The KitchenAid Pasta Roller and the Pasta Extruder both attach to the iconic stand mixer but serve fundamentally different purposes. The Roller is designed to press dough into thin, flat sheets for lasagna, ravioli, and fettuccine, while the Extruder forces dough through shaped discs to create hollow or intricate pasta like spaghetti, macaroni, and fusilli.
Here’s a complete look at both attachments from KitchenAid to help you decide which one belongs in your kitchen.
KitchenAid Pasta Roller
The KitchenAid Pasta Roller attachment is the starting point for most homemade pasta. It’s designed to flatten pasta dough into uniform sheets, giving you precise control over the thickness. This attachment is essential for making dishes like lasagna and ravioli, and it’s the first step before using cutter attachments for noodles like fettuccine and spaghetti.
- What it is: A stand-mixer attachment that rolls pasta dough into flat sheets.
- Key features: Commercial-style stainless steel construction with 8 thickness settings, allowing for customized dough thickness. Fits all KitchenAid stand mixers.
- Price: Around $150-$200, often sold in a set with spaghetti and fettuccine cutters.
- Materials/Construction: The roller is made of durable stainless steel that ensures smooth, consistent dough rolling. The housing is typically a durable plastic or metal.
- Pros: Excellent control over dough thickness. Creates perfectly uniform sheets for layered pasta. High-quality construction feels sturdy and reliable. Versatile for many types of flat pasta, dumplings, and even non-pasta doughs.
- Cons: Cannot produce shaped pasta like penne or macaroni. Can be slightly more expensive than the extruder. Rolling large batches of dough can be time-consuming.
The Pasta Roller is the non-negotiable tool for anyone serious about making classic Italian pasta like lasagna, ravioli, or fettuccine from scratch.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/3-piece-pasta-roller-and-cutter-set
KitchenAid Pasta Extruder (Gourmet Pasta Press)
The KitchenAid Pasta Extruder, also known as the Gourmet Pasta Press, specializes in creating a variety of shaped pastas. It works by pushing dough through one of six interchangeable discs to form everything from classic spaghetti and bucatini to more complex shapes like fusilli and rigatoni. It even includes a built-in wire cutter to slice the pasta to your desired length.
- What it is: A stand-mixer attachment that extrudes dough through plates to create shaped pasta.
- Key features: Comes with 6 quick-change discs for spaghetti, bucatini, fusilli, rigatoni, small macaroni, and large macaroni. Features an integrated wire cutter for precise length control.
- Price: Typically around $100-$150.
- Materials/Construction: The main housing is made of durable plastic, and the shaping discs are made from sturdy, food-grade materials to withstand pressure.
- Pros: Effortlessly creates six different pasta shapes. Relatively affordable and offers a lot of variety. The built-in cutter simplifies the process. Great for creative pasta dishes.
- Cons: Cannot make flat sheets for lasagna or ravioli. Requires a specific dough consistency to work effectively. Cleaning the small holes in the extruder discs can be meticulous.
This attachment is for the home cook who loves making a wide variety of pasta shapes and wants a simple tool to produce them consistently.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/gourmet-pasta-press
KitchenAid Pasta Roller vs. Extruder Comparison
Functionality & Performance
The core difference lies in their function. The Pasta Roller excels at creating a fundamental product: a thin, even sheet of pasta dough. Its 8 thickness settings give you precise control, which is crucial for delicate ravioli or hearty lasagna. You feed flattened dough through the rollers, fold, and repeat until you reach the desired thinness. This manual-assisted process feels traditional and satisfying.
The Pasta Extruder is all about automation and variety. You simply drop small balls of dough into the top, and the mixer's motor provides the force to push it through the shaping disc. The performance is entirely dependent on the dough's hydration - if it's too wet it will be sticky, and if it's too dry it won't extrude. When the consistency is right, it produces uniform shapes with impressive speed.
Materials & Construction
Both attachments are built to KitchenAid's high standards. The Pasta Roller feels more substantial due to its all-metal, stainless steel rollers. This construction not only adds to its feeling of durability but also contributes to its smooth, consistent rolling action that prevents dough from sticking or tearing.
