On baking soft and chewy cookies
Roshan Samtani, owner, homemade by
Roshan
Roshan
Samtani, owner, homemade by Roshan
“Soft and chewy cookies are a product of
many things – the right proportion of ingredients, using a light hand, and
baking it for exactly the right amount of time so they don’t dry out”
On Gussying up Grub
Hylton Le Roux, CEO and Executive chef,
PI catering
“Presentation is important, of course. For
my catering business, I like knowing that the food I create will be visually
pleasing at first glance. But although making a good impression on your guests
initially begins with a creative presentation, ultimately, it ends with what is
left on their palate. Think about how simple ingredients can come together to
make an exciting dish. Pay attention to the tiniest details and experiment with
different flavor combinations”.
On whipping up an awesome Mac ‘n’ cheese dish
Cuit Kaufman, executive chef, borough
and nolita
New
Yorker Chef Cuit Kaufman is the man behind the good food in Borough
“To make a killer mac and cheese, the most
important thing in my opinion is to make it both creamy and cheesy. You must
strike a good balance between the two. To make it creamy, make a béchamel sauce
using at least 50 percent cream and 50 percent milk. Another option is to use
all cream and béchamel altogether. Next, get good quality cheese that like. Any
will do, but what matters most is that you should be generous with it. Put at
least an equal amount of cheese to the béchamel, or more if you desire. Toss it
all with cooked pasta of your choice, season with salt and pepper, and bake in
hot oven with bread crumbs sprinkled on top”.
On skipping meat and loving it
Marie Gonzalez, chef and owner, kitchen
revolution
Marie
Gonzalez, chef and owner, kitchen revolution
“Make your favorite dishes vegetarian by
subbing tofu and beans for meat. They’re pretty mild so dress them up with
marinades, sauce, citrus juice or zest, herbs, and spices. Just remember, keep
tofu frozen; thaw and press between kitchen towels for fifteen minutes before
cooking. You’ll get a chewy, meaty texture that will fantastically absorb any
marinade or sauce you throw its way”.
On making an authentically Thai dinner
James Worrasan, chef, Thai dara
Thai
dinner
“When you cook Thai food, you have to make
sure that your dish has the perfect blend of saltiness, sweetness, and the
fragrance of herbs. No one single flavor should stand out itself. Sourness and
spiciness are optional; however, they always add a kick to your dish”.
