2007 Chefs Know Best Web Extras
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