What brand of pasta machine is best ?

[Debbiebillg]

They've sent me an email saying it's been posted, so may just get it before the weekend, cool !!

[Carine]

Wow:  you're lucky- a very efficient company + you'll be able to play with your new toy this week-end!
I'll have to look at this Marcato Atlas more closely 

[leesmac78]

Our poor pasta maker is a little dusty though since the advent of Thermomix.  I must get it out of the cupboard and hint to Ed to make me some pasta with a yummy sauce made in Thermie... Maybe Friday night..

xxx

 

[fundj&e]

This is the one i use when DH is around, to heavy for me to clean  . he does a better job than me 

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/eurolab-electric-pasta-maker/?cm_mmc=newsletter-_-appliances20111013-_-prods-_-15493

[andiesenji]

This is the one i use when DH is around, to heavy for me to clean  . he does a better job than me  

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/eurolab-electric-pasta-maker/?cm_mmc=newsletter-_-appliances20111013-_-prods-_-15493

One that is almost identical is sold in the U.S. as the "Weston Roma Express pasta machine" and has gotten some less than stellar reviews.
Many complained that the top feed roller stopped working early on and the pasta cutter assembly either broke or mangled the pasta.
It's sad that the first ones that came on the market here worked very well (and were expensive) and were carried by some of the upscale catalogs.  Then the price dropped significantly and they showed up in Walmart and the quality was definitely not as good.  A different manufacturer was listed.  
The one sold here is a copycat of the Imperia electric pasta machine that is made in Italy and is a lot more expensive but is used in small restaurants as it is a workhorse.  They make several sizes including one that is a production model.
However, most of the Italian folks I know prefer the Atlas that handles wider sheets of pasta, more pasta for less work!

[fundj&e]

i just checked and the brand is Bravetti    and not the eruo lab one that i thought i had

[andiesenji]

I am sure that you have one of the better machines and not the lookalike that has plastic parts.

You can often tell by the weight listed.  The cheap one has a shipping weight of 20 pounds, the all metal one that is made in Italy has a shipping weight double that.   Obviously plastic doesn't weigh as much as metal.

It's like knives.  Henckels has been a well known name for decades but  a few years ago there were some "great" bargains being offered and by some really upscale department stores. 
The sets in wood knife blocks were made in China, and not only were the blades truly awful, the wood blocks had some kind of bugs in them and when one picked up the block to more it there was sawdust and God knows what else on the counter.
A friend had received a set as a gift and almost fainted when a bug crawled out of one of the slots.  Her husband cut it apart and found things like grubs inside tunnels in the wood.  They took the cut apart block and the knives back to the store and got a refund and an apology.  Their daughter, who had purchased the gift, was shocked.  Me too.

[fundj&e]

  image that! 

[Debbiebillg]

We figured with the Marcato one, if we want to add a motor later on we always can. But at least it will still work without the motor it the motor fails half way through making dinner ! 


Ewwwww andiesenji, that's just gross.

[Carine]

Andiesenjie, your daughter's friend must have been so crossed!

Ed never uses to the ravioli thingy,  bit too annoying.  Kind of like the liquidiser attachment that came with the ken wood, still in it's box along with the mincer attachment.  With a thermomix who needs other gadgets?

Xxx

 

Lee, your post makes me wonder how useful the ravioli attachment would really be   
I've looked at the different prices for the marcato atlas 150 and, yes, it's tempting to get the $150 4 pieces set which includes the ravioli attachment:  temptation of a bargain!!!  But would I use it or would it be cluttering a cupboard? 
I've made ravioli a few times by cutting a lasagna sheet with a pasta cutter- pretty fiddly, end result quite rustic but ravioli tasted great.  Particularly remember ravioli with roasted pumpkin, ricotta and parmesan filling served with a coriander macadamia pesto...

Sooo, has anybody used their ravioli attachment with success?

[fundj&e]

Carine try wong tong wrappers so easy 

[Carine]

good cheating option but I just want to experiment with different dough too

[Debbiebillg]

Carine, you could always sell the Ravioli attachment on Ebay if you don't use it.

[andiesenji]

I have a ravioli attachment but have never used it.  I like BIG ravioli, fat ones with lots of filling, so use the manual "press/crimpers", have square, round, triangle and "eye" (long, pointy oval)  different shapes for different "flavors." 
Like the ones about half-way down the page here.

[judydawn]

Don't laugh at my first attempt at pasta making girls    I wasn't sure how thin you had to roll it, decided on No. 2 in the end but it took me a while to get the hang of it hence the different lengths of pasta.  It cooked up well though.  Is it OK to just store the leftovers in tupperware and for how long?  Haven't had a bad back for ages - guess what I had after my pasta marathon