extruder. Never cared for it much. Texture never
seemed right. OTOH, you can make shapes with it that a roller cannot do.
We have the hand cranked Atlas but bought the KA attachment a few years ago
and it is much easier to handle, especially for one person. You can make
many passes to develop the gluten too.

pamjd wrote:

> I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
> kitchen aid. Opinions on which is best and why?

I tried the KA extruder attachment and didn't care for the
results. I ended up mailing it to another rfc maven who
I thought would do better with it.

First, I have one of the more powerful KA mixers (475 watt,
5 qt) and I found that using the extruder overwhelms the
motor quite quickly. The thing was starting to bog down
after a few minutes and was on the verge of smoking. Having
blown the motor on more than one KA I wasn't about to
do that yet again.

Second, it takes way too long to make even a small amount
of pasta. I can make spaghetti by hand almost as fast.

Stick with the rollers. They're much more practical.

RegForte wrote:

>> I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
>> kitchen aid. Opinions on which is best and why?
>
> I tried the KA extruder attachment and didn't care for the
> results. I ended up mailing it to another rfc maven who
> I thought would do better with it.
>
> First, I have one of the more powerful KA mixers (475 watt,
> 5 qt) and I found that using the extruder overwhelms the
> motor quite quickly. The thing was starting to bog down
> after a few minutes and was on the verge of smoking. Having
> blown the motor on more than one KA I wasn't about to
> do that yet again.
>
> Second, it takes way too long to make even a small amount
> of pasta. I can make spaghetti by hand almost as fast.
>
> Stick with the rollers. They're much more practical.

It sounds like your dough was too stiff. The dough for homemade extruded
pasta needs to be much softer than the dough for rolled pasta. A softer
dough wouldn't load the motor down as much and would extrude much faster.
That being said, I agree with your "Stick with the rollers" advice.

Also, how does one make spaghetti by hand? I can make strozzapreti and pinci
by hand, but I've never seen long round thin noodles made by hand. Could you
please describe the technique?

Bob

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Also, how does one make spaghetti by hand? I can make strozzapreti and pinci
> by hand, but I've never seen long round thin noodles made by hand. Could you
> please describe the technique?

I'm not sure what this is, but it sure is fun to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rfu1ZHiMP8

I saw something like this on Yan Can Cook.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Also, how does one make spaghetti by hand? I can make strozzapreti and
> pinci by hand, but I've never seen long round thin noodles made by hand.
> Could you please describe the technique?

Ever roll a baguette? It kind of a similar motion, except the diameter
of what you're rolling is much smaller. Keep in mind that they come out,
shall we say, "rustic".

Basically, use gentle even pressure as you roll back and forth, starting
in the center and pushing outward towards to the ends. One of the main
things you have to concentrate on is making sure they don't end up too fat
in the middle, as with baguettes.

Plus you need to use just the right amount of flour. Moreso even than
with bread. Too little and it sticks, too much and it gets gummed up.

I think Mario Batalli sells a video demoing the technique ...

In article
>,
pamjd > wrote:

> I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
> kitchen aid. Opinions on which is best and why?

There's been lots of discussion about it in the past. Majority of
posters don't have much good to say about the extruders. I use an old
Atlas 150 but also have the plates for a KA extruder.

If you mix the dough right for the extruder, it's ok. If the dough is
the least bit too soft, though, you're screwed. I mix the dough in a
food processor and it's quite dry (hard to mold into a ball) and almost
granular when I feed it into the hopper for the extruder.

Roller results in fewer cuss words.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller
http://gallery.me.com/barbschaller/100041
-- a woman my age shouldn't
have this much fun!

pamjd wrote:
> I roll my pasta now but was offered a extruder attachemnt for my
> kitchen aid. �Opinions on which is best and why?

Best... best is to buy pasta... it's inexpensive, no labor time or
clean up, zillions of shapes, and always consistant. There is no
benefit whatsoever to making pasta at home. For those simpletons who
think squeezing toothpaste tubes is orgasmic and extruding on the
potty is entertainment Play-Doh makes the Fun Factory.

http://www.amazon.com/Play-Doh-Fun-F...ref=pd_sbs_t_8