Since good quality pasta isn’t cheap here (e.g., lasagna noodles, fettuccine, I’ve got my eye on a Heavy Duty Marcato Atlas Pasta Maker, the one at the top of the page here: chefdepot.net/kitchensmallwares4.htm
Does anyone know anything about machines like this? Has anyone seen them in Taibei? They’re heavy, and importing my own will probably cost a ton in shipping and maybe customs fees too.
I’m thinking of getting an all stainless steel one, not just chrome plated, since stuff rusts so easily here, and I’d like it to last 30 years. I want to make lasagna, ravioli, fettuccine and tagliatelle.
My bro also gave me the pasta extruder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. I didn’t have much success with it the one time I tried it, but I’m going to pull it out and try again. There’s a misquote for ya!
Well, I’ve seen some “cheap” ones in Carrefour and I’m sure you can find one if you go to City’super or Jasons, but I haven’t really looked for one so…
It’s supposedly quite time consuming to use them, as you have to put the dough through it several times before you cut the pasta into strips and then you need to hang it up and dry it before you cook it.
Also, I’m not sure if it’s possible to buy the right kind of flour here, never seen it.
Cool, thanks. I called Pantry Magic(the Neihu branch closed a year or more ago but they have a Shilin store (台北市士林區士東路40號 40 Shi Dong Road Shi Lin Taipei. E-mail: twinfo_pm. Tel: (02) 2837 5589. opening hour: 10am-9pm everyday …) and they said they have one model, a “Shule” brand, all stainless, $1270 with 7 thickness settings, or something like that. But with that name and that price, I’m a bit skeptical. I have seen stainless models in that price range online, and a pasta machine isn’t that complex, but I’m fundamentally extremely wary of Chinese product quality, and was expecting a good stainless machine to cost at least double that, and probably triple. I’d also like to make sure that optional attachments for other kinds of noodles are available for the machine.
I’d have a look at the one they sell in Carrefour, I think they offer accessories as well and it might even be a bit better quality, but I really don’t know, as I’ve never taken a close look at it.
I’m totally serious, and have already written the company to ask whether it’s still available. I’d much rather own that artisan-produced, real bronze machine than a modern plastic version, even if it costs more.
It looks messy though, you have to put the dough into the tube and then squeeze it out. And it’s only for spagetti of course, it won’t do anything else by the looks of it. Why not just buy a meat grinder
There are two basic kinds of pasta machines, rollers and extruders.
Rollers make flat noodles like lasagna and fettuccine, and the basis for fancier elaborations thereupon such as farfalle. If you cut the noodles narrow enough you get spaghetti. I don’t know whether the spaghetti cutter attachments also help round the cross section, or whether you actually get a version with a square cross section like spaghetti alla chitarra.
Extruders make macaroni, rotelle, penne, spaghetti, etc. (straight rods and tubular shapes). You change the die (through which the dough is forced) to change the product. Extruders typically come with several dies. The problem is that (from what I’ve read online, and my difficulties with the KitchenAid extruder on my first attempt) the dough needs to be a certain thickness to create finished noodles of the right texture, but at that thickness, it’s difficult for inexpensive home machines made of plastic like the KitchenAid attachment to actually extrude the stuff without cracking a die or burning out the motor. So this hand-turned bench job with a bronze tube and bronze dies would probably work better, in addition to being very retro cool.
This plastic extruder makes “Rigatoni, Maccheroni, Maccheroncini, Bucatini and Fusilli”:
The Bigolaro bench model I showed earlier is described here: aluminiumcapping.co.uk/acsfo … makers.htm
and has dies for spaghetti, macaroni, and a couple narrow flat noodles:
Crack an egg or two and add flour until it’s the right texture. (I use any flour including wholemeal etc)
pinch off balls to run thru the rollers in about 3-4 decreasing thicknesses, and run each thru the cutters before hanging on the dryer prior to cooking.
I think maybe 10-15 mins is about it. If you want to, make extra and put it in a tupperware for later on.
It’s a cool way to have people over for dinner. When they arrive, make the pasta. Most people like to watch or have a go. Then dry it while you have a couple of glasses of wine before flash cooking it in minutes.
Chinese hand-pulled noodles
Phillipe Chow
These hand-pulled noodles originate in Beijing. They are taught from one generation of noodle chefs to the next, an art form that is all but lost.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 lbs. Chinese all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• Small amount of vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Combine the flour and water in a large bowl. Chinese flour has more gluten than American flour, which makes it more elastic and helps it stretch more easily.
Pound and knead the flour firmly until it becomes a dough. This takes about 5 minutes.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Oil a wood table or plank lightly with vegetable oil.
Stretch the dough into a tube shape. Fold over and stretch, then take that and pound and shape it onto the wooden surface.
Stretch and twist in your hands, in a loop, several times to release the gluten.
Once it is springy, lay the loop on the wooden table and fold it in two.
Hold it up in your hands, and fold it into two, doubling it. Then lay this on the table, and repeat, doubling the number of strands again. While holding up the dough, repeat the motion until you have many strands of what are now noodles in your hands.
Stretch them out, and cut the ends off.
Boil in hot water, and then serve with your choice of traditional sauce or Chinese vegetables. msnbc.msn.com/id/24970451/
Ok, Pasta and Noodles are not the same thing.
Why do people always seem to think it’s the same stuff?
Either which way, that guy in the video has some real skills…
And Dragonbones, I’m just glad I’m not the one doing your washing up if you’re gettin that thing
Chinese hand-pulled noodles
Phillipe Chow
These hand-pulled noodles originate in Beijing. They are taught from one generation of noodle chefs to the next, an art form that is all but lost.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 lbs. Chinese all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• Small amount of vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Combine the flour and water in a large bowl. Chinese flour has more gluten than American flour, which makes it more elastic and helps it stretch more easily.
Pound and knead the flour firmly until it becomes a dough. This takes about 5 minutes.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Oil a wood table or plank lightly with vegetable oil.
Stretch the dough into a tube shape. Fold over and stretch, then take that and pound and shape it onto the wooden surface.
Stretch and twist in your hands, in a loop, several times to release the gluten.
Once it is springy, lay the loop on the wooden table and fold it in two.
Hold it up in your hands, and fold it into two, doubling it. Then lay this on the table, and repeat, doubling the number of strands again. While holding up the dough, repeat the motion until you have many strands of what are now noodles in your hands.
Stretch them out, and cut the ends off.
Boil in hot water, and then serve with your choice of traditional sauce or Chinese vegetables. msnbc.msn.com/id/24970451/[/quote]
Lost? Every 5’ or so there is a LanZhou noodle shop with the same thing.
Another big success – my first ravioli! I used my new Pastry Crimping tool from chefdepot.com, which worked very well to seal and cut ravioli in one stroke. I just used a rolling pin to flatten the dough, which was a lot of work since the dough was so firm and resilient, but still, very successful. The beef, fresh mozzarella (the fresh ball-type, Costco) and fresh Padano Romano and basil made an excellent filling, and I topped it all off with a spicy ragu from scratch. It was superb!
Hey DB, did you buy the machine from Taiwan or were you abroad and brought it back?
If from Taiwan how much was the S&H?
And how is the machine? do you actually use it a lot? Thanks for the info mate!
That’s my kind of technology! 
So this hand-turned bench job with a bronze tube and bronze dies would probably work better, in addition to being very retro cool.
