With these quantities, we can prepare four wafers for baskets or cigars

To make the cigars, we use the handle of a wooden spoon or the stick to form garganelli, which is generally included with the gnocchi board set.

To create the baskets, prepare 4 small bowls with a diameter of 4 inches, turn them upside down, and cover them with plastic wrap (picture 4), which will later help to easily detach the baskets without breaking them.

Grate the Parmesan finely and divide it into 4 parts of 1 oz each.

Stovetop cooking: place 1 oz of Parmesan in the non-stick pan (it’s not necessary to preheat or grease it), cover the entire surface without leaving empty spaces, and gently flatten it a bit with your hands to get a flat circle (picture 1).

This operation is essential to obtain a perfect basket that won’t fall apart when touched.

Turn on the burner and melt the cheese on the smallest burner over the lowest flame; it will take a total of 5 minutes. If you prefer crispier wafers, extend the cooking by just a few seconds.

As soon as the cheese has melted (picture 2), immediately turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Wait 2-3 minutes, just enough time for the wafer to cool enough to be easily detached with a wooden spatula (picture 3).

Now form the baskets. As soon as it is possible to detach the wafer from the pan, immediately place it on the overturned bowl (picture 5), gently shape it with your hands to make it adhere. Cover the wafers, without detaching them from the bowls, and put them in the refrigerator for 5/10 minutes. In this way, the Parmesan baskets will cool and retain their shape. Once cooled, you can use them immediately or store them in a container without detaching them from the bowls and keep them in the fridge until ready to use.

Form the Parmesan cigars. Place some parchment paper on a small cutting board and, using the stick or handle of the wooden spoon and parchment paper, immediately roll the wafer around the stick, ensuring the cigar closure is underneath (pictures 6-7-8).

If you wish to season the wafers, proceed as follows: place the Parmesan in a small bowl, add the spices, and mix; then divide into four portions.

I assure you they are very easy, and if the first wafer breaks, perhaps because the Parmesan wasn’t pressed well or you turned off the heat too soon or extended the cooking, don’t worry, because you can use them as decorative wafers or to flavor main dishes.. Or, we can enjoy them while preparing the others, as I do, even when they turn out well.

Oven cooking. If you need to make many, it’s better to use the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F and on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, place heaps of Parmesan (press them a little with your hands to form a flat circle), space them about two fingers apart, and leave them in the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese appears melted. Take the sheet out of the oven, wait 2/3 minutes, then detach them with a wooden spatula.

Extra tip. If you have a smaller pan than the one I indicated, for example with a diameter of 5 to 6 inches, the amount of Parmesan can remain at 1 oz or decrease to a maximum of 0.9 oz per wafer.

Bon appetit