Articles & Guides

Article A Guide to Italian Beans: Cannellini, Romano, Chick Peas and Kidney A guide to the beans Italian cooking leans on — cannellini, romano, chick peas and kidney beans — and how to use them, canned or dried.
Article A Guide to Olive Varieties: Manzanilla, Queen, Kalamata and Ripe A quick guide to the most common olive varieties — Manzanilla, Queen, Kalamata and ripe black olives — and how to use each.
Article Arborio vs Long-Grain vs Italian-Style Rice Which rice to use for risotto, sides and salads — and why arborio is the one for creamy risotto.
Article Balsamic Vinegar Explained: Traditional, Condimento, White and Glaze What the different balsamics mean — traditional, condimento, everyday balsamic, white balsamic and glaze — and when to use each.
Article Canned Tomatoes Explained: Whole, Diced, Crushed, Plum and Pezzettoni A plain-language guide to the main kinds of canned tomatoes — whole, diced, crushed, plum, San Marzano-type and Pezzettoni — and which to…
Article Canned Tuna Guide: Solid vs Flaked, in Oil vs in Water The difference between solid and flaked tuna, in oil vs in water, and how to pick the right can for salads, pasta and sandwiches.
Article Choosing a Neutral Cooking Oil: Canola, Sunflower, Grapeseed and Vegetable When you want an oil that won't add flavour — canola, sunflower, grapeseed or vegetable — and how to choose for frying and baking.
Article Cooking for Lower Sodium: No-Salt-Added Pantry Swaps Simple pantry swaps and habits to cut sodium without losing flavour — starting with no-salt-added canned goods.
Article Cooking with Olive Oil: Smoke Points, Finishing vs Frying What an oil's smoke point means, whether you can cook with extra virgin, and how to match olive oil grade to heat.
Article Durum Semolina and What Makes Good Dried Pasta Why good dried pasta is made from durum wheat semolina, and what bronze-die cutting and slow drying have to do with how it cooks.
Article Extra Virgin vs Pure vs Light Olive Oil: What's the Difference? What the labels on a bottle of olive oil actually mean — extra virgin, pure (or “olive oil”), and extra light — and when to use each.
Article Feast of the Seven Fishes: An Italian Seafood Menu The Italian Christmas Eve tradition of a multi-course seafood dinner — what it is and how to build a menu from pantry and fresh seafood.
Article Fresh vs Dried Pasta: When to Use Each When fresh pasta beats dried and vice versa — texture, sauces and convenience.
Article Gallo Olive Oils: The Range and How to Choose A guide to the Gallo olive oil range — extra virgin, pure, extra light and a canola-olive blend — and which to choose for finishing, cook…
Article Gluten-Free Italian Cooking: Polenta, Rice and Corn The naturally gluten-free side of Italian cooking — polenta, rice and corn — and how to build meals without wheat.
Article Green vs Black Olives: What's the Difference? Why some olives are green and others black, how their flavour differs, and which to use for snacking, salads, sauces and pizza.
Article Hearty Pasta: Building a Meat-and-Pasta-Sauce Dinner How to turn pasta sauce, meat and pasta into a hearty, crowd-pleasing dinner — plus ways to stretch it across the week.
Article High-Protein Vegetarian Cooking with Beans and Legumes How beans, chick peas and lentils deliver plant protein, and easy ways to build filling vegetarian meals around them.
Article Holiday Italian Desserts: Tiramisu, Cassata and More Classic Italian holiday desserts — tiramisu, cassata, polenta cake and more — and the pantry staples behind them.
Article How to Stock an Italian Pantry on a Budget A smart shopping list for building an Italian pantry without overspending — what to buy first and how each item earns its place.
Article Inside the Unico Pantry: 12 Italian Essentials to Always Have The twelve Italian pantry staples worth keeping on hand — and how the Unico, Gallo and Safflo range covers each one.
Article Meatless Italian: Vegetarian Mains with Beans and Vegetables Satisfying vegetarian Italian mains built on beans, vegetables, pasta and rice — no meat required.
Article No-Cook Summer Antipasti and Salads Beat-the-heat Italian meals that need no stove — antipasto salads, bean and tuna bowls, and marinated-vegetable plates.
Article Party Appetizers, Italian-Style Crowd-pleasing Italian appetizers built largely from the pantry — antipasti, dips, crostini and bites for any gathering.
Article Pizza Sauce vs Pasta Sauce: What's the Difference? Why pizza sauce and pasta sauce aren't interchangeable — and how to use, or swap, each.
Article Quick One-Pan Meals with Tomatoes and Olive Oil One pan, canned tomatoes, olive oil and whatever vegetable or protein you have on hand — dinner with almost no cleanup.
Article San Marzano Tomatoes: What They Are and Why They Matter What San Marzano tomatoes are, why they're prized for sauce, and how “San Marzano-type” differs from the protected Italian DOP.
Article The Base: Beans, Olive Oil and Vegetables The simplest building block of all — beans, olive oil and vegetables — for salads, sides, spreads and light mains.
