Italy, a place of exciting history and beautiful sights, but that’s not all. Many dishes that we can think of today were actually created in Italy, including Lasagna, Ravioli, and Tiramisu. We can look at the things invented in countries and how they spread based on what produce, grain, and livestock were grown where. In Italy, for example, olives and grapes are grown in their mediterranean agricultural land along with many different herbs. I for one have a fondness for the flavor and richness of their food and I can’t wait to someday go there and try true italian cuisine.
Now, when anyone thinks of Italy they instantly think pasta and tomato sauce, but there are other things like italian cheese, capers, etc. All of these important things are needed for all kinds of their delicacies. Ingredients aren’t the only thing an italian chef needs, their tools and technology help make the magic happen. Every good chef has a good sturdy cutting board or many. Cutting boards are used for preparing ingredients or for setting out antipasti spreads. Something truly important in the land of pasta, is a pasta roller! These help to make the pasta nice and even and cut to perfection. A mezzaluna can help to chop very finely with ease. This type of cutlery is shaped like a chop knife with more curve and a handle at each end, this makes rocking the knife back and forth efficient and fast. Even if you as a chef don’t have these, improvising like using a regular knife or cutting pasta by hand was the way they used to do things back before more and more inventions hit the surface of culinary arts.
If you’ve ever tried fresh pasta, you know that some time went into it. Well I am going to go step by step and look into the life of a chef. First we need to talk about flour. For some true pasta we are going to need either normal white flour or if you like a more ‘“rustic” pasta then you can add ½ white flour, ½ durum wheat flour. Next is measurements, we need 400g or 3.2 cups, and for that amount of flour we need approximately 4 eggs of 70g each or about 1.2 cups of egg. This is an important ratio to follow for the dough to remain the correct texture. There is also a controversy about the addition of salt to the dough or salt to the boiling water. Some sources have different opinions, I would personally just put the salt in the water. There are also some different choices of what to base the dough with, for a vegan or vegetarian option you can just use flour and water, this won’t make the pasta that everyone else knows and loves but it’s still the same idea. The next most important part of pasta is the sauce. The website I referred to says to “dress fresh pasta…with fresh Parmigiano cheese and a little butter and sage, or with tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes or even with basil pesto.” Most people know how to make the pasta, you have to make a flour volcano, add eggs into the volcano hole, and slowly incorporate the eggs into the flour and knead for ten minutes. Then you roll it out, flatten and cut!
Time and time again I wonder what it takes to be a chef for a true italian restaurant, but not anymore. The basic step in doing this is to find places hiring for the chef position or a position in the kitchen in general because as you stay and do the maintenance work they will/might promote you up to the chef position. The first thing you need to do is either graduate high school or get your GED, this is very important and required in most jobs. The second thing you should have is experience, now if you are just starting out you obviously don’t have the experience so you can try to get internships or apprenticeships to get the experience needed. Lastly, you would have an easier shot at getting a chef position especially if it is a tight spot to get into, if you had certification. Whether that be 2,4,6 years worth of college or certain programs that you can get your hands onto. Whatever you choose to do, even if it isn’t to be a chef, I feel like these steps can work for many other jobs that take time to develop.
Through all of the hardships we can see that being a chef takes time and hard work, if you want to be a chef then there are many things to take into account and accomplish. Although it may not be important to you, many are out there whom desire to be the italian chef they want to be. There are many skills to learn and many recipes to practice, whether that be making pasta, sauce, or fancy desserts it all takes time. Next time you are in the kitchen, take some time to make a good meal that you and your family will love!
“12 Essential Italian Ingredients and 14 Traditional Italian Recipes – 2021.” MasterClass, www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-italian-ingredients-and-recipes#12-traditional-italian-ingredients.
Heffelfinger Updated December 22, Julia, and Julia Heffelfinger. “10 Essential Tools for Mastering Italian Cooking.” Food & Wine, www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/italian-cooking-tools.
Carol, et al. “How to Make Italian Homemade Pasta.” Recipes from Italy, 26 Apr. 2021, www.recipesfromitaly.com/make-italian-homemade-pasta/.
Writers, Staff. “Culinary School & Chef Careers: How to Become a Chef.” LearnHowToBecome.org, LearnHowToBecome.org, 28 Oct. 2019, www.learnhowtobecome.org/chef/.