Thomas Keller for the L.A. Times
In July, Thomas Keller’s famed restaurant the French Laundry will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The three-star Michelin restaurant in Yountville, Calif., which is often named one of the best in the world, first opened for business in an old French steam laundry in 1994. When Keller wasn’t busy cooking at the French Laundry and his other restaurants, Per Se, Ad Hoc and Bouchon, over the last 20 years, he took some time to contribute his vast culinary knowledge to the L.A. Times. Here are some of his best columns.
- 1
Soups were dull, so they never found a place on Thomas Keller’s menus — until Chapel’s version proved soups ideal for showcasing an array of produce.
- 2
Quality ingredients, patience and repetition are key to developing skills. Eggs recipes are a great way to start.
- 3
Cooking food in a warm-water bath can be done at home in a picnic cooler.
- 4
The culinary wizard behind the renowned French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro restaurants offers tips on how to improve dishes with the proper use of seasonings.
- 5
What inspires new dishes? Not just new ingredients, unusual food pairings or advanced equipment.
- 6
Lobster is one of the great luxury ingredients, but it is almost always handled the same way: either boiled or grilled.
- 7
Fish skin. Normally, you nudge that dark, slimy heap to the side of your plate.
- 8
Marinating meat in wine is one of the most frequently misused kitchen techniques today, in home kitchens, cookbooks and professional kitchens.
- 9
Butter is our favorite fat, but it is rarely used to its fullest advantage in the home kitchen, where it’s confined to gentle sautes and as a spread for vegetables and toast.
- 10
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional chef, a cook-hobbyist or a working parent just trying to get dinner on the table: The most important skill by far is knowing how to season food properly.
