Villaware V177 Al Dente Pasta Machine
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Villaware V177 Al Dente Pasta Machine
Customer Review: So far so good.
Summary: 4 Stars
Being new to pasta making, I decided to buy the VillaWare pasta machine instead of a more expensive brand just to test the waters and see if this was something I'd really do in "real life". I figured if I use it at least once a month, I could buy a better one next year. The machine arrived yesterday, and I've used it once, so I can't say anything about longevity (at least not yet - I'll update later), but here are my first impressions. It's heavy. Most of the heft comes from the detachable cutting heads, but even the roller unit felt pretty durable. I was relieved that this was not the flimsy piece of chrome plated nonsense that some reviews would have you believe. Since I had already read the manual online I got right to work. I made a simple egg dough in my bread machine, which I find gives it a very workable texture without much effort. I used about 6 ounces of dough to clear out the machine oil as recommended, and then tried it for real with some fresh dough. I had no trouble at all rolling my dough progressively thinner until it was very long and very thin. Passing through the cutters was very easy (fun even), but the noodles were still somewhat attached to each other. The solution for me was adding more flour to the dough, dusting the rollers with flour, and turning the crank slower. That did the trick and things went quickly from then on.
Some reviews mention flakes of metal in their dough, but I really don't see how that is possible. It does not have the kind of cheap chrome plating that would do that. Maybe they were just seeing the residual factory oil, or maybe VillaWare fixed the issue? Another review said you can't clean it. The thing comes apart very easily and I had no trouble brushing it clean. As someone who loves cooking with cast iron, maybe I'm just over the OCD need to scrub everything with bleach any time I cook. A couple reviews said they had theirs fall apart or screws were loose. Everything was tight on mine. If a screw did come loose, it did not seem like it would be that hard to access it with a wrench and fix it. One review complained about the four footing pads on the machine, and that one I have to agree with. The pads are just hard plastic, so while they may keep the metal from scratching your counter, they do nothing to keep the unit from slipping around. The clamp also has a couple issues as it can only hold down one side, leaving the other to slide around while you're trying to crank. I'll probably end up replacing the feet with something slip resistant. Then the clamp should work fine.
Overall I think this a great machine and I'm glad I got it. In retrospect I wish I would have got the one with extra attachments. One side note, the nicer one I was looking at was the one by Imperia. According to the VillaWare manual, they also make the Imperia brand too. Another side note: I was also looking at the Atlas(Marcato) brand, which I recently saw being used on Iron Chef .It broke on that episode, but probably because the challenger's dough was WAY too dry. He also broke the KitchenAid mixer with that dough :0)
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Customer Review: Works well FOR THE MONEY
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this pasta maker about 2 years ago (as a gift, I would have bought a better one) and have used it 30-40 times.
I had a lot of problems at first and blamed them on this "cheap" machine.
This machine is made in China, not Italy.
Note I got the 5 piece set and not just the basic machine here.
The five piece set is a better deal. See:
V178 AL DENTE 5 Piece Pasta Set
You certainly should buy an Italian machine if you want the best, can't beat the Atlas or Imperia, but this machine works well enough for home use; and especially for the cost.
If your dough is sticking all around the rollers like the "I HAVE to wash this thing!" reviewer wrote, then you're not making your dough properly.
I HIGHLY recommend Pasta Tecnica if you're having problems with making pasta with this machine. The book pretty much solved all my issues and I found out that most of the problems I blamed on this machine were my own doing. See:
Pasta Tecnica
Follow the instructions in the book, and this machine works just fine.
I heartily agree with the other reviewer about the ravioli attachment; useless. Ravioli is just not that hard to make.
The best tool for making raviloi is here:
Pastry Crimper
Besides, it's real important to get all the air out of your ravioli so they don't burst while cooking and the ravioli attachment just can't do that.
By the way, it's true that you don't ever wash your pasta maker; if you make your dough correctly, you won't have to wash it. It's the same with ALL pasta machines and has been forever. Get a clean paintbrush to clean it.
Customer Review: Not Bad, For All I Know
Summary: 2 Stars
This is my first pasta machine, and it was bought based on price point. I can now appreciate what the differences in price might be to a more expensive product, but as I titled this "For All I Know", I'm not sure yet whether the $80 Italian made pasta machine does certain work better.
I assume that it probably does.
The rolling works quite well, and the mechanism, while slightly imbued with a cheap feeling, rolls in progressive thinness with admirable aplomb. Down to the thinnest setting the machine has ground out the miles thus far, and I can't complain. For the purpose of making ravioli, I wouldn't be too disappointed, and the sheets are not the issue.
The cutting attachment, however, is another story. It has not yet been able to create a run of pasta where I don't wind up with two strands still attached with an indentation between them. Even backing up and moving forward in stutter step is not sufficient to make whole wheat pasta fail to come out "double-wide."
The roller, again, is pristine, and quite lovely. The cutter is a debacle. I only wish I could just change out the thirty dollars towards a machine where at least I would feel justified in feeling this irritated at the concomitant lack of effective function.
Perhaps a rolling, pasta making apparatus must by nature cost $80 to be good enough to evenly roll and cut pasta. I suppose that is what I have learned here. Cheap was good enough to show me that I'd like to keep on doing this, so it's a small loss on this villaware machine to find that I'd like a decent pasta machine for myself/wife/family.
Thanks? I guess? The lesson was at least a cheap one.
Customer Review: Cleans up like a breeze and is MUCH easier than making pasta by hand
Summary: 5 Stars
When I purchased this pasta maker I had little previous pasta making experience. I had made pasta once before by hand but had a hard time getting a uniformly thin thickness. With this pastamaker this was an issue no more. I was able to get beautiful thin uniform pasta. It made it much easier to get the texture I was looking for and now I use the finished pasta sheets to make fettucine as well as ravioli.
Another thing I have appreciated about this machine is that it works with many different types of dough. I have made doughs with whole wheat flour, without eggs, with pumpkin, and many other variations. While the textures on each have all been a little different they all rolled out beautifully with this machine. I had no problems with sticking or tearing.
I also appreciate that this machine is very easy to clean. Because my dough has never gotten stuck all I have had to do is lightly clean the exterior with soap and water and use a small pastry brush to get into the nooks and crannies. This has worked very well and years later this machine is very clean.
Normally I am the type of person to shell out lots of money for a high end kitchen gadget, but in this case there was no need. Even at this affordable price it turns out pasta equal in texture and quality to what I have had in high end restaurants. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: No regrets
Summary: 4 Stars
I tried to roll out pasta by hand the first time - I figured, Italian grandmothers do it all the time without one of these machines, so how hard could it be? It's pretty hard.
The Al Dente V177 makes it so easy to make fresh, homemade pasta. Very easy to roll the sheets thin. Most recipes call for going down to setting 2, but I have to stop at 3 so it doesn't start sticking to the rollers. My only criticism is that it doesn't hold the counter or cutting block well. In that I mean it holds firmly, but the base is somewhat narrow and the clamp only has 1 point of contact. So I have to have 1 person hold the cutting block down while I crank the machine. I haven't seen another machine do anything better; I might just have to engineer something up.
Otherwise, I highly recommend this machine. It's well-built, easy to setup and use, and an easy to way to involve and to show off a bit in front of non-culinary friends (which will also give you the extra hands you need to use the unit).
PS - Two tips to make great pasta: 1) Sift your flour. It might take a few extra minutes, but it will give you a wonderfully soft dough. 2) Let your dough rest in the fridge for 45 minutes to an hour to "relax" the glutens and make the dough easier to work with.