Magical electric noodle maker?
October 15, 2021 6:59 PM Subscribe
I want to to buy one of those magical machines where you put stuff in the top and noodles come out the front. Which is the best?
• I want to make ramen noodles and regular Italian-style noodles.
• Easy to cleanup is one thing to optimize for.
• Price not really an issue.
• Prefer solid design to lots of bells and whistles.
• I have no idea what I'm talking about.
• I want to make ramen noodles and regular Italian-style noodles.
• Easy to cleanup is one thing to optimize for.
• Price not really an issue.
• Prefer solid design to lots of bells and whistles.
• I have no idea what I'm talking about.
To get anything like what you’re talking about that isn’t complete balls, money can’t be an object. The least expensive of which I am aware is the Arcobaleno AEX5, which goes for around $2,500.
posted by slkinsey at 8:01 PM on October 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by slkinsey at 8:01 PM on October 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
I chef I know likes the Bottene Lillodue (review) that he uses in his home. He purchased his used, but it looks like when new it also sells in the neighborhood of $2,500 like the extruder mentioned by slkinsey.
posted by RichardP at 8:48 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by RichardP at 8:48 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
Looked like someone has figured out there's a home market for this. Obviously you can buy a simple electric pasta machine to replace the hand crank with a motor, but there's also apparently a line of "electric pasta and noodle makers" that specifically call out ramen as well as spaghetti and have the mixing built in too. I first came across a Chinese one for $80 but it looks like Hamilton Beach is into it too for under $150.
posted by Lady Li at 12:04 AM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Lady Li at 12:04 AM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
There's a bunch of electric pasta makers on AliExpress.
posted by signal at 4:37 AM on October 16, 2021
posted by signal at 4:37 AM on October 16, 2021
The problem with the low priced all-in-one electric extruder machines is that they don’t come remotely close to generating the pressures you need to make real extruded pasta. The only way to make them “work” is by using a dough so soft and wet that the end product is terrible and nothing like it should be. I have a hand cranked pasta extruder and can tell you that extruded pasta takes a lot of pressure.
posted by slkinsey at 5:29 AM on October 16, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by slkinsey at 5:29 AM on October 16, 2021 [9 favorites]
Just to pile on, I have a friend who tried out a whole bunch of these and, like above, figured out that if you spend less than ~$1500 you might as well just go to the store and get your pasta in a box, because what you make is gonna be worse.
posted by dmd at 5:42 AM on October 16, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by dmd at 5:42 AM on October 16, 2021 [7 favorites]
AllRecipes tested a bunch of all types of pasta makers. They called your type "Electric Pasta Maker" and they recommended a Phillips model that's about $300 on Amazon new. They warn you that the consistency is "more crumbly than like a dough made by hand".
Older refurb models can be had for as low as $150.
posted by kschang at 6:08 AM on October 16, 2021
Older refurb models can be had for as low as $150.
posted by kschang at 6:08 AM on October 16, 2021
I believe this category is called "electric pasta machines". Cooks Illustrated has an article about this: free article (archive) and paywall details. They also like the Philips machine best, with Hamilton Beach as a much cheaper second and a Razzori machine "not recommended".
The part that confuses me a bit is that extruded pastas (like macaroni or spaghetti) are made quite differently from rolled/cut pastas (like fettucine or lasagne). And ramen noodles are different yet again. The Cooks Illustrated article briefly gets into this when talking about the dough recipe but doesn't cover it in detail. My impression is that these machines are all making extruded pastas. But then they'll put out lasagne noodles if you ask it too, so I don't quite know what it's doing.
posted by Nelson at 6:21 AM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
The part that confuses me a bit is that extruded pastas (like macaroni or spaghetti) are made quite differently from rolled/cut pastas (like fettucine or lasagne). And ramen noodles are different yet again. The Cooks Illustrated article briefly gets into this when talking about the dough recipe but doesn't cover it in detail. My impression is that these machines are all making extruded pastas. But then they'll put out lasagne noodles if you ask it too, so I don't quite know what it's doing.
posted by Nelson at 6:21 AM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
The hallmark of great noodles is Q - a springy, soft, elastic texture that meets the bite. This requires letting the dough sit so that the gluten can lengthen, then aligning them by repeated kneading and stretching.
It also requires good judgement. Temperature and humidity can vary from day to day and the characteristics of the flour can vary from batch to batch. You would need to learn how to tell when the dough is just moist enough, just kneaded enough, just rested enough, etc.
As many said above, extruded pasta is going to taste mushy and crumbly like gnocchi, or like ramen that's sat in broth for hours.
posted by dum spiro spero at 9:54 AM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
It also requires good judgement. Temperature and humidity can vary from day to day and the characteristics of the flour can vary from batch to batch. You would need to learn how to tell when the dough is just moist enough, just kneaded enough, just rested enough, etc.
