Category archives: Advice

How to Plant Rosemary
Advice, Herbs

How to Plant Rosemary

How to Plant Rosemary. Reproducing rosemary at home is really easy, even for those without a green thumb, fortunately the aromatic plants are very robust.

Let's see what is the procedure to follow in our home

There is no greater satisfaction than that of using your own fresh rosemary, planted by us. The first thing you will notice will be to hear the difference between the dry rosemary you usually find on the market and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Rosemary is one of the most used aromatic plants in our kitchen and pizzeria. There is no focaccia without the addition of fresh rosemary.

How to Plant Rosemary

Let's not forget to mention that rosemary increases concentration and improves memory, improves our mood and fights various inflammations.

Reproducing this plant indoors is really simple, a glass of water and a few twigs of rosemary of about fifteen centimeters are enough.

How to Plant Rosemary

Reproduce rosemary at home

Place the sprigs of rosemary in a glass of water at room temperature and wait about ten days. Place the glass with the twigs in front of a bright window.

When the roots appear you can plant them directly in pots. Water the seedlings every 3 days and avoid standing water.

The fantastic rosemary plant

On our site, if you are looking for rosemary, you will find dozens and dozens of pizzas that have rosemary among their ingredients. If you want to learn more, read these articles:

A bunch of rosemary above the front door

How to prepare the salt flavored with rosemary

How to prepare rosemary oil

Rosemary, also good to smoke

In our school of pizza chefs where we organize weekly practical courses to become pizza chefs, we consume a lot of rosemary. If you are interested in our practical courses, and would like more information, Click this link.

Greetings

Appointment in a few days for other interesting news on the world of pizza. Stay tuned, add this page to your favorites.

Ciao

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

Yeast table
Actuality, Advice, Yeast

Conversion table Fresh Brewer's Yeast to Dry Brewer's Yeast to Mother Yeast

Conversion table Fresh Brewer's Yeast to Dry Brewer's Yeast to Mother Yeast. Thanks to our easy and convenient table you will no longer have problems converting the various types of yeast from dry to fresh or replacing it with the classic mother yeast.

Yeast is widely used in cooking recipes and especially daily in pizzerias. It is a living organism consisting of cells and thanks to it a known process called fermentation.

Fermentation or Leavening

The leavening process leads to the production of carbon dioxide in the dough, it is for this reason that we see it increase in volume.

We can generally divide yeast into two types: the natural one and the chemical one. Natural yeast is a living element used for the production of bread, wine, beer, pizza, the second, that is, the chemical one is pure bicarbonate of soda, potassium hydrogen tartrate together with corn starch and does not allow leavening or fermentation if you prefer.

Other yeasts

Other types of yeast used in cooking are ammonia, cream of tartar or the more common sodium bicarbonate, these types of yeast have the same characteristic, they do not need rising times, they produce carbon dioxide and only increase in volume during cooking in the oven.

As we can see there are many types of yeast, but the most used is certainly brewer's yeast or if you prefer natural yeast, comes from living organisms. It can be found on the market in dehydrated or fresh sachets.

How to use it

The dehydrated yeast must be revived by mixing it with warm water and a little sugar in a glass, you will notice that a foam appears after a few minutes. Fresh yeast is generally found in cubes from 25 grams and should be dissolved in the water of our dough, the doses may vary depending on the amount of flour used and the time we have available.

Another type of yeast widely used in cooking is dough or mother yeast. Certainly the best in terms of aroma, flavor and digestibility. Made up of yeasts and lactic bacteria that increase the acidity of our product and its shelf life. Sourdough requires longer processing times, perfect for preparations such as pizza and sweet or savory. This type of yeast also exists on the market in the dried version. This dried sourdough must be found in warm water, just like dehydrated brewer's yeast.

Here is the very useful conversion table for the various types of yeast

yeast conversion table

TABLE

It often happens while we prepare our recipes at home that we have to adapt another type of yeast to our recipe. Here is our fantastic yeast conversion table.

All this useful information is studied during our practical pizza chef courses which are available weekly in our pizza chef school.. Sign up, you will find all the information about our courses at this link.

