All the articles by silviocicchi

SILVIO CICCHI:Male Age:54 A restaurant-trained Executive Pizza Chef, he is the author of upcoming book of pizza recepy: “PIZZA e FANTASIA“, you can download it for free registering on this site. He currently resides in Spinetoli (ITALY) with his cats and dogs. Specialized in Business start up – Pizza dove – Pizza courses – Art of pizza.
Aromatic Plants To Grow At Home
Herbs

Aromatic Plants To Grow At Home

Aromatic Plants To Grow At Home. Everyone has aromatic plants at home. We often use them in the kitchen for their scent and unique taste that enriches the dishes we prepare in our kitchen.

It is also possible to grow them in pots on the balcony of the house for those who do not have a vegetable garden, today I propose three aromatic plants to grow indoors that require no care or maintenance, as well as being scented, they are also real ornamental plants.

Aromatic Plants To Grow At Home

I suggest you grow rosemary, mint and oregano.

Rosemary it grows well both indoors and out on the balcony, very little care, little water only in summer during the dry season. It has no problems during the winter, avoid water stagnation, always use the part that grows at the top, you will see that the plant will strengthen. Excellent for roasts and focaccia.

 Other plants

Mint. It does not require direct sun, occasionally remember to water it during the summer, which is the season in which it develops the most. Fantastic in summer cocktails and excellent on some types of pizza. To learn more, read our previous article: Mint and Pizza.

For a pizza lover for sure the most important plant is oregano. Among the plants that you can grow at home, it is certainly the least demanding, it requires a lot of sun and no stagnation of water. In addition to pizza, oregano is used in all tomato-based sauces, on the caprese and on many other dishes that are the basis of Mediterranean cuisine.

Their Properties

These three plants to grow indoors are some of the easiest to grow, and their benefits are known to all, already the ancient Romans used them to cure some physical ailments. I often use them preparing excellent infusions.

In the pizzeria there is never a shortage of aromatic herbs. If you are real pizza lovers, I suggest you sign up for one of our professional practical courses that we organize weekly in our pizza school. You will find all the information here.

Conclusions

It is possible to consult the calendar of the next practical courses in programming at this link.

For those without the time or resources, I remember that here on our site there is a fantastic "Pizzaiolo Online Course" available for everyone that you can download on your mobile phone or on your PC and follow from the comfort of your home sofa. All the information course online here.

Greetings

Before leaving, as I do in all my posts, I invite you to download my latest recipe book called: NOT ONLY PIZZA. You will find many illustrated recipes that are monuments of Italian culture. Follow this link to find out.

If you want some suggestions for the next time you prepare pizza at home, visit and maybe subscribe to my youtube channel, you will find hundreds of video pizza recipes prepared by the students who attend our courses weekly.

 

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

 

If you stick potatoes to the pan, use these remedies
Actuality, Cooking

If you stick potatoes to the pan, use these remedies

If you stick potatoes to the pan, use these remedies. A self-respecting Sunday lunch always has baked potatoes as a side dish. The potatoes baked in the oven make this our consolidated habit special.

Problems come after lunch, when we have to wash our pots and pans. Immediately we realize that a layer has formed on the bottom of the pan due to the cooking of the potatoes which is really difficult to remove, and to think that in my opinion that is the best part.

If you stick potatoes to the pan, use these remedies

Today we will see how to avoid this inconvenience, and you will find that it is really easy. Let's start with the choice of potatoes. And, you will have understood that they are not all the same. The culprit that causes potatoes to stick to the baking sheet is starch, potatoes are very rich in starch.

Which Potatoes To Choose

 There are two types on the market, those with white paste that are very rich in starch and therefore perfect for mashed potatoes or gnocchi, and those with yellow flesh that contain less starch and therefore lend themselves better to being baked.

Now we have to pay attention to the next phase: Once peeled and cut into cubes or slices, our potatoes should be left to soak in a bowl for about an hour in cold water. You will see that the starch will settle on the bottom of the bowl. Rinse them to remove all the starch.

