SCS 069 | Prepping for Execution, Designing Balanced Menus, Live Listener Discussion

In this episode of The Stella Culinary School Podcast, picking out knives, and what to consider when purchasing a smoker, BBQ, or grill this summer. And YES, by popular demand, this episode now has time stamps! INTRODUCTION 00:00:00 - My Standard Charming Introduction. A Must Watch! SEGMENT ONE - WHAT KNIVES DO YOU NEED? 00:02:07 - What knives should you buy? 00:04:10 - Carbon Steel vs. Stainless Steel Knives 00:07:00 - Knives Chef Jacob uses on the daily. 00:09:00 - Cutting tomatoes with a bread knife (shame, shame, shame!) 00:09:30 - What bread knives you actually need. 00:11:35 - How to pick out a bread knife 00:12:30 - The Importance of a knife sharpener. 00:19:34 - Double Bevel Knives 00:23:37 - Best Chef Knives for Small & Large Hands 00:25:41 - What size knife is recommended 00:27:52 - Why knife companies offer free sharpening. 00:29:53 - End Segment SEGMENT TWO - PICKING OUR BBQS, GRILLS & SMOKERS 00:30:00 - What grills / smokers do you really need? Smoking vs Grilling. Tough vs Tender 00:34:35 - Chefs Recommended First Grill / BBQ Why Weber Kettles are Awesome! 00:36:15 - Issues with Weber Kettles & Komodo Cookers 00:39:45 - Off set smokers / Stick burners 00:42:26 - Pellet Poopers 00:44:00 - The Case for Pellet Smokers 00:45:54 - Gas Grills 00:50:39 - The Best Way to Cook a Ribeye Steak! Demoralize your culinary nemesis! 00:54:21 - More charming rambling and stuff. RELATED RESOURCES SCS 001 | Culinary Knife Skills Culinary Knifes Skills Video Index Tormek T4 Knife Sharpener Wicked Edge Knife Sharpener Chef Jacob's Favorite Utility Knife How to Choose a Cooking Technique Greg Rempe Interview Malcom Reed Interview Meathead Interview Max Good Interview Video Replay Available on YouTube Here: https://youtu.be/72HIS4vhpxU If you want to learn how to stop following recipes and start creating, then check out my Culinary Boot Camp & F-STEP Curriculum which can be found here: https://stellaculinary.com/bootcamp. Get notified when new content is released, by signing up for my free e-mail newsletter: https://stellaculinary.com/content/e-mail-sign Join our Friendly Facebook Group at https://Facebook.com/groups/StellaCulinary Check out our podcast archive here: https://stellaculinary.com/audio-podcasts/stella-culinary-school #SCS075 #BBQGrills #ChefKnives

The practical use of hydrocolloids are discussed, including Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Agar Agar, and meat glue (transglutaminase). We talk about how these items can help you solve traditional kitchen problems, while not becoming the focus of a dish. Mentioned In This Episode  Greek Salad Homework Assignment - https://youtu.be/3uVnAMEdu5A Food Science Videos on Gelatin & Agar - https://stellaculinary.com/fs Beurre Blanc Videos, both classic & stabilized - https://stellaculinary.com/sns Using Meat Glue - https://stellaculinary.com/kp (KP 29 & KP 30) Facebook Group - https://facebook.com/groups/StellaCulinary Modernist Cuisine Book Series - https://amzn.to/3vKIX96 Khymos.org Hydrocolloid E-Book - https://khymos.org/2014/02/15/texture-updated-and-available-for-download/ STOP FOLLOWING RECIPES & START CREATING ... with my Culinary Boot Camp & F-STEP Curriculum found here: https://stellaculinary.com/bootcamp YOUTUBE CHANNELS Techniques / Lessons - https://YouTube.com/JacobBurton Live Podcast Replay - https://YouTube.com/StellaCulinaryLive SOCIAL Instagram & Twitter: @ChefJacob

