VillaWare Al Dente 5-piece Pasta Set Review

Short Version--I think the Al Dente 5-piece pasta set is probably a great buy and has the potential to make wonderful pasta. My problems with this product probably stem from an operator malfunction. If you are sleep deprived, trying to learn to make homemade pasta borders on insanity. Instead, read my next review on Tinkyada spaghetti noodles. If that's a bit much, throw caution to the wind and eat out. See details below:

I have never made pasta from scratch. I've made biscuits, pie crusts, cookies and cakes from scratch, but not pasta. After checking out a video on how to make ravioli on monkeysee.com, I felt ready to begin this new adventure.

First, I applaud Circuit City. I found this product on sale on their website for $36 (regular price $69.99). This was by far the best deal I could find online for a new pasta maker--some of the other pasta makers priced a separate ravioli attachment for about $30, not to mention the price of the machine itself.

This manual pasta set makes 5 types of pasta, including spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, lasagna, and ravioli.

I'm still a bit leery about putting my credit card number online, so I called Circuit City's 800 number and was delighted with three H's! After a few pushes of the button, I actually got to speak with someone who was happy, helpful and human. Circuit City offered to ship this product for free and I placed my order.

I expected standard shipping to take about a week, so I was surprised to see this product on my front porch in two days. Wow! So far, so good.

I had the camera battery charged and ready to capture this magical moment.

This pasta maker is heavier than it looks. It feels sturdy, but I probably wouldn't run over it with my car. The pasta maker base and another part were in the largest section of the box. At first I didn't realize that the other two attachments were tucked away in a separate compartment, which led a bit to my confusion about the directions.

I know that directions aren't for everybody, but I figured I might break this fine piece of equipment if I failed to read them, so I began with reading about the assembly and was feeling pretty good at first. The monkeysee video did not include assembling the pasta maker. I quickly placed the clamp on and tightened it onto the counter as instructed and placed the handle in the slot, which slid in quite easily.

The kids began mixing the pasta dough and I put the water on to boil. This was going to be more fun than the how to make ravioli video!

I was a bit concerned about the gizmo with the white handle. I could not find a picture of this in the instruction booklet and it was disconnected on one side. I found a screw and washer in the bottom of the box and now had a mystery gizmo that was properly assembled. Perhaps it was supposed to be attached to the pasta set.

Actually, I later discovered that in the second, smaller recipe and instruction booklet that the gizmo with the white handle is a 2-wheel hand tool cutter. It definitely does NOT fit onto the pasta maker.

Eventually I found the other two attachments in the side pocket of the box and quickly figured out how to interchange the various cutting mechanisms.

The directions mentioned that the pasta set had excess oil and that it needed to be cleaned first. I needed to pass dough through each of the cutters to remove excess oil and then discard that dough. Gluten-free pasta ingredients are incredibly expensive.

The directions do mention that you should keep the portion of dough that you are not using under a damp towel so that it does not dry out. I had stopped reading the directions before that point. That's probably because I was busy cleaning the various attachments with a dry towel--I had previously read reviews of pasta makers and knew that water can make some of them rust.

Six-year-old and four-year-old are now hungry. Enter husband home from work. Water is now boiling. A portion of the dough mixture is now on floor. Nine-month-old is on floor. Husband takes baby to living room.

Even on the widest setting, it was hard to get the pasta started through the rollers. Gluten free pasta is not known for its elasticity. Especially when it's dry. I suppose the white handled gizmo would have probably helped me to get a more narrow starting piece.

The directions were good about showing how to start at the widest setting and running the dough through a smaller setting each time until it's very thin, but I already knew that from the monkeysee video.

The knob for changing the roller settings is a bit hard to turn. It's one of those you have to pull out first and then turn. It was a hard to pull out. You must return the knob to the largest setting before starting with the next section of dough. This may become easier with practice.

Six-year-old is now cranking out pasta. Crank handle comes out as easily as it slides in when child is cranking.

Eventually we get some pasta through the rollers and each of the attachments. I throw away the "cleaning" pasta and we are ready to begin. Four-year-old is now whining because she's starving and decides to eat some vanilla soy yogurt in the living room.

Pasta becomes drier the longer it sits. Dry pasta does not make beautiful noodles. When the noodles sit in a bowl for an extended period of time, they become tiny pasta pieces.

Enter four-year-old with broken pieces of knick-knack that baby knocked over in living room. Four-year-old is now fighting with 6-year-old about who gets to crank. I can't remember if that was before or after the baby began to choke on a small piece of plastic on the dining room floor.

The water has now been boiling for quite some time. Boiling water eventually evaporates. The directions do mention that it takes a LOT of water to properly cook pasta. I had been at this for 90 minutes. They weren't really noodles anyway. I did not care. This had long ago ceased to be my Casio moment, and I dumped the mess in what boiling water was left.

Exit husband and children to the front porch.

I begin to catch up on reading the directions while the pasta is cooking. Apparently, "al dente" means something like "not overcooked." At least all of the pasta crap didn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Enter husband and kids now that supper is on the table. The girls said it was good--my husband probably rehearsed this with them on the front porch. The baby wanted Gerber rice cereal. I told my husband I didn't want his opinion, but he gave it anyway and said that the pasta tasted like grits.

The monkeysee video did not include clean-up. Clean-up of this stupid thing after making dry pasta stinks. Especially when it sits for over an hour.

The manufacturer offers a full one year warranty that protects against defects in materials and workmanship. It does not cover damage resulting from misuse or accidents. I'll make a mental note of that.

I can now honestly say I've tried to make homemade pasta. I'm stubborn. I'll try making pasta again. I'll be sure to take pictures of the beautiful al dente pasta and update this review if that happens. Don't hold your breath.