Customer Reviews

The Pasta Machine Cookbook (A Nitty Gritty Cookbook) (Nitty Gritty Cookbooks)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you want to make a reasonable selection of pastas, this book will give you recipes to do it. Spinach, tomato, and other flavored pastas, as well as pastas made from a variety of grains. It also contains a reasonable selection of sauces that are generally easy to make, though if you have any experience making pasta sauces (or another cookbook that covers the topic), I doubt you'll find anything terribly interesting or innovative to try as far as sauces go.

However, I guess that wasn't enough to fill up a book, because the book also has a bunch of recipes that look questionable at best. It looks kind of like the author sat down and tried to brainstorm everything she could possibly think of to make pasta out of -- kind of an illustration of the old adage that if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. For example, there are some recipes for curry pastas here, which seems like a reasonable enough idea if you can think of something to make that wuld go well with it. However, the author's only serving suggestion is to then make a curry and serve it over the curry pasta, which makes a lot less sense to me than making a pasta with a flavor that would complement whatever curry you are making. There are a number of recipes like this, where the author suggests using a set of ingredients from a dish in a pasta to go with the dish.

Beyond that there's no discussion of making tortellini and only a brief discussion of making ravioli, with only a few ideas for fillings. This seems like an area where the author's creativity could have been put to far better use, as there are a vast number of possible fillings that might go really well tossed lightly with oil or with a simple cream sauce.

This is a very inexpensive book and it contains a wide variety of of useful recipes for various pastas, so this book does the job it sets out to do. However, I can't help but think it could have been a much better book if a little more thought and discretion could have been put into it.

This is a great cookbook for anyone who had or wants to own a pasta machine. The easy to follow recipes are adjusted for both the hand crank and electric machines as well. For this past Valentine's Day my girlfriend and I brought out her old pasta machine and following one of the recipes we made a four-spice pasta that was incredible. We had once tried to make pasta before and it took a lot longer then because we didn't quite know the proportions needed. However, following the instructions Donna German gives. Making pasta took a lot less time, even with a hand crank pasta machines. Although we have not tried any of the sauce or main dish recipes they look pretty darn good too. Off to find my own pasta machine...:-)

I bought this book a few years ago after purchasing an electric pasta maker. The instructions are very clear and concise. But the best thing is that the book gives the reader a huge number of pasta recipes including the use of various flours, herbs, vegetables, fruits, spices and cheeses. After using the book for awhile, I decided to experiment with some of my favorites...garlic, basil and parmesan. You will delight every person who sits at your table and you will be proclaimed an absolute gourmet chef. Pasta is very healthy and now it can be equally delicious. Imagine chocolate pasta topped with brandied strawberries! Even the kids can make pasta with these recipes. I have had many hours of culinary pleasure thanks to Donna German and you will too!

Excellent book to prepare your own pasta at home. The book is adapted to both hand-cranked and electric extruder pasta machines.

Buy this book only if you are willing to do something exotic and elaborated with the pasta. If you love pasta but want to save the trouble, keep the pasta simple and play with the sauce recipes. In this case you may want to try a different book, like "Pasta Sauces" by Charles Bellissimo, or "The Essential Pasta Cookbook".

I bought this book when I first got my hand-crank pasta machine. It's kind of fun, but most of the recipes are far too elaborate and highly flavoured. Very few of them sound like something you'd want to do start to finish. I agree with the Italians -- pasta is fairly basic -- have fun with the sauces. (I do wish I had the patience to make those cute little candystriped "packets", though.)

This is inexpensive enough to be an "idea" book, if you want to try something "exotic", which pasta isn't, of course.

When this book first showed up I was disappointed, because of its size. I was anticipating a bigger book. But my initial disappointment was quickly turned around once I looked inside.

Without a doubt, this is the most useful book I have for making pasta with a pasta machine. It is packed with information. It focuses more on the pasta making itself rather than the sauces. Recipes for sauces are available everywhere, but finding recipes for different types of pasta is tough.

I also like how it provides different recipes for using a past bike vs. using an extruder.

A must have reference if you are into pasta making.

The New Pasta Machine Cookbook. I am a Chef from Europe and never learn about pasta. I do quiche, eclair, crepes etc and became interested by Bob my neigbor. So I starded to read and became VERY save and surprise every body even the Italian in my communauty, what fun I have. Yvon

I like making pasta to match my whim, and this cookbook has served me well. I have never been disappointed, although I do heed the warnings for certain ingredients (e.g., fresh spinach). The sauces I have tried have also been quite satisfactory (in the same way the French say "Ca va" and mean it's very good).

This is the only pasta machine cookbook I own - I haven't desired another (and I am a cookbook addict).

I have an Atlas 150 with a ravioli attachment, and the instructions that came with the machine are minimal. Every time I wanted to make pasta, I had to find recipes on the internet. I like to use whole grains. This book gives plenty of basic and non-basic recipes, and the proportions make it easy to double (or even triple). It's nice to not have to go to the internet for recipes anymore.

There are only a few basic sauces, but from someone who only sees recipes as guidelines, I think they make nice quick references.

Overall, a must have recipe book for pasta machines. I think they should come with this book! I'm getting one for mom :)

I wasnt sure what this book was about when I purchased it, but so you know, it is all about making pasta from various different types of ingredients, such as buckwheat, quinoa, rye even, as well as the basic egg dough we are familiar with. It is great to have somethign else to make pasta out of besides the usual flour/semolina. I havent tried too many of the recipes yet, but those I have tried worked out well and the finished product was received well too. Interesting.