# "All good chefs drink."



## Jeekinz (Apr 28, 2008)

A quote from No Reservations.

So is there some truth in that?  I mean, even on some of the television shows you get hints that the host likes to throw a few down.  I wonder how it would affect my cooking if there was no booze in the house?  I like to have a cocktail or glass of wine while I'm cooking to fire up my taste buds and 'put me in the mood'.  Sometimes the flavor of what I'm drinking will reflect on the final outcome of the dish.

Can anyone else relate?


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## TATTRAT (Apr 28, 2008)

I can honestly say that I know NO Chef, that is a tea totaler. I know some that you could consider down right party till you drop kinda people, then ones that you would never know in a million years that they go home and have a liter of vodka every night.

Matter of fact, in restaurant settings, especially busy ones, it seems as though everyone has a vice...I know everone has a vice, but cooks/chefs/waitron/managers/utility workers etc...all of them clock out and go do what they do. 

that being said, I do enjoy a good stiff drink, especially after a 16 hour day.


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## Calya (Apr 28, 2008)

A drink is definitely nice after a long day, but I know people who have several stiff drinks before one meal is completely cooked. Then they have many more drinks during dinner.


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## pacanis (Apr 28, 2008)

Graham Kerr. My hero.


Nothing like helping build a healthy appetite in my opinion.


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## GB (Apr 28, 2008)

pacanis said:


> Graham Kerr. My hero.
> 
> 
> Nothing like helping build a healthy appetite in my opinion.


He did start out drinking though


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## Spicy Meataball (Apr 28, 2008)

I like a nice glass of Cabernet when I'm cooking to get some creative juices flowing!


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## pacanis (Apr 28, 2008)

GB said:


> He did start out drinking though


 
That's what I remember him from... his Galloping Gourmet days.
Geez that was a long time ago.


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## smoke king (Apr 28, 2008)

Wow-I never paid any attention to cooking/drinking connection,  but now that you mention it  I  recall seeing Cat Cora doing a shot of Ouzo on Iron Chef....and it seems like the contestants on Top Chef always have a beer or a glass of wine in their hand.

Man, I'll bet I would have been one heck of a chef when I was younger!!


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## Loprraine (Apr 28, 2008)

I know one Chef who does not touch a drop of alcohol.  All the others, well........


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## Jeekinz (Apr 28, 2008)

I recently watched an episode of Boy Meets Grill where Flay opens up the show holding a coffee mug. He goes through the menu, yadda yadda, puts the mug down and says "Say goodbye to your coffee." LOL or something along those lines. Then makes some sort of Bourbon cocktail. 

Sandra Lee seems like a party girl.  Not a chef per-se, but she loves making those cocktails at the end of the show.  lol

I guess if Keith Richards was a health nut, The Stones wouldn't have made it past 1965.


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## quicksilver (Apr 28, 2008)

_   Your right. I had to laugh. Especially the Galloping Gourmet._
_His was a pistol and everybody seemed to like him._
_I've noticed this habit with house painters too._


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## Maverick2272 (Apr 28, 2008)

So that is why I could never be a chef! I don't drink enough, well why didn't someone tell me sooner, now I have lost time to make up for!
Personally, I was 'blessed' with this reaction to alcohol, gives me bad heartburn. Of course when I was a kid, I could drink all night and not get hangovers, everybody hated that about me.
But now, no more than two or three times a year.


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## pacanis (Apr 28, 2008)

And let's not forget about Paul McCartney 

Don't tell me he wasn't imbibing in _something_ when he made those mashed potatoes


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## Robo410 (Apr 28, 2008)

There certainly are chefs and cooks who don't drink (although they may cook with wine etc) and many others who shouldn't anymore! However I enjoy a glass of wine or beer with a meal, and sometimes a fine sippin' whiskey afterwards.  If I am cooking with firends over, I may have a glass of wine while I'm cooking but it rarely gets drunk until I'm done at the stove top.  I don't like accidents of any kind.


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## LEFSElover (Apr 28, 2008)

*"All good chefs drink."....................and also watching Top Chef and H&lls Kitchen, they smoke
*


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## Robo410 (Apr 28, 2008)

many do, but fewer and fewer each year.  Check out the culinary schools... smoking is on the decline even among the orally fixated cheffing profession


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## suziquzie (Apr 28, 2008)

Honestly cooking really makes me want a drink. It sucks when I have to drive after dinner, I'm too paranoid to have even 1 before I drive.


