Customer Reviews

Pinzon 5-9-Inch Pasta Maker

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Over the years, my mom has owned probably 10 different pasta makers and I've owned 3 additional pasta makers of my own. There's a couple of things that can really be frustrating: 1) If the handle falls out a lot. 2) If the clamp doesn't clamp the machine onto the table tight enough. and 3) If the noodle cutter doesn't cut well. Any of those three can make for a really frustrating experience.

The problem with this machine is #1: the handle falls out a lot. The machine is very lightweight and doesn't feel as if it's made that well and the thickness adjusting knob feels flimsy. But, you have to think about the price you're paying and so I understand that. It's reasonable quality for the price. BUT, the handle doesn't go in all the way on the roller (as far as it should). It only went in about half way on the roller part. And it went in far enough on the angel hair cutter, but not on the fettucine cutter. So, this pasta maker would be really frustrating--because the majority of your turning is the rolling part--making the dough thinner and thinner.

My recommendation is that if you're looking for a good pasta maker that won't frustrate you, then I think you'd be wise to choose a different one. I do know that sometimes there are quality control issues with things and perhaps mine is just defective. So, please read the other reviews to see what the general experience with this pasta maker is.

After tasting a friend's homemade pasta, I knew there is just no comparison with the store-bought stuff. It was out of this world! I would recommend anyone who wants to try pasta-making to go with this model. I own a number of Pinzon products and have found the quality to be excellent.

The Pinzon pasta maker is not 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 once you 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.

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....

After sending untold hours pouring over reviews and wondering if I made the right choice, I can say that I'm very happy with my Pinzon pasta maker.

I like the fact that it is slightly narrower than some of the others since it gives me better control over the dough passing through the machine. Also it appears to be very sturdy and performed smoothly. I think problems people experienced with pasta makers are mostly due to the consistency of the dough. You need to find a simple recipe and be sure that the dough IS NOT sticky. If you get it right there is no cleaning required of the machine.

My only negative comment , which was mentioned by others, is that the handle may slip out of the machine. I solved this by putting a small piece of masking tape on the end of the handle.

Tom B

I have chickens and I have eggs and I live an hour from the fresh pasta store.After 13 batches of egg dough, rolled out with a rolling pin, I told my sister I wanted this machine.
I made my first batch last night, and the consistancy of the rollers makes all the difference in the taste and tenderness of the pasta. Plus it is faster than my rolling pin.
The machine works well, comes with no useable directions. Its heavy and well made, requires a spot to clamp, the edge of my rolling table was perfect.
The tension knob is non intuitive,,, pull it out to turn the rollers!!!
The thin setting is very thin!, too thin for me. Meduim is about right.
My recipe is easy, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 duram, 2 eggs, dash of olive oil. Knead into a ball, a firm dough, rest an hour.
Cut off small pieces, , flatten, dust with flour and roll.
I use a heavy baking sheet to hold noodles.
The cutting blade has two edges, fine and super fine. Fine is good enough for me. Be sure and seperate nooldes right away and allow to dry for a while before cooking. I just lay them on the cookie sheet.
Boil lots of water, add salt, then noodles coook and enjoy.
This machine makes making pasta really easy and fast. My family was very happy with the results.

two weeks later*** tension knob 3-4 givs the correct noodles for the cutter, the cutter can be sticky, dust more flour. total time to make noodles,7 minutes for one cup of flour.

The roller of this little machine is nice, however my worktime is more than doubled as the machine does NOT have good cut quality. You have to separate each strand by hand whether you select spaghetti cut or fettuchini cut. Glad it was not a high cost item. Love making homemade pasta because the quality is amazing -- nothing like pre-packaged mass produced pasta....and it is so simple and easy to do. Going to bite the bullet and probably purchase the Atlas machine..... I do not recommend the Pinzon unit for this reason. This couldn't be just an isolated problem with one unit because they are mass produced. And this little unit has been very carefully handled - never dropped or put in water... I've had it about 6 weeks and used it probably 12 times or more. Make pasta for my family as well as friends...

UPDATE 11-13-09: Purchased the Atlas Model 150 and just ran the first 2 rounds of dough through it. There is NO comparison between the Atlas and the Pinzon. The quality of construction and materials of the Atlas unit is much far superior to the Pinzon. And the roller and cutting action of the Atlas is top notch. I finished making pasta in LESS than 1/3 of the time it took with the Pinzon. I just don't have time to stand and hand separate each and every strand of pasta. (Or continually reset the handle from it falling out) There are no cutting or handle issues with the Atlas - the cutting mechanisms are nice and sharp - no separating strands. And the handle stays put. Cheaper is not always better! Making pasta today was a pleasure. I was so impressed I ordered the Atlas Angel Hair attachment today.

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!

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.

Broke after four uses. The cutter where not tracking correctly. Don't waste your money.

I noticed a lot of other reviewers were frustrated with this machine, and after using it every week for a while now, it's easy to understand why.

After a while of use, the handle starts to stick on the first three settings, so I have to start my pasta on setting four, which is OK, I just work my way out from there. I've seen similar machines work on TV Food Network, with total EASE. This machine is not like that. Right now, the machine does not turn if I leave it on the first three settings (1,2,3), I have seriously considered taking it apart, but I don't want to break it totally...I can tell that it will totally break down eventually, because even starting with setting 4, it's still difficult to use.

The reason for my review is because I would urge people who are new to pasta making, or just looking to buy the cheapest machine available, don't buy this one, unless you 1) only make pasta rarely...it would probably be just fine. or 2) are just looking to save a few bucks, and are seriously investing in a better machine later anyway.

Because that is where I find myself now, looking for a better quality machine, and I am now extremely skeptical about other similar machines, I plan on reading all the reviews on a particular machine before making my purchase this time. :-)

All in all, I have to say, is that I'm glad I didn't spend a lot of money on this machine, otherwise I would be putting a little extra effort into it, and return it! (I don't feel the $30 I put out for this machine is worth fighting for, I'd rather continue to struggle with the machine and at least I've learned how to make great homemade pasta, and I also NOW KNOW what I want in a pasta machine: ease of use, and long life, quality craftsmanship)

By the way, any ideas on how to fix this machine would be greatly appreciated, I am also curious to take it apart for lubrication purposes, but the instructions don't mention this as a need??

Take care all, hope this review helps you,

I was able to find some recipes online for making your own glutten free pasta and this machine was helpful in this adventure. It doesn't clamp down very well on my counter, so I clamped it to a large butcher block and it was pretty stable on that -- kind of a pain though. ANYway, the pasta came out very good! I was worried the mix would get jammed in the rollers since gf is so sticky, but I kept continual flour on the rollers and such and it didn't stick too badly.

There are great gf pasta out there, but the shapes that are not available is what I seek to make. Egg noodle size in particular was what I wanted to attempt and I give my results a B+. The machine worked well, the handle is a little cheap looking and the clamp is an odd size/depth for my counters. The butcher block worked okay, but it was a little wobbly. Al in all it was a bit more work to do than I wanted but the results were good. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could, but it did not deserve 4 in my eyes so I rounded down.