Equipment
Digital scales
Electronic scales take the guess work out
of measurements and minimise room for
error. I’m not as good as the Italian nonne
who can simply use their hands to measure
out ingredients.
Dutch oven
I can’t live without my cast-iron pan; it is my
most-used piece of kitchen equipment. The
advantage of cooking with cast iron is the
beautiful even heat it gives, meaning less
chance of scorching those sauces. Cooking
pasta sauces in it is a real pleasure, as it stops
me inging sauce everywhere when I toss the
pasta through. It’s also a cinch to clean –
well, for Tom to clean.
Gnocchi board
This is a small ridged wooden board needed
to make cavatelli/malloreddus, garganelli and
other semolina pasta shapes and, of course,
gnocchi. The ridges create grooves in the
pasta, which the sauce adheres to.
Pasta board
Pasta boards are about 80 cm wide, with
a lip that hangs over the edge of your kitchen
bench so the board doesn’t slip around when
you are kneading and rolling out your dough.
The idea is that the board should only ever
be used to roll pasta, therefore keeping it free
of contamination from other ingredients. Of
course, a pasta board is not a requirement,
but it does making rolling out pasta enjoyable.
I prefer to make pasta on a clean wooden
bench. Never use a plastic chopping board.
Pasta dowel
This instrument is for wrapping your dough
around to make garganelli or paccheri,
although I nd that a wooden spoon handle
also does the trick.
100
Pasta machine
It’s worthwhile investing in a pasta machine,
as it requires virtually no skill to produce
beautiful egg pasta on your very rst go.
You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars
either; there are some great aordable
machines on the market for less than $100.
I promise this won’t become another kitchen
gadget that will gather dust in the back of
your cupboard. If you love pasta, it will fast
become a kitchen favourite – mine takes pride
of place on my bookshelf. Never wash your
pasta machine, a quick dusting and wipe will
ensure it lasts for years.
Pasta saucepan
Use a large saucepan or stockpot – preferably
5–7 litre capacity –to allow the pasta to move
around freely.
Pastry cutter
Also known as a bench scraper, a pastry
cutter is useful for cutting and moving the
dough and nished pasta around. It also
makes you feel very professional.
Rolling pin
A long rolling pin without handles is great for
rolling out dough, and it’s especially important
if you don’t own a pasta machine.
Square metal skewer
This is helpful for making busiate, although a
well-oured wooden skewer also works well.