Greetings

Before saying goodbye as my custom, I wanted to remind you of some of the useful links on my site:

300 pizza recipes

The calendar of upcoming pizza chef courses

My latest recipe book which is called: Not only pizza

The pizza maker's manual

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

 

How To Store Bread To Always Keep It Fresh
Actuality, Advice

How To Store Bread To Always Keep It Fresh

How To Store Bread To Always Keep It Fresh. Let it be homemade bread, panini, baguette or any type of bread, we know that it is delicious freshly made, still hot is a delight.

This is why the conservation of bread is very important, so that it is as fresh as possible when we go to consume it. This also applies to the classic rosemary focaccia.

Methods for conservation

The best method is certainly to wrap the bread in a cloth or in a paper bag. These measures will prevent the bread from drying out too much, losing its precious moisture.

Freeze the bread: it is certainly the way to keep it longer. We will have to slice it before freezing it and portion it in the appropriate freeze bags on the market. To defrost it properly, just take it out of the plastic bags and leave it at room temperature, no microwave.

What never to do

Never put the bread in the refrigerator, the low temperature will quickly make the bread stale.

The best suggestion is to always buy a little at a time.

Conclusion

As I have done for a long time in all my posts, I remind you that in our school of pizza chefs we organize weekly professional practical courses to become professional pizza chefs. If you wish to have more information about our courses follow this link.

For the calendar of our professional practical courses click here.

Greetings

For those who do not have the time or resources to come to our pizza school, I remember that here on our site there is a fantastic online pizza chef course that you can follow from the comfort of your home. You will find all the information here.

You have already downloaded my latest recipe book? Is called: NOT JUST PIZZA-What all pizzerias should have on their menu. Get it here.

If you still have them 5 free minutes, visit my youtube channel, Hundreds of video pizza recipes are available, prepared by the pizza chef students who attend our professional practical courses. Sign up.

 

Appointment in a few days for more news about pizza.

Ciao

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

Conservare le Fragole Tutto l'anno
Actuality, Advice

Storing Strawberries All year round

Storing Strawberries All year round. In spring among the many colors offered by the awakening nature, we find a fruit that everyone likes, adults and children. We are talking about the strawberries, gustosissime, they contain many nutrients including the very useful antioxidants.

Very rich in vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. Today we will see how to store them in order to be able to enjoy them all year round. Here are some very simple tricks or methods if you prefer for perfect conservation.

Storing Strawberries All year round

The most popular method is certainly to prepare the classic strawberry jam with this delicious fruit. The internet is full of recipes, so I don't waste any more time.

My favorite way to store strawberries is to freeze them. To prevent them from absorbing so much water we will first have to place them on a tray in the freezer, once frozen they will be wrapped. In this way the strawberries will also keep for six months.

Other Methods of Preservation of Strawberries

Another widely used method is that of extracting the juice. Fill the ice cubes and once frozen place them in an envelope. This summer with the scorching heat they will come in handy.

Strawberry chips: Cut them into thin slices and dry them. Once dehydrated, place them in a container with an airtight lid. Dehydrated strawberries keep for a long time and are perfect for garnishing your desserts or for a light snack..

Conclusions

As I always do in my posts, I remind you that in our Italian pizza school, we organize weekly “Professional Practical Courses To Become Pizza Makers. You will find all the information about ours courses at this link.

For those who do not have the time or resources to come to our pizza school, I remember that a fantastic one is available here on my site Of Pizzaiolo Online Course that you can follow from the comfort of your home. Just download the course on your PC or mobile phone and you can follow it comfortably seated from the sofa of your home during your free time. Available at this link.

Greetings

If the pizza is often prepared at home, I suggest you subscribe to my Youtube channel, you will find there a collection of over 300 video pizza recipes prepared by the pizza chef students who attend our practical courses every week.

 

Before saying goodbye, I remind you that my latest recipe book is already available for download, is called NOT ONLY PIZZA - What should have all the pizzerias in your menu. You can find it here.

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

How to Clean the Hearthstone
Actuality, Advice

How to Clean the Hearthstone

How to Clean the Hearthstone. Today we will talk about maintenance in the kitchen and in the pizzeria. In a previous article you find here, we have already talked about how to use the refractory stone to obtain a perfect pizza even in the home oven.

Today given the many questions that have come to me from the followers of my site, we will address a common problem, that is how to clean the refractory stone once used, since it gets dirty easily with oil residues, of mozzarella or tomato.