Baking in the oven

A good tip before starting cooking is to season the potatoes and the pan well with oil and salt and rosemary.. Someone blanch the potatoes for about ten minutes to speed up cooking, someone adds a pinch of baking soda during the boil to have a super crust on the potatoes.

Another trick could be to use parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to the bottom, but this method prevents the crust from forming, so I don't recommend it.

Conclusions

Baked potatoes are delicious, I leave you the method to use. Before saying goodbye I wanted to remind you that if you are a pizza lover, for sure you may be interested in our professional practical courses that we carry out weekly in our pizza school. Will find all the information here.

For those who do not have the time or resources to come personally to our school, I remember that here on our site there is a fantastic "Pizzaiolo Online Course". Download to your PC or mobile phone and follow it from your home in your free time. All information here.

My latest recipe book called. Is already available for download: NOT ONLY PIZZA. You can find it at this link.

Follow my youtube channel, you will find hundreds of video recipes for pizza. It will be useful the next time you prepare pizza at home.

 

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

The Strength Of Flour Discover The Differences
Dough, Ingredients

The Strength Of Flour Discover The Differences

The Strength Of Flour Discover The Differences. As you may have noticed, flours are not all the same, they differ not only by the name of the manufacturer, nor just by the type which is clearly specified on the front of the bag: Type 0, Type 00, Integral etc..

The most important thing that is often not mentioned is the so-called "Strength of Flours" indicated by the symbol W. This symbol is certainly the most important thing to take into consideration when we are faced with the choice of which one to buy, this symbol represents the quantity of proteins contained in it.

The Strength Of Flour Discover The Differences

In a few simple words, the use and the same processing method that we are going to apply depends on this symbol. We can classify the various categories of flours in: Weak, Average, Strong and very strong. This classification makes us understand the water absorption capacity for each type of flour so that the best gluten mesh for each product is created.

The work of proteins

Glutenin and Gliadin are the two main ones protein contained in our flour. Glutenin helps us to make the elastic dough responsible for the gluten mesh. Gliadin helps us to preserve the gluten mesh during drafting, preventing it from being destroyed.

As usual, I'll give you an example regarding pizza: Using flour with a strength greater than w240, perfect for pizza and bakery we will have a dough with an excellent gluten mesh and the gliadin contained in it will ensure that the gluten mesh resists the strong stresses of the drafting.

The strength of the flour

Unfortunately, the symbol W is not indicated in all types of flour, so we just have to read the protein content on the bag.

Flour 00: it is the most used even if it is the weakest flour on the market. Its strength ranges from W90 to W180. Suitable for biscuits, breadsticks and shortcrust pastry that do not want long leavening.

Flour 0: It has an average strength with 10 the 12% protein. His W goes from 180 to 280. With a water absorption equal to 60% about its weight is suitable for medium leavening doughs, perfect for pizza bread, pasta and various bakery products.

Strong Flours

Flour 1: Come on, come on 180 to 300 and a percentage of protein that reaches up to 14, they absorb a lot of water and is suitable for doughs with long leavening and aging in the fridge that can reach up to 4-5 days. Not recommended for quick doughs at home. Perfect for bread, pizza and focaccia but with long maturations.

Flour 2: It is already noticeable from the darker color that it contains a lot of bran, has a strength W that can even reach 350. It absorbs a lot of water and is suitable for long leavening.

Other flours

Wholemeal flour: It has a very high strength and is suitable for long leavening. Wholemeal flour is difficult to rise so I suggest you mix it with a weaker type flour 0 the 00.

The strength of the flour is the basis of the pizza chef's work. During our professional practical courses to become professional pizza chefs, this topic is addressed on the first day of the course. If you are interested in becoming an excellent pizza chef follow this link.

