Every family is unique, and each kitchen that caters to its family’s needs is distinctive, making every single set of kitchen tools one of a kind. Discovering the versatile usage of your kitchenware can be rewarding for both space and money. The utility of pasta tools is diverse, making them an incredible addition to your kitchen.
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Apart from making pasta, these versatile pasta tools are ideal for a wide range of other uses in the kitchen:
If you are contemplating buying pasta tools, do so without any hesitation. But before that, let’s stray away from the beaten path of the pasta equipment’s customary utility to discover its multiple other uses.
- Can you use a pasta pot as a steamer?
Sure, you can! Double up on the use of your pasta pot with its strainer insert as a vegetable steamer. And there’s more! Save the stock from steam cooking and use the delicious stock in soups, sauces, gravies, and curries. You can even steam cook chicken and shrimp in this steamer.
In the mood for a cooking experiment! Give it a try at making dumplings and wontons in your pasta pot.
What else can you do? You can use the large outer pot for making large quantities of soup, broth, stock, and stews or a big meal as they come with a suitable lid. The strainer insert of your pasta pot can find its use as a colander in your kitchen.
- Which pasta pot should you buy?
Uniform cooking, effortless drainage, suitable lid, and the size of your family are to be kept in mind while buying a pasta pot. There are different models available in the market. However, narrowing down on these cleverly designed pots will be challenging, making you ambiguous as each one is exceptionally crafted.
There are ones with strainer inserts and others with holes on the sides of the pot for easy drainage. Straining pasta can never get easier than this – twist-and-lock lid mechanism and knob-lock lid mechanism are some excellent safety features available for you to choose from.
These pots come in aluminum to avoid hot spots and for even cooking, and the lid sports a splendid look with tempered glass for easy visibility of the cooking pasta. It sure will win your heart at a single glance.
- What can you make with a pasta machine?
If you are an avid cook and are looking for shortcut ways to simplify arduous tasks, you have come to the right place. Apart from making pasta, you can make dumpling wrappers, croissants, tortillas, Indian rotis, and just about any flatbread type with the pasta machine.
Making classic pot pie for dinner? Rolling the perfect pie crust is just a crank away, not too thick or too thin, just the thickness you want it to be.
The baking nerd in you can make puff pastry sheets in a breeze. You will only need half the time to roll out the paper-thin daisy petals for your friend’s birthday cake decoration. Ruffle making is equally easy, and I bet your lovely ruffle cake will be a sure crowd-pleaser.
Pasta machine cranks out uniform sheets of gum paste, one after the other, and you can custom cut your cupcake toppers in no time. So, reserve your energy for artistic work and leave the chores that require muscle to your pasta machine.
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Are you a quilling fanatic? Cutting the quilling paper with a craft knife or scissors is tricky. But, with the pasta machine at your disposal, it doesn’t have to be so. Feed your quilling paper into your pasta machine, pre-setting the width measurement. You’ll be astonished at how adeptly it cuts your paper flawlessly in a jiffy. Your quilling hobby is now sheer bliss. But make sure you clean the machine off the scraps and bits of paper.
Your pasta machine can easily be a mini printing press. Once you have etched your picture in a plastic sheet, all your need is printing paper and some watercolor to make numerous copies of astoundingly similar images. What a great addition to your art studio!
- Can you roll fondant with a pasta machine?
Yes, you can! (And no, you don’t need to invest in a fondant sheeter when you already own a pasta machine.)
When you’ve decided to decorate your theme cake with fondant, you will have to do a lot of rolling to cover the cake with fondant and make all the little figurines. But why worry when you have the ultimate dough roller?
So, roll your fondant using the pasta machine. Reserve your time and energy to hone your creative skills and decorate your cake, not on manual labor.
Try the attachments meant for different types of pasta to make more creative and unique shapes and designs on your fondant.
Photo by Tina Witherspoon / Unsplash
- What is a pasta bike used for?
When you don’t have a pasta maker at home, the rolling pin is your only resort. Hand-rolled pasta sheets need a pasta bike (single wheel or multiple wheels) to cut your pasta into different shapes and sizes.
This traditional tool helps create a variety of pastas like farfalle, pappardelle, ravioli, tortelloni, or agnolotti. Also, it is quite pleasing to have one around, especially if you have the habit of collecting antique tools.
If you are considering making a pie crust, don’t hesitate to use the pasta bike for cutting the lattice strips uniformly for the pie crust – a long chore cut short. You can also find other uses for this centuries-old tool, like portioning your favorite pizza and cutting sweet pastries and cookie portions.
Pasta tools have more in store, and we sure can make more than just pasta with them. So, don’t hesitate to invest in pasta tools that have flexible utility and function.