How to Clean the Hearthstone

I suppose anyone who works in a pizzeria already knows the simple method to clean the refractory base gas or electric oven, but at home which is the best and fastest way? Let's discover these simple tricks to make a refractory base return to its perfect splendor after having used it to cook pizzas at home..

Let's first see what never to do: Never pass a veil of oil!! This absolutely wrong remedy would unleash a stench of hell when our refractory base will heat up again in your oven the next time you use it to cook pizza and would leave an unpleasant smell.

The right method to clean the refractory stone

I saw someone who uses corn starch. Not bad, disinfects and cleans the stone without problems and without leaving bad odors. But there is an even better method that does not involve any physical work, let's find out which one.

Leave the baking stone in your oven at maximum temperature without doing anything about it 15 minutes after you have finished cooking your pizzas. The heat generated by the oven as if by magic will make any residue of dirt previously formed on your stone disappear.

Infallible pizza chef trick

When the refractory base of the oven gets dirty, the professional pizza chef is waiting 15 minutes and the same heat of the oven will clean the dirt that had formed previously. These tricks are learned while performing the Our professional practical courses that we carry out weekly in our pizza school.

Have you ever thought of subscribing to one of our professional practical courses? At this link You find all the information, and here you will find the calendar of our practical courses in programming pizza makers in our school.

Conclusions

If you haven't already, I remind you that it is already possible to download my latest recipe book called: NOT ONLY PIZZA - What should have all the pizzerias in your menu. It is a collection of classic recipes that are now monuments of Italian cuisine. find it out, you can find it at this link.

Before you move on to greetings, if you still have 5 free minutes, I invite you to visit my youtube channel, you will find a collection of more than 300 video recipes, sign up and save it among your favorite sites, it could be useful to inspire you the next time you prepare pizza at home.

 
Greetings

As I have been doing for some time now in all my posts, I remind you that here on my website there is a fantastic online pizza chef course dedicated to all those who do not have the time or resources to personally come here to school. You can download it on your PC or mobile phone and follow it comfortably seated from the sofa of your home. For more information click this link.

Appointment in a few days for more news about pizza.

Ciao

Silvio Cicchi

 

How To Eliminate Tomato Acidity
Advice, Ingredients

How to Eliminate Tomato Acidity

How to Eliminate Tomato Acidity. The tomato it is widely used in Italian cuisine and perhaps the most used condiment in the world. As you know, the tomato contains a high level of acidity which, in addition to making some of our dishes become acidic, often leads us to have heartburn. So today we will see how to break down the acidity of tomatoes with these precious tips.

I learned many of these tips while working in a pizzeria, where the tomato is the basis of almost all pizzas here, therefore it cannot be absolutely acidic.

Remove the peel and seeds

Much of the acidity of the tomato is contained in the peel and in the seeds. So to solve the problem it will be sufficient to remove the peel by blanching the tomatoes for ten minutes and after removing the peel cut them in half and remove the seeds., By preparing the tomato sauce you will see that it will not be acidic at all.

Baking soda or sugar

They are certainly the most used ingredients to permanently get rid of tomato acidity. Pay attention to the quantities: Sugar could change the flavor of the tomato, therefore a teaspoon will be enough during cooking. Baking soda should be used with great moderation, as soon as the sauce boils, add half a teaspoon of baking soda, this will eliminate all the acidity of the tomato while leaving the flavor unchanged.

Latte

Personally I do not use this solution which I confess scares me, but I know many of my fellow chefs who add a spoonful of milk to get a good result.

Tips

I have just a couple of tips that are sure to help you. The first is the simplest of all, buy some good tomatoes, you will see that it is not acidic and there will be no need to correct it with sugar, baking soda or milk.

The second tip that always works is to reduce the cooking time of your sauce since the longer the tomato cooks the more acid it becomes..

Conclusions

If you like our tips and tricks, keep following our site. Before moving on to greetings I wanted to remind you that in our Italian pizza school every week we offer professional practical courses to become professional pizza chefs. You'll find all the information here.

For the less fortunate who do not have the time or resources to come to our pizza school, I remember that here on our site there is a fantastic “Online Pizzaiolo Course” available for everyone that you can follow from the comfort of your home. You will find all the information at this link.

