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Giada De Laurentiis is one of the world’s most popular celebrity chefs. She rose to fame well over a decade ago and thanks to the popularity of her cooking shows and books, De Laurentiis has remained in the spotlight ever since.

While her personal life has often come under fire, De Laurentiis herself has always preferred to keep the focus on her work, and on the light, fresh recipes that she shares with her fans and followers. For those who wish to emulate De Laurentiis’ unique method for cooking pasta, one simple trick that the celeb chef shared will enable home chefs to take their pasta dishes to the next level. 

How did Giada De Laurentiis become famous?

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis poses for a photo in a gray sleeveless top, 2014
Giada De Laurentiis in June 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada | Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic

De Laurentiis was born in 1970 in Rome, Italy. Raised as the daughter of an actress and an actor-producer, Laurentiis spent her early years in Italy but moved to Southern California with her mother by the time she had reached adolescence. De Laurentiis attended the University of California, Los Angeles, eventually earning her bachelor’s degree in social anthropology.

While De Laurentiis’ roots were in the film industry, she developed an early love for being in the kitchen — a passion that grew after spending time cooking and baking with her grandmother and other relatives. De Laurentiis studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before returning to the United States to pursue a career as a professional chef and ultimately, as a food stylist.

It was when she was working at Food & Wine Magazine that Laurentiis was spotted by a producer for Food Network. 

Giada De Laurentiis is well known for fresh, modern Italian recipes

De Laurentiis’s wide smile and charming demeanor helped her to establish a strong career on the Food Network. Her first show, Everyday Italian, debuted on the network in 2003, and ever since, the chef has been a mainstay on the Food Network.

She has also published several popular cookbooks, including Giada’s Family Dinners, Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner, Giada’s Italy, and Giada’s Feel Good Food.

De Laurentiis has developed a signature cooking style all her own and is well known for the way that she is able to make classic Italian favorites easy and approachable for home chefs of all skill levels. She also frequently shares recipes for family-friendly, Italian-inspired meals, including dishes that are perfect for young children and picky eaters. 

What is Giada De Laurentiis’ trick for enhancing pasta dishes?

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Many home cooks have probably made pasta dishes a few times, especially if they are cooking for a crowd. Still, pasta can easily be bland and boring, and less than flavorful.

For those who want to spice up their pasta dishes with a greater depth of flavor, Giada De Laurentiis has just the ticket. People reports there’s a very simple way to make better pasta, and it all has to do with the magical combination of hot pasta and cheese. As De Laurentiis explained, “after you’ve drained your pasta and it’s still hot, grate a little fresh Parmesan on top, wait a few seconds, and then toss it with your sauce.”

De Laurentiis revealed that doing this leads to absolutely delicious pasta: “The cheese will melt directly on the pasta, which will give your sauce something to stick on to.”