Review: Kitchenaid Pasta Press Attachment

Is there any food more comforting than pasta? In a time of uncertainty, all I crave is pasta—carbs tossed in sauce until all the nooks and crannies are filled with deliciousness and then topped with a mound of cheese. I'm not talking about the dollar boxed noodles from the pasta aisle. I'm talking about fresh, homemade, chewy noodles that transport you to Italy. Drooling yet?

Luckily I received my very own Kitchenaid mixer last Christmas (thanks mom!) in a beautiful aqua color before the pandemic hit. While I was using it to make cookies (you're welcome, Nick) and knead dough, I was eyeing pasta attachments online. Then one day I had a surprise package downstairs—the Pasta Press attachment (thanks mom!). I put it to the test the following evening for a classic rigatoni alla vodka. Is there anything better than the marriage of tomatoes and cream?

The attachment proved to be very easy to use. I followed the recipe included with the kit and mixed up the dough with the Kitchenaid mixer. It's very dry and crumbly (I read that if it's too wet, the dough will get stuck in the pasta press) but a few kneads with my hands brought it together into a large ball. I then divided it into walnut-shaped balls and began feeding them into the attachment. It only took a few minutes before I had about a pound of fresh rigatoni! 

Before I even knew this surprise was coming my way, Nick insisted that we replicate the bucatini carbonara he had in Rome last year. I knew I couldn't use boxed pasta for such a classic dish and have it taste anything like Rome. I switched the disc on the pasta attachment to bucatini and voila, more pasta! The noodles were expelled at slightly different rates so the lengths varied but I didn't mind. I only needed half for two of us (carbonara does not reheat well as leftovers) so I froze the rest for later. 

Classic carbonara usually consists of guanciale, or cured pork jowl that can be difficult to find. Our store carries it but we opted for pancetta for a fraction of the cost. I followed Bon Appetit's recipe for Classic Carbonara which was easy to follow and the eggs easily transformed into a silky, creamy sauce. Oh man. 

The attachment is difficult to clean and a bit time consuming but it does come with a cleaning tool to pick away at the dried-on dough. Totally worth it for the fresh pasta. 

Send noods.