I end by reminding you that it is already possible to download my latest recipe book called: NOT ONLY PIZZA, you find all information at this link.

If you still have them 5 free minutes, visit and subscribe to my youtube channel, you'll find hundreds of video recipes for pizza.

 

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

How to Freeze Brewer's Yeast
Advice, Yeast

How to Freeze Brewer's Yeast

How to Freeze Brewer's Yeast. Fresh yeast is widely used in kitchens all over the world, in bakeries, in pizzerias and at home. Do you remember that after the first lockdown (March 2020) has disappeared from the shelves of all supermarkets? And, just so, the smart ones bought it and froze it so as not to be without it.

As I have well explained to you in my previous article, it is possible to freeze the brewer's yeast fresh avoiding to let it expire in the refrigerator, since it has a very short shelf life.

How to Freeze Brewer's Yeast

Let's see today how to freeze fresh brewer's yeast avoiding unnecessary waste. Depending on the amount of dough you usually prepare, divide the yeast dough into smaller parts. The yeast stick usually weighs 25 grams, I usually divide it into 4 depart from 6 grams.

It is very important that the yeast is hermetically sealed before putting it in the freezer, preventing it from taking in air. Use cling film, the aluminum roll or your own wrapping paper.

How to use it

To defrost the brewer's yeast, just take it out of the freezer a few hours in advance, once thawed it may be softer than usual but don't worry, this will not affect the quality of the product.

Another method to quickly thaw it is to put it in a glass of warm water 30 degrees around, no longer hot. Many also add a teaspoon of sugar to activate leavening, but it is not essential.

The deadline

We know very well that beer yeast stored in the refrigerator follows its own expiration date which is usually short. But in the freezer? In the freezer, our brewer's yeast can last more than three months, but I always suggest you check before use that no mold has formed or that its color is perfect.

During our practical courses to become a pizza chef that we carry out weekly in our Italian pizza school, we make extensive use of fresh brewer's yeast or instead we use mother yeast. If you wish to have more information about our professional practical courses follow this link.

Conclusions

For the less fortunate who do not have the time or resources to attend one of our professional courses, I remember that here on my site there is a Fantastic Online Pizza Maker Course that you can follow comfortably from the sofa of your home. You can download it on your mobile or PC and follow it during your free time. All information at this link.

If you often work with brewer's yeast in your home or business, for sure you will love my latest book of fantastic recipes which is called: NOT ONLY PIZZA. All information about the book at this link.

Greetings

Before saying goodbye, I invite you to pay a visit to my youtube channel, You will 300 Video recipes of pizza. subscribe.

 

Ciao

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

How To Store Advanced Pizza
Advice

How To Store Advanced Pizza

Leave a comment

How To Store Advanced Pizza. This article is for those like me who often make pizza at home. I never turn on the oven for a single pizza, so it always happens that you have a large amount left over.

We certainly cannot waste it by throwing it in dustbin, since with these simple tricks it is possible to keep our beloved pizza even for the next day in a perfect way.

How To Store Advanced Pizza

Today we will see some simple tips to always keep perfect, tasty, our pizza is fragrant and soft.

Let's find out how to do it together!

Storage tips

The first important tip is to never leave the leftover pizza in the box, The cardboard would absorb all the moisture from the pizza and end up dehydrating it. Much better to use an airtight container, or the old but functional method of transparent film and then covering it with aluminum foil.

Always reheat it properly. If you want to heat it in the oven at home, make sure it is already hot before adding the pizza. Never use the microwave, the pizza would become very hard to eat.

An Alternative Method

If you don't want to turn on the big oven at home for a small piece of pizza, then there is the old method which always works well, that of the non-stick pan. Take a non-stick pan, medium flame gas, insert the pizza and cover with the lid. A couple of minutes and you will eat your pizza like the freshly baked one.

If you like my tips and tricks, keep following my site entirely dedicated to pizza.

Conclusions

If you want to become a professional pizza chef, sign up for one of our "Professional Practical Courses" that we organize weekly at our Italian pizza school. You will find all the information about our practical courses at this link.

If, on the other hand, you already have experience in preparing pizza, but you would like to improve yourself to prepare a quality pizza at home too, I suggest you our Online Pizza Chef Course. You can download the course on your PC or mobile phone and follow it directly from the sofa of your home during your free time. You'll find all the information on our Corso Di Pizzaiolo Online at this link.

