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776 of 780 found the following review helpful:
 I LOVE IT, but... Jan 19, 2002
I have had every kind of pasta roller - the chrome manual kind, the one that does everything (mixes, extrudes) and now this. I LOVE it. I love having my hands free to hold the dough going in and coming out and not having the manual roller shift all over the place. I am amazed how thin I can make the dough - tissue paper-thin. My only complaint, and I make it for the sake of completeness, is the fact that it took SEVERAL batches of dough (the first of which I was willing to sacrifice) to "clean" it out. I noticed what looked like metallic deposits all over my dough, especially on the edges. This was very distressing to me. I tried wiping the roller with a towel (for about an hour), I tried rubbing it with olive oil and I tried dusting it with flour, all of which helped, but it was ridiculous how much time I had to spend and how many batches of dough I had to waste (about four)! Overall, however, I am very pleased, but I think they should include in the instructions a statement to the effect that you should expect to see the deposits and how to clean it, or they should make sure it's cleaner before sending it out!
347 of 348 found the following review helpful:
Solid and capable Mar 29, 2004
By Joe B.
I highly recommend this attachment.
This attachment is very well made (Made in Italy). It attaches, detaches and cleans up easily, and most importantly, it works very well. This device only makes flat pasta so if you want rigatoni or penne, you'll be disappointed. I've made fettuccine and ravioli. After you've eaten home made semolina pasta, box pasta will never measure up. Be aware that making fettuccine is not that difficult but fresh ravioli is another story...it's quite a bit of work even with this machine. Making the filling and stuffing and sealing each ravioli is laborious. However, prior to getting this device, I used to use a hand crank machine. That's just way too much work. These rollers make the job manageable. The roller makes very consistent pasta, even when you use the thin settings. My suggestion for a good pasta recipe is :
2 cups Semolina flour
1 cup unbleached flour
3 eggs
½ teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of water (most recipes say 3 but that just doesn't work well.)
*Some recipes like the one that comes in the box with this attachment, recommend the use of oil. I have not tried that approach yet. It probably works fine too, you be the judge. ** Some process advice: mix the 2 flours in the Kitchen aid bowl using the paddle beater. Mix the eggs and water together with a whisk and slowly add them to the mixer while in motion on setting 2. After the big, kind if hard dough ball forms, stop and change over to the dough hook for a couple of minutes. If you make ravioli, you'll want flexible dough or you'll get cracking. If the dough cracks or if air is captured inside during the sealing process, they are garbage as they will come apart in the boiling water. To get dough flexible enough that it doesn't crack while making the ravioli, be sure to cover the dough between the first and second rollings and not let it sit longer that 30 minutes. Here's where the oil recipes may have an advantage...also, a light coating of water will help make a good seal. I also picked up the Villaware 10-Square Ravioli Maker from Amazon. It is a metal and plastic form that helps you make 10-2.5 inch square rav's at one time. It works well but 2.5 inch rav's are a bit small. You will also have a tough time getiing a sheet of rolled pasta out of the rollers that is wide enough to cover the form as the rollers are close to the same width as the form. Good luck!
307 of 309 found the following review helpful:
Heavy duty, easy & fun to use, great pasta! Feb 03, 2002
I decided to purchase this attachment instead of the other Kitchenaid pasta attachment (plates + food grinder) because I wanted to be able to make any kind of pasta: spinach, semolina, whole wheat, egg-free etc, and not be confined to a small number of recipes that were sure to work well with the plates. It has worked like a charm. Even the egg-free spinach pasta, which was very dry and crumbly to start, came out perfect. The widest setting on the roller works to knead/roll the dough until its pliable enough to continue. Its amazing how such flaky dough can become so evenly mixed with minimal effort. From this point, its just a few more settings until you've got angel-hair thin dough. It is important to use the cutter before the ends of your dough dry out, lest they will clog the cutter. Pasta is my favorite food, and this contraption makes it possible to make my own healthy, delicious pasta recipes at home, quickly!
163 of 163 found the following review helpful:
 No deposit problems with mine Jan 30, 2006
By D. Brennan
I ran one ball of dough through the machine and I was done. No metal shavings, no grease, no discolored parts. I have only had my machine for 3 months so perhaps the manufacturer has listened to the complaints of those who purchased their machines longer ago and who had problems. A success story for quality control and buyer feedback??
A couple of tips. I thought that a low speed setting for the mixer would be most appropriate. Bad idea. I find that the best speed settings for the roller and slicing attachments are 3 or 4. If you go slower, you get a less regular texture. Too much quicker and the dough tears.
Not documented in the booklet that comes with the device is that you can widen the rollers a bit extra if you go clockwise a bit past 1. This is where I start my rolling. I usually put the ball of dough through this setting 2-3 times, folding it in half before each re-roll.
I then narrow the rollers 2 notches for each subsequent rolling until the desired thickness is achieved. I use the following settings for different types of pasta:
Ravioli - 4
Linguini - 6
Fetuccini - 5
'Broken Noodles' - 5
You can go thinner for things like angel hair pasta, but I usually prefer heartier pastas which Tuscan-inspired sauces.
Take note - if you are making pasta for a group larger than 3-4, or are otherwise not planning on taking it directly from the roller to boiling water, you will need a good pasta rack/dryer unless you have acres of counter space. If you attempt to accumulate your pasta in a 'pile' before cooking, you get a big blob of pasta-ish dough and you will need to completely re-roll it. Laying the pasta in a flat, single layer, is an option but I do not have that much counter space. I therefore use a pasta dryer to hang the pasta for a few minutes to a couple of hours until I am ready to boil it.
Updated June 3, 2009 - We have been using this now for just shy of 5 years and it still works very well. The device has been easy to maintain, there has been no build up of gunk even though you cannot wash it in soap and water, and the rollers are still spinning evenly despite semi-regular use.
Updated June 2010 - Still going strong!
77 of 77 found the following review helpful:
I LOVE my KA Pasta Roller! Aug 06, 2001
I've been rolling and cutting pasta the old fashioned way for 20 years - I'd mix it in a food processor, and then roll it out with a rolling pin and cut it with a pizza cutter. After hubby-dear bought me a cobalt blue KA mixer for Christmas, though, I decided that I wanted a pasta roller set. ...didn't let me think about it too long, either - I ordered it on Friday, and received it on Monday. This little contraption is so much FUN! I mix my dough either in the food processor or in the bread machine, let it rest under a bowl for about 30 minutes or so, cut it into 4 - 6 pieces, flatten it out as much as I can with my hands, sprinkle it with flour, and run it through the "wringer". A few times through at progressively thinner settings, and, voila! Perfectly rolled pasta that's tender and delicious. (The resting period is a secret to tender pasta). A light sprinkling with flour before each trip through the roller or cutter is excellent insurance against sticking. Cleaning is a breeze - just a wipe down and it's done. If by some chance a bit of dough DOES stick in the roller or cutter, the supplied brush or a toothpick pops it right out. It's fun to make a plain dough and a green spinich dough, roll them out separately, then run them back through the roller back to back. You can get a very pretty two-toned laminated pasta that way that's green on one side and white on the other. Overall, I've been very pleased with the KitchenAid Pasta Roller/Cutter attachments, and would recommend the set to anyone. Just be sure (a) to flatten the dough with your hands as much as possible before feeing it through the rollers, so as not to overstrain the motor, and (b) sprinkle the dough with flour before each trip thought the roller or cutter. Great pasta that's fun to eat, and fun to make!
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