FOOD FOR LIFE

How a chef can build the right skills (Paul Sorgule) COMPETENCE The chef must be exceptional at what he or she does: a great cook, a balanced manager, an inspiring leader, and a consummate communicator. A person cannot possibly hold the position of chef (earned title) without owning these skills and attributes. PALATE In the end, the food is all about flavour. The chef should have a well-developed, vastly experienced palate and have the ability to build flavour profiles that will set the restaurant apart. EXPERIENCE By the time a person reaches the level of chef, he or she should have matured as a competent professional, having made most of the junior mistakes that are expected of cooks and sous chefs. The position of chef is far less forgiving than those positions held prior. KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD The chef should have an encyclopedic knowledge of food, the ingredients available, the seasonality of those ingredients; the methods of cooking that are most appropriate for those ingr...

Black garlic is a type of "caramelized" garlic (in reality, browned by the Maillard reaction rather than truly caramelized) first used as a food ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves. The taste is sweet and syrupy with hints of balsamic vinegar or tamarind. Black garlic's popularity has spread to the United States as it has become a sought-after ingredient used in high-end cuisine. The process of producing black garlic is sometimes incorrectly referred to as fermentation, but it does not in fact involve microbial action. Black garlic is made when heads of garlic are aged under specialized conditions of heat and humidity. Bulbs are kept in a humidity-controlled environment at temperatures that range from 60 - 77ºC (140 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit) for 14 to 40 days. There are no additives, preservatives, or burning of any kind. The enzymes...

Pronounce it: spin-atch Used in almost every cuisine across the world, spinach is an enormously popular green vegetable. The leaves can be either flat or slightly ruffled, and are a bright green when young, deepening to a more intense colour when older. The bitter flavour is distinctive - you either love it or hate it - and particularly complements dairy products and eggs. The milder, young leaves can be eaten raw in a salad, while the older ones are usually cooked (spinach has one of the shortest cooking times of all vegetables). It reduces very dramatically during cooking; a 450g bag will be just enough for two people. Availability All year round, but at its best from April through to September. Have a go at growing your own if you've got a fairly large veg patch or allotment. Choose the best Go for spinach with bright green leaves, tender but crisp stems and a fresh smell. Avoid any that is yellowing or wilting. Prepare it If you have bought pre-...

Pronounce it: shal-lot Related to the onion (as opposed to being a younger version of it), shallots grow in clusters at the leaf base. Most varieties are smaller than onions, have finer layers and contain less water. The flavour of a shallot is much milder and sweeter than that of an onion, so if a recipe specifies shallots, substituting onions won't give the same results. Their lower water content means they need to be cooked more gently than onions. Choose the best Look for firm shallots, with no soft spots, damp or mouldy patches. Brown (also known as English or Dutch) shallots are the most commonly available. Small, with a light brown skin, they have a mild flavour, and sometimes have more than one bulb inside. Banana shallots are the largest variety and are named for their size. They have a smooth, tan-coloured skin and are slightly milder than other types. As they're larger, they're swifter to prepare than the same volume of smaller shallots. ...

Pronounce it: sa-age Popular in both Italian and British cookery, sage has long, grey-green leaves with a slightly furry surface. Its aroma is pungent and it has a strong, slightly minty, musky taste. Traditionally, it's used to flavour sausages and as a stuffing for fatty meats such as pork and goose. A little goes a long way - and it's never used raw. Availability All year round. Buy a pot from your local greengrocer or garden centre and keep a ready supply. Choose the best Look for fresh leaves with good aroma and colour, with no wilting or brown patches. Common sage has a deep, earthy flavour and aroma but you can also buy pineapple sage which, as you might expect, has a sweet pineapple scent (though the flavour is more like common sage); purple sage, which has a milder flavour; and the equally mild tricolour sage, which has a variagated leaf of pink, cream and green. Dried sage is also available. Prepare it Pick the leaves from the stem, wash, ...

Yuzu is a Japanese citrus lemon that is valued for it’s highly aromatic rind and Yuzu is one of the few citrus in the world that is able to maintain it’s tart/sourness at high cooking temperatures. Because the yuzu is considered a citron, the juice is very minimal, thus often expensive. Outside of a few Asian cuisines and particularly in Japanese cultural circles, yuzu is seldom grown or used because it’s rather rare. Used in both green and more ripe, yellow forms it’s a prized citrus in the culinary world. Yuzu is sour, tart, very fragrant and slightly smaller than a billiard ball. The intensity and aroma of fresh yuzu is incredible. Yuzu is a citrus that isn’t eaten straight, but is used as a souring ingredient through the use of it’s juice and zest. The flavor is reminicent somewhere between a classic Eureka lemon and an oro blanco grapefruit, but still has its own unique fragrance and flavor. It is a bit more floral and sour and utterly wonderful. It smells so good the Japa...