How to photograph food: light before the plate
A window, a few objects and the right angle. Photographing food with a smartphone and creating recognisable images for a restaurant.
Read the article500GCORP / The kitchen notebook
500G MAG
A moka pot, a table set for dinner, a familiar gesture. Notes on food, objects and design: the things we notice before we start creating.
500G / Off menu
What should I read?
Eating at the counter: a sideways view of the table The steel tray: a table on the move Il Saraceno in Arezzo: the wood-fired oven and city cuisine The handwritten shopping list is still a design object The bar napkin: a small manifesto of everyday graphic design How to read a trattoria menu without being swayed by trends The kitchen has a wardrobe: aprons, tea towels and everyday uniforms The kitchen is not a showroom: why we like well-used objects more The Lunch That Lingers: Little Rituals of the Italian Sunday How to clean a moka pot: what to use and what to avoid How to store fresh bread: bag, freezer and mistakes to avoid The short menu: why choosing less can be a good idea The kitchen after dinner: the objects that remain on the table The paper tablecloth: ephemeral design, real stains Tortellini, tortelloni and cappelletti: what is the difference? Smooth or ridged pasta: what changes and how to choose a sauce The wooden spoon and the value of things that age well The metal colander: when a functional object becomes design The enameled pot: an object that transcends generations The everyday kitchen glass: why simple ones are the most beautiful How much salt should I add to the pasta water? Amounts per liter 500 g of fresh pasta: how many people is it enough for? How much rice per person? Portions for risotto, salad and soup Stale bread: 7 ideas to use it in the kitchen without waste How to cream pasta: pasta cooking water, starch, and mistakes to avoid The shopping list: the most honest poster of the week The sound of the kitchen: an everyday soundtrack Pasta dinner for 8: quantities, menu and a serving timeline 500 g of pasta: how many people? Portions for 2, 4 and 6 How to set a casual table: 7 ideas without rigid rules Which pasta shape for which sauce? A practical guide
The MAG notebook
Food, objects, design and everyday rituals.
Al dente pasta: the perfect bite
When to drain it, how to taste it and what changes in the pan. The timer helps. The final minute is decided by the bite.
Read the articlePasta al pomodoro: the dish we keep making
A 500-gram packet, canned tomatoes and that final minute in the pan. Tomato pasta, from the first gesture to the last scarpetta.
Read the articleMismatched plates: a coherent, not matching, table
Different plates, a recurring colour and room to serve. Setting the table as a composition exercise, without turning dinner into a photo shoot.
Read the articleThe chopping board: traces of a working kitchen
Cuts, crumbs and wood grain: the chopping board as a working surface and visual reference. Looking at signs of use without turning them into an effect.
Read the articlePasta packaging: design from the pantry
Large letters, transparent windows, folds and tears. Looking at pasta packaging as a graphic object, before and after opening it.
Read the articleThe handwritten menu: graphic design of the day
A crossed-out word, an aligned price, the daily special added at the bottom. The handwritten menu as a changing composition.
Read the articleThe grater: a working surface
Teeth, reflections and cheese changing shape. A close look at the grater, between function and pattern.
Read the articleThe colander: the shape of waiting
Why is the colander a design object? Holes, handles, function and the forms of a utensil that has become an image of Italian cooking.
Read the articleSunday lunch: making time for the table
Bread still in its paper, an extra chair, glasses left on the table. Sunday lunch before and after the meal.
Read the articleThe kitchen towel: a small everyday design object
Flat, folded, on a shoulder: a tea towel’s stripes change direction with the gesture. A graphic reference within reach.
Read the articleFare la scarpetta: meaning and table ritual
What does fare la scarpetta mean? Bread, sauce and the final gesture of an Italian meal, between everyday meaning and table culture.
Read the articleThe moka pot: Italian coffee design and ritual
A faceted body, a black handle, the sound of coffee. Looking at the moka pot on the hob and as a design object.
Read the articleTableware: an everyday archive
A chipped plate, folded packaging, a glass out of place. Collecting visual references from the objects we use at the table.
Read the articleThe spaghettata: a ritual before a recipe
What is a spaghettata? An informal ritual of pasta and sharing, bringing together kitchen gestures, an improvised table and food culture.
Read the articleMAG / Table talk
WHAT'S THE WORD?
Three gestures, three words. A little break between reads.
1 / 3
A piece of bread. Leftover sauce. The plate is clean again.
Fare la scarpetta means mopping up sauce with bread.
Cooked. Still firm to the bite.
Al dente: the point where pasta keeps its firmness.
Chopped vegetables. Oil. A base gently cooking.
Soffritto is a base of vegetables gently cooked in fat.