Pasta Knives

Next up in my series on pasta tools: the humble pasta knife. Many pasta makers have a favorite one that they use to hand cut pasta sheets into ribbons. For wide noodles, I like to use an Italian Pino Extra that I bought from a knife dealer on eBay. This Pino boasts a wide, heavy 9.5-inch blade that makes cutting tagliatelle a breeze. The knife also works particularly well slicing thick udon noodles. 

When I want to cut a thinner noodle, I pull out my razor-sharp Carter nakiri knife. Although wide, the blade is super thin thus making the knife well-suited to cutting tagliolini.

Carter sells its knives on-line. Finding a vintage Pino pasta knife might take a little more of an effort, but, in my opinion, worth it.

Pasta Wheel

One of the first pasta tools I acquired was a pasta wheel (aka a pastry wheel). I now own a small collection of this essential tool. I use my favorite one all the time when sheeting pasta, cutting shapes (pappardelle and trenette) and when making stuffed pasta. I bought this dual wheel cutter at Antica Aguzzeria del Cavallo (here) during a pasta pilgrimage to Bologna. You can now buy these sturdy tools outside of Italy. Emiliomiti (here) sells a straight wheel, fluted wheel, dual cutter and even an adjustable quad cutter. These heavy-duty brass cutters will last a lifetime.

Mattarello

Some time ago I created a label entitled Pasta Tools on this blogsite. The first entry featured a custom-made bowl (here) that I often use when I mix pasta dough by hand. This year I plan to add new entries under this Pasta Tools label. Look for short posts on some of the pasta tools that I use, such as a walnut mattarello made by Vermont Rolling Pins.

Vermont Rolling Pins offers an Italian Long Rolling Pin that measures 36- to 40-inches long and 1.75-inches wide. Their mattarello comes in cherry, maple and walnut. They also accept custom orders. I wanted a slightly shorter (33-inches) walnut mattarello with a single knob to use when rolling out pasta on my kitchen counter. I like that the walnut’s woodgrain imparts a slight texture to the pasta.

One certainly does not need a beautiful mattarello to hand roll pasta. Many nonnas masterly wield a simple rolling pin or long wooden dowel to create a perfectly round pasta sheet (or la sfoglia). But if supporting craft makers and working with an exceptionally fine tool appeals to you, consider a mattarello from Vermont Rolling Pin.

Robbie Lobell Mixing Bowl

I have a crazy,

crazy love of things.

I like pliers,

and scissors.

I love

cups,

rings,

and bowls­ –

…

“Ode to Common Things”

By Pablo Neruda

If you spend any amount of time poking around this site, you will come across a handsome, sturdy ceramic bowl made by the supremely talented Robbie Lobell. After reading Paul Bertolli’s Cooking by Hand [2003] I began—and now prefer—mixing pasta dough ingredients in a bowl instead of on a wooden board. I started out using a blue Emile Henry bowl, but I worried that its rim might break off in my hand while pulling together a hard dough. This concern put me on the hunt for a suitable mixing bowl. It couldn’t be too deep and it needed to be really beefy.

Although my recollection isn’t perfect, I think I first learned about Robbie’s work while going through some links on the website of another supremely talented potter, Ayumi Horie. I owned one of Robbie’s lasagna pots, which possess all of the qualities that I wanted in a mixing bowl: simple, solid and functional.

After a conversation, Robbie created the perfect bowl for my needs. It’s a workhorse that I use each time I make pasta and whenever I bake. If you are looking for beautiful, rugged, reasonably-priced ceramic ware, I recommend looking at Robbie’s work.