Chef’s Tips
In my culinary career I have had the good fortune to have met and gotten cooking tips from some of the best Chefs in the world. Never fear- I’m more than happy to share!
Being a graduate of The French Culinary Institute, I got to watch Jacques Pepin (dean of the school) do some amazing things in the kitchen.
A simple tip he gave the students is about cracking eggs.
He told us never crack an egg on the edge of a bowl or cup, always on a flat surface. Why? Because cracking it on the edge of something will force any contaminants on the shell inside the egg. Crack on a flat surface like a cutting board then pull edges apart. This also seems to keep the shell from “splintering” so you won’t be picking shell fragments out of your food.
Another favorite Chef of mine, John Besh, lays to rest a common cooking myth. He said on his show Chef John Besh’s New Orleans that there’s no need to soak dried beans before cooking. What??
I was skeptical, but since rice and beans is a Monday New Orleans staple, I figured he knew what he was talking about. I made beans with smoked pork hocks (another culinary no-no, supposedly salt makes the beans tough on the outside) and I didn’t pre-soak them. I messaged him on Twitter to tell him it really did work. His reply: “Trust me, I’m a chef lol!” Indeed.
Over the 30 years that I have been cooking, I’ve developed my own methods and ways of doing things. A signature way I finish my dishes is to sprinkle freshly minced herbs on top. There are very few dishes that don’t benefit from the color, freshness, and flavor herbs impart. I keep flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, mint, and dill on hand at all times. These are best used as garnish as they lose their flavor and color when cooked. Also get in the habit of keeping a lemon or two in your pantry. Just a squeeze of juice or a grating of zest adds that extra punch to vegetables without adding more salt.
Eat Westchester!
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.