sf wrote:
>
> On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:13:25 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
> > sf wrote:
> > > I found one at a good price at Ross (baby steps - find out if I like
> > > it before making an investment), but the instruction manual surprised
> > > me by saying not to use any water on the unit. OK, I can understand
> > > not putting it in the dishwasher, but not even hand washing in the
> > > sink. Is this normal? I can't visualize pasta dough not sticking to
> > > it.
> > >
> > > I'm sure my dough will not be perfect to begin with, but JL is giving
> > > me some pointers.
> > >
> >
> > I was surprised to see that in the instructions for my machine too, bu
> > it wasn't a problem. It cleaned up easily.
>
> Thanks! I was taken aback by that instruction. Good to know it's
> universal and not just my unit.
> >
> > FWIW..... store bought pasta is a bargain. There is no great financial
> > savings to making your own pasta and you're looking at 45 minutes to
> > make a small batch of pasta. You can probably more pasta for less, and
> > it's ready to go.
>
> I'm not trying to save money and I guess time improves with practice,
> but I'm not looking at that (although the cost of "fresh" isn't
> cheap)... I just want to make ravioli.
>
> In any case, I didn't break the bank buying this machine so if I make
> fresh pasta a couple of times I've recouped what I spent on it.

Yes it takes some time to make fresh pasta, however the amount of time
is fairly constant over a wide range of batch sizes. This means that you
can make a batch of fresh pasta on the weekend and store that fresh
pasta in the refrigerator for use throughout the week, even a two week
span if you want, so it doesn't require a lot of time overall.