Pasta Machine

Begger

Any preferred pasta machine?     I see a manual crank machine called an Atlas 150.      And a series of clones, usually not Italian.  
Any first hand practice with any of these?   Christmas is coming up and a cook-friend would make good use of one.....

WeberWho

Do you own a Kitchenaid mixer?

SciAggie

I have an Atlas and I have no complaints. 

Botch

I had the Atlas.  The machine was fine, but the C-clamp to hold it onto the counter was crap.  I eventually went with the Kitchenaid pasta roller attachement.  If your friend has a KA, I'd much more recommend that.  
The problem with the manual machines is that you really need 3 hands: one to crank, one to feed, and one to grab the exiting sheet/noodles.  The KA attachment gives you the crank, PLUS the sheets/noodles exit 10" above the counter, not 2-something".  Makes things easier.  If your friend doesn't have a KA, ATK just ran a test of the manual machines, perfect!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1CAL9AlD6M
 
Sadly, their review didn't mention the clamps at all, the weak link on the Atlas.  
 
One final point: is your friend single?  I soon learned to make pasta dough the night before "date night", and have my date help with the third hand, so-to-speak.  Eating a home-cooked meal, that you both just made together, just makes "date-night" a lot nicer... 

Begger

The KA is the obvious choice for the Hard-Core chef / cook.    But to get one of those bad-boys will run into some REAL coin.

Top line KA is maybe 600$ at discount while several, 'lower' levels exist for less money.   That's for the ProLine Series 7.....
Costco sells one for 330$ which even includes some colors.    It is the 6 quart, Series 6.     I suspect it will outlive ME.
But THAN?    Those attachments can really add up.   

Sister-in-laws husband bought her one at a swap meet!    It was Old when she bought it.    And it broke a couple years ago.   I took it apart to fix, did NOTHING and it has been fine ever since.    Sis-In-Law is a heavy-duty baker, making everything from CupCakes to Wedding cakes to you name it.   Her daughter is a graduate of the Cullinary Art Institute, so I guess it runs in the family.....I'm guessing her KA is 25 years old, if a day.    

I'm tempted to just DO IT.     The good news is that some stuff in the current inventory can simply be rid of.....which helps the space problem...

Begger

Marcato Atlas 150 is the obvious choice.    Especially since it has a HUGE assortment of add-ons and is the best in virtually every review I've seen it included in.    The price difference between IT and the cheap-o stuff is trivial.  

Begger

Cook Friend is my 20-something nephew.   He's been a foodie virtually ALL his life.   He expressed an interest in a Pasta Machine and I think Santa will come thru.    
I can get 20% OFF at BB&B which meets or beats ANY price I've seen online.
Maybe tomorrow?   

nolaegghead

https://www.spoofee.com/kitchenaid-6qt-600-hd-bowl-lift-stand-mixer/deals/879974

You just need the roller attachment if you want to go cheap and to get started.  Then add the cutters later, but you can cut with a knife.  Hell, a rolling pin will work.  But it's easy and fast with the pasta attachments.  And like I think Botch said, one person with two arm job vs 3 arms.

SciAggie

I want a pasta rolling pin when they are back in stock.

1911Man

I'm on my third KA stand mixer now.
Artisan (a gift one year) was killed <1 year in after a few batches of sausages. 
Pro 600 model was dying after about 6 months of making bread each weekend (averaged six batches a month).
On the Commercial model now (two year warranty) and it seems to be holding up fairly well. 

My mother has a KA mixer made in the 80's (IIRC). It does everything asked of it without issue. IIRC, that's when they were still made by Hobart. If you can locate one of those, grab it with both hands and don't let go.

buzd504

1911Man said:

I'm on my third KA stand mixer now.
Artisan (a gift one year) was killed <1 year in after a few batches of sausages. 
Pro 600 model was dying after about 6 months of making bread each weekend (averaged six batches a month).
On the Commercial model now (two year warranty) and it seems to be holding up fairly well. 

My mother has a KA mixer made in the 80's (IIRC). It does everything asked of it without issue. IIRC, that's when they were still made by Hobart. If you can locate one of those, grab it with both hands and don't let go.

