Tag: tools

what are the most suitable tools – Italian Cuisine

If we talk about fermentation we can say that it is no longer just a fashion, but a real movement, a return to origins.
Groups were born on social media with the exchange of products, advice, preparation techniques and even recipes. A fabulous and still unexplored world. Perhaps this is why it is so fascinating and attractive.
Before starting to ferment at home we would like to give you some advice on which tools to use to work in complete safety. Easy to find equipment, but essential to start experimenting.

In order to work and, subsequently, store we will need some bowls, well-made knives, cutting boards, wooden pestles, weights for the vases, glass jars or terracotta pots suitable for use. There are some beautiful, handmade.
Before buying slightly more expensive tools, we recommend that you do some tests to see if home fermentation is what you were looking for. Then you can give space to your imagination!

Metals

The first phase is that of preparing the vegetables and / or vegetables that will be mixed with the salt. Here it is possible to use large bowls and / or metal tools as the vegetables have not yet become acidic, having not yet undergone any transformation. For convenience, plastic containers are used, large salad bowls, the ones our grandmothers used, so to speak.
But in the end it is better to opt for glass ones: they are comfortable, hygienic and much more sustainable.

The metals that must not be used for the preparation of fermented foods (and therefore acidified foods) are cast iron, copper, aluminum, low quality stainless steel.
The risk, in working with tools made with these metals is that they release small metal particles inside the food, which is best avoided. And it also applies to cooking, in case you need to make hot dishes with fermented foods, it is better to use terracotta or glass pots suitable for cooking.

The containers for fermentation

Now on the market (both in household and online stores) we find many products, objects created specifically for the fermentation of vegetables, vegetables and herbs: large glass jars, with bubbler cap and ceramic weights, are among the most popular, very similar to classic preserving jars, those with screw caps (the 4 seasons to be clear). If you were at the beginning, you can start using screw ones, you just have to remember to bleed the carbon dioxide that forms daily. For this reason the jars with bubbler are more comfortable and safer, because they prevent air from infiltrating the jars and allow carbon dioxide to escape. Bubblers can be purchased individually and adapted to jar lids.

Weights

Once the fermentation process has started, it is necessary to keep the vegetables healthy in the brine, to avoid contact with the air. You can buy ceramic weights (Kilner produces both jars with bubbler and ceramic weights, in special kits for fermentation).
Otherwise it is possible to use stones of different sizes, just boil them for about 10/15 minutes (avoid those rich in limestone).
To overcome the problem, you can also use the freezer bags with zip: just fill them with water and use them as a weight. They have the advantage of being easily available and reusable several times.

Pestles

To press the vegetables to be fermented in the jars, you will need wooden pestles. For convenience, if you don't want to buy them, a couple of wooden rolling pins, the smaller ones, will be enough.

Terracotta pots

There are many, of different sizes and shapes. The Korean ones are very popular, the Onggi, made with clay, which is naturally porous, transpiring, perfect for the preparation of fermented foods such as Kimchi. Look for small artisans in your city who produce clay and ceramic objects, you can have the terracotta pots customized for the fermentation of vegetables.

In the photo the Onggi terracotta pots.

Home gymnastics to lose weight quickly: 5 exercises without tools – Italian Cuisine

Tones, firms and sculpts the body at critical points. Here is the tailor-made workout to get back in shape and get rid of the extra pounds at home

Curtain arms, widened waist, less toned legs and extra pounds. According to Istat data, more than 4 out of 10 Italians have weight problems. A number that is destined to increase due to the more sedentary life at home and the cheats at the table of the long weeks of lockdown. To this mix of factors are often added hormonal imbalances caused by lack of sleep and stress, which favor the consumption of larger quantities of food and the accumulation of extra pounds. The lack of rest in fact stimulates a greater production of ghrelin, the appetite hormone. Emotional tensions, on the other hand, favor a greater production of cortisol, the stress hormone, which favors the increase of insulin and stimulates hunger attacks. To lose weight quickly and get back in shape it is necessary to adopt correct lifestyles and above all to move more. Here is the gymnastics to do at home to lose weight quickly suggested by the professional trainer Magda Franceschino, a 5-exercise workout without tools that sculpt the body in critical points.

To tone the arms

Stand with your legs slightly apart, knees bent, abdomen contracted and hands on hips. Bring your elbows together, keeping your chest up and your shoulders down. Extend your forearms back, keeping your elbows motionless and doing a slight twist to better activate your triceps. Return to the starting position and bring your fists up. Perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a one-minute break between one series and the next.

For strengthen the shoulders

Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your legs hip-width apart. Imagine lifting a barbell: extend your arms up and then bend them bringing your elbows close to your hips. Repeat the movement slowly 10 times. While performing the exercise, keep the shoulder blades together and the shoulders lowered. Perform 3 sets, pausing for one minute each time.

To reshape the waistline

Sit in a chair, with your legs slightly apart, your hands behind your neck, your arms bent and your heels on the ground. The "core" (the abdomen, the dorsal area and the pelvic floor) is always contracted. Keeping your gaze forward and doing a slight twist with your torso, bend your right leg and bring your knee closer to the elbow of your left arm. Return to the starting position and repeat everything with the other leg. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, pausing for one minute each time.

To firm the legs

In an upright position with the legs apart, the tips of the feet slightly turned outwards and the weight of the body resting on the heels. The hands are on the hips. By bending the right leg and keeping the gaze forward, the active abdomen and the elongated spine, move the pelvis (and the weight of the body) sideways. Then return to the starting position. Do 3 series of 20 repetitions each alternating leg, with a one-minute recovery between one series and the next. This exercise is super for adductors, quads, and side b.

To tone the buttocks

Standing with the abdomen contracted, the legs spread apart at the same width as the hips and the tips of the feet slightly turned outwards. Keeping the spine upright and your hands on your hips, bend your legs and bring your pelvis back slightly as if you would like to sit slowly on a stool positioned behind you. Then return to the starting position. Perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a one-minute break between one series and the next.

The accessories and tools for the kitchen to give at Christmas – Italian Cuisine

Pots, glasses, cups, plates, grills and much more. The kitchen and the dining table will be even more beautiful at Christmas

What do I give for Christmas? If you are tormented by this question every year, we advise you to act in advance to avoid last minute rides, especially this year: crowding the shops on Christmas Eve will not be a viable path.
Indeed, orienting ourselves in time will allow us to buy gifts designed and perfect for everyone, perhaps through the e-shop of the companies that produce kitchen utensils and accessories, more and more ready to make products accessible to all and purchasable with a few clicks. But how to choose them? First of all we think about the kitchen of the recipient of our gift.

To enrich one kitchen in which the cooking area merges with the living room as in the case of this LiberaMente composition by Scavolini with Jaipur Red finish, you can choose perfect gifts to be experienced in the kitchen as well as in the conversation area. Go ahead and then a glasses, pottery and utensils so beautiful that they have to be shown.
If, on the other hand, the kitchen is presented as a more classic and linear space, as in the case of MIA by Carlo Cracco, also proposed with the Jaipur Red finish below, we can focus on more classic proposals.

Let's think about then new generation pots and pans, domestic carbonators or cookie shooters so beautiful that they can't be closed in a drawer.
But beyond any possible rule, we remember this year more than ever to make gifts designed and perfect for those who receive them. The kitchen is in fact an environment of the house that we all visit every day and that speaks a lot about us. Some love to fill it with perfect objects to create delicious sweets, others do not give up hi-tech tools, others still do not like to dwell on laborious preparations and love tools capable of making life easier.
The good news is that in our gallery above you will find ideas for Christmas and suggestions suitable for everyone!