Mastering Pasta, Noodles & Dumplings

Normally, I'm not very impressed by Williams-Sonoma books, but I liked this one enough to buy it. It has lots of full-color pictures, which is good for those of us who get many of our ideas by seeing things. The instructions are easy to understand, and coupled with the great pictures, make you excited to get going making some pasta.

This review is written from the perspective of a serious home cook that has been studying cooking for 25 years and concentrating on Italian cooking for the last 10 years. This book is targeted to beginning pasta makers. If you are a skilled pasta maker, there is nothing new in this book. However, if you are new to pasta this book is well done. The directions are well written and the photos of various stages of pasta production as also well done. The book does an excellent job of telling you which shape of noodle goes best with a given sauce. This is something that the Italians take for granted that most Americans have not been taught. I also thought the book did a nice job of teaching the reader how to make orecchiette, cavatelli, and ravioli. If you are new to pasta making this is an excellent primer.