Amazon’s Best Italian Kitchen Tools, According to an Italian Chef

I’ve tested hundreds of kitchen tools, cookware, and bakeware as a shopping writer, and some of the most exceptional come from Italian brands. Italian steel has been particularly impressive, whether it’s Fante’s hardy cookie press, Hestan’s nonstick sauté pan, or Diletta’s advanced espresso machine. Nonetheless, these few items merely scratch the surface of the reliable kitchen gear Italy has to offer. To get the scoop on what else is out there, I asked Paul Bertolli, the veteran salumiere behind Fra’ Mani and a James Beard Award-winning chef, for his expert recommendations. Including an iconic Marcato pasta maker and sleek Bormioli Rocco pasta bowls, here’s everything he swears by and how they can upgrade your home cooking game.

Best Italian Chef-Approved Kitchen Tools & Gadgets

• Marcato Atlas 150 Classic Manual Pasta Maker Machine, $96, originally $150
• Bormioli Rocco Parma Pasta Bowls, Set of 6, $32
• Omra Spremy Electric Tomato Strainer 0.25-Horsepower Model 850, $300
• Sanelli Premana Professional Hollow-Edge Nakiri Knife, $58
• Rocket Espresso Appartamento Espresso Machine, $1,850, originally $2,050

Bertolli authored Cooking by Hand, one of our favorite pasta cookbooks; rather, it’s one of the best cookbooks of all time. Needless to say, his pasta-related recommendations, which begin with the Marcato Atlas 150, are to be trusted. Bertolli has used this same model for over two decades, calling it “great for sheeting egg dough” and praising its “very easy C-clamp setup.” He also recommends the larger, restaurant-ready Atlas 180.

“For a full range of heavy-duty pasta tools, stamps, rollers, cutting wheels, and gnocchi boards,” Bertolli recommends La Gondola. This tool set is a good place to start. The ravioli stamp has an air expeller design to prevent misshapen dumplings, and the cutters benefit from the rustproof brass construction that can endure years of cutting pasta.

“If you aren’t processing your own tomatoes in the peak season, then you aren’t living the Italian way,” says Bertolli, who uses the Omra Spremipomodoro for tomato processing. “It’s a motorized machine that separates the skin and seeds and delivers a clean pulp that you can use to make a simple passato or a denser conserva.” This Omra Spremy is a smaller model appropriate for home use, and shoppers say it “cut [their] process time in half.”

“I’m a big fan of Alessi,” says Bertolli. “Their products are modern and stylish with a real focus on aesthetic and ergonomic design. I have several pieces that are hard to beat. In particular, a round, flat type of spoon for grabbing sauces and plating.” He adds that the mirror-polished 18/10 stainless steel spoon “feels good in the hand and [is an] attractive piece to look at.”

“The Rocket Appartamento is, as its name suggests, super compact,” says Bertolli. Measuring 10.5 x 17 x 14.2 inches, its 1.8-liter design is smaller than the aforementioned Diletta Bello+ (for instance) in every way. However, coffee aficionados with a good espresso grinder and a streamlined tamping setup will have everything they need in this machine.

Compared to the Rocket Appartamento, Bertolli calls his commercial Faema “the other end of the spectrum.” The extravagantly high-end espresso machine features a dual-boiler system, a tea-enabled drink menu, and an industrial designer-inspired casing made from aluminum and stainless steel.

Bertolli describes Coltellerie Berti’s collection as “truly marvelous knives by marvelous people. According to Bertolli, the masterful, family-owned knifemaking company cares for each knife like a piece of art. With a durable Lucite handle and a high-carbon Inox AISI 420 stainless steel blade, this chef’s knife won’t wear down.

Having worked with Italian aged meats for over 20 years, Bertolli says butchers and salumiere can rely on Sanelli Premana’s classic Italian trade knives. Like this sticking-resistant hollow-edge nakiri knife, “they have unmistakable, bright green non-slip handles, are sterilizable, and are built for daily repetitive work,” says Bertolli.

Among mortar and pestle sets, Bertolli claims his everyday favorite, Marmotecnica, “makes the best in the world.” The marble mortar originates from Carrara, Italy, the global marble capital. Luckily, Bembo, another Italian producer of Genovese-style (four-corner marble) mortar and pestle sets, offers an import-duty-included option at Amazon. It’s equally beautiful and durable.

Bertolli told me that “Bormioli Rocco is a great purveyor” for glassware, dinnerware, and containers, calling its pieces “well-made and versatile.” He owns dozens of its understated items and loves them for the “look, feel, and function.” Start your collection with this set of pasta bowls to serve delicious Italian cuisine like agnolotti del plin and stracciatella alla romana at your next dinner party.