I’m Here to Help
Anyone who was with me in the audience for the Anthony Bourdain lecture at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland (Pittsburgh) last night heard Mr. Bourdain compare the programming on the Food Network to pornography: watching actors on screen going through motions that you yourself probably won’t be replicating anytime soon. He contrasted that with Julia Child, who inspired the nation to improve their cooking skills and elevate their cuisine.
I just want you to know that I’m here to help. I want to assist you in recognizing your knife as the most important tool in the kitchen and aid you in learning to use it more efficiently and effectively. From there, once you have the ability to dissect your vegetables instead of chasing them around the cutting board, you’ll find any recipe easier to follow and reproduce, from home fries to cassoulet of beef. Learn to use your knife like a pro.
Moreover, I’m here as a resource for your questions. Email me your culinary problem, and I’ll offer you expert advice. I can almost guarantee you that you won’t find another chef with my expertise who is so easily accessible. Mr. Bourdain? Most certainly not. But, fortunately for you, i work for free under relative obscurity and don’t have to worry about an influx of thousands of emails per day. Which isn’t to denigrate the breadth of my knowledge or the quality of my expertise, but to point out that you have access to my brain that you wouldn’t to Alton Brown’s or Anthony Bourdain’s or Mario Batali’s.
So, take advantage. Step up to the plate and answer Mr. Bourdain’s challenge. Elevate your cuisine.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:47 am
Here’s my problem, and it’s too beneath the radar to email you about: I don’t have a kitchen big enough for cameras. I don’t have a kitchen big enough for two people at once. I need burner covers in order to use the dish drain, which usually leaves me with two usable burners if I’m lucky. I’ve never had a separate broiler, my broiler has always been that tiny shelf at the bottom of the oven that usually sets off the smoke alarm. I have very little prep space. Renovation is impossible; I don’t own my home, I rent an apartment. So given all that, how the hell am I supposed to be able to prepare meals even semi-professionally? Are there any chefs out there at all who understand what it means to be working class, huh?
April 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am
I’m going to work on some suggestions that might help you out. To help guide my advice and try to make it as applicable to you as possible, can you estimate that approximate amount of usable counter pace you have? In addition to that, do you have any other potential work area for cutting and prep (such as a dining room table)? Also, is your stove gas or electric? Lastly, can you provide me with a short list of ingredients/
foods that are must-haves in your diet and a list of foods/ ingredients that are won’t-touch?
I’m confident that we’ll be able to come up with some ideas to help. A lack of space while an impediment to working, isn’t a death knell. I’ve seen some some restaurant kitchens in New York that crank out amazing food in an area the size of a postage stamp. Also, check out the pictures Cortney included in her comment about “Eating Well on the Road” (http://corduroyorange.com/?p=28). With a little more info from you, we can do this.
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Also, Elayne, even if it’s just for a sandwich for lunch, check out Cafe du Jour on the South Side. The “kitchen,” if that’s what you want to call it, is right up front and in plain sight for everybody to see. It’s amazing what those folks can crank out with so little. Not saying you don’t have a legitimate gripe, just saying that it’s amazing what those with training can do with so little space and just some glorified hot plates!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:49 am
[...] But really, when he boiled everything down, it turns out that his main objection to the state of the FN is that the shows don’t inspire the average person to attempt anything new with their cuisine, don’t instruct as much as they display. As I already mentioned, Mr. Bourdain compared the channel to pornography: “watching people do things on the screen that you will probably never do on your own.” [...]