Philips Pastamaker: These are the attachments I would buy first
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Are you the proud owner of the fully automatic pasta machine from Philips?
Then you have the unique opportunity to make many different types of pasta with additional shaping discs!
As there are hundreds of matrices available and a single one usually costs €20 to €30, you should choose wisely. In this article, I’ll introduce you to my favorites.
You can find a detailed video about the Philips pasta maker on my YouTube channel:
My favorite matrices for the Philips pasta maker
The following selection covers a wide range of possible pasta types. They are all shaped discs that I use myself!
Thin tagliatelle (ribbon noodles)
RECOMMENDATION
Thin tagliatelle (0.8 mm)
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
The pasta maker comes with a shaping disk for tagliatelle, so why buy a second one?
For my taste, the shaping disk from Philips is too thick with a dough thickness of 1.5 mm. In comparison, the mold I recommend has a dough thickness of only 0.8 mm, which is almost half the thickness!
Before you buy this shaping disk, you should of course first check whether you like the result with the supplied shaping disk.
However, I have heard from many people that the thinner ribbon noodles taste better and I clearly agree with this opinion.
Fusilli (spiral pasta)
RECOMMENDATION
Fusilli (A5)
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
Fusilli is spiral pasta and is one of the most popular types of pasta in Germany.
In my opinion, this shaping disk should also be part of the pasta maker’s standard equipment: The pasta has a large surface area and grooves that are perfect for catching the sauce.
What’s more, this type of pasta looks simply chic!
Fusilli is available in different versions such as A3 or A5. The number simply indicates the number of arms. I prefer the A5 fusilli for the best sauce adhesion.
Conchiglie (shell pasta)
RECOMMENDATION
Conchiglia Rigata
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
Conchiglie belong to the shell pasta family and can be found in many Italian recipes.
They also come in many different sizes: I prefer medium-sized conchiglie, in which the chunky ingredients of the sauce can collect properly.
The term rigata indicates that the pasta is ridged. They are also available in a smooth version (lisce), but I prefer a slightly profiled version so that the sauce sticks better.
Radiatore (special pasta)
RECOMMENDATION
Radiator
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
Radiators are a somewhat less well-known type of pasta, but the pasta maker die is very popular!
Translated from Italian, the name means “heating” and they look similar: half tubes with corrugated slats.
Similar to fusilli, they offer plenty of surface area for smooth and chunky sauces.
Lasagne (adjustable)
RECOMMENDATION
Lasagne (0.6 mm)
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
Similar to tagliatelle, this forming disk for lasagne produces thinner sheets of dough (0.6 mm) than the die supplied by Philips (1.5 mm).
This thinner forming disk is mainly ideal for making filled pasta such as ravioli or tortellini:
As the dough for these types of pasta is folded, it makes sense to use thinner pasta sheets, otherwise they will be too thick and the filling will not be optimally visible.
Bucatini (tube noodles)
RECOMMENDATION
Bucatini
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
This molded disc for bucatini is one of the most popular of all:
The spaghetti-like noodles are hollow and therefore absorb more sauce than regular vermicelli.
This type of pasta harmonizes best with smooth sauces that have a chance of getting into the tubes.
What is the difference between bronze and POM dies?
Matrices are mainly available in two forms.
The matrices supplied by Philips are made of POM. POM (polyoxymethylene) is a food-safe plastic.
However, there are also matrices that are made of bronze: You can easily recognize them by their color and the fact that they are smaller.
Costs and speed:
Plastic dies are cheaper and their surface is smoother, so the dough runs through the machine faster. Bronze dies cost more and slow down production slightly, but at the same time ensure that the surface of the pasta is rougher and can absorb sauce better.
As they are smaller, an adapter is required to attach the bronze matrices to the Philips Pastamaker!
RECOMMENDATION
Adapter for bronze matrices (gold)
The pasta machine with the best price-performance ratio.
Durability and versatility
Bronze dies are robust, durable, fit many pasta machines thanks to the adapter system. POM plastic dies especially for Philips Pastamaker, less versatile and incompatible with other machine models.
Conclusion
Several factors play a role in the decision between dies made of POM (polyoxymethylene) and bronze for your pasta machine.
Bronze dies are traditional, offer a rough surface for improved sauce absorption and have a robust durability. However, they are slightly more expensive and can slow down production speed slightly.
On the other hand, POM matrices are cheaper, run faster through the machines and are specially designed for certain models such as the Philips Pastamaker (so you don’t have to buy an adapter).
If you are planning to switch to a professional pasta machine in the future, then the extra cost of bronze dies could be worthwhile, as they are compatible with most machines.
