Make Every Night Italian Night with These Pasta Tools
Pasta is one of those delicious, comforting entrees that is almost universally appealing. It's a classic go-to for a simple dinner that everyone will love, and for those nights when you're pressed for time, Williams Sonoma has you covered with a wide selection of gourmet pastas and sauces as well as prepared pasta dishes that are perfect for stashing in the freezer for nights when you need something delicious on the table quickly. While homemade pasta is not something you'd want to attempt on a busy weeknight when you need dinner on the table in 30 minutes, you'll find that with a few pasta tools and about an hour, you can easily whip up a big batch of your favourite pasta dish. Making pasta from scratch might seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools on hand, it is quite manageable, and the results are truly rewarding.
Pasta-Making Basics
Unlike basic cook's tools like cheese graters and garlic presses (both of which will come in handy on Italian night), pasta-making tools are more of a specialty kitchen item. Fortunately, you can begin making pasta at home with just a few simple items. With the notable exception of gnocchi, most types of pasta are cut from a large, thin sheet of pasta dough, so regardless of the shape of pasta you want to make, you'll want to invest in a pasta rolling pin that will help transform your lump of dough into a sheet of even thickness. From there, the pasta tools you need will depend on what you want to make--ravioli stamps, for example, or pasta cutters for making long straight pastas like linguine. If you don't plan to eat your pasta right away, having a pasta rack makes it a lot easier to dry your pasta for later use. Read on for more about some of the pasta tools available at Williams Sonoma.
- Williams Sonoma Thin Walnut Pasta Rolling Pin - This Williams Sonoma exclusive is crafted from sustainably sourced walnut, which is prized for its exceptional hardness and beautiful grain. A favourite of professional pastry chefs, this slim, 16-inch pin rolls smoothly across delicate pasta dough to create an even texture and thickness.
- Williams Sonoma Wood Cutter - Handcrafted with FSC®-certified American black walnut, this durable tool has carved grooves that help you to create perfectly even ribbons of pasta. Available only at Williams Sonoma, this pasta tool will cut your sheet of dough into over 15 individual strips with each pass.
- Williams Sonoma Pasta 4-Piece Gift Set - The perfect housewarming or wedding gift for anyone who loves to experiment in the kitchen, this set includes everything you need to begin making your own ravioli at home. Designed and developed by Williams Sonoma, the set includes three stamps (circular, square and flower-shaped) and a rotary cutter that cuts and crimps in one step.
Mixer Attachments and Pasta Machines
Pasta machines and pasta attachments for your mixer are slightly more high-tech alternatives to the basic pasta tools referenced above. One of the primary advantages of a pasta machine or mixer attachment is that they take the guesswork out of rolling and cutting your dough. Basic pasta machines and mixer attachments work in roughly the same way--you simply select your desired thickness, turn the crank to run your dough through the machine's rollers and watch as a perfectly uniform sheet of dough emerges. Once your dough has reached your desired thickness, you can feed the sheet back through the machine, using one of the cutting attachments to create your preferred noodle shape.