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## Jeekinz (Apr 28, 2008)

suziquzie said:


> Honestly cooking really makes me want a drink.


 
Ditto.


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## pacanis (Apr 28, 2008)

hmmm,
Drinking makes me want to cook


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## Jeekinz (Apr 28, 2008)

pacanis said:


> hmmm,
> Drinking makes me want to cook


 
Ditto


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## Maverick2272 (Apr 28, 2008)

Cooking makes me hungry and hunger makes me cook....
can't say it makes me want to drink, or that drinking makes me want to cook...
I must be the anomaly! LOL.


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## crono760 (Apr 28, 2008)

I'm personally really fond of an once (or two) of Benedictine as I'm cooking.  It tends to loosen the mind and get creativity flowing


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## Walt Bulander (Apr 28, 2008)

So.... the more you drink, the better you cook! Well that explains it!!


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## luvs (Apr 29, 2008)

drinking's rampant amongst Chefs. we learned that during class from an instructor. with us culinary students, too. soon-to-be Chefs that drink fer lunch then return to class.


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## suziquzie (Apr 29, 2008)

This is why I dont make big breakfasts.


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## miniman (Apr 29, 2008)

Did you ever watch cookery shows with Keith Floyd - it was reckoned that he was always half cut. He would drink on screen as well. It was one for the pot, big one for the chef when he was using wine.


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## PanchoHambre (Apr 29, 2008)

pacanis said:


> hmmm,
> Drinking makes me want to cook


 
LOL true

There are times though that caution should be used.... drinking while cooking is one thing cooking while drunk is another.... I rarely ruin my food but I do end up making a mess of the kitchen.


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## In the Kitchen (Apr 29, 2008)

What a relief!  I thought I was the only one who had drink (wine) while cooking. Seems like it helps me to not worry whether I didn't add enough or added too much.  When I sample is only time I should tell that.  I do like glass of Port but then that glass is only 1/2 full.  Thanks for sharing.  Made my day!

I always tell the family, if they catch me talking to myself, I can blame it on the wine.


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## pdswife (Apr 29, 2008)

I could use a sip or two right now...


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## black chef (Apr 29, 2008)

i know a locally "famous," well known, and highly-regarded chef that cooks at a "famous" restaurant in new orleans.  

the dude is an outright party animal and is ALWAYS in trouble with the local authorities over stupid stuff like disturbing the peace, parking violations, noise, etc.

the whole staff at that restaurant is known for their partying.


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## In the Kitchen (Apr 29, 2008)

black chef said:


> i know a locally "famous," well known, and highly-regarded chef that cooks at a "famous" restaurant in new orleans.
> 
> the dude is an outright party animal and is ALWAYS in trouble with the local authorities over stupid stuff like disturbing the peace, parking violations, noise, etc.
> 
> the whole staff at that restaurant is known for their partying.



But how does the food taste?  Who cares what they do, as long as the food taste great!  

My family won't say anything as long as the food is suitable to keep them satisfied.  To me, a good meal is better than ANYthing!   Just my opinion.


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## Loprraine (Apr 29, 2008)

> the dude is an outright party animal and is ALWAYS in trouble with the local authorities


 
That's certainly not unheard of in the biz.


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## Maverick2272 (Apr 29, 2008)

So if all good chefs drink, I must be a terrible cook? Now that we know they are all closet drunks and alcoholics, does anybody know why?
What drives them to drink so much? I cook all the time, even in a restaurant for awhile, and was never inspired to drink like that. I just never made the connection between drinking and cooking, always kept em separate.


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## TATTRAT (Apr 30, 2008)

work hard, play hard. That is it.


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## Jeekinz (Apr 30, 2008)

Maverick2272 said:


> So if all good chefs drink, I must be a terrible cook? Now that we know they are all closet drunks and alcoholics, does anybody know why?
> What drives them to drink so much? I cook all the time, even in a restaurant for awhile, and was never inspired to drink like that. I just never made the connection between drinking and cooking, always kept em separate.


 
Mav, it's not like someone has to hold me up so my beschamel doesn't burn.  LOL

I also like tasting the wine I'll be serving with dinner when I'm cooking.  I give the whole theme a head start, if you will.  (hic)


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## ChefJune (Apr 30, 2008)

Loprraine said:


> I know one Chef who does not touch a drop of alcohol.  All the others, well........



I know more than one.  But I also HATE generalizations of any type.  Drinking certainly is not a requirement of a good cook/chef. 