Greetings

Before saying goodbye, I take this opportunity to remind you that my latest recipe book, called: NOT ONLY PIZZA. Contains lots of Italian recipes to prepare quickly at home. All information available here.

If you still have them 5 free minutes, visit and subscribe to my youtube channel, hundreds of pizza video recipes are available.

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

 

Eliminate Bad Smells While Cooking Broccoli and Cauliflower
Advice

Eliminate Bad Smells While Cooking Broccoli and Cauliflower

Eliminate Bad Smells While Cooking Broccoli and Cauliflower. Broccoli and cauliflower bring countless beneficial properties to our body. Adults and children love them.

Unfortunately they have a little problem (solvable), when we cook them our kitchen is filled with this strong smell. How do? Do not worry, there is the grandmother's remedy which is infallible.

Eliminate Bad Smells While Cooking Broccoli and Cauliflower

With this little trick we will eliminate all the bad smells due to the preparation of these cabbage-like vegetables in one go, cauliflower, broccoli and similar vegetables. Which? Potatoes.

Wash and peel a potato and put it in the pot full of water where we are going to cook our vegetables. The potato as if by magic will capture all bad smells.

How to eliminate bad smells in the kitchen

You were aware of this trick? With this precaution it will no longer be a problem to cook broccoli and cauliflower at home. Keep following our site for more great granny tricks that are very useful.

In our Italian pizza school we often use vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower which are excellent on pizza. If you are a pizza lover this is the site for you. You will find all the information on our professional practical courses to become a pizza maker at this link.

Conclusions

If the pizza is often prepared at home, and you want to improve yourself, I have a great suggestion that will suit you: Here on our site there is a Fantastic Online Pizza Maker Course. You can download it on your PC or mobile phone and follow it from the comfort of your home sofa. You will find all the information about our online pizza chef course at this link.

If you haven't already, I remind you that my latest recipe book called. is already available for download: NOT ONLY PIZZA - What should have all the pizzerias in your menu. More than 150 color illustrations of recipes that are monuments of Italian cuisine. More here.

Greetings

If they still stay there 5 free minutes visit and subscribe to my Youtube channel, you will find hundreds of video recipes for pizza.

 

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

Use the Microwave Oven Alternatively
Actuality, Advice

Use the Microwave Oven Alternatively

Use the Microwave Oven Alternatively. Did you know that you can use the microwave oven in many different ways? This type of oven has been present in our kitchens for a long time, but it would seem that not everyone knows the potential of this object.

In addition to defrosting food, reheat or cook it, this type of oven can be used in other ways. In this short guide we will see together some alternative ways with which it is possible to use this type of oven.

Use the Microwave Oven Alternatively

Sanitize kitchen sponges: Very easy trick to implement, kitchen sponges often get dirty, therefore they can be sterilized in the microwave oven, after having washed them well, place them in the oven 4/5 minutes at maximum power.

Neck pains: If you suffer from neck pain, put your favorite scarf in your microwave, heat it and wrap it around your neck. Pay attention to the label, as not all types of fabrics can go in your microwave.

Other Suggestions of Alternative Uses

Sterilize Glass Jars: After having washed and dried them well, put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Dry your herbs: And, just so, during the various seasons you will have happened to collect fresh aromatic herbs in abundance, using your microwave oven you can easily dry them and store them in jars. Let's see how to do it: put the herbs in the oven at maximum power for a few minutes and your herbs will lose all their moisture as if by magic, by doing so they can be preserved for a very long time.

Conclusions

Always take great care of your microwave oven, clean it constantly.

This method of drying aromatic herbs is widely used in our "School of Pizza Makers”. During our professional practical courses that we organize weekly, we often use herbs. If you are interested in our professional practical courses to become a pizza chef, follow this link.

For those who do not have the time or resources to come here to school and attend one of our courses in person, I remember that here on our site there is a “Fantastic Online Pizza Maker Course” that you can follow from the comfort of your home, download it on your PC or Mobile. You will find all the information at this link.

Greetings

Before leaving, I wanted to remind you that it is already possible to download my latest recipe book called: NOT ONLY PIZZA. More here.

Visit or subscribe to my youtube channel, you'll find hundreds of video recipes for pizza.

 

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi