# Got a pasta maker yesterday!



## Nan (May 13, 2002)

My hubby had some things he had to do in Richmond yesterday for work...so I went along with him and he actually took me to 2 thrift stores! He does NOT like thrift stores! I was so proud of him! He was ALMOST patient! :angel: Wooooooo HOOOO!!!! We had a lovely day and got lost several times! Fun to be together and we learned a lot about Richmond!! anyway............... I got a pasta machine that is absolutely huge! It is a Pasta Express. Does anyone know anything about them? It came with an instructional video and gobs of different sizes of pasta attachments and all for 2.98! We plugged it in and it seems to work fine! It had been 15 dollars...and they marked it down because they had two just alike sitting side by side! I guess that folks in the city don't seem to want to mess with making their own pasta! YYYYYEEEEEEE HAAAAAW! I thought that the tag said 6.98 and thought that was cheap enough!.....so was totally shocked when I asked a manager(the writing was hard to read) that said it was 2.98! I am going to watch the video and then try making lasagna first or maybe ravioli?! I have the parts for my kitchenaide that I have had for a Looooong time....but they are a pain to use! This one actually mixes up the dough so that you can get a better consistancy! Whatcha' all think? Has anyone ever added some sundried tomatoes or spinach to their pasta makers? It gives directions for spinach noodles...but it doesn't say anything about the tomatoes. I can't wait to try WW flour instead of white! YUMMY!


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

yes, i have one i got second hand, then one i got from my mil

it makes much better tasting noodles, 

ive used tomatoes ect, just make sure its smooth or it may cause trouble when pressing out the smaller shapes.


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Nan, good deal! I have one I got for $10, but haven't used it yet. Just not enough time, I suppose! I will, tho, eventually. If you try the tomatoes, let us know how it works. Jan in Co


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

I want to try the sundried tomatoes because I have a TON of them...eeeek....got a good deal on a case of them...LOL! They would be tasty I think! I don't know about the seeds though? I bet I would have to blend them in the blender with the water part of the mixture to chop up the seeds? I will let ya'll know! I have to go to the county courthouse today to get our permits to start building...so may not get to play with it till later this afternoon!


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## jer (Sep 2, 2003)

I love my pasta maker and could not live without it. I have found though that when using whole wheat flour it takes less flour. You may want to experiment with that. I make noodles with eggs, salt and flour and either add extra eggs or less flour when using whole wheat.


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

THANKS for the tip jer!! I was going to make lasagna...but instead we had beef and noodles! I had such fun and it was very easy to use! The noodles didn't stick together(the pasta maker has this little fan thingy that blows on the noodles as they come out of the thing) and they cooked up great! I am hooked for sure! It even has a pretzel disc and a bread stick disc! Cool beans! Will let you all know how the tomato ones come out! I am going to experiment with part WW tomorrow!


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## prairiegirl (Nov 2, 2004)

So Nan, you've peaked my curiousity about these pasta makers. I was content to make my own noodles the old way, but this sounds good. Maybe easy enough for me to figure out.LOL I would like to add variety to noodles (veggies, flours) and different shapes (noodles, lasagna...) Oh, and breadsticks and pretzels - Yum.

You mentioned the machine is huge. That would be a drawback for me. I've spent the last year simplifying. I suppose if I were to get one I could always get rid of something else. 



I just never seem to find these deals at thrift stores around here. I can get a good deal at an auction or yard sale, but only sometimes.
You did good!