Article The Classic: A Week of Meals from Pasta, Unico Passata and Olive Oil How three pantry staples — dried pasta, Unico Passata and good olive oil — become a whole week of easy, satisfying dinners.
Article The Mediterranean Diet and the Italian Pantry How the Italian pantry fits the Mediterranean way of eating — olive oil, beans, tomatoes, fish and vegetables — and easy meals that follo…
Article The Mediterranean Plate: Olive Oil, Vegetables and Pasta The everyday Mediterranean formula — olive oil, seasonal vegetables and pasta — for lighter, vegetable-forward meals.
Article The Unico Story: Italian Flavour at Canadian Tables The story of Unico — from a 1917 Toronto beginning to a leading Canadian Mediterranean-food brand — and what “Mediterranean Foods Since 1…
Article Tomato Paste, Passata and Sauce: Which to Use When Tomato paste, passata, pasta sauce and pizza sauce all start with tomatoes — here's what each is and when to reach for it.
Article Ultra Balanced: Beans, Rice and Tomatoes for Meals That Fill You Up A protein-plus-grain formula — beans, rice and tomatoes — for balanced, satisfying meals that keep well and stretch a budget.
Article Understanding Allergens and Food Labels How to read allergen statements and ingredient labels — Canada's priority allergens, “may contain” warnings, and shopping with confidence.
Article Unico Cooking Oils: Sunflower, Canola, Vegetable and Grapeseed A guide to Unico's everyday cooking oils — Safflo and Unico sunflower, pure canola, vegetable and grapeseed — with what each one is best …
Article What Is Passata? How to Use Sieved Tomatoes A plain-language guide to passata — smooth, uncooked sieved tomatoes — and how to use it for fast, silky sauces, soups and pizza.
Article What Kosher Certification Means on Unico Products What a kosher symbol on a food package means, what “pareve” tells you, and how kosher certification appears across the Unico range.
Article Wine Vinegars in the Kitchen: Red, White and Apple Cider How red wine, white wine and apple cider vinegar differ, and when to reach for each.
Guide 30-Minute Weeknight Pasta: A Method, Not a Recipe A repeatable formula for fast pasta dinners from the pantry — pick a pasta, a fat, an aromatic, a sauce and a finish.
Guide Choosing the Right Pasta Shape for Your Sauce
Guide Cooking with Beans and Legumes
Guide Cooking with Sun-Dried Tomatoes How to use jarred sun-dried tomatoes — in pasta, pesto, antipasti and more — plus how to handle oil-packed vs dry.
Guide How to Build an Antipasto Platter How to assemble a generous Italian antipasto platter from pantry jars, cured meats and cheese — the easiest impressive starter there is.
Guide How to Cook Dried Beans from Scratch How to soak and simmer dried beans for the best texture and flavour — plus a no-soak option for lentils.
Guide How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Time
Guide How to Cook Rice
Guide How to Cook Risotto
Guide How to Cook with Anchovies (Even If You Think You Don't Like Them) Why anchovies make food taste better, not fishy — and how to use them to add savoury depth to sauces, dressings and vegetables.
Guide How to Cook with Olives: Tapenade, Puttanesca and Beyond Beyond snacking — how to turn olives into tapenade, puttanesca and other big-flavour dishes.
Guide How to Make a Quick Tomato Sauce (Sugo) from a Can A 20-minute everyday tomato sauce from a can of tomatoes — the one technique that turns the pantry into dinner.
Guide How to Make a Simple Vinaigrette The basic oil-and-vinegar ratio for salad dressing, plus easy variations — once you know it, you'll never buy bottled again.
Guide How to Make a Soffritto: The Base of Italian Cooking The slow-cooked base of onion, carrot and celery that starts countless Italian dishes — what it is, how to make it, and how to use it.
Guide How to Store and Reheat Pasta Properly
Guide How to Store Olive Oil So It Stays Fresh How to keep olive oil fresh — the four enemies (light, heat, air and time) and the simple storage habits that beat them.
Guide Jarred Roasted Red Peppers: How to Use Them How to use jarred roasted sweet peppers — sliced or whole — in sauces, salads, sandwiches and dips, no roasting required.
Guide Lasagne and Cannelloni: How to Choose and Layer How to choose between oven-ready and regular lasagne, and how to layer lasagne and fill cannelloni or manicotti.
Guide Marinated Artichokes: How to Use Them How to use jarred marinated artichokes — straight from the jar to salads, pastas, pizzas and dips.
Guide Polenta 101: How to Cook Cornmeal How to cook polenta from cornmeal — creamy soft polenta or firm grilled polenta — with ratios, timing and tips.
Guide What Is Giardiniera and How to Use It What giardiniera is — the Italian pickled-vegetable medley — and how to use it on antipasti, sandwiches and more.
Guide What Is Muffuletta Olive Salad and How to Use It What muffuletta olive salad is — the briny New Orleans sandwich relish of olives and pickled vegetables — and how to use it well beyond t…