In this episode, I lay out the "Greek Salad Challenge" as a homework assignment. The purpose of this challenge is to drill knife skills, and work on creating baseline seasonings through balancing fat, acid and salt. We then carry this concept over into a lesson on how I would recreate the flavor of a hollandaise sauce if all I had was a recipe and had never tasted hollandaise before. This first principals approach to dissecting a dish through flavor structure will allow you to understand and replicate flavor structures at their most basic level. Then, I walk you through yet un-edited footage of me searing scallops in the restaurant, which leads to a deep dive in the mistakes people make when cooking scallops, as well as some basic plate composition tips. CONTENT REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE Culinary Knife Skills: https://stellaculinary.com/cks Cooking Techniques (pan roasting): https://stellaculinary.com/ct Emulsion Science: https://stellaculinary.com/fs HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT For your homework assignment, make either a greek salad, or a salsa / chutney / garnish inspired by the greek salad methodology laid out in the podcast. Focus on the basic knife skill techniques of: The Pinch Grip Guide Hand Julienne. If making a salsa or chutney, focus on the dice, making everything as even as possible. When dressing and building your flavor structures, remember; fat first, acid second, vinegar third. Take it from there. More advanced students, add a protein of choice. Recommended proteins are pan roasted chicken / fish, shrimp, scallops, steak. _____________________________________________________ The Stella Culinary School Podcast is available through your favorite podcast app, such as Apple, Google, Spotify, & Stitcher. If you want to learn how to stop following recipes and start creating, then check out my Culinary Boot Camp & F-STEP Curriculum which can be found here: https://stellaculinary.com/bootcamp Get notified when new content is released, by signing up for my free e-mail newsletter: https://stellaculinary.com/content/e-mail-sign Join our Friendly Facebook Group at https://Facebook.com/groups/StellaCulinary Check out our podcast archive here: https://stellaculinary.com/audio-podcasts/stella-culinary-school

In this episode, we discuss how to ace a chef tryout when applying for a leadership position in a professional kitchen, and how to successfully execute for a large group or banquet. In the questions and comment section, I answer Robert's question on how to execute 10 steaks at once when cooking for family and friends, and Fran's question on how long his home made sausage will last under refrigeration. Follow me on Clubhouse, @JacobBurton, and tune in to ask your questions live, every Friday morning, 7 am PST / 10 am EST. You can watch the live video broadcast as it happens by joining our Friendly Facebook Group, https://facebook.com/groups/StellaCulinary. Do you want to STOP FOLLOWING RECIPES & START CREATING? Then check out my Culinary Boot Camp & F-STEP Curriculum here: https://stellaculinary.com/bootcamp

In this episode, Chef Jacob discusses things you should consider if you plan on leaving your career to become a chef, some potential food safety issues with reheating and holding food, and then a break down on how exactly fat affects the flavor and texture of your bread dough. This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Chef Jacob's Culinary Boot Camp and F-STEP Curriculum, your fastest way to learn how to cook like a pro. Stop following recipes and start creating, with Chef Jacob's Culinary Boot Camp and F-STEP Curriculum Video Course, found here: https://stellaculinary.com/bootcamp Want to join the live discussion? Head on over to our Friendly Facebook Group, found at https://facebook.com/groups/stellaculinary. Podcast is broadcast and recorded live, every Friday, at 7 am PST / 10 am EST.

The combi oven saga continues, with a deep dive into why I bought two more Anova Combi ovens for my professional kitchen, how we are using it to streamline our kitchen execution, and how this translates into the home cooking environment. Topics discuss include: Holding and executing eggs for a busy brunch service, including how to execute a perfect eggs benedict from start to finish. My experiment with reverse searing a tri-tip from start to finish without opening the oven once. How I executed a flawless pulled pork for Superbowl Sunday. Want to participate in the Stella Culinary Podcast live, while it's being recorded? Join our friendly Facebook Group, where we broadcast live every Friday, at 7 am PST / 10 am EST. https://facebook.com/groups/stellaculinary You can also catch the live video replay on our YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjoO_tbqbcp5L8hZWopOUlA Looking for shorter, cooking technique and instructional videos? You can find that on my main YouTube Channel here: https://youtube.com/jacobburton If you enjoy the podcast, then you'll love my Culinary Boot Camp & F-STEP Curriculum, which you can find here: https://stellaculinary.com/chef-jacobs-culinary-boot-camp-f-step-curriculum      

