Celebrity Chefs

My Top 5 Celebrity Chef Tips

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With all the celebrity chefs out there, it is easy to see how people can easily get confused as to what really works and what doesn’t work. Each chef has his own style, his own tips, and his own preferences. Who is to say that one is better than the other? I guess it’s all up to us to find out which tips we can use! In addition, one has to trust own’s own palate for ingredients and adjust recipes to make them your own! Copying from a book isn’t always the best solution, although one can never learn enough from these celebrity chefs. A perfect example for me is how I love Ajinomoto’s monosodium glutamate– simply for that extra natural flavor!

Anyway, here are 5 of the best tips that I have followed – and trust me, they work like magic!

Tip #1: Plan your meal ahead of time.
This is from chef Aaron Sanchez of the Food Network. Not only is he a hunk – he also knows what he’s about! He says that people who cook at home a lot should buy food on a weekly basis and do prep work as early as possible. For example, he says to peel potatoes the day before and keep them in the fridge (in water, of course). The next day, no need to go through the hassle of peeling taties!

Tip#2: Add pepper at the end.
I always did the opposite. According to David Kinch, this adds an acrid taste to the dish. I tried it and the difference was remarkable!

Tip#3: Make it simple when entertaining.
I hardly entertain, but when I do, I follow the Barefoot Contessa’s lead: keep it simple. Not only do you lessen the stress, you also get to focus on the flavors more!

Tip#4: Extra-virgin doesn’t mean extra good.
At least when it comes to olive oil – that’s what Tom Colicchio has to tell us. Yes, chef!

Tip#5: Buy whole spices.
Iron Chef Michael Symon knows all about spices and he’s right about buying whole instead of ground. The flavors are much fuller when you grind the spices yourself.

Originally posted on October 12, 2011 @ 10:19 pm

Ingredients Chefs Can’t Live Without

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Celebrity chefs have huge pantries at their disposal—but what’s the one ingredient they can’t live without? Six of them share their secret.

Clarissa Dickson-Wright: Heinz tomato soup. She also depends on chicken stock, but prefers to make her own. For regular blokes, she says, “”There’s a place for the stock cube in every kitchen.”

Richard Corrigan: Organic Swiss vegetable bouillon. This is something he only uses at home, since he makes his own stock from scratch in the kitchen.

Antony Worrall Thompson: ketchup, worcester sauce and anchovy essence

Delia Smith: Sainsbury’s fresh bolognese and freshly made gnocchi. “This is a total cheat – but utterly gorgeous”

James Martin: Supermarket’s own-brand fresh stock. “It’s my favourite thing at the moment. It makes a great sauce”

Sam Stern: Marmite. “The best shortcut for stock is having the real thing around in your freezer whenever you want it”

Originally posted on September 30, 2010 @ 2:30 pm

Celebrity Chefs And Weight Loss

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alton_brown_e1If you’re a chef, do you have an excuse to gain a few pounds here and there? The argument has been going on forever – “How can you be a chef who’s skinny?” While I certainly can see the point of that argument, anyone can also see that it has so many holes in it that if it were a person, it would die within the hour. Perhaps that is why the trend seems to be celebrity chefs losing weight.

Let’s start with Alton Brown, who has become quite popular courtesy of The Food Network. He said that his weight loss program all started due to him seeing himself on TV. The saying that TV adds 10 pounds has never been truer in this case, and he also noticed that his audience tended to be on the heavy side as well. This combination brought him to his senses and he has lost 50 pounds since March of this year – a remarkable feat considering his line of work.

Then there’s Mario Batali and Michael Psilakis. They’ve both shed unnecessary weight in the past year. The bottom line is that these people have realized that while they work with delectable concoctions day in and day out, they do not have to eat as much as they used to.

For some, like Brown, it was not that bad. For others, it is taking more effort. At the end of the day, their regimens have this in common: they stayed off fatty food and ate less. I think exercise was factored into the equation as well.

Yes, dietitians, nutritionists, and doctors – you were right all along. Less food intake plus some exercise equals weight loss. Do we need celebrity chefs to convince us?

Originally posted on November 15, 2010 @ 3:13 pm

Chef Cooper: From Cruises to Hotels

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Chef Ann has an incredible and impressive list of achievements and credentials in the course of her culinary career. Among these accomplishments include that of Chef of the Year awards and winning national American Culinary Federation awards.

Chef Ann Cooper

Chef Ann Cooper works as an industry services consultant for the Culinary Institute of America, a corporate chef and as a consultant to various restaurant and hotels located around New England. Ann was among the first 50 women to be certified as an executive chef by the educational arm of the American Culinary Federation.

Chef Anne has also published a book titled “A Woman’s Place in the Kitchen” that narrates the vision of women and their role around the kitchen. It contains both traditional and innovative approaches that women have had in the field of cooking. She also authored another book, “The Sustainable Kitchen” that will surely make the grade and be a hot commodity among aspiring chefs of today.

Originally posted on August 18, 2010 @ 12:45 pm

Antonio Carluccio Opens Rival Restaurant Near Jamie Oliver’s

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For quite some time, Jamie Oliver’s Italian in Cardiff has been enjoying “exclusive rights” to the area. With the opening of a rival Italian restaurant, however, the celebrity chef’s restaurant just might have to prove itself worthy.

Another celebrity chef, Antonio Carluccio has just opened another Italian restaurant in the vicinity, in fact very close to Jamie Oliver’s own. He is starting out with quite a competitive spirit, mind you. During the launch of his Italian diner at St. David’s Centre, Carluccio sent out a message to his rival saying that Oliver’s restaurant “isn’t real Italian.” Strong words, aren’t they?

And, if the feedback from the customers is any indication, Carluccio just might give Oliver a run for his money. According to Simon Kossoff, Carluccio’s partner and the managing director of the restaurant, their customers have indeed been saying that they are the “real deal.” And all this within a week of the opening!

Obviously, I have not had the honor of dining at Carluccio’s new restaurant, but I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. The prices do not seem too bad as well, with an average meal (including wine) costing about ₤17. This is another strong point in favor of Carluccio – they say that people are quite happy with the price as well as the quality of the food. With the trend in Britain shifting from a fascination with French food to Italian food, no one will be surprised to see this new place flourish. I wonder what Jamie Oliver has to say about it all?

Originally posted on April 11, 2010 @ 2:13 pm