So... "new tools" , also new equipments to evolve and advance the ideas for new dishes. After sous-vide and circulators became regular equipments(1o-15yrs ago? not sure) in fine dining restaurants, many of new equipments showed up in the kitchen.
I had the opportunity to see many of cool equipments in the past such as paco jet, siphon, combi oven, smoker, gastrovac, freeze dryer, dehydrator, sheer mixer, smoking gun, anti-