Few things are more tasty than a home-cooked Italian meal. Having the proper kitchen equipment makes Italian cooking easier. Everything you need should be available at cookware or major department stores.
Pasta Machine
A stainless steel, hand-cranked pasta machine helps cooks churn out homemade pastas. These are clamped to the edge of a table or counter, and a variety of sizes and shapes of pasta are rolled out through various attachments.
Mezzaluna
A mezzaluna is a half-moon-shaped knife with handles at the ends of the blade. Cooks roll the blade from side to side to chop herbs and vegetables. Be careful using a mezzaluna as the blade is extremely sharp.
Pasta Pot
A five-quart pot is a good size for cooking for two. Purchase one with an inner draining basket that has handles. Once the water has come to a boil and pasta is cooked, raise the basket up by its handles to drain.
Grater
A basic, four-sided grater will work just fine for most needs. Another option is a rotary cheese grater, which has a container to catch the cheese. The grater may have different-size apertures as well.
Ravioli
A nifty tool is a ravioli cutter, which is handy for cutting ravioli or pizza.
References
- E-rcps.com: Utensils
- The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian; Jeff Smith; 1993
Writer Bio
A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Charles Fredeen is a writer with a love of politics and journalism living in Los Angeles. He has written four published books, including a biography of the journalist Nellie Bly. With more than 25 years of writing, he has also written numerous articles for publications, including the "Los Angeles Times" and "Los Angeles Magazine."