Archive for April, 2009

If you could only have 4 bites of food, what would they be?  I have been asking friends, clients and random strangers what they would want.  I have seen everything from sushi to country fried steak.  The interesting thing was that no one who answered wanted 4 bites of the same food.  Everyone, when given the opportunity would rather have 4 different bites of food rather than 4 bites of the same food.  So would you rather have the option to eat several smaller portions rather than committing to one large portion while dining out?  Or does this seem like “work”.  My 4 bites?  Copper River salmon, Artisan steak, Maryland crab cake, fresh tomato with a touch of smoked sea salt.

When it comes to grilling, barbequing or any other outdoor cooking method in can be very hard to determine a good tip from a bad one.  This is one of those subjects in which many people think they have the right answer or they have pre-conceived notions of what the right answer is.  I spend a lot of my time educating my clients or should I say, reeducating them.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those Chefs who thinks his food is the only food.  Actually that’s the most creative side of the business.  All of us have at least one great recipe, whether you are a chef or not, and nobody is going to tell you how to change it. They just might want to borrow it and put their own twist on it.  I am talking about techniques.  How to properly handle food to retain its natural flavors.  How to properly grill it so that the end product is juicy, flavorful, true to the recipe and most importantly how you can grill in an environmentally responsible way.  So here is my list of how to determine if the information you are getting is good or bunk.

1.      Repeat it out loud.  If it doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t.

2.      Research it.  If you don’t take the 8 seconds to double check the facts for yourself then shame on you.

3.      Continuing education is a responsibility.  Something your dad taught you when you were 10 may have changed in 20+ years.  By the way Pluto isn’t a planet anymore, go figure.

4.      Try it for yourself.  If it doesn’t work try it again.  It is possible you made a mistake.  I know it’s just crazy talk now.

5.      Record your actions so you can repeat successes and fix mistakes.