Bolognese isn't made right? Is too much parmesan a bad thing? Are cheese rinds useful in pasta sauce
Holy gelato, there's a lot to uncover here. Keep watching to find out the truth behind
these little-known Italian secrets you can use at home. From penne to pepperdelle
fuzili, bastoni, spaghetti, ravioli, macaroni, tortellini, muscacelli, linguini, and garlic ice cream. Well, needless to say, save for the garlic ice cream, there seems to be a type of pasta for
every imaginable occasion, and with over 600 recorded pasta shapes, according to the National
Pasta Association, it is understandable that many of us feel overwhelmed when trying to decide which
one to use. However, remaining pasta illiterate is not an option if you desire your dish to match
that of professional kitchens. Generally speaking, the pasta shape used is determined by the sauce it
will be served with. The role of the former is to act as a perfect vessel for the latter
The pasta should remain coated in sauce as it travels from plate to mouth. As BBC Good Food
explains, each type of pasta is expected to be served with a corresponding type of sauce
For example, long, thin types of pasta, like spaghetti and linguine, should be served with
lighter, creamy sauces. On the other hand, rich and meaty sauces pair well with the pasta that's
wider and longer, such as tagliatelle, in order to maximize sauce pickup. Of course
this means that the beloved spaghetti bolognese is a categorically incorrect and inauthentic
pasta preparation. Do with that information what you will. You've probably heard the saying
a bad workman blames his tools. Well, we can all rest assured that said workman never worked the
line at an Italian restaurant. In that kind of environment, the correct equipment is absolutely
key to producing top-quality Italian food. The same is true in your home kitchen. The right
equipment is essential for proper pasta making. More specifically, perfectly-sized pans are
crucial for the correct execution of techniques like la mantecatura. This is the finishing step
in which noodles, sauce, pasta water, and fat are emulsified to silky perfection. However
there is nothing worse than a kitchen drawer stuffed full of niche, barely-touched equipment
You do not need 20 different knives and a bunch of pots to make a good meal. The perfect middle ground is to have a smaller number of well-crafted
versatile tools that cover most bases. Our top recommendations for must-have kitchen tools would
be a chestnut knife used for things like preparing vegetables and scraping mussels
and a food mill, an Italian kitchen staple used to create sauces with that ideal
distinctively lumpy texture. Herbs are an integral part of Italian cuisine. However
However, our understanding of them is often somewhat lacking. This knowledge gap is created in part by the prominence of Italian herb seasoning, which
does a wonderful job of making all your different dishes taste exactly the same
When looking to transition away from this generic premix blend and use distinctive herbs to season your dishes the first thing to understand is when to use dried and when to use fresh Italian cooks generally prefer dried thyme bay leaf and even oregano But when it comes to leafier herbs like basil and parsley fresh is always best
Another frequent slip-up made by home cooks is adding herbs at the wrong time
A prominent example of this is adding fresh basil to a pizza before it enters the oven
The best time to add fresh herbs to pizza is in the last few minutes of cooking, right before serving, or as a garnish in the very last stage of plating
On the other hand, dry herbs need more time to release their flavor, so they should be
added to dishes much earlier in the cooking process. And just in case it bears repeating, only add your basil once the pizza is out of the oven
Despite no longer being the industry secret it once was, retaining your pasta water still
remains a practice of utmost importance. This cloudy liquid that's left over after boiling your noodles quite literally becomes
the emulsifying glue that holds your pasta sauce together. It's a staple practice that Italian restaurants have been perfecting for decades
one that's become well-known among food bloggers and home cooks. But the best restaurant chefs do have another trick that may be more of a secret — adding fat
When tossing pasta water into your pan to make a sauce, the addition of butter
oil, or even cheese can work wonders. The addition of fat simultaneously allows thin
sauces to emulsify further, preventing thicker, overly starched sauces from completely coagulating
Beware, however, of recipes that call for adding fat to the pasta while it is boiling
Olive oil, the golden blood that courses through the veins of Italian cuisine
is a product that is simultaneously highly prized and commonly misunderstood. There are five main types of olive oil, extra virgin olive oil
virgin olive oil, pure olive oil, refined olive oil, and olive pumice oil
I'm confused. Confusing indeed. But to make things a little easier, just copy the professionals and ensure
that your first port of call when making a dish is extra virgin olive oil. While it's not suitable
for all types of cooking, you can generally rest assured that its rich, fruity, and slightly better
flavors will benefit the majority of dishes. However, you should avoid using extra virgin
olive oil to cook food at very high temperatures. The oil has a low smoke point and will quickly
start to burn, potentially losing both its flavor and health properties. When performing high
temperature tests, it's better to use a lower grade of olive oil like virgin olive oil or refined
olive oil. If you're deep frying, consider using olive pumice oil. It's extracted from the leftover
byproducts of regular olive oil production. In order to be suitable for consumption
olive pumice oil must undergo a number of chemical processes to refine it
This results in an oil with an extremely high smoke point that imparts no taste to the food
it is cooked with. Sauces, be they ruby red and tomato-based, bright green pestos
or creamy white bechamelas, form an integral part of Italian cuisine. Its importance explains why Italians can be particularly passionate about the quality of their sauce You don make that sauce nice I gonna splatter your brains all over the wall like a can of tomato sauce I make a good sauce Bobby I make a good sauce A complex rich sauce can make a dish especially in cuisine as paired back as Italian where
