As if we didn’t enjoy the Ankarsrum Assistent Original enough, they were kind enough to send us a few of their accessories to test out. As mentioned in the original review, Ankarsrum has several accessories available for purchase that extend its functionality to become a do-all kitchen assistant, all powered by the Ankarsrum’s powerful 600W motor.
Ankarsrum was kind enough to send us their complete Meat Grinder package, which does a whole lot more than grind meat, as well as a selection of pasta making accessories like the Lasagna pasta roller, the Fettuccine pasta cutter, and the Spaghetti pasta cutter. An interesting difference from other stand mixers is that you need to turn the Ankarsrum on its side to use most of the accessories. This allows the accessories to be parallel to the work surface while the motor spins.
Check out my complete review of the Ankarsrum Assistent, which includes a demonstration of the Ankarsrum accessories discussed in this review:
The Meat Grinder Complete package is an outstanding collection of accessories that add a ton of functionality to your Ank. Not only will this package allow you to grind your own meat very easily using that powerful motor, but you can also make sausages of three different thicknesses, you can strain, you can grate cheese, you can use it to extrude pasta dough into long shapes, and you can use it as a cookie press.
The meat grinder worked really well. As you can see in the video above, it ground really easily and looked exactly like what we buy from the butcher. There are several pieces associated with the meat grinder, so it takes some time to clean, but it’s worth it to be able to grind your own meat, make your own burger blends, etc.
We also used the meat grinder to extrude pasta dough into bucatini and spaghetti using the plastic pasta discs. The discs themselves are pretty thick, so I’m sure they’ll last a while. At first, the bucatini wasn’t coming out very quickly, but when we turned up the motor’s speed, it worked a lot better, though the dough was heated slightly by the friction from the shaft inside the grinder. You can only put one walnut-sized piece of pasta dough into the hopper at a time to ensure the feed hole does not get clogged. Personally, I enjoyed the process of making pasta with the rollers and cutters better than the extruder, but there are certain shapes you can’t make with a roller.
The pasta rollers and cutters install onto the shaft and are tightened using a wing nut-style screw to ensure it doesn’t spin, similar to the meat grinder. The lasagna roller has 10 different settings to adjust for thickness. You’ll want to start thick, then fold the dough in half and roll it again and continue like this until you get to your desired thickness.
The pasta cutters work similarly to the lasagna roller, except they aren’t adjustable. You’ll want to use the lasagna roller to get the pasta to your desired thickness, then use the cutters to make the shape you’re looking for. The spaghetti cutter makes 2mm diameter round spaghetti, the most basic pasta shape, while the fettuccine cutter makes 6mm wide fettuccine, a thick, flat noodle. The pasta rollers and cutters are straightforward machines, but they’re well-built and work exactly like they’re supposed to. They’re constructed completely of metal, and you can tell they’re quality because they’re pretty heavy.
As is the case with much of what Ankarsrum produces, the accessories are extremely well-made. The meat grinder, shaft, and discs are made of very thick metal and feel like they’ll survive a lifetime of grinding. While the plastic pieces don’t feel particularly strong, they won’t go through as much wear and tear as the metal pieces and are made out of plastic by design.
While Ankarsrum’s accessories are not cheap, they’re worth every penny if you want to expand your Ank’s functionality, and you’re planning on using them. While Ankarsrum’s vaunted 7-year warranty does not cover the accessories, they carry a 1-year warranty, which isn’t terrible. After testing Ankarsrum’s accessories, I can say that I’m a fan of all of their products. Ankarsrum’s accessories are well-designed, well-made, and are a great addition to any kitchen.
You can order your Ankarsrum accessories in the USA online from Breadbeckers.com. The complete meat grinder accessory retails for $309.95 while the lasagna roller, fettuccine cutter, and spaghetti cutter all retail for $109.95.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I Like: High-quality and well-built; Easy to use; Adds tons of functionality to the Ank; 1-year warranty
What Needs Improvement: Nothing I can find, though some might balk at the price