The Pasta Extruder has a durable plastic body, which is necessary for its design and keeps the unit lightweight. The shaping discs are also made of a hard, food-grade material designed to handle the pressure of extrusion. While it doesn't feel as premium as the all-metal roller, it is robust and designed for its specific task.
Price & Value
While prices can vary, the Pasta Roller (especially when purchased in the common 3-piece set with cutters) is typically more expensive, running between $150 and $200. Its value comes from its foundational role in pasta making. Without sheets, you can't make most classic pasta types. This makes it a core investment.
The Pasta Extruder is usually more affordable, priced between $100 and $150. For the price, it offers fantastic value by providing the ability to make six distinct shapes. It unlocks a wide variety of recipes that would be impossible to create by hand, making it a high-value tool for expanding your pasta repertoire.
Ease of Use & Cleaning
The Pasta Roller has a gentle learning curve. The main skill is learning how to properly handle and feed the dough into the machine. Cleaning is straightforward, because it should never be submerged in water, you typically just let any residual dough dry and then brush it off with the included cleaning brush.
The Pasta Extruder is very simple to operate once your dough recipe is dialed in - just turn on the mixer and feed in the dough. However, cleanup is more involved. The housing and auger must be hand-washed, and clearing dough out of the small crevices in the pasta plates requires the use of the specific cleaning tool provided. It's not difficult, just more detail-oriented.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both attachments are high-quality tools that serve different pasta-making needs. Your choice depends entirely on the kind of pasta you want to make.
Choose the Pasta Roller if:
- You're new to pasta making and want to start with the essentials.
- You dream of making homemade lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, or pappardelle.
- You want precise control over the thinness of your pasta.
- You plan to also buy cutters or already have them for making fettuccine or spaghetti noodles from sheets.
Choose the Pasta Extruder if:
- Your favorite pasta dishes involve shapes like macaroni, fusilli, or rigatoni.
- You already own a roller or are not interested in making flat pasta at all.
- The idea of quickly creating a variety of shapes is more appealing than the process of rolling sheets.
- You love a "set it and forget it" tool that automates the shaping process for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the main difference between the KitchenAid Pasta Roller and Extruder?
The main difference is the type of pasta each creates. The Roller flattens dough into wide, flat sheets, ideal for lasagna, ravioli, or for cutting into noodles. The Extruder forces dough through shaping dies to create formed pasta shapes like macaroni, fusilli, and rigatoni.
If I can only buy one, which should I get first?
Most pasta enthusiasts recommend starting with the Pasta Roller. It's the most versatile and foundational tool for making many of the most popular Italian pasta types from scratch. You can always cut rolled sheets by hand for various noodle styles.
Are the attachments compatible with all KitchenAid mixers?
Yes, both the Pasta Roller and the Pasta Extruder are designed to fit the power hub on every model of KitchenAid stand mixer, from the Classic to the Pro Line series.
Can the Pasta Roller make spaghetti?
The roller itself only makes sheets. To make spaghetti, you need the spaghetti cutter attachment, which is often sold together with the roller in the 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set. The cutter takes the sheet from the roller and slices it into spaghetti noodles.
Is the Pasta Extruder hard to clean?
It's not hard, but it does require more attention than the roller. You must disassemble the unit and use the provided tool to pick any remaining dough out of the shaping discs before washing. It's best to clean it shortly after use before the dough dries completely.
What kind of dough works best in the extruder?
Extruders require a stiffer, drier dough than you would typically use for rolling. A semolina flour-based dough with a lower hydration level works best, as it will hold its shape after being extruded and won't be too sticky.
Do I need to hand-crank anything?
No, both attachments are powered entirely by your KitchenAid stand mixer's motor. You just feed dough into the attachments, and the mixer does all the hard work of rolling or extruding.
Which attachment is more durable?
Both are built to last, but the Pasta Roller, with its all-metal roller construction, generally feels more robust and is built with fewer complex parts. Both come with a one-year warranty and are backed by KitchenAid's reputation for quality.
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