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Torrone
Synonymous with Italian Christmas and Easter celebrations, torrone is a dense nougat confection made simply of honey, sugar, egg whites and nuts (usually almonds). It hardens into a candy as it is slowly cooked in copper kettles and resembles a small, flat brick. Torrone can be found in both hard and soft varieties.

The roots of this popular Italian candy can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome. This delicacy was reserved for special functions or as an offering to the gods. Other cultures are known to have a similar version, such as the Arabs, who are said to have introduced it to the Spanish.

In Italy, the first documented mention of torrone was in the year 1441 in Cremona, where at the wedding of Francesco Sforza to Maria Bianca Visconti, a talented pastry chef created a dessert in their honor made from egg whites, honey, sugar, and almonds. Shaped like the "Torrazzo," the famous tower of Cremona, this delicacy became popularly known as torrone.

Of course, as with other legends in Italy, other regions have different stories and claim to be the originators of this distinctive sweet. In fact, torrone versions are made throughout Italy, including in Piedmont, Campania, Sardinia and Sicily, and the concept is believed to be a gift of the early Saracens. However torrone originated, it is enjoyed all over Italy today and exported around the world, including to the U.S. where Americans are just beginning to appreciate this rather sophisticated treat. In fact, the recipes of several popular commercial candy bars (Toblerone, Mars, etc.) are based on that of traditional Italian torrone.

Torrone Varieties Abound
The traditional and most famous torrone ― torrone bianco (white torrone) ― features honey, well-whipped egg whites, vanilla and whole or chopped almonds. Traditional torrone is sandwiched between two pieces of ostia or thin sheets of unleavened wheat bread. Ostia is often called "wafer." Torrone pistachio features pistachios instead of almonds and is made with pistachio paste in the nougat.

Other torrone varieties come with a thin coating of chocolate (typical of the torrone from Paternò in the west of Sicily). They also come in a great variety of shapes, from the "mattùneddi" (little bricks) to the "né cascìtti" (box-shaped) varieties, not to mention the heart-shaped versions. There is also the soft Sicilian torroncino, a delicacy with the consistency of finely chopped almonds mixed with honey and covered with a vanilla-, lemon- or orange-flavored topping.

There are also well-known torrone variations like Marzipan (mazapan) with candied fruits, yema (egg yolk and sugar) and coconut. In recent years, there has been a great diversification, and nowadays, it is possible to find a great variety of flavors including chocolate with puffed rice or whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts; fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with fructose or artificial sweeteners).

Ricers
Also called a potato ricer, this kitchen utensil resembles a large garlic press and, for many cooks, is the ideal tool for creating velvety mashed potatoes. With a ricer, potatoes come out light and airy without breaking down the structure the way conventional mashers can.

This simple implement doesn't have a bunch of fancy bells and whistles or a tiny computer chip imbedded in it to do all the work. All it takes is a press and a squeeze. A potato is placed in the perforated chamber and a lever-operated plunger pushes down into the potato, forcing it out through numerous tiny holes in the bottom of the container. The result is food that (vaguely) resembles grains of rice. The ricing process also works well for other root vegetables such as carrots, yams and turnips.

Because ricers work through the exertion of pressure, you should look for one with a sturdy construction so it won't bend or break. The press itself ― the disc on the bottom ― should have numerous small openings to refine the potato with every stroke. Having two interchangeable perforated plates ― fine and coarse ― is also a plus. They should also have a container capacity of at least one to two cups, and be made of dishwasher-safe, nonreactive metal like stainless steel. And, of course, the ricer you choose must be comfortable for your grip.