Conclusions

If, on the other hand, you do not have the time or resources to attend the practical course in person, I remind you that here on our site there is a fantastic "Pizzaiolo Online Course" that you can download on your PC or mobile phone and follow from the comfort of your home during your free time. You'll find it here.

If you haven't already, download my latest book of delicious pizzeria recipes, is called: NOT ONLY PIZZA - What should have all the pizzerias in your menu. You'll find it here.

See you soon

Silvio Cicchi

 

 

Preparation Of Pizza Crostini
preparation, Recipes

Preparation Of Pizza Crostini

Preparation Of Pizza Crostini. They are my favorite dinner saver. Very tasty and succulent they are very simple to prepare and are suitable to be served as well as to replace dinner also as an appetizer or to accompany a delicious aperitif.

They are also commonly called empty fridge and it is easy to understand why. For those like me who have little time to get in front of the stove, these crostini pizza type are easy to prepare and above all in a short time by reusing the ingredients that are stationed in the refrigerator.

Preparation Of Pizza Crostini

They will be ready in the oven in a couple of minutes, so I advise you to prepare a ready-made tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil. A clove of garlic and a finely chopped onion.

These pizza croutons are great if prepared with stale bread. Cut it with a saw knife into slices with a thickness of 1,5 centimeters, not thin otherwise you risk burning it in the oven during cooking.

How to prepare them

With a spoon add the previously prepared tomato sauce, mozzarella and ingredients to taste.

Two minutes in the oven previously heated to temperature and your dish is ready to enjoy. Serve hot, if they cool down, the bread hardens. Like pizza, croutons are perfect accompanied by a good glass of red wine.

Tips

If you like these delicacies I suggest you read my latest recipe book which includes croutons and bruschetta. My latest recipe book is called: NOT ONLY PIZZA - What should have all the pizzerias in your menu. The bruschetta and crostini chapter is full of ideas and delicacies. To download the book, follow this link.

You are a pizza lover? Sign up for one of our professional practical courses at our pizza school to become professional pizza chefs. All information at this link.

Conclusions

For the less fortunate who do not have the time or resources to attend one of our practical courses, I remember that here on our site there is a fantastic Online Pizza Maker Course that you can follow directly from the sofa of your home. You will find all the information on of course pizza maker Online Here.

Before saying goodbye, I remind you to visit my youtube channel, you will find beyond 300 video pizza recipes freely available, it might come in handy next time you prepare pizza at home.

 

See you soon

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

 

 

A Bunch of Rosemary Above The Front Door
Actuality, Herbs

A Bunch of Rosemary Above The Front Door

A Bunch of Rosemary Above The Front Door. You are among those who believe that there are positive energies and negative energies? If the answer is yes, then I have what is right for you and you can find what you need in the pizzeria.

just so, used rosemary. Good for a thousand uses, from focaccia, roasts and as the Romans did thousands of years ago, a bunch of rosemary at the entrance of your home, perhaps above the door, it could be the solution to get rid of all negative energies.

A Bunch of Rosemary Above The Front Door

The ancient Romans always used rosemary, they used it to worship spirits, in the Middle Ages it was used to ward off witches, as you can see, this plant has always been used against negative energies.

It does not mean that it still works today, but your guests who enter the house will certainly appreciate the scent of this delicious plant, rosemary.

Modern uses

In our school of pizza chefs where we carry out our weekly practical courses to become a pizza chef, we make great use of rosemary, not always to ward off negative energies, but very often we use it to give a fantastic scent to our focaccia and the like.

If you are interested not in rosemary, but how to become a fantastic pizza chef, sign up for one of our professional practical courses. You will find all the information here.

Conclusions

For all those who do not have the means or resources to come to our pizza school, I remember that here on our site there is a Fantastic Online Pizza Maker Course that you can follow comfortably from the sofa of your home. You will find all the information at this link.

Before leaving, I remind you that it is already possible to download my latest book which is called: NOT ONLY PIZZA, all information on how to download it here.

See you soon

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