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In our annual poll of 100 top chefs, we asked about their kitchen essentials and cooking inspirations. Here, more favorites from our chef panel.

Ingredients

What’s your favorite type of salt?

38%

Fleur de sel

24%

Maldon

10%

Kosher

What’s your favorite type of non-black pepper?

31%

Piment d’Espelette

12%

Cayenne

12%

Red chile

What’s your favorite butter?

31%

Plugrá

8%

Double Devon Cream

8%

Organic Valley

What’s your favorite part of the pig?

50%

Pork belly

20%

Whole pig

10%

Jowl

Where do you get your favorite cured meat?

6%

Salumi (salumicuredmeats.com

4%

DiPalo Dairy (212-226-1033)

4%

La Quercia (laquercia.us)

We’ve been seeing a lot of grains on menus. What’s your favorite?

26%

Barley

22%

Farro (Italian spelt)

20%

Quinoa

What’s worth making from scratch as a home cook?

29%

Pasta

19%

Jam

15%

Pickles

What’s your favorite newfangled ingredient for cooking?

30%

“I never use newfangled ingredients.”

Equipment

What’s your favorite pan?

39%

All-Clad

14%

Le Creuset

10%

Blue steel (no brand)

What’s your favorite new equipment or technology to make its way into the U.S. kitchen?

26%

Immersion circulation

14%

Dehydrator

12%

Pacojet

12%

Plancha griddle

Drinks

What’s your cocktail of choice?

14%

Mojito

14%

Single-malt Scotch on the rocks

6%

I don’t drink

Travel

What’s your favorite restaurant in the world?

6%

Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA (1517 Shattuck Ave.; 510-548-5525)

6%

Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Monaco (Hôtel de Paris, Place du Casino; 011-377-9806-8864)

4%

Arzak in San Sebastián, Spain (Avda. Alcalde José Elósegui, 273; 011-34-94-327-8465)

4%

Jean Georges in New York City (1 Central Park West; 212-299-3900)

4%

L’Astrance in Paris, France (4 Rue Beethoven; 011-33-1-40-50-84-40)

What is the best food destination in the world?

18%

New York City

12%

France (Paris, Provence)

12%

Italy (Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna)

12%

Spain (San Sebastián)

Restaurant Trends

What’s the next big menu trend?

28%

Pared-down menu descriptions

16%

Melding of sweet and savory

10%

Japanese ingredients

What food trend do you want to disappear?

20%

Molecular gastronomy

14%

Foam

Other

How much of a role does science play in your kitchen? Please answer on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being all about the ingredients and 10 being all about the science.

33%

5

19%

1

15%

2

15%

3

What’s your favorite cookbook?

6%

Joy of Cooking

4%

Chez Panisse series

4%

Larousse Gastronomique

4%

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

If you could open a fast-food place, what would it be?

18%

Taco stand

14%

Burger joint

10%

Barbecue joint

What kind of music do you think diners should listen to at your restaurant?

35%

Jazz

10%

Classical

3%

Classic rock ’n’ roll

3%

Indie/Alternative Rock

What kind of shoes do you wear in the kitchen?

38%

Clogs

12%

Designer shoes

10%

Birkenstocks