Giada De Laurentiis can't live without these products—she told us!
We caught up with the celebrity chef about her favorite things
Credit:
Reviewed / Giadzy
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Whether you know her from her iconic Food Network shows Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, one of her many successful cookbooks, or her most recent venture—online food retailer Giadzy—Giada De Laurentiis remains a household name for countless home cooks and Italian food lovers.
We got to catch up with the chef ahead of the busy holiday entertaining season to hear about her favorite Giadzy products (hello, gifting inspo!), her family's holiday traditions, and the countertop kitchen appliance she can't live without.
Reviewed: Giadzy is a dizzying world of mouthwatering pastas, pantry staples, and sweet treats. To help new shoppers narrow the scope: What three Giadzy products do you always make sure you have on hand?
Giada De Laurentiis: First, there is Ligurian olive oil. A recent discovery, it’s the perfect delicate and slightly sweet oil that makes for the ideal finishing drizzle on seafood, salads, or even a simple bruschetta. It’s mono-culture, which I love, and the gold wrapping looks beautiful sitting out.
Aged Carnaroli Rice is one of the more underrated ingredients in my opinion. It’s the ideal rice for making risotto—creamy but firm.
Then there is Nodi Marini Pasta. I can’t resist this shape. My nonne used to make this when I was a child, and each time I eat it I’m flooded with nostalgia. It’s the perfect shape for meaty sauces—the curves and crevices soak up the sauce!
One of Giada's favorite pasta shapes, these Nodi Marini are made with organically grown semolina wheat flour in Abruzzo.
This gold-wrapped bottle of EVOO is made from native taggiasca olives in the Italian Riviera.
This aged risotto rice boasts a higher starch content and firmer texture than typical Arborio rice.
Reviewed: What's Giadzy's most popular gift box?
Giada: Our Lemon Spaghetti Box, hands down. It may have something to do with it being my most popular recipe, but I like to think it’s because each bite transports you to the Amalfi coast, where the recipe originated. It’s one of my favorite recipes!
With organic spaghetti, capers, Parmigiano Reggiano, and EVOO, this box contains everything you need for an Italian night in.
Reviewed: What's your go-to cozy weeknight recipe?
Giada: Baked Manfredi Lunghi with Butternut Squash & Sausage. This is my take on a sheet pan dinner. Just layer the pasta, spicy sausage, store-bought butternut squash puree, and cheese—then bake off in the oven for 25 minutes. The extra long manfredi lunghi makes for the most deliciously crispy edges!
Reviewed: What's your most-used small/countertop appliance in the kitchen?
Giada: I’d have to say my food processor. I’ve been working to develop some new pesto recipes so it’s working overtime!
Reviewed: What kitchen utensil can you not live without?
Giada: Can’t live without? My GIR spatula. Most excited about? These oversized ravioli molds. I plan to have a holiday dinner with these. They are so elegant on a plate—you only need a few!
Giada's go-to kitchen tool is this versatile silicone spatula
Make eye-catching, oversized ravioli with this rustic set.
Reviewed: What does a holiday antipasto look like in your kitchen? What snacks and cocktails are you serving?
Giada: I love antipasto because it’s simple to pull together at a moment's notice. I typically have a stock of Cerignola olives, my favorite cherry and apricot jams, eggplant caponata, Moscato wine jelly, and all the taralli!
For cocktails, I love a classic like the Milano Torino, a cross between a Negroni and Aperol spritz.
This imported Italian olives offer a buttery flavor that'll even win over olive skeptics.
This sweet jelly is the perfect accompaniment to aged and sheep's milk cheeses.
Reviewed: What's your family's favorite food-related tradition around the holidays?
Giada: Each year all the ladies in my family make struffoli together. It’s a laborious dessert but the time spent making it is always my favorite. And the result is delicious!
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