Orgasmic Chef

for food better than sex

How to Follow a Recipe

by 32 Comments

Many of you know that Jacques Pepin is my hero chef and has been since he was a chef for John F Kennedy in the White House. It might be that I’ve never failed following his advice and I just love his accent.

He’s taught me how to prepare apples for pies, how to chop garlic, how to make a tarte tatin without burning my fingers and he’s done it all with his characteristic smile and twinkle in his eye. He taught me that the best knife you can use is a sharp one.

I saw this video on Facebook on Jamie Schler’s page. Everyone who cooks should read what Jacques has to say about following a recipe exactly. If you’re not a great cook, this advice will change that. It makes sense of every failed recipe you’ve ever cooked – exactly like the recipe stated.

 

Went to play with the dog and guess what I found on top of the dryer?  Lucy.

cat on the dryer

I plan to have a very good new year with lots and lots of great food. My troubles getting around haven’t improved but maybe with more doctoring and maybe more surgerying, I’ll be good as new one day soon.

Happy New Year everyone and let’s expect good things to happen to us this year. We get what we focus on and expect and I’ve been focusing and expecting.

Comments

  3. Love love LOVE Pepin, and the video is indeed a masterpiece… don’t you melt with his accent? When he says “recipe’, I get this huge smile

    why can’t I have an accent like his or any other I find nice? INstead, Brazilian accents are so pathetic, but I cannot get rid of mine… oh, well

    Enjoy your new appliances, you deserve ZE BEST (quoting Pepin)

    Voila’, ma cherie!

    Reply

    • Remember my grandmother lived with us and she never spoke much English. She could but she felt uncomfortable and I felt uncomfortable in French. We managed to communicate just fine though. Listening to Jacques Pepin is like a hug from my grandmother.

      Reply

  4. Sorry to hear about your appliance woes. How fortunate that you were able to replace them … enjoy.

    I enjoyed watching the video and Pepin’s words of wisdom. There’s nothing like being taught by someone who is cooking the dish while you watch or cook along so you can be guided by their comments, advice and visuals.

    Reply

    • I am lots better. After looking at your site, it doesn’t look like you’ll have time for lunch anytime soon but when you do, please yell. I’d LOVE to catch up with you. You have the best smile on the Sunshine Coast.

      Reply

  7. Cats always like to look down at dogs. And humans. 🙂 Thanks for sharing that Pepin video — so true! The first few years we were together it used to drive Mrs KR nuts when I’d look at a recipe and then proceed to change it — often a lot — because I didn’t think we’d like it. Usually I was right, although not always! She’s always been a baker, so is used to having to be more precise in measurements, timing, etc. Although I’ve rubbed off on her — now she’ll look at a recipe for something she’s baking, and proceed to change it — often a lot! — because she thinks she can do better. 🙂 Happy New Year!

    Reply

  8. Happy New Year Maureen! The cat came away winners with the dryer =) P.s. Thank you for the info about Jacques Pepin (great friend of my hero Julia Child) I love his accent too and didn’t realize he had served under JFK =)

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  11. Happy New Year dear Maureen! The video is so right! Things depend so much on the exact cooking circumstances. And this is why recreating even our own dishes are difficult, even with precise notes down on a tattered note book. Wonderful lesson.

    Reply

  12. Happy New Year!!

    I’m also a huge fan of Jacques Pepin and think it’s part his awesome cooking, part is smart advice, and definitely part his amazingly soothing voice!

    Reply

  13. Love – ADORE – Jacques Pepin!!! I loved the show he did with Julia Child!!! Those shows and recipes were…still are….classics. Wish PBS would re-run those shows. Are they out on Video yet?

    Wishing you and yours the happiest and best year of your life, Maureen!

    Reply

  14. I really loved that video–I’ve always been a proponent of using the recipe as a guide rather than law, but this makes my day! Happy new year!

    Reply

  19. Happy New Year to you too, Maureen!

    We had a flood in our guest suite in the basement on New Year’s Eve’s day and had to run out and get an extractor (some gizmo that is way stronger in extracting liquid from carpet than a home shop-vac) and had to move our overnight guest into the small guest room upstairs. It all worked out. We knew it was the washer but didn’t know why…but we were able to use every other thing in the house without issues so we waited until after new year to call the plumber. Only $300 and he fixed it but we will need a much bigger job done in the spring time, otherwise it will happen again, and probably worse!

    I loved that video from your hero Chef, it is exactly how I cook, and being a seasoned cook, it allows me to troubleshoot as I move through the recipe even the first time! I’m going to put his book on my gift list, I still have so much to learn.

    Reply

  22. Our one year, three month old fridge started giving up problems two days before the new year. First it wouldn’t get any colder than 65F and we had to throw out all the food. After a replacement fan motor a week and a half later, it went the opposite and stayed at twenty…freezing all the new food that was in the refrigerator. It was just fixed yesterday but was out of warranty by those three months. So happy to have it fixed… 😀

    Reply

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