Please share your recipes.

prairiegirl


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

Well...when I say huge...it is about the size of a bread machine. I don't like a bunch of stuff on my counter...but for this price I thought it would be fun to have. I used the recipe from the little booklet that came with it...and it has its own measuring cup thingy....and they say it is not like a cup sized...to me it looks more like a cup and a half or so....for the recipe it called for 2 of their cups full of flour and then 2 eggs and then you add a little oil and then fill it up with water to the line they have marked on the little container. I don't know that the recipes would work with a regular measuring cup. I should fill it up at the different marks with water and measure it off with regular sizes just in case I ever lose the little thing! Eeeek! 
For the beef and noodles:
I took beef stock that I had cooked and cooked and cooked so that it was very good and strong. I added some salt, coarsely ground pepper and a bit of garlic and then some flour to thicken it up and then some browned ground beef(it would have been good with leftover roast but dd was "defrosting" some hamburger meat for something else and pushed cook instead of defrost...so we had to use it up) Just before it was completely thickened I added a couple of dollaps of sour cream and stirred it all up. Served that over the noodles with steamed spinach and a green salad with everything in it but the kitchen sink.


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## airotciv (Mar 6, 2005)

Just alittle funny, bought a pasta machine a few days a go and my family says your going to make pasta, LOL no it's for craft projects, they were so dissappointed. Have fun making pasta and when you get tired, great for craft projects.


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## via media (Jun 3, 2005)

That's such a great find! :dance: You're excitement is contagious...now you've got me thinking...

How long does it take to mix and process a batch of noodles? Do you think it's something I could do when I get home from work at 5 and still eat dinner at a reasonable time?

/VM


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

VM....it took all of about 5 minutes and then maybe another 5 minutes to extrude them and you get your water boiling while it is mixing up! Definitely do-able!!! To clean the little heavy plastic die you just pop it into the freezer for a few hours and when it comes out you whack it gently on the cabinet and the dough comes out of the little holes! Walla! We are having pasta again for dinner tonight but this time I am making some WW! Better for them and they won't care if it isn't white noodles! I got this machine at the Richmond thrift store called Family Thrift! They had another one exactly like it, but I don't remember if they had all of the attachments that this one had! I see them all the time at thrift stores around here! I think it is one of those la de da things that people get and then they never use it! Yeeee HAW! I never thought I would like mine as much as I do! I especially like that it mixes up the dough for me! My friend has one of those hand crank kind that you have to mix your own dough then feed it through the SS contraption to cut it out....it is much more work than this one! You turn the switch one way and add your ingredients...and it mixes it up...then you turn it the other way and it extrudes the noodles out! The only thing you have to be careful with is the consistency of the dough! Too dry will mess it up and too sticky would be a big mess...but if you mix it to where it looks crumbly but doesn't have those white polka dots of flour...then it is just right!

So..all that was to say...YEP...ya' have plenty of time! You don't have to let the noodles dry before you cook them, but you can if you want to use them later! You can also freeze some for later. Mine makes a HUGE amount of noodles. I would say 2 pounds or more. For ya'll...you could eat half and freeze half for later!


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## cfarmher (Apr 11, 2006)

Nan said:


> My hubby had some things he had to do in Richmond yesterday for work...so I went along with him and he actually took me to 2 thrift stores! He does NOT like thrift stores! I was so proud of him! He was ALMOST patient! :angel: Wooooooo HOOOO!!!! We had a lovely day and got lost several times! Fun to be together and we learned a lot about Richmond!! anyway............... I got a pasta machine that is absolutely huge! It is a Pasta Express. Does anyone know anything about them? It came with an instructional video and gobs of different sizes of pasta attachments and all for 2.98! We plugged it in and it seems to work fine! It had been 15 dollars...and they marked it down because they had two just alike sitting side by side! I guess that folks in the city don't seem to want to mess with making their own pasta! YYYYYEEEEEEE HAAAAAW! I thought that the tag said 6.98 and thought that was cheap enough!.....so was totally shocked when I asked a manager(the writing was hard to read) that said it was 2.98! I am going to watch the video and then try making lasagna first or maybe ravioli?! I have the parts for my kitchenaide that I have had for a Looooong time....but they are a pain to use! This one actually mixes up the dough so that you can get a better consistancy! Whatcha' all think? Has anyone ever added some sundried tomatoes or spinach to their pasta makers? It gives directions for spinach noodles...but it doesn't say anything about the tomatoes. I can't wait to try WW flour instead of white! YUMMY!