I ended up with my MILs Kitchen Aid mixer.  Not sure how old it is, but it has been great.  I installed one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Rev-Shelf-RAS-ML-HDCR-Height-Cabinet/dp/B0042QB6M4) so it just pulls out.  And I may have stolen the idea from @RRP, so thanks for that.

ryantt

Norah Grace loves her’s, we’ve used it a few dozen times since last christmas.   

Botch

Begger said:

The KA is the obvious choice for the Hard-Core chef / cook.    But to get one of those bad-boys will run into some REAL coin.

Top line KA is maybe 600$ at discount while several, 'lower' levels exist for less money.   That's for the ProLine Series 7.....
Costco sells one for 330$ which even includes some colors.    It is the 6 quart, Series 6.     I suspect it will outlive ME.
But THAN?    Those attachments can really add up.  

I'm tempted to just DO IT.     The good news is that some stuff in the current inventory can simply be rid of.....which helps the space problem...

@Begger, one thing to check before purchase: the height.  The bowl-lift styles are quite a bit taller than the head-tilt style (I have the Artisan) and the bowl-lift would not fit on my countertop, under the cupboard (I do have to slide my Artisan out to tip the head up, but that's okay).  
Mine is older, probably built by Hobart as @1911Man mentions; you can tell just by lifting them, the old ones were built of steel, not plastic.  

Begger

AGREED about height.    The 'pro' 6 quart, lift-style is very high.   AND many reviews mention how loud it is.    i don't want that.    Also, a few mentioned problems with the motor.     Still others say that they don't like the Aluminum hook / kneading and stirring stuff.    I guess they'd rather have Stainless.

All in all?   I'm not impressed with that model.    I can get it for a good price, even less than Costco (all they sell from KA right now) but would rather go 'downline'.     

If my Sis-In-Law can't kill it, it CAN'T be done.   

The 325 watt motor models are PLENTY strong enough for me.

That being said?   We used our 20% 'off' coupon today and ordered the Marcato.    Give it a week or ten days?     No problems.  

Photo Egg

Begger said:

AGREED about height.    The 'pro' 6 quart, lift-style is very high.   AND many reviews mention how loud it is.    i don't want that.    Also, a few mentioned problems with the motor.     Still others say that they don't like the Aluminum hook / kneading and stirring stuff.    I guess they'd rather have Stainless.

All in all?   I'm not impressed with that model.    I can get it for a good price, even less than Costco (all they sell from KA right now) but would rather go 'downline'.     

If my Sis-In-Law can't kill it, it CAN'T be done.   

The 325 watt motor models are PLENTY strong enough for me.

That being said?   We used our 20% 'off' coupon today and ordered the Marcato.    Give it a week or ten days?     No problems.  

Look for a 6000HD,
it uses a DC instead of AC motor. Way less noise and more torque they say. I like mine.

Begger

Never heard of that series!    I'll check it out soonest.    Does it have a tilt head?

NorthPilot06

This is the one I have and it works very well with rather hard use: 

KitchenAid® Pro Line® Stand Mixer, 7-Qt.

NorthPilot06

FWIW, it doesn’t fit under my kitchen cabinets either so we have to place it closer to the edge of the countertop. And it’s fairly heavy if that’s a consideration for you, but hopefully that translates into a quality product

1911Man

buzd504 said:

1911Man said:

I'm on my third KA stand mixer now.
Artisan (a gift one year) was killed <1 year in after a few batches of sausages. 
Pro 600 model was dying after about 6 months of making bread each weekend (averaged six batches a month).
On the Commercial model now (two year warranty) and it seems to be holding up fairly well. 

My mother has a KA mixer made in the 80's (IIRC). It does everything asked of it without issue. IIRC, that's when they were still made by Hobart. If you can locate one of those, grab it with both hands and don't let go.

I ended up with my MILs Kitchen Aid mixer.  Not sure how old it is, but it has been great.  I installed one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Rev-Shelf-RAS-ML-HDCR-Height-Cabinet/dp/B0042QB6M4) so it just pulls out.  And I may have stolen the idea from @RRP, so thanks for that.

The older (~325w motored) models easily beat the 'pro 600' model for durability. 

