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Pinzon 5-9-Inch Pasta Maker | 
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| Brand: Pinzon
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $24.99
You Save: $15.01 (38%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 541
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6.1
Dimensions (in): 5 x 5.1 x 14
Model: FJ150
ASIN: B001CGMKA4
Release Date: December 4, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Buy 4 eligible items in the 4-for-3 promotion offered by Amazon.com and get 1 of them free. Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Hand-cranking pasta machine makes many kinds of pasta | | • | Gleaming stainless-steel body and cutting blades | | • | Adjustable steel rollers have 9 thickness settings | | • | Removable handle and counter clamp makes storage compact | | • | Wipes clean; imported |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 So much fun! December 12, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I consider myself a chef wannabe. I watch the cooking channel and then try to mimic them in my own kitchen. Sometimes it works, and sometimes, well, not so much! I've wanted a pasta maker for a long time for lots of reasons. They look fun. It'll make me feel like a "pro". I love pasta!! When I saw this one, I just had to grab it. I'm so glad I did! The pasta recipe was simple and easy. I clamped the machine on my counter (make sure it's tight!) and started rolling the pasta through. It took a little practice, but pretty soon I was feeling like Giada. ha! It really was fun and I had a blast using it.
Oh! I also make crafts using polymer clay and have read that using a small pasta maker is a great way to condition the clay. Since the price is so low, I think I'm going to buy another one to use for my clay.
Buy it. You'll love it!
The Pinzon name attracted me to this one... December 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
After tasting a friend's homemade pasta, I've been wanting a pasta machine but just haven't been able to bring myself to shell out a ton of money for one. When I saw the right-priced Pinzon model--I own other Pinzon products that I really love--I had to leap, and I would recommend anyone who wants to try pasta-making to go with this model. Then, if you decide you're not that into it, you won't be out that much money. Also, as other reviewers have mentioned, this is definitely in the range of a reasonably priced gift, especially when it's eligible for Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion! (I think my friend paid over a hundred bucks for her pasta machine, and that was years ago.)
So far, even though I'm the worst klutz in the kitchen you can possibly imagine, the Pinzon pasta maker has not been hard to handle. It looks to be the same size as an Imperia 150, which I've looked at in the stores, right down to the same shape and noodle types. The Pinzon has three more dough-roller settings (9) than the Imperia (6), and the notches in the knob are covered in the Pinzon one as opposed to being open (and subject to getting dough shoved inside) like the Imperia's knob. It's a bit hard to read the settings, which are etched into the steel knob cover, but I'm sure once I get the feel of it it won't matter.
I do wish the Pinzon handle knob was not plastic, however. I am really trying to eliminate all plastic from my kitchen. But it helps keep the price down, I'm sure. Also, the stainless steel portion of the handle slides through the end of the handle knob; I'd rather the end of the knob be solid instead of open.
The only real negative I have so far is that my Pinzon pasta machine did not come with a manual. I don't know if this was an accidental omission or if the product is shipping that way. Had I not taken the time to get out on the Internet and search for how-to info, I might have been tempted to stick the pasta machine into a sinkful of water...which would most probably have ruined it.
When you get your pasta machine, or even before you get it, read up on advice on how to make the best pasta dough and how to care for your machine. I expect it's going to be roughly the same procedure for all manual pasta makers. I liked the recipe of 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup semolina flour, and 1 egg, then only add water by dipping your fingers in water as you work the dough. Also be sure to let the dough rest half an hour before running it through the machine. I also read somewhere that you can clean your pasta machine by running a piece of bread or felt through it. (So far, I've taken the advice of one reviewer who said "never clean your pasta machine." That's kind of how I handle my cast iron skillet, swiping it out with a paper towel only. I haven't died yet.)
Oh, and I really appreciate the Italian reviewer who was able to compare the Pinzon with an Atlas. It makes me feel super-good about getting this pasta machine....
Solid Product - Excellent Value November 27, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I received the Pinzon Pasta Maker as a gift though I already own my trusty Atlas hand-crank model from Italy. So, I decided to put them through a side-by-side comparison. I am from Italy and have spent countless hours in the kitchen at our family restaurant back home... and have made plenty of pasta noodles.
