Every Thursday, our money’s blog team interviews the United Kingdom chefs, hearing about their cheap and more food hacks. This week, we are chatting with Phil Kearsey, executive chief of London-Institution and starred land by Michelin.
A tip for amateur chefs is … Acidity is a seasoning! Just like salt and pepper, citrus fruits or vinegar can bring something simple to another dimension.
The most overrated unique food is … Micro herbs without flavor. Yes, he looks charming on Instagram but if it doesn’t add anything to the dish, take it from there!
Micro herbs – Kearsey is not a fan. Pic: Istock
My secret ingredient that I like and that I use all the time is … Sherry vinegar. He adds so many layers of flavor to a sauce, puree or vinaigrette. I can drink things!
My cheap eat at home is … Zucchini pasta. It’s so simple, so fast and so delicious!
- Boil water and cook your chosen pasta (I love Penne for that);
- Water must have the taste of the sea and take 10% of the cooking time on the package;
- Meanwhile, get 100 g of a good heated olive oil to a simmer;
- Get four cloves of garlic and a finely sliced chili and mixed in oil;
- Grate a zucchini on the cheese side cheddar of a grater and sauté a little;
- Then drain the mixture of pasta in the oil;
- Add the chopped basil, a pinch of lemon then season and enjoy.
A restaurant worth exploded is … French detergent, in California. After making a scene there and before joining, I arrived at dinner by myself. Chef David Breeden and Thomas Keller prepared a tasting menu for 22 dishes.
A cheap place to eat where I live is … Tooting. I like to go for an authentic curry there. I like to sit on plastic garden chairs in a simple restaurant to taste an authentic Indian kitchen cooked by someone with pride, passion and years of experience, which is unbeatable for me … Pass me the fork in plastic!
French laundry, California
My pet hatred in restaurants is … When guests reserve and do not arise or do not cancel the day. We would be delighted to be able to give this table to someone else and with the possibility of sampling our hospitality.
The biggest error I see in the kitchens is … The chiefs are useless, normally due to the lack of organization. Personally, my style is built around the supply of the best products and the celebration. Thus, seeing an ingredient that is not used to its potential is very frustrating.
My chef’s heroes are … Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. I was very lucky in my career to work for some of the best chefs in the world, but I must say, as a young chef falling in love with gastronomy, I was (and I am still) a big fan of between them.
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My only advice for a budding chief is … Work for the chefs you want to be when you make a scene. Do not be surprised by a slightly reduced salary for an hour to work somewhere where you learn much more. Work hard and invest in your future. Believe me, it’s worth it in the long term.
A kitchen book that I recommended is … The French Kitchen Book. It changed my life and inspired me so much that I ended up working there and I also worked on their last book.
I reduced costs in my restaurant by … Be more aware and order smaller quantities per day, because everything is so much more expensive now. To cook with the best products, you need to count each onion.
My favorite cheap substitute is … Everything that takes a longer kitchen is always the best way to follow when we talk about cheaper products and ingredients. It is the skill of the chief that can unlock the potential of flavor. For example, a net of beef is incredible, but a large short braised coast is a fraction of the cost and if it is well cooked, is kilometers in terms of flavor depth.
I gave free meals … On foot on the ground, my first chef came to dinner and cook for him and show where I came from the uneven teenager with burns everywhere on him, it was incredible. When we obtained the bill, David Moore (the founder of the restaurant) almost made me cry when he told me to simply drop a note on the table saying that we took care of all this. Giving back to people who have shaped me over the years is the best feeling of all time.