Today, when I hire, I look for people who want to be trained and molded.
I think a lot of times people design restaurants with flash in mind. I think you should design restaurants with function in mind. Make sure it’s functional and works with what you’re trying to accomplish. Design can come later.
Brushes are crucial for applying glazes, sauces, and oils. The pastry brushes that you find in homestores can be pricey so pay a visit to your local hardware store and pick up a few paint brushes which are less expensive and work equally as well.
I want to go to college and go back to Georgetown. It’s a really cool place.
When I’m hiring a cook for one of my restaurants, and I want to see what they can do, I usually ask them to make me an omelette.
An instant-read thermometer is your best bet for making sure that meat and fish are cooked to the proper temperature.
Nobody believed the ‘Food Network’ could last. Even I was short sighted and thought to myself, 24 hours of food on TV? They’ll run out of things to talk about in four days! But that wasn’t true. ‘Food Network’ continues to get better and evolve.
A molcajete is a stone mortar and pestle from Mexico. They’re great for grinding spices and making salsa and guacamole because they give everything a nice coarse and rustic feel. I’ve never collected anything, but I think I might start collecting these because each one is decorated differently.
Cook ingredients that you are used to cooking by other techniques, such as fish, chicken, or hamburgers. In other words be comfortable with the ingredients you are using.
One thing you don’t want to do as a host is be running around all evening. Do as much as you can ahead of time, so all you have to do is grill the main ingredients.
I prefer lump charcoal over briquettes but I do use both for different reasons and different recipes and sometimes I combine them both when I really want the woodsy aroma from the lump charcoal and long, even heat from the briquettes.
When I’m on television, I think that I appeal to the everyday guy, ’cause that’s who I am. The guys who go to the football games on the weekends are my viewers, for sure.
When I go to a restaurant, I eat three-quarters of the food in front of me. That cuts my calorie intake by 25 percent.
You have to have your face in the food. These days people think a tattoo and a bottle of Sriracha equals success.
It is very important that when you put something on the grill, you leave it in place to cook. If you move it around too quickly, chances are it is going to stick.
In the end, your creativity – perhaps even your outrageousness – will determine the final result.
I can’t grill vegetables, shellfish or steaks without tongs. Don’t bother with those long-handled grilling tongs normally found in the BBQ section of your home store. Get intimate with your grill and opt for the regular stainless steel tongs.
I don’t like to dump the dressing on top of the greens. Instead, I pour it against the side of the bowl – using only enough to glaze the leaves – then toss.
I live in New York and I’m in New York basically all the time. I spend a lot of my time in my restaurants, and I feel like that’s why they’re successful.
Chipotles to me are a one-of-a-kind pepper because they’re smoked jalapenos, so they’re fiery and they’re smoky. It’s good to use chipotles in salsas or soups or condiments – that works really well. To me, they always really pick up anything you put them in.
If my daughter wants to get into this business, I would support that decision. She’s going to have a hard time not being in it. She loves food and she’s around it all the time.