When making fresh pasta, it is important to set up your workspace with adequate room to provide comfortable access to your machine, so you can crank it easily with one hand and lead the pasta out with the other hand. Also, be sure you always clamp it tightly to the lip of your work surface (like a sturdy counter or table top) so the machine won't walk away. It is also helpful to have consistent dough that is not too sticky. Keep flour on hand to dust it if it does become sticky otherwise you'll be fighting with it the whole time.
To perform my comparison, I made a typical basic dough (flour, egg, salt). I would say right off, that I admittedly did not want to like a machine that wasn't from Italy, but I put my national pride aside. The first impression is the Pinzon model is lighter in weight than the Italian counterpart, however once clamped to the counter top it remained secure through the entire process of making pasta, and the weight difference proved to be irrelevant. The mechanics of the Pinzon machine are excellent, and it moves the dough through with ease and consistency, with an adjustment knob to bring the rollers together, making the sheets thinner and thinner until the desired thickness is achieved. The first few turns of the knob were a little stiff probably because the machine was new, because it got easier with use. The cutters worked great and produced excellent fine ribbons - angel hair on one side, fettuccine on the other. Side by side with the Atlas, I could find nothing to complain about. (Except that I paid quite a bit more for my machine than the price of this one). This is a well- built, solid machine that will provide years of service. One other note, the motor for my Atlas machine also fit onto the Pinzon machine - a great feature since it frees up your hands to guide the pasta!
This lives up to the Pinzon standard of providing a great product for a great price and I give it 5 stars. Bravo!
Solid quality and performance November 26, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Why didn't I buy this sooner??? This machine is very well built and sturdy. I think that you could run over it with a dump truck and it wouldn't get a scratch on it. It is pretty heavy once the fettuccine attachment is on there, so make sure that it is clamped down tight. You will need a pretty significant lip on your counter for the clamp to fit properly (I'd say about at least 1.5-2 inches). I do not believe that this machine will work properly without the clamp (it will slide all over the place), so take this into consideration. I also believe that there is a Good Eats episode where Alton Brown screws or clamps his pasta roller onto an ironing board, so it is possible to use another surface. :)
The simple formula in the manual is quite tasty. Like other reviews have said, it cannot be sticky or the stickiness will transfer to the machine. It should be dry enough to look like it's wrong (which is very hard if you are a bread baker!). For the first run-through, the 1 lb of dough was more than enough to get rid of all of the grease/metal/residue. Just make sure that you roll the dough totally across all of the surfaces because I found the majority of the grease to be on the sides.
The dough rolls smoothly through each setting. One thing that I wish I could change would be the dial. I find it fairly tricky to do with one hand and I usually end up draping the dough over my arm while I use two hands to change the dial settings. It's not that big of a deal and I just make sure to wash my arm before starting. I have not made any other types of pasta dough other than egg, so I cannot comment on how sticky the dough would be with the addition of spinach or tomatoes.
I also learned that you can run bread dough through the smaller cutter to make bread sticks. Just roll out the dough, run through the cutter, twist, season and drizzel a little olive oil and bake.
All in all, this a fantastic product that was built to last. Just remember to tighten the clamp... more than once I didn't screw it tight enough and the machine nearly fell off of the counter while I was turning the crank on the tougher low number settings. Be careful... rolling that darn dough is quite addicting!
Great little thing November 25, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
As the product name indicates the rollers are only 5 1/2 inch, which is much smaller than in regular pasta makers. I found it to be an actual advantage as narrower dough is much easier to handle.
I prepared some dough (flour, egg, salt and water) and run it through the rollers several times, going from the thickest to the thinnest setting. It worked very well, and dough got a great consistence. Switching between settings is very easy, but handle tends to fall out while rolling.
There are two cutters available - for thin and medium noodles. The trick is to keep feeding the cutters without stopping (or dough can get stuck to the top of machine) while catching the noodles at the other end... Maybe it's just me but I have always thought that pasta makers required at least three hands. But since the dough is narrow, I could pick the noodles up with one hand and hang them up to dry in one swift move.
All in all a great pasta maker. I am taking one star off because the handle is made of ugly brown plastic, that does not match the cool stainless steel body.
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