OMG, small world! I found mine at Family Thrift too! (I used to live in Louisa Co.) It's a Popeil PastaMaker, and my MIL found one there exactly like it a year later. BTW, that store is awesome, there is nothing like it around here. :Bawling: 
I loooove mine, I can make WW organic pasta for almost nothing! And its higher protein too, beacause it uses eggs.
My only gripe with mine is having to take it apart, and put it back together, but it's a small price to pay.


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## thefarm (May 11, 2002)

Wow great find..My son got us a pasta maker for xmas and it attaches to my kitchenaid.. I havn't used it yet I''m afraid to try to make pasta never made it and don't have a recipe..Does anybody have one that attaches to there kitchenaid? or can share a recipe.. thanks brenda


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

I have one for my kitchenaide mixer...but don't know where it is since we moved. I had trouble getting the dough the right consistency to go through it easily! Make sure that your dough isn't tooooo stiff or it is a pain to get through the kitchenaide pasta maker! 

Yep...Family thrift is a cool beans store! I don't get to go there very often since we don't live near Richmond...but when we go to Richmond I try to stop by! They have EVERYTHING! I bought the pasta maker, a massager thing that has these little rolly aroundy ball things that vibrate and heat up and are great for sore back muscles, and also an outdoor porch light that we JUST bought one like it at Lowes and paid over 20 bucks for it...and this one was 3.98 and brand new!


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

The recipe for my kitchenaide mixer says....

4 large eggs
1 TBS water
3 1/2 cups flour

After mixing for a few minutes you are supposed to let it rest for 15 minutes before extruding it through the mixer. I would think it would take a bit more water to make it soft enough to extrude well....just my 2 cents and my previous experience with the recipe.


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## via media (Jun 3, 2005)

Thanks for all the info, nan! I think I can handle that! You even answered the questions I thought about asking but didn't 'cause I didn't want to sound too noodle-impared.  

I think I might go on a treasure hunt  

/VM


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

Noodle impaired?  Love it VM! That is funny!! I looked today at the thrift store and didn't see one :grump: . I will keep my eyes peeled for another cheap one VM! Anytime I go to a thrift store I peek through all of their kitchen gadgets! :hobbyhors


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## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

Nan, congratulations on SUCH a great find. I sure wish I could run across one like that.


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## hanlonfive (Jun 20, 2003)

Woooohoo Nan! I bought a pasta machine too about a month ago from the thrift store but packed it up as we are moving.........soooooo I have no idea if it works. LOL It came with a vhs tape too. I can't wait to unpack it at our new home and use it!

Peace and blessings,

Kelli


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## Nan (May 13, 2002)

Kelli....the tape really helped...although it was very dorky! They made a lot of jokes in it and it was really quite funny in a dorky sort of way...but it was helpful to see the consistency of the dough when it is ready to extrude! I think I would have gotten it a bit too dry had I not seen the tape! When you unpack yours...you will probably want to watch the tape before trying it!


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## ericbecky (Dec 27, 2009)

Nan said:


> I used the recipe from the little booklet that came with it...and it has its own measuring cup thingy....and they say it is not like a cup sized...to me it looks more like a cup and a half or so....for the recipe it called for 2 of their cups full of flour and then 2 eggs and then you add a little oil and then fill it up with water to the line they have marked on the little container. I don't know that the recipes would work with a regular measuring cup. * I should fill it up at the different marks with water and measure it off with regular sizes just in case I ever lose the little thing! Eeeek! *


O.k. I apologize straight off for dredging up such an old thread, but I did a search and could not find anything more recent.

I am desperately seeking the correct ingredient amounts for making pasta in my pasta maker. I am missing the proprietary "measuring cup thingy" that Nan mentions in her post.

If anyone can tell me their recipe, or if they have a pasta maker like the one Nan describes and could get identify the correct ingredient amounts for me it would really be appreciated!!!


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