I used to have a very unmediated experience of food but, because of the recipe testing, I've lost that now. I can't switch it off even when I'm on holiday.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I always hated watching cooking shows where the chef would use ingredients that I couldn't get my hands on, cooking implements that I couldn't afford, recipes that I could never have access to.
The hardest thing about being a full time chef is leaving my work behind when I go home at night. I'll toss and turn about a menu item or forget to order produce and wake up at 4 A.M. in a cold sweat over some artichokes.
I can't stand recipes that don't have background.
A big thing that gets people in trouble in the kitchen is not reading the recipe from start to finish before you cook it. Before you start anything, read through the entire recipe once.
One of the troubles with food is that people take themselves too seriously. This is why I'm very happy for people to change my recipes, alter them, replace one ingredient for another.
I watch cooking change the cook, just as it transforms the food.
Finishing food is about the tiny touches. In the last seconds you can change everything.
Recipes tell you nothing. Learning techniques is the key.
I never really cook from recipes. But the worst is when something turns out great and I can't figure out how to make it again!
Once you have mastered a technique, you hardly need look at a recipe again and can take off on your own.