Now where's that Krug????


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## suziquzie (Apr 30, 2008)

The only time I screwed up cooking cuz I was drinking was an apple crisp....
I forgot to put the sugar in the topping. 
It was gross. 
But the chardonnay was AWESOME!!!!


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## VeraBlue (Apr 30, 2008)

yes............but........only to excess


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## auntdot (Apr 30, 2008)

Does this mean that bad chefs don't drink?


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## jpmcgrew (Apr 30, 2008)

I will drink while cooking at home but never ever on the job. Drinking takes all the fun out of cooking and cooking takes ALL the fun out of drinking.( my own personal quote). After work at night now that's a whole other story because after a hard shift it's hard to unwind and get the adrenaline down.


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## suziquzie (Apr 30, 2008)

OK, so is DC now considered a meeting for all of us?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 30, 2008)

A possible reason for drinking while cooking is to cleanse the palate.  That is, when I'm prepairing a meal, I often taste and adjust the seasonings of the various dishes being made.  And often, I'm tasting wildly different flavors in quick succession.  It is well known that alcohol brings out the flavor in certain herbs and spices.  So a bit of it rolling around on the tongue may enhance a chef's ability to taste his/her creations and adjust more accurately.

For me, I use milk to cleanse my palate.  I find it clean, and with a taste that doesn't linger in my mouth, making me ready to taste whatever it is that I need to tate next.  I also am fond of a bottle of ice water when I'm cooking.  Far fewer calories, but it takes more to clean out existing flavors.

I neve drink alcoholic beverages, personal choice, but can understand the logic of some chef's using them while cooking.  Of course, if the alcohol is a crutch, or used to reduce stress, then the cook is merely diminishing his/her skill level while drinking.  Certainly, alcohol frees teh reactive brain while putting asleep the part of the brain that helps us manage our impulsive side.  This may allow some to try new things more willingly, especially if they are unsure of themselves.  But again, to me, that's just a crutch and isn't really helping, but rather hurting them in the long run.

And yes, I am a very analytical personailty.  You'll just have to put up with me, 'cause I can't seem to change that part of my personality.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## QSis (Apr 30, 2008)

jpmcgrew said:


> Drinking takes all the fun out of cooking and cooking takes ALL the fun out of drinking.


 
Well, you're HALF right, jp!  

Lee


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## Maverick2272 (Apr 30, 2008)

ChefJune, what is Krug?
If DC sets up a meeting, I will be more than happy to be the designated driver, LOL.
If the wine or beer is for cleansing the pallet, that would explain why I never picked it up as I don't like most wine out there and not a huge beer fan either.
For that matter, I don't normally like having any alcoholic beverages with my meals, but am more than happy to serve any guest and DW wine or other alcoholic beverage with their meal.
Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with anyone that likes to drink as long as they don't take it into public (IE Driving) or disrupt others with it. And at most parties I like to have a few as well. It is just that for whatever reason I don't like to mix cooking with drinking, one seems to interfere with the other for me.


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## ChefJune (Apr 30, 2008)

Maverick2272 said:


> ChefJune, what is Krug?



What is Krug, he asks??????  My all-time favorite Champagne (when someone else is buying)!  Check this out!


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## Maverick2272 (May 1, 2008)

Wow! Don't think I have ever had champagne before. I had something once that was passed off as champagne, but was later told it was just 'sparkling'?
I will have to give it a try one of these days, as long as someone else is buying!! LOL.
And pink champagne, don't know what that is either but seems a lot of people do like it.


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## ChefJune (May 1, 2008)

Buddy, thankfully all (good) Champagne is not as expensive as Krug. In fact, the real thing can be had for $27 a bottle (Nicolas Feuillatte Brut).  and there are some other tasty sparkling wines that are not Champagne that cost significantly less than that.


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## In the Kitchen (May 1, 2008)

Red Wine, Tea, May Help Control Blood Sugar
Red wine and tea may help to stem the diabetes epidemic. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, have shown that both beverages may help regulate blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes. Their results were published in the April 3, 2008 Journal of Food Biochemistry.

Both red and white wines were tested to determine how well they could inhibit the activity of a target enzyme called alpha-glucosidase, which regulates the absorption of glucose by the small intestine. Red wine inhibited the enzyme by nearly 100 percent, interfering the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. White wine inhibited it at about 20 percent.

This is what I use to convince me that red wine is, at present time, supposedly good for you


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