The hamburger may bear the name of some distant German city, but the food is as American as it comes. Though the idea of a meat patty served with bread took shape in various cultures over the centuries, the food we know and love today bears the unique American traits of being very meaty, easy to mass-produce, and a friend to condiments like our beloved ketchup and mayo. In fact, Americans consume an estimated 50 billion burgers each year.
Like much of Italian cuisine, making really good fresh pasta is about the simple combination of a few high-quality ingredients, with the rest coming down to balance and technique. As for which ingredients you actually need to make that beautiful pasta, Grueneberg said that the best move is to "buy 00 flour and keep it in the freezer so it stays fresh and look for eggs with beautiful rich yolks."