Cooking Skill Quotes

“Some people when they see cheese, chocolate or cake they don't think of calories.”
― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

“Chef Ayden says you have something special. An 'affinity with the things that come from the dirt,' he says. A master of spices. And coming from Ayden that means a lot. He doesn't usually believe in natural inclinations. Only in working hard enough to make the hard work seem effortless. Is it true about you?"
I know my eyebrows look about ready to parachute off my face. "You mean the bay-leaf thing?"
"No more oil, that's good." She takes the bowl of marinated octopus from my hand, covers it with a red cloth, and puts it in the fridge. "The 'bay-leaf thing' is exactly what I mean. You're new to Spain. From what your teacher tells me, not many of you have had exposure to world cuisines. Yet, you know a variety of herb that looks and smells slightly different when found outside of this region. I'm sure you've probably seen it in other ways. You've probably mixed spices together no one told you would go together. Cut a vegetable in a certain way that you believe will render it more flavorful. You know things that no one has taught you, sí?"
I shake my head no at her. 'Buela always said I had magic hands but I've never said it out loud about myself. And I don't know if I believed it was magic as much as I believed I'm a really good cook. But she is right; most of my experimenting is with spices. "My aunt Sarah sends me recipes that I practice with. And I watch a lot on Food Network. Do you have that channel here? It's really good. They have this show called Chopped-"
Chef Amadí puts down the rag she was wiping down the counter with and takes my hands in hers. Studies my palms. "Chef Ayden tells me you have a gift. If you don't want to call it magic, fine. You have a gift and it's probably changed the lives of people around you. When you cook, you are giving people a gift. Remember that.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, With the Fire on High

“There is such a thing as "live" cooking. Instead of chefs cooking in a kitchen and bringing a complete dish to the waiting customer... the chefs cook out on the floor where the customer can watch them perform.
Good performances heighten anticipation for the dish... and entertain the customer by showing them how contrasting ingredients come together.
"Wooow! Look at how many he's doing at once!"
"He's crazy fast!"
"Cool..."
Soma has put on a flamboyant show...
... to capture the hearts of his customers!
Not bad! Who would have thought he'd turn his own skills...
... into a performance to turn the situation around.”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 5 [Shokugeki no Souma 5]

“He has already mastered (or become quite proficient at) a number of skills and techniques such as braises, fricassees, roasting, searing, and sautéing. He was already well versed in pie and pastry making, so teaching him laminated pastry and more difficult cakes and confectionary has proceeded much faster than I anticipated. (I suspect Helena feels the same, though she always pretends to be nonplussed at his progress.) His knowledge and interest in the dishes of other cultures also continues to surprise me. His empanadas, it seems, were only the tip of the bavarois. He makes a delightful curry after the East Indian style, and his fried plantains (both the sweet maduros and the crispy double-fried green ones) have become my new favorite snack before our evening meal. You would love them, Nanay, I am certain.
Nanay, I've also taught him most of the rice dishes in my repertoire (as Helena continues to find rice to be rather lowly---though she eats risotto and paella readily enough when they're on the table), and although he was surprised when I first showed him plain, unadulterated rice as you make it, he soon gobbled it up and has been experimenting with more Eastern-inspired rice dishes and desserts and puddings ever since.”
― Jennieke Cohen, My Fine Fellow

“Can you name me these ingredients?" Chef Amadí points to the different herbs and spices. "I can see that you know," she says. And I do know.
I pick up the large leaf and sniff it. It's smaller than the type we use back home but I'd know that scent anywhere. "That one's bay leaf," I say. "And that seed is cardamom."
She nods and shoots me a wink.
She moves us to a different station and opens a container where several large octopi chill on beds of ice. I've never worked with octopus and I'm fascinated by the vibrant red color of the skin and the slippery feeling of it in my hands. She demonstrates with a knife how to slice through the octopus tentacles that she will marinate for grilling.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, With the Fire on High

“Wasanbon sugar, honey and tofu. Together, they make a silky-smooth pastry crust that gently caresses the lips... while the fluffy, sticky white bean paste melts on the tongue. Its mellow and robust flavor wafting up to tickle the nose! And with every bite, the crisp tartness of apples pop like fireworks, glittering brightly and fading, only to sparkle once again.
Its sweet deliciousness ripples from the mouth straight up to the brain...
a super-heavyweight punch of moist, rich goodness!"
"Yeeah!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, all the judges have looks on their faces! What on earth could have created a flavor that rapturous?!"
"The biggest secret to that flavor is right here, brushed on the underside of the pastry crust...
apple butter!"
"Apple butter?!"
"Hmm..."
It's as simple as its name- grated apple, lemon juice and sugar added into melted butter. The distinctive tang of fruit is melded together harmoniously with mellow butter, creating a spread that can add acidity, saltiness and rich body to a dish!
"Yet making something like this is no mean feat!
Two completely disparate ingredients must be not just mixed but perfectly emulsified together! It's a task akin to perfectly melding oil with water!
Even pro chefs have difficulty bringing out the butter's smooth shine without accidentally letting it separate! Managing it all requires mastery of a very specific cooking technique!"
"Yes, sir!
I did use Monter au Beurre.
It's a technique for finishing sauces...
... common in French cooking!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 28 [Shokugeki no Souma 28]

“I grabbed a handful of tarragon and closed my eyes, inhaling its sweet fragrance. I could almost feel my grandmother next to me, smell the aromas embedded into her poppy-print apron, taste her creamy veloutés. Thanks to her, my skills in the kitchen started developing from the age of seven. I'd learned how to chop, slice, and dice without cutting my fingers, to sauté, fry, and grill, pairing flavors and taming them into submission.
Just as I'd experienced with my grandmother's meals, when people ate my creations, I wanted them to think "now this is love"- while engaging all of the five senses. For me, cooking was the way I expressed myself, each dish a balance of flavors and ingredients representing my emotions- sweet, sour, salty, smoky, spicy-hot, and even bitter. My inspiration as a chef was to give people sensorial experiences, to bring them back to times of happiness, to let them relive their youth, or to awaken their minds.”
― Samantha Verant, The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

“I am much more than what you see. An artist who can wow you with a tasty squid ink tortellini and weave a tall tale.”
― A.K. Kuykendall

“Tadokoro.
Your cooking is welcoming, warming...
and strongly comforting. That's hospitality.
Used wisely, that can be a very powerful weapon. Hone it well, and you will have a long, bright future here at Totsuki.”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 4 [Shokugeki no Souma 4]

“Wow, look at him go! I've never seen anyone fillet a whole salmon that quickly!"
"You looked pretty impressive when you butchered that monkfish, y'know."
"W-what?! B-but I could never do it that fast. And Kurokiba isn't just fast...
there's no hesitation or waste in any of his movements. He's gotten even better since I faced him in the Fall Classic!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 19 [Shokugeki no Souma 19]

“You're kidding! Spiny lobster and banana mousse wrapped in Katafai dough and then roasted?!
Something that should have been a weak grilled dessert turned into that fragrant of a masterpiece just by roasting it instead?!
And taking a pressed and dried Vessie, reconstituting it with some water and then using it as a casing to braise meats?! I've never heard of that kind of cooking method!
What's his thought process?! How does his mind even work?!”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 23 [Shokugeki no Souma 23]

“There isn't a menu, only a few daily specials. You might get some molecular gastronomy or classic French food or meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but it's always amazing."
"Today they have family-style broasted chicken. The best in the state," Doug said.
"Broasted?"
"Fried, but under pressure. I don't really know what magic happens, but its extra juicy and crunchy.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Kindred Spirits Supper Club