cook at all—then all the equipment in the world ain't gonna help you.
But if you can throw together a decent meal, can read a cookbook, well
then, you can do a lot better if you spend some time playing with the
toys I've mentioned.
There are also some ingredients that separate food at home from food in
a restaurant—stuff that we in a professional kitchen have on hand that
you probably don't—and I'll tell you now which of these make all the
difference in the world.
Shallots. You almost never see this item in a home kitchen, but out in
the world they're an essential ingredient. Shallots are one of the things—
a basic prep item in every mise-en-place—which make restaurant food
taste different from your food. In my kitchen we use nearly 20 pounds a
day. You should always have some around for sauces, dressings and
sauté items.
Butter. I don't care what they tell you they're putting or not putting in
your food at your favorite restaurant, chances are, you're eating a ton of
butter. In a professional kitchen, it's almost always the first and last
thing in the pan. We sauté in a mixture of butter and oil for that nice
brown, caramelized color, and we finish nearly every sauce with it (we
call this monter au beurre); that's why my sauce tastes richer and
creamier and mellower than yours, why it's got that nice, thick, opaque
consistency. Believe me, there's a big crock of softened butter on almost
every cook's station, and it's getting a heavy workout. Margarine? That's
not food. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter? I can. If you're planning on
using margarine in anything, you can stop reading now, because I won't
be able to help you. Even the Italians—you know, those crafty Tuscans
—spout off about getting away from butter, and extol the glories of olive
oil (and it is glorious), but pay a surprise visit to the kitchen of that
three-star Northern Italian, and what's that they're sneaking into the
pasta? And the risotto? The veal chop? Could it be? Is it . . . why, I can't
believe it IS butter!!