recipes like pasta al pomodoro often steal the limelight. This classic red sauce is an Italian staple, and while there is a range of methods and
techniques to perfect it, everyone can agree that it should be cooked low and slow
The lengthy simmer allows all those bright tomatoes to release their acidic juices, which
need time to evaporate. lest they ruin the careful balance of your dish. Fortunately, not all of Italy's delectable sauces
require vast amounts of time to prepare. Pesto a la Genovese is deceptively quick to make
even when using a traditional mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients together. However, the best chefs know that a little more effort can improve even this easy recipe
Simply toasting the pine nuts adds a deep nuttiness to this already nuanced sauce
Parmigiano-Reggiano is dubbed the king of cheese for a reason. Its complex flavor and
delicate texture from the basis and topping for many of Italy's favorite dishes. As such
any budding chef will rattle their way through this hard cheese at an impressive rate
especially if churning out Italian-American classics such as chicken parmigiana. Coming to the end of a block of cheese signals nothing more to most than the fact that it is
time to go buy some more. But for those in the know, the sight of that lonesome rind is enough
to make your heart sing. That's because there is a multitude of uses the rind can be put to
that will elevate humble home cooking to the level of a professional kitchen. Primarily, the rind can be thrown into any sauce to impart its unique flavor
Just bear in mind that this process will add a surprising amount of saltiness to your sauce
You can also use leftover cheese rinds to make homemade broth. This can be used in place of stock when making risotto
resulting in a dish that is sure to be unmatched in its flavor and creaminess
No one will deny that cheese is terrific. I so love cheese
But while wonderful, Parmesan cheese is a product that can very quickly come to overpower a dish
dominating the flavor profile, and ensuring you can taste little else. Italian restaurants, well-versed in this knowledge, will not heat piles of Parmesan
on top of pasta containing seafood or dishes with delicately flavored ingredients
However, these establishments are there to serve, and as those who have worked in the
service industry know, the customer is always right. To wriggle their way out of this bind
without defacing their beloved recipes, many Italian restaurants will provide customers with a bowl of cheese for them to sprinkle as they see fit. Some take requests for Parmesan
a little bit worse than others. For example, a restaurant in London outright refused to add
Parmesan to one customer's crab ravioli. The ensuing drama, which included a one-star review
and a fiery reply from the owner, went viral on Twitter, eliciting a range of strong opinions
While it's not advisable to take such a hard-line approach in your own Italian cooking
it is wise to remember the incredible potency of grated Parmesan cheese and the emotions it can elicit Italian cooking is known for simple recipes that pack an impressive amount of flavor think spaghetti alla puttanesca caprese salad or even the humble pizza margarita
As all these delightful dishes demonstrate, Italian chefs rely on the flavor and freshness
of their ingredients to carry the recipe, instead of always turning to the spice cupboard
This reliance on fresh produce should come as little surprise. After all, Italian cuisine did originate in the fertile lands and amicable growing conditions
of the Mediterranean. You may be lucky enough to be living in one of the five Mediterranean climate regions around
the world. But if you can't stroll into your backyard and pick a perfectly ripe, homegrown tomato
does that mean your bolognese is not worth making? Not exactly. Great produce can be sourced in cities across the globe, as evidenced by the great Italian
restaurants you can find all around the world. However, not all produce is good produce, and it will pay dividends to put effort into
sourcing the best available fruits and vegetables in your area. One sure-fire way of maximizing the flavor of your ingredients is to buy organic
The higher levels of antioxidants present in organically grown produce bring out more
intense flavors and aromas during the cooking process, which can only benefit your final dish
You might think that professional kitchens are all about high-tech methods and equipment
and with good reason, too. The sous vide craze of the early 2000s still haunts us
Yet for Italian kitchens, old school is most frequently the best school
This is no more apparent than through the continued use of the mortar and pestle, a 10,000-year-old
kitchen tool that has never gone out of fashion. The most famous use of the mortar and pestle in Italian cooking is to make pesto
This is because pesto made in the traditional manner emulsifies in a unique way, producing
a sauce that is unmatched in its creaminess and flavor. It is believed that the superior taste of pesto prepared with a mortar and pestle is
due to the grinding motion, which releases the ingredients' flavorsome and aromatic essential oils
Simply put, a mortar and pestle is absolutely essential hardware for all cooks looking to
take their Italian food to the next level. cooking, which focuses on simple recipes made with limited ingredients, has formed the backbone
of Italian cuisine's rise to global fame. Dishes and ingredients inspired by this method, like
bruschetta, ribollita, and even prosciutto, have come to prominence and can now be found in Italian
restaurants across the world. However, one integral dish which has received less attention
from both professional chefs and home cooks alike is polenta. Polenta, made from cooked cornmeal
is an extremely popular comfort food in northern Italy and can be served with a number of toppings
But polenta is not only served as a main dish in Italian cooking, it can also be used as an ingredient in other recipes. When dried, polenta is used to make
popular desserts, such as cakes and muffins. Polenta's versatility and warm, comforting nature
market is one to master for any home cook looking to produce delicious and intriguing
alternatives to Italian cuisine stalwarts of risotto, pasta, and pizza