KitchenAid attachments

[DCJenn]

Anyone try them? Specifically the pasta making attachments? I've seen them at W-S and of course they appear to work perfectly but I wonder about real life.

My mother had the meat grinding attachment and ended up giving it away because she said it was a PITA to use and even more to clean.

Thoughts?

Jenn

I'm curious about the pasta one but also happy with my 25 year old hand-crank machine. DH gave me the ice cream maker attachment for Christmas last year and I like it. I will like it even more now that I have freezer space for the bowl. The main downside is, IMO, that you have to allow time for the bowl to get cold.

[Michele]

I have the meat grinder/extruder and the pasta roller/cutter. The extruder sucks for making pasta, but the meat grinder is easy to use. I like the pasta roller MUCH better.

In order to extrude the pasta you need a soft dough but then it sticks and you can't separate the strands. The roller uses a traditional dough recipe and the pasta is dry enough that it doesn't stick. See my pasta dough thread for the motor burnout that resulted from using a traditional pasta dough recipe with the grinder/extruder attachment.

[Michele]

Ifind the grinder easy to clean if I clean it immediately. I use partially frozen chicken breasts and thighs to grind for meatballs when I make sauce. Maybe someday I'll make my own chicken sausage.

[Vanquisher]

I have the pasta roller, and I love it. It is so much easier to use than my hand crank machine.

Not exactly an attachment, but an accessory that w/s is selling these days, so I thought I'd pipe in.

This paddle / scraper seemed like a great idea http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/...5-artisan.aspx ... it's not. It does work nicely AFTER you've mixed everything to make a final swipe or 3 and scrape the bottom. But that could just as easily be accomplished with a rubber spatula. If you try to use this from the start, then it throws all of your ingredients out of the bowl. Not great.

[Amiens]

Not exactly an attachment, but an accessory that w/s is selling these days, so I thought I'd pipe in.

This paddle / scraper seemed like a great idea http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/...5-artisan.aspx ... it's not. It does work nicely AFTER you've mixed everything to make a final swipe or 3 and scrape the bottom. But that could just as easily be accomplished with a rubber spatula. If you try to use this from the start, then it throws all of your ingredients out of the bowl. Not great.

Cook's Illustrated did an article on these types of "compatible" scrapers. They contacted Kitchen Aid, and the company said they don't recommend using them, as they can cause motor burnout, and void the warranty on your machine.

The one I bought is actually Kitchen Aid brand, but I couldn't find a link for it. Methinks that Kitchen Aid figured out what a terrible mess it made, and 86'd it.

[SuzySunshine]

I have the pasta roller, and I love it. It is so much easier to use than my hand crank machine.

We have this one too and DH makes great pasta from it all the time.