During an age where air fryers, pressure cookers, and new-fangled gadgets have taken the home cooking world by storm, simple, handcrafted (and potentially half of a century old) tools still have a very important place in the kitchen. I like a shiny new nonstick frying pan and satisfyingly efficient mandoline as much as the next home cook or chef, but am fully aware that they’re not essential when it comes to the traditional Italian kitchen.
So what exactly does one absolutely need in their cooking arsenal? I decided to check in with who I consider being the ultimate authority of Italian home cooking, my nonna. I stopped by her house one recent afternoon to take a tour of her kitchen. We dove in; cabinet-by-cabinet, drawer-by-drawer to identify and rank each and every culinary object we came across. The discoveries were both astounding and heartwarming, with many of her most prized utensils and tools more than double my age and made or given to her relatives. After a full download of their origins, a live demonstration, and a beautifully narrated journey back in time, here are the tools that she deems absolutely necessary in any Italian kitchen!
Nonna's kitchen tools
Ladle
Coined “the scoop,” nonna’s curiously burnished plastic ladle is part of a 3 piece set, purchased shortly after she arrived in America in the early 1950s. Excellent for soups, stews, sauces, and reserving pasta water, it’s a tool that she uses frequently, especially during the winter months.
Wooden Spoon
My love-hate relationship for this tool is very real! As a child, nonna used to carry a wooden spoon in her “pocketbook” and wave it at us when we were misbehaving. In the kitchen, this is one of her most commonly used tools for things like stirring sauces, everyday cooking, and of course tasting. Wooden spoons are particularly useful because they won't scrape or scratch your pots and pans.
La Moppina [ma-PEEN-uh]
Well-loved by Neapolitans, la moppina, or kitchen towel, is always within arm’s reach. Used as a cleanup rag, a makeshift trivet, or in lieu of protective oven mitts to remove hot dishes from the oven, drain a steamy pot of boiling pasta water or carry a beautiful meal to the dinner table, it’s no wonder nonna has a drawer full that’s specifically designated for them.
Neapolitan Coffee Maker
Coffee is like oxygen to Italians, so it came as no surprise that I was met with a menagerie of machines devoted to this liquid gold. The most unique and special of all was her stainless steel Neapolitan coffee maker, made in Italy and consistently weathered like the rest of her tools. According to nonna, it still produces the best tasting coffee with the added ease of being an all-in-one brewing and serving contraption.
Nonna's Neapolitan coffee maker
Mesh Strainer
This tiny tool is great examples of the age-old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Purchased at a Five & Dime 70 years ago for just ten cents, nonna uses this multipurpose tool for skimming the scum from chicken stock. It also works well for sifting sugars and ingredients together when baking.
Butcher Knife
“A good butcher knife is all you need,” she declared as she sliced a perfectly ripe, late summer tomato in her hand. Gifted to her by her brother who worked at a butcher shop, her 60-year-old, wooden-handled serrated knife that has not been sharpened since she received it, cut through that tomato like butter. She uses this knife for everything from chopping vegetables to slicing meat.
Pasta Wheel
One of nonna’s most prized kitchen tools, her rotella, or pasta wheel, was a gift from her mother (my bisnonna, or great-grandmother). This wooden handled relic still has the price written on the bottom (seventy-five cents) and comes in handy when cutting ravioli, and making chiacchiere during the holidays.
Rolling Pin
Another tool that a home cook and baker should not be without, nonna’s three-foot-long laganatura (Neapolitan for “rolling pin”) was made by her father and continues to serve her well when making pasta, cookies, and her “grandma-style” pizza dough.
Pasta Machine
A staple in any Italian home or chef’s kitchen, a pasta machine is the ultimate tool for making fresh pasta from scratch. Although she prefers pasta fatta a mano or “made by hand,” this gadget comes in handy and saves time when making some of her favorite shapes like tagliolini, fettuccine, and sheeting dough for ravioli.
Powdered Sugar Shaker
Ten cents went a long way back in the 1950s, and this powdered sugar shaker is proof. The subject of many cherished childhood memories of holiday baking with nonna, this nostalgic tool makes dusting cookies, cakes, pies, and baked goods a breeze.
BONUS: Herself!
Need I say more? Nonna is the oldest and most valuable tool in her kitchen. There is no machine, gadget, or piece of equipment that can replace the wisdom, intuition, skill, and love that she pours into her cooking. I feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to learn from her and cook together in her very well equipped rustic Italian kitchen!