The commercial, 8qt, mixer I have now came with all stainless attachments (hook included). With the increased power of the commerical model, it can still have trouble if I don't have enough water in the dough recipe. Even a little light and it can struggle. At least this one should last me for a few more years. IF it dies after that, I'll drop the coin and just get a damned Hobart counter top model. Their smallest is larger than I'll need, but at least it's gear driven for it's three speeds. Since I use it on 1 or 2 for what I'm doing, I don't care about anything faster. I'd probably end up using the lowest speed on the Hobart.

Only reason I didn't get that the last time was I didn't have the spare cash to drop on it. At about $2k more than the KA, it wasn't in the cards.

WeberWho

1911Man said:

buzd504 said:

1911Man said:

I'm on my third KA stand mixer now.
Artisan (a gift one year) was killed <1 year in after a few batches of sausages. 
Pro 600 model was dying after about 6 months of making bread each weekend (averaged six batches a month).
On the Commercial model now (two year warranty) and it seems to be holding up fairly well. 

My mother has a KA mixer made in the 80's (IIRC). It does everything asked of it without issue. IIRC, that's when they were still made by Hobart. If you can locate one of those, grab it with both hands and don't let go.

I ended up with my MILs Kitchen Aid mixer.  Not sure how old it is, but it has been great.  I installed one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Rev-Shelf-RAS-ML-HDCR-Height-Cabinet/dp/B0042QB6M4) so it just pulls out.  And I may have stolen the idea from @RRP, so thanks for that.

The older (~325w motored) models easily beat the 'pro 600' model for durability. 

The commercial, 8qt, mixer I have now came with all stainless attachments (hook included). With the increased power of the commerical model, it can still have trouble if I don't have enough water in the dough recipe. Even a little light and it can struggle. At least this one should last me for a few more years. IF it dies after that, I'll drop the coin and just get a damned Hobart counter top model. Their smallest is larger than I'll need, but at least it's gear driven for it's three speeds. Since I use it on 1 or 2 for what I'm doing, I don't care about anything faster. I'd probably end up using the lowest speed on the Hobart.

Only reason I didn't get that the last time was I didn't have the spare cash to drop on it. At about $2k more than the KA, it wasn't in the cards.

You can find smaller Hobarts 2nd hand on Craigslist for 1K or under. 10qt is usually around 6 bills. 20qt under 1K all day.

1911Man

WeberWho said:

1911Man said:

buzd504 said:

1911Man said:

I'm on my third KA stand mixer now.
Artisan (a gift one year) was killed <1 year in after a few batches of sausages. 
Pro 600 model was dying after about 6 months of making bread each weekend (averaged six batches a month).
On the Commercial model now (two year warranty) and it seems to be holding up fairly well. 

My mother has a KA mixer made in the 80's (IIRC). It does everything asked of it without issue. IIRC, that's when they were still made by Hobart. If you can locate one of those, grab it with both hands and don't let go.

I ended up with my MILs Kitchen Aid mixer.  Not sure how old it is, but it has been great.  I installed one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Rev-Shelf-RAS-ML-HDCR-Height-Cabinet/dp/B0042QB6M4) so it just pulls out.  And I may have stolen the idea from @RRP, so thanks for that.

The older (~325w motored) models easily beat the 'pro 600' model for durability. 

The commercial, 8qt, mixer I have now came with all stainless attachments (hook included). With the increased power of the commerical model, it can still have trouble if I don't have enough water in the dough recipe. Even a little light and it can struggle. At least this one should last me for a few more years. IF it dies after that, I'll drop the coin and just get a damned Hobart counter top model. Their smallest is larger than I'll need, but at least it's gear driven for it's three speeds. Since I use it on 1 or 2 for what I'm doing, I don't care about anything faster. I'd probably end up using the lowest speed on the Hobart.

Only reason I didn't get that the last time was I didn't have the spare cash to drop on it. At about $2k more than the KA, it wasn't in the cards.

You can find smaller Hobarts 2nd hand on Craigslist for 1K or under. 10qt is usually around 6 bills. 20qt under 1K all day.

Not in my part of the country you can't... I'm also not one to get something that I'll be using this much without a warranty at purchase time. With my luck, I'd spend the money on the used one only to have it fail (horribly) XX days (or weeks) later and I'm back without a mixer.