Sometimes, even though
you have followed the
recipe closely, your home
cooking can turn out not
quite as expected. What went
wrong? We asked seven top
chefs what is the one thing
everyone should do to be a
better cook.
PREPARATION IS KEY
Tom Cenci, executive chef
at the Duck and Waffle says:
“Always keep things simple,
when cooking for someone
important make a recipe you
know and then do as much
prep as you can the day before,
buy all the ingredients and
get the harder jobs done like
marinating, cutting, weighing
and baking. This will give you
time to concentrate on the
recipe you are making so you
are not having to rush around
on the day.”
INVEST IN AN OVEN
THERMOMETER
Jamie Thickett, head
chef at Veneta, London, says:
“Residual heat will continue
to cook food (especially meat)
after it has been removed
from an oven. People are so
scared of under-cooking meat
and this is why much of it
ends up overcooked! I would
highly recommend buying a
probe thermometer (around
R176- R364 on Loot.co.za) and
checking temperatures online,
in books etc.”
SHARPEN UP YOUR
CHOPPING SKILLS
Neil Borthwick, head
chef at Merchants Tavern,
Shoreditch says: “For new
chefs, learning basic knife
skills is key. This means being
able to chop things consistent
in size and quality, quickly. It
is important to be consistent
to show respect to the produce.
Having a consistent size
when chopping means the
ingredients cook evenly and
will improve the presentation
of the dish. The only way to
improve the knife skills is
practice, practice, practice.”
INVEST IN HIGH-QUALITY
KITCHEN STAPLES
Meriel Armitage,
co-founder of Club Mexicana:
“Invest in a small bottle of
really high-quality olive oil –
not for cooking – for drizzling.
Just a small drizzle can bring
out the flavour of pizza, pasta,
salads... and is killer with a
good sour dough and a little
sea salt.”
BE INVENTIVE WITH
HERBS
Ben Marks, head chef at
Perilla, London says: “Using
the stems of all soft herbs
will make you a better chef.
Everyone uses the leaf but
there is also great flavour and
texture in the stem. We use
coriander, lovage and parsley
stems through loads of sauces
and other things, they are
delicious.”
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Bruno Loubet, Chef
Patron at the Grain Store
says: “I would say planning
and inspiration are the keys
to successful cooking. I look
to seasonal produce for
inspiration – look around for
whatever’s beautiful and in
abundance and be imaginative.
Take the time the sit down and
think about what you’re going
to prepare. It can be hard when
you’re busy, busy but planning
is key to the creation of truly
winning dishes.”
GETTING THE PH
BALANCE RIGHT
Henrik Ritzen, executive
chef of Aquavit London,
says: “The most important
thing to learn as a chef is
to balance the acidity in a
dish. Add vinegar to pretty
much anything you cook, but
obviously making sure you
taste as you cook. You can
add it at the beginning or the
end of the cooking process
for different results. It will
bring out more flavour and
make your food delicious.”–
Independent