Twelve-piece cookware sets for ninety-nine bucks are routinely hawked on late-night TV - often by friends of mine. But with a mere five pieces, you can do whatever you like - slay the dragon and then cook its tenderloin in the style of the duke of Wellington, if you want to.

on the Road Again with Gwyneth Paltrow Mark Bittman (of The New York Times) and Claudia Bassols (a Spanish actress) featuring Spanish cuisine. It was never my intention to equate our banking industry with Hitler and Stalin two of the most evil brutal dictators in modern history. As of episodes airing in 2010 Batali's name and likeness do not appear in the show's opening credits.

Batali's signature clothing style includes shorts and orange Crocs. In addition to his classical culinary training he is an expert on the history and culture of Italian cuisine including regional and local variations.