Living with a professional chef…
It’s not all 7 course tasting menus and gastronomic exercises of creativity at home. Sometimes a hearty bowl of Mac n Cheese is all we need. However, still, having a professional chef in your home/domestic kitchen does pose some interesting challenges.
The standard question Zahav and I get asked as soon as people hear that I’m a chef; “Ohh lucky you! Dan must cook for you all the time at home!” Well that's not 100% true…
American Style Flapjacks, Whipped Cream, Fresh Strawberries and Maple Syrup
I think a lot of people think its like this every day at our house.
Sometimes when I have time and inclination, I do go into full “Bear” mode. These are the days my Wife, I think, falls in love with me all over again. These days, I completely activate my inner “Bear”, and Zahav knows not to bother me when I’m in the zone. Just last week it happened. I made +/-1kg of hummus, about 100 fresh pita breads, Matbucha and a batch of kimchi. Sometimes I go even harder and make entire dishes, which is exactly what people think we have every night.
From left to right: roasted tomato and fennel soup, beer battered fish tacos with spicy mango habanero salsa, turkish eggs labneh with fresh pita and grilled salmon with sweet potato mash roasted veggies and basil pesto butter. But of course this is not always the case…
Sometimes after a long day the simplest meals are the best. A toasted cheese with tomato and onion, or some pasta with a fresh tomato sauce, even if it isn’t always fresh; from a jar.
These ideas of simple food have led me to a philosophy in cooking that I think many chefs and especially young chefs stray away from. Simple doesn't mean boring.
Many chefs that I have worked with and still work with today have this obsession with creating dishes that have more components than the space shuttle had switches; which is to say a lot.
So what do space shuttles and fine dining have in common? Well they are just as complex as one another. The dish here on the right contained no less than 8 or 9 separate components. Each of which contains multiple ingredients and takes hours alone to make. All together the man hours to make this dish were probably somewhere in the region of 10 or so, and this is just a starter.
Whilst I cannot deny that fine dining and high class cookery have a place in the modern culinary theater, I cannot condone it being everything. Nor do I even want to say the Michelin stars are the pinnacle of modern cuisine. Can you imagine making this dish at home? Firstly your cost would be astronomical, secondly the time involved for one person to make every component and lastly the dishes.
Oh the dishes.
You see in a commercial kitchen, be it a restaurant, banqueting, deli etc. There is a dedicated scullery and dishwashers, people and machines. It's not the most glamorous job, nor is it the most sought after or well paid but it is the most important. Heston Bleamenthal once said that a kitchen can only be as strong as its dishwashing team. If your dishwasher quits on you mid-service, which has happened to me, you are put in a situation that can only be described with words that are not very PG. This is precisely why the first thing I always do when I find myself in a new kitchen with new staff, is I find the dishwashers and befriend them. You never know when you might need an extra pan or bowl and these guys will know exactly where they are and they’ll get them back to you quickly when you’re in a pinch.
Unfortunately at home, I am the dishwasher, both man and machine. We don’t have a dishwasher machine in our home which means everything gets washed by hand by me. When we first moved into our apartment Zahav and I divied up the chores and we each had our responsibility around the house. One of mine is dishes. Now personally I have no problems whatsoever with doing the dishes. However sometimes, after I’ve gone full “Bear” the kitchen looks like Katrina has just been through it and it’s not all that fun to cleanup.
Often to avoid the mess and inevitable dishes I will make one pot or one pan meals that won’t require me to get a lot of dishes dirty. Something that you absolutely never consider in a professional kitchen.
One thing that I can say I bring home from the professional environment is a good work ethic. I always keep my working space neat and tidy. My tools are always exactly where I need them and my knives are always sharp. Also if you ask me to come cook in your kitchen, I’m bringing my own knives.
So many home cooks take their knives for granted and most home kitchens will have very dull, very blunt knives. Not mine. My knives are always razor sharp and ready for the job. Trust me a sharp knife will make cooking so much easier and therefore more enjoyable.
This is my favourite knife that I own.
Zahav bought me this for my birthday a couple years ago and I still use it in my kitchen almost every day. And I keep it as sharp as the day I got it.
So while sometimes I do go all out and create homemade masterpieces, most of the time at home, I use the professional skills I have learnt to cook good wholesome and delicious food. Occasionally I will get that urge to go crazy and cook like my life depends on it, but most of the time I stick to simple dishes. That is not to say that the dishes are boring or not tasty. As I mentioned I use the techniques that I have learnt from some incredible chefs to elevate my cooking to that over and above of a homecook.
It’s not always easy though to live with a Chef. I can be demanding. I can be a perfectionist and I can be extremely hard on myself. But no matter what Zahav is always by my side in the kitchen. Even if she's just there to taste and make sure I haven’t over seasoned the dish. She is my rock and my tether to the ground. She reminds me that perfection is a dream at best and no matter what I cook at home it is always delicious. Even though I always remind her that she is allowed to tell me when the food sucks.
Another honest truth and myth busting fact; I am not always the one cooking. Sometimes I just plain don’t feel like cooking. Sometimes I’m just too tired or I’ll be getting home too late. Whatever the case, my wife and I share the load in the kitchen. Let me tell you, Zahav is an amazing cook!
Truth is we have both learnt tips and tricks from each other over the years. That said, I can be a little bit critical when I watch her cook. So usually I don’t interfere when she’s in the kitchen. I sometimes can’t help myself from saying how I think something should be done. Regardless, Zahav cooks so well and I really enjoy her food!
Maybe the single most important thing that I have brought home with me as a professional is…
The deli container.
I am not exagerating!
These little plastic containers are the number 1 used item in my kitchen.
They are so handy and useful. I use them for all kinds of different things, like storing leftovers and storing my prepared ingredients. Sometimes I’ll use them as a little bowl for a small salad or dressing and so much more. I also buy them with different coloured lids to differentiate meat and milk in my kitchen at home. Oh and I also use some masking tape to label everything, so I know at a glance in the fridge what I’m looking at.
But I’m going to save equipment recommendations for my next blog post where I am going to tell you the most essential items in the home kitchen.
Thank you so much for reading! I’ve gotta go cook dinner now, we’re having grilled chicken, mash potatoes and a fresh side salad.
