You can follow a recipe and still be a bad cook. Let’s not forget that…

Never used leeks in Beef Bourguignon, but they (with carrots) make the sauce much much better in Sauerbraten when you braise on top of them. A 5 day marinade (vs the 3 I used previously) also makes quite a difference..

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/dining-tip-thomas-kellers-zesty-beef-bourguignonne-52133

I miss mom's cooking as well. Like most mom's from the 50s, she cooked with old school recipes passed down for generations. She had a restaurant when I was in college and I had the honor of learning what she had to teach in her kitchen.
One of my proudest days was when she suggested I create the new menu. I didn't have time to do it (racing & college kept me pretty busy) but her faith in my skill set was something that keeps me cooking still today.

I'm a third generation restaurant owner so cooking is my livelihood, but also something I do to relax.
I too miss the foods from my grandmother and mother and I always thought they were great cooks (I wish I had paid more attention to their ad-libbing of the recipes).
I think a "good" cook only needs to have a grasp of a few things:
1. salt & pepper
2. heat (don't under cook or over cook)
3. control the acid/bitterness of what you are making (ingredients matter)
4. textures gets a bit more, but is still important
If you have a grasp of those you can be a very good cook
I like to think I'm always learning and playing in my kitchen...

As for baking that is chemistry as has been said and not in my realm.

I learnt a word that is new to me from a restaurateur.

I was telling him about a BBQ I did and decided late to cook some pork belly slices. I said I gave them death on the Weber but didn't quite burn them. One of the guys, Henry who is Samoan - so knows about food LOL said they may have been the best pork he's eaten. And I thought so too.

Enzo laughed said google Maliard, and said you may have got it just right. The Maillard reaction.

Sort of like caramalising garlic onion etc.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson must be a good cook. He was always cooking something and asking folks if they could smell it.

Had to fix it because I knew it was misspelled all day but couldn't fix it till now.

I think a good cook is one who can make a bad recipe taste good. I'm decent at that. I have found whole cookbooks that make for bad food and of course whole cookbooks that make you look great.

I hope my wife doesn't ever read this but here I go:
My wife is a great baker but a mediocre cook and I really don't understand why. I've learned not to criticize her because I love her and want to stay married. I know her palate is better than mine because she can tell what's in food much better than I can. We go to many great restaurants so I know she has the experience. We have every spice known to man available in our kitchen. So why do some of her dishes not taste good?

Based on reader comments from recipes across the webz, simply following directions as written already puts one in pretty rarefied air. In my opinion, if you can do that and understand what and why things happen - you're already a good cook.

A better cook uses experience and learning to tweak dishes to suit their tastes or available stock/tools.

A highly skilled cook does the above but to a higher level.

A "chef" is the boss of the kitchen. The chef de cuisine. They set menus, source stock, organize and pace the brigade and ensure that all output is to a certain standard. Probably some HR and maintenance, too. I think an excellent "chef" can do the whole package well, in all aspects, without being a particularly highly skilled or visionary cook.


And maybe not in a traditional boef-y french stew, "deep frying" some short ribs - or at least searing them for color and then doing a confit-type thing - could be good!

Maillard (two Ls) is key to flavor in lots of food, meat, baking, etc...

When a recipe says to brown meat, it's all about maillard. When folks like the brown ends of roast or brisket or BBQ, that's all about the
maillard.

If you bake a cake or bread, the brown crust is maillard.

And yes browned/sauteed/caramelized onions or the browned bits of hash browns are all maillard.


And maillard makes food better.

Yep. I've seen people follow a recipe and still make bad food. It's shocking when it happens.

That's not his recipe. That's a recipe "adapted" from his recipe by God-knows-who at a food magazine. You can find his original recipe in his cookbook Bouchon. I'm 250 miles away from my copy of that, this is the best I can do on short notice:

RED WINE REDUCTION

1 bottle red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon
1 cup diced (½ inch) onions
1 cup sliced (½ inch) peeled carrots
1 cup sliced (½ inch) leeks, white and light green parts only
1 cup sliced (¼ inch) shallots
1 cup sliced (¼ inch) button mushrooms and/or mushroom stems
3 thyme sprigs
6 Italian parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
3 large garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed

2¾ pounds boneless short ribs (about 1 inch thick; Sources)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil
1 cup diced (½ inch) yellow onions
⅔ cup sliced (½ inch) peeled carrots
1½ cups sliced (½ inch) leeks, white and light green parts only
2 garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed
3 thyme sprigs
3 Italian parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
About 4 cups Veal Stock or Beef Stock

POTATOES

8 ounces fingerling potatoes, preferably small
1 tablespoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed

CARROTS

16 round French baby carrots or other baby carrots
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed

BACON AND MUSHROOMS

4 ounces slab bacon, cut into 24 lardons about 1½ inches long and ⅜" inch thick
32 small button mushrooms, cleaned (see cleaning wild mushrooms)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

PEARL ONIONS

12 red pearl onions, cooked according to the instructions on cleaning and cooking pearl onions

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Fleur de sel
Dijon mustard

The primary techniques for Bouchon’s beef bourguignon are those of refinement—removing the impurities at every opportunity. That means skimming the stock thoroughly, removing all the fat and particles, straining it well, and then removing the fat and vegetable particles from the sauce. There will be fat from the searing of the meat, and this fat collects on the surface. It’s these particles and fat that muddle flavor and dull the color and sheen of a stew. Moreover, because you’ve removed those fat and fat-sodden impurities, this is a very healthful technique as well. (Unless you, like me, insist on adding some butter to the finished stew.

One of our practical rules of refinement is to separate all the ingredients. Make a bed of the vegetables in the braising vessel, lay down a sheet of cheesecloth, put the stew meat on top of this, then cover the ingredients with stock. When the meat is done, you can lift out the meat and strain the sauce, discarding the vegetables, which have given all their flavor to the sauce and meat. You can further refine the sauce by straining it again and degreasing it again, then returning the meat to the sauce and allowing it to cool in the braising liquid so that it can reabsorb some of the moisture lost during cooking. This is best done several days before finishing and serving the stew.

To serve, cook the vegetable garnishes perfectly—so that the carrots are vivid orange, the onions bright, and the potatoes are cooked but firm, not mushy—and add them to the stew. And that is how something normally considered rustic or country can be as at home in an elegant restaurant as at a bistro.

At Bouchon, we use meat from the ribs for beef bourguignon because of its excellent marbling and succulence. You can marinate the beef in red wine that’s been cooked with aromatics or, as we do here, use a concentrated wine reduction to flavor the braise. Both are excellent methods for infusing the stew with the intense flavors of good wine grapes.

FOR THE RED WINE REDUCTION:

Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy ovenproof pot with a lid that will hold the meat in a single, or no more than a double, layer. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the wine has reduced to a glaze.

FOR THE BEEF:

Trim away excess fat and any silver skin from the short ribs. Cut the meat into pieces approximately 1½ to 2 inches by 1 inch thick.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Season all sides of the meat with salt and pepper. Heat ⅛ inch of canola oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add only as many pieces of meat as will fit comfortably in a single layer; do not crowd the pan or the meat will steam rather than brown. Once the meat has browned on the first side, turn it and continue to brown the meat on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Brown the remaining meat in batches, adding more oil to the pan as necessary.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Add the onions, carrots, leeks, garlic, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves to the reduction and toss together. Cut a piece of cheesecloth that is about 4 inches larger than the diameter of the pot. Wet the cheesecloth and wring dry. Place the cloth over the vegetables and fold over the edges to form a “nest” for the meat. (The cheesecloth will allow the liquid to flavor and cook the meat but prevent bits of vegetable and herbs from clinging to it.) Place the short ribs on the cheesecloth and add enough stock to come just to the top of the meat.

It is important that the liquid doesn’t evaporate too quickly. If the pot does not have a tight-fitting lid, cut a parchment lid. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the meat with the parchment lid, if using, then cover the pot with the lid. Place in the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F. Braise the beef for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Transfer the meat to an ovenproof pot or container. Remove and discard the cheesecloth. Strain the braising liquid twice through a fine strainer or a medium strainer lined with a clean dampened tea towel or cheesecloth, straining it the second time into a saucepan. Discard the vegetables. Bring the liquid to a boil, spooning off the fat as it rises to the top. Strain the liquid over the “beef. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day, or up to 3 days.

FOR THE GARNISHES:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

If the potatoes are large, cut them into ½-inch-thick slices. If they are small (less than 1 ounce each), leave them whole. Place in a large saucepan, along with the salt, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic and add cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a plate. Discard the seasonings. Once they are cool, slice whole potatoes lengthwise in half. Set aside.

Peel the carrots and trim the tops, leaving ¼ inch attached. With a paring knife, scrape the tops of the carrots to remove any skin that remains. Cut the carrots lengthwise in half. Place in a saucepan, add the salt, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic and cover with about 1½ inches of water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the carrots for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain the carrots and transfer to a plate to cool. Discard the seasonings.

Spread the lardons in a single layer in a nonstick baking pan and place in the oven. After about 10 minutes, stir the lardons and return to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are richly browned. Remove from the oven and drain on paper towels.