In this live episode of the Stella Culinary School Podcast, we begin with a discussion on how I like to prep on my days off to make mid-week cooking execution fast and efficient. I then answer questions on food & wine pairings, how chefs create balance in their menus, and how the pandemic has affected the United States restaurant scene. Audio only version of this podcast can be found on your favorite podcast app, including Apple, Google, and Spotify. Want to stop following recipes and start creating your own? Check out my culinary boot camp and F-STEP Curriculum here: https://stellaculinary.com/chef-jacobs-culinary-boot-camp-f-step-curriculum Stella Culinary Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/stellaculinary

In this episode, I give a step by step breakdown of how to make gnocchi by feel, instead of using a recipe, whether it's potato, ricotta, or pumpkin. Then I review Anova's new Combi Oven, also known to the nerd's as the APO (Anova Precision Cooker). There's a lot to like, but a few things that can be improved upon as well. Is it worth $600? You've gotta listen to find out ... that's kinda the whole purpose of this podcast thing ... I mean, if I gave you all the info in the podcast description, then I may as well write a blog post, but then I'd be a blogger, and ya'll know how I feel about food writers, so yeah ... I'm just gonna stop here and let you listen to the podcast. I promise you'll like it. Money back guarantee! 😉 Speaking of money back guarantee, have you checked out my Culinary Boot Camp Course yet? If not, you should! Unlike the podcast it actually costs money, but if you like the content I give away for free, then you'll love my Culinary Boot Camp & F-STEP Curriculum. But, if you don't like it, it actually does have a money back guarantee. Just like I'd never charge you for a dish you don't like, I wouldn't keep your money for a course you didn't enjoy either. You can check it out here: https://stellaculinary.com/chef-jacobs-culinary-boot-camp-f-step-curriculum Looking for some technique videos? Check out my YouTube Videos at YouTube.com/jacobburton. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter, @ChefJacob on both, or you can chat with me in our discord group (https://discord.gg/bZyrzHqFZa), or in our Friendly Facebook here (https://facebook.com/groups/stellaculinary). I think that's it for now! Thanks for being a part of the Stella Culinary Universe! Jacob

This episode goes off the rails quite a bit, but still turned out great, which I know you expect nothing less. We really hit our flow about 28 minutes in, once I figured out that the comments, ONCE AGAIN, were not loading properly! In this episode, we talk: About crypto currencies and how it will affect restaurant profit margins in the future. The biggest mistake people make when designing their home kitchens. How to create juicy, tender meats for stir fries. Why we use oils when sweating aromatics. Why I would never do a cooking competition. And finally, why I think food writers are parasites unworthy of respect. But I make my case in such a charming fashion, I'm certain there's no way I offended anyone, especially food writers. If you're interested in learning more about my Culinary Boot Camp and F-SEP Curriculum, you can do so here: https://stellaculinary.com/chef-jacobs-culinary-boot-camp-f-step-curriculum If you would like to watch the video version of this podcast, you can do so here: https://youtu.be/Rg8THG5aGbY Join our friendly Facebook Group here: https://facebook.com/groups/stellaculinary Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, or through your favorite podcast app. Just search for "Stella Culinary." Love letters? Send them to Jacob at Stella culinary dot com.

In this episode, we get the ball rolling with an update on the pressure cooked ribs experiment, where I went wrong, and how I scrambled to fix the issue to still get a delicious dinner on the table. Then I give you an epic breakdown of how to create the best beef stroganoff ever, without using a recipe, by shooting the entire dish through the F-STEP lens. I walk you through the process I use when first trying to understand the basic building blocks of a recipe, and then how I reconstruct it using flavor structure, technique, and execution to make it my own! Then we talk about the culinary rules you should and shouldn't break, and I have an epic meltdown over the majesty that is the Zojirushi Rice Cooker! If you loved this episode, especially the breakdown of the Beef Stroganoff, then you'll love my Culinary Boot Camp and F-STEP Curriculum, which you can find here: https://stellaculinary.com/chef-jacobs-culinary-boot-camp-f-step-curriculum (The above program also includes the F-STEP Worksheet that I touch on briefly in this episode). If you'd like to tune in for the live podcast as it happens, you can do so in our friendly Facebook group found here: https://facebook.com/groups/stellaculinary And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you never miss a new episode, when it's released!