As many said above, extruded pasta is going to taste mushy and crumbly like gnocchi, or like ramen that's sat in broth for hours.
posted by dum spiro spero at 9:54 AM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
I bought the Phillips pasta machine a few years ago, on sale for about $200 (I believe there may have been a manufacturer's rebate involved too). That's still a lot of money for a special purpose kitchen appliance, but it was worthwhile for me in the end. It makes fairly good pasta without a whole lot of work. The biggest task is cleaning the machine after use, but you will need to spend about five minutes cutting the pasta as it is extruded, dusting it with flour, and fiddling to make sure all the dough gets picked up inside the machine. It makes a maximum of about 6-8 servings per load in about 10-15 minutes. It is quite large and takes up a good part of a cabinet.
I find the spaghetti and similar small noodles are pretty good, the fettucine and similar are good, but a little bit worse relative to handmade than smaller noodles, and the penne is good, but the lasagne sheets are bit too thick for my taste (you can run them through a pasta machine or thin them out with a rolling pin to improve them a bit). So, yes, it does better at pasta shapes that are traditionally extruded than those that are traditionally rolled and cut (because it extrudes them instead). But realistically, I'm rarely going to make pasta by hand or even with a stand mixer plus pasta machine, but I will use the Phillips machine over using dried pasta most of the time.
One big benefit for me is that I can make very good whole grain pasta in the machine. It is surprising how good the result is, especially if you make it extra rich with an extra egg yolk.
One annoyance is that with the significant pressures generated and the mostly plastic components, about 10% of the dough seeps out into a void in the process of pushing it through the die, though you can put this back through the machine. My model also has broken two lid retention clips slightly, which is mildly annoying. The functioning of the machine is very sensitive to the hydration of the dough, but once you understand what the machine needs to extrude pasta without sticking, it is quite easy to adjust as needed.
I only made one abortive attempt to make ramen noodles in it, but I understand these are less good relative to ramen noodles made by stretching.
posted by ssg at 2:02 PM on October 16, 2021 [4 favorites]
I find the spaghetti and similar small noodles are pretty good, the fettucine and similar are good, but a little bit worse relative to handmade than smaller noodles, and the penne is good, but the lasagne sheets are bit too thick for my taste (you can run them through a pasta machine or thin them out with a rolling pin to improve them a bit). So, yes, it does better at pasta shapes that are traditionally extruded than those that are traditionally rolled and cut (because it extrudes them instead). But realistically, I'm rarely going to make pasta by hand or even with a stand mixer plus pasta machine, but I will use the Phillips machine over using dried pasta most of the time.
One big benefit for me is that I can make very good whole grain pasta in the machine. It is surprising how good the result is, especially if you make it extra rich with an extra egg yolk.
One annoyance is that with the significant pressures generated and the mostly plastic components, about 10% of the dough seeps out into a void in the process of pushing it through the die, though you can put this back through the machine. My model also has broken two lid retention clips slightly, which is mildly annoying. The functioning of the machine is very sensitive to the hydration of the dough, but once you understand what the machine needs to extrude pasta without sticking, it is quite easy to adjust as needed.
I only made one abortive attempt to make ramen noodles in it, but I understand these are less good relative to ramen noodles made by stretching.
posted by ssg at 2:02 PM on October 16, 2021 [4 favorites]
I would also say that using the Phillips machine is fine, but I can definitely see that using something that was just 75% as good would be painful, so I'd be pretty wary of the less expensive, less well reviewed machines.
posted by ssg at 2:05 PM on October 16, 2021
posted by ssg at 2:05 PM on October 16, 2021
I believe ramen is usually a cut rather than an extruded noodle - I've made it by hand, and the recipes I found are all stretch/fold/roll/cut. That needs a linguine style roller/cutter. Seconding others that an extruder style thing isn't going to work - it might for other pastas, but not that one.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:40 PM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:40 PM on October 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
You may be interested in Marcella Hazan's take from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (page 182 in this edition):
“The only kind of pasta machine you should consider is the kind that has one set of parallel cylinders, usually made of steel, for kneading and thinning the dough, and a double set of cutters...
“Do not be tempted by one of those awful devices that masticate eggs and flour at one end and extrude a choice of pasta shapes through another end. What emerges is a mucilaginous and totally contemptible product, and moreover, the contraption is an infuriating nuisance to clean.”
posted by Wet Spot at 6:01 AM on October 18, 2021
“The only kind of pasta machine you should consider is the kind that has one set of parallel cylinders, usually made of steel, for kneading and thinning the dough, and a double set of cutters...
“Do not be tempted by one of those awful devices that masticate eggs and flour at one end and extrude a choice of pasta shapes through another end. What emerges is a mucilaginous and totally contemptible product, and moreover, the contraption is an infuriating nuisance to clean.”
posted by Wet Spot at 6:01 AM on October 18, 2021
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posted by jeffamaphone at 7:00 PM on October 15, 2021 [1 favorite]