Trim away the mushroom stems flush with the caps. Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until it has melted and the foam has subsided. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to medium low, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook gently, tossing often, until the mushrooms are lightly browned and tender throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

TO COMPLETE:

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Place the container with the beef in the oven for a few minutes just to liquefy the stock. Remove from the oven and turn the oven up to 400°F. Carefully remove the pieces of beef to a deep ovenproof sauté pan. Strain the liquid over the beef.
Place the pan in the oven and warm the beef for about 5 minutes, basting occasionally with the cooking liquid. Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and onions and toss gently. Return to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables and meat are hot.

Meanwhile, rewarm the lardons in a small skillet.

Remove the sauté pan from the oven and gently toss in the parsley. With a slotted spoon, divide the meat and vegetables among serving plates or bowls. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving. Distribute the lardons among the plates and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve with Dijon mustard.

Henry, my family was in food related businesses. My paternal grandfather was a food purveyor, and I have vivid memories of going to the South Water Market in Chicago with my dad to buy produce. We bought meat from meat markets. I have memories of the sawdust on the floor in these shops. I thought that was outlawed nationally so I was surprised to see sawdust on the floor in meats shops in the Italian area in south Philly. I have family in restaurants and owned grocery stores. My dad never, ever wanted me to be a restaurant owner.

Recipes were handed down. There are dishes my grandmother and my mom cooked that I will never duplicate. I tried but they don't taste the same. Similarly, there are dishes I won't order at restaurants for the same reason. They longer time passes, the more iconic they have become.

There is a saying, you got to steal like an artist. I have basic recipes for dishes that I have put my own spin on. I'm no chef but what I cook, the intent is to cook well.

Tell me how my critique of Chef Keller's BB is any different with the recipe you posted.

How does the beef bourguignon sell at your high ass end restaurant? :)

LOL ... the sign out front sez it all...

EATS

Only the regulars know to order it :D

OK, let's look at your critique.

First off, when you say "he cleaned his ingredients in the sink and threw it in his stew for good measure" I don't have any idea what you even mean.

Then you say "I would first eliminate the ingredients that muddle other favors." What would those be, exactly? He uses fairly traditional ingredients, just does a higher quality preparation of them.

Next, you ***** about deep frying the meat. He doesn't deep fry it, he sautes it to brown it first.

Then you ***** about his choice of boneless short ribs. There are NO bones, why do you ***** about the bones? Did you even read the recipe? Short rib meat is great. Great texture when properly cooked, great beefy flavor.

I wouldn't use green peppercorns. Different flavor profile and they are hard to find fresh, so you usually have to buy them in brine. I use them in SE Asian cooking, wouldn't use them here. My preference.

Leeks (2 e's) are common in french stocks. The French use tons of them. Pearl onions are a traditional ingredient in this dish in France. So, he uses them. So do I.

Nothing wrong with using a Burgundy wine. Pinot Noir. Fine, go for it. I used to use a red Bordeaux, since that's what I kept on hand at the house. Worked fine. When you do the reduction, the end product doesn't much resemble what you started with so the tannins were never an issue. One thing I like about his technique is that he doesn't marinate the beef in the wine for a day, as is traditional. The beef tastes like beef, not wine.

Potatoes are a common ingredient in this recipe in France. He doesn't have a problem with "making the leftovers starchy' as his method combines the stew and vegetables at the end. I do the same thing, I never noticed any problem with the leftovers. Serve it over mashed potatoes, if you want. Rednecks might serve it over rice or noodles, have at it.

In the end, it's a more refined version of the traditional French recipe and one that I like much better. My version is slightly more elaborate than his but I give him all the credit for opening my eyes up to a new way of preparing it. Everybody that I have served it to loved it.

Wow, it looks like you got your panties in a twist over a difference of opinion....
Chill dude.

Psh, y'all act like cooking is hard. Unwrap, microwave on high, and voila! Looks devine, no?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1729020119.jpg

I'm the guy that can throw things together and get a good result and I can also follow (to an extent) a recipe. Honestly, I think it comes down to imagination. My wife can follow a recipe but can't make it up on her own.

I even see things like this and take off on it and make something good.

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Not at all, he asked for me to critique his critique, twice no less.

So I did.

There’s nothing obnoxious in my post, frankly, I’m not sure he even read the recipe.

Here's something you won't find in most recipes or on the internet.
Grandma secret. The sugar in tomato sauce is generally a way to neutralize the acid in the tomatoes. Grandma skipped the sugar and added a table spoon of Bromo-Seltzer. Now all you taste are the ingredients that bring out the natural favor herbs and vegetables and meat. She also mixed lamb, pork and beef in her sauce. Crumble of Italian sausage gives you that burst of anise when you least expect it.

Why do you persist with this rant?
My critique couldn't be written without reading the recipe.

Your original statement was "Eat Thomas Keller's Beef Bourguignon and give me your ideas for improving it."
I offered some creative ideas and your response is "You didn't read the recipe". Then you when on a profanity laden attack.
This was fun but you melted like a stick of butter on a hot stove.....peace out!

Profanity? Really?

LoL, OK dude....

I can't even spell that dish!! haha..I've eaten at his bakery, and that man can take a baguette, put the tiniest, thinest slice of ham, with a see-thru sheet of cheese in it..with a whimsical hint of mustard and make it taste like a effen party is happening in your mouth, and EVERYONE was invited.

my brain didnt understand what was happening. no kidding. my stepdad was dying of cancer at the time, and he went back and bought a second one and ate it in silence. hahaha..I'll never forget it.

no. In Chemie, anyone can follow a recipe and generate product... e.g. Any yahoo can mix a+b and generate some aspect of ab. The skill or 'art' is the quality of the product and the yield...

Go ahead and bake 10 batches of Nestle Chocolate Chip Cookies following the same recipe.

can turn out very different!

Sometimes it's good to cheat. I'm famous for my creme brulees amongst GF's "book club" buddies. They LOVE to come to my house. But the truth be told I mix sachet A with sachet B and keep stirring.

following recipes doesnt make you a good cook, in my opinion. means you can produce good food, following instructions.

all good.

I am a humble home cook. sometimes not that humble. I can taste a dish at a restaurant and with a few tries, make it at home. recipe might not be correct, but it tastes the part.

during wildfires, a food truck gave out free food to us first responders. they had a Mac/cheese that was KILLER! they told me it had a secret ingredient. I tasted it, and told them.."I can make this". they said to try and bring them some. I did, and they did agree, I nailed the flavor. they asked, what is our secret ingredient? I said, since it isn't rich like most M/C versions, I think they used chicken stock to cut the béchamel. the man high-fived me. hahahha..

Great story. People may not realize what great Mac & Cheese can be.
There is a restaurant in Cambria that serves Lobster M&C. They wasted the Lobster and the cheese. It was horrible.
Just adding a fancy ingredient doesn't guarantee better food or even good food.
I took a cooking course from a local chef who made the same mistake.
He had us make Lobster Risotto. Tasted like paste.
Needless to say, I don't use that recipe.
I same cooking class had us make Cranberry Chutney. Reasonable taste but now I make it every Thanksgiving with the added ingredient of fresh pineapple.
Instead of boiling the cranberries in water and adding sugar and apples I just use apple juice. This allows me to control the sweet vs tart favors.
Always a hit. Grand kids love watching the cranberries pop!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1729091047.jpg

PMed for the Cranberry Chutney recipe........sounds great and cool presentation.

1 + 2 = 4

No matter how hard they try :D

My mom was a great cook. Many people over the years asked for recipes, and would tell her theirs never was as good. She would ask, did you follow the recipe precisely? Usually they said well, I had to substitute one or two things. She said that is why yours was was not as good.

My mom said she went too her grandmother's house when she was making biscuits from scratch. She had run a boarding house for many years, and made lots of biscuits for the clients. Many customers said they returned for the biscuits. Mom asked for the recipe and she said there was no fixed recipe. So my mom asked her to make a batch as she watched. She grabbed a handful of flower, and started. Mom asked he to put each ingredient in measuring cups to work out the exact recipe. They never came out quite as good as her just grabbing handfuls of the ingredients. Mom's biscuits were pretty good.

Mom made a sponge cake with just handfuls of ingredients. My brother and I could devour half of it in no time.

Def some super talented cooks on this forum. I'd say knowing a few good recipes is where most folks are. I'm working on being more adept at managing heat. Very basic I'd say! But we clearly have people here who know all their sauces, bases, etc, etc and basically speak an entire separate language.

Cooking well follows the three stages of learning. Going purely by a recipe is only the first stage. So no, being able to follow a recipe does not make you a good cook.

Stage one- Rote following a recipe, no knowledge why things are done the way they are.

Stage two- Understanding the "why".

Stage three- Creativity and mastery of heat, time, sweet, salt acid and fat, etc.

What order to prep ingredients. (ie black beans vs eggs)
Rest rise and marinade times.
Adding water or oils or wines. (ie more salty, sweet, spicy, tangy, direction)
All ovens stoves and baking pans are going to respond differently. (use right ones)
Slow and low vs fast and hot.
To cover or not.
Cooking proteins separately to add later. (ie to not boil unless that is the plan)
Residual heat cooking.