Ravioli-maker recommendations?
I'd like to start making ravioli at home. I'm wondering which machines/attachments people recommend or advise against. I have a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer and was figuring I'd just pony up the $$$ for the ravioli-maker attachment, but read reviews that said it wasn't worth it since they didn't always close on the sides, etc. I know I can/have done it by hand, but I have tiny kids and am talking about very large quantities to freeze and possibly sell. Anyone? Thanks!
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6 Comments:
do you already have the pasta roller attachment?
a pasta roller, fingers & a pastry wheel are all you need to make ravioli.
dmarina at 11:52PM on 04/08/09
I use my Kitchenaid to roll the pasta, but getting the Kitchenaid ravioli thing didn't make sense to me because if you wanted to roll and fill right away, you'd have to keep switching the parts. And the Kitchenaid ravioli thing is a hand-crank anyway, so there's no benefit to attaching it to the mixer. Might as well get a different hand-crank unit and be able to roll the pasta and fill it right away.
I've got an old Atlas (I think that's the brand) that I use sometimes, but it makes really small ravioli. It works well enough, though. I've also got a gizmo from VillaWare which is a little easier than handmaking them completely, and you get very uniform results which is a plus. And they're cheap, so it's not much of a loss if you hate it.
If you're planning on making them for sale and you plan on following health code rules, you might want to see if the kitchen you're using has any pasta equipment available for your use. If not, check into what sort of equipment might be required. A lot of items sold for home use aren't acceptable for commercial use and there's no sense in buying one if you can't use it..
If you're just planning on selling to friends and family, ignore my comment about health codes. But if you're selling to strangers, be cautious.
dbcurrie at 12:06AM on 04/09/09
I just did this as a first-time ravioli-er. Almost a disaster. I immediately broke the kitchen aid food grinder/pasta maker plastic attachment. The shaper at the end couldn't handle the dense dough. But- my husband came home with the kitchen aid metal pasta rollers and my god those things are genius. It rolled perfectly thin sheets of dough out; I just laid them down and plopped some filling on, laid another sheet on top, moistened in between with a little water and pressed. Cut apart with a pizza cutter. It worked great! Nothing fell apart while cooking. Highly recommended. Easy to use, and very happy with the results. Can't wait to try it again!
FoodStuffs at 9:32AM on 04/09/09
Like dbcurrie, I use my Kitchenaid to roll the pasta too, but I do not use their automated ravioli press. I also have the Villaware traditional ravioli mold/press that I bought at Williams Sonoma (purchased while I eagerly await my grandma's!) It is the metal mold with a plastic press and a little rolling pin to press the layers together. It worked great for me!
meem21 at 10:49AM on 04/09/09
@meem, that's the one I have. I was struggling with how to describe it.
If I'm making just a few stuffed pasta items, it's easy enough to cut them freehand for dinner that night, but if I'm making them in bulk to freeze, I like the idea that they're all uniform. I don't know why that makes a difference, but it does.
Besides the ravioli thing, I've also got one that does half-moons, which are the traditional shape for pierogi. I actually got that one first, and then bought the ravioli one later.
dbcurrie at 12:30PM on 04/09/09
Thanks for the input! I'll be checking out Villaware to start. Have you guys ever seen what they put in those nasty little Gerber ravioli? It's craziness. I'll be making them for my little bubs. :) Thanks!
MaresyDotes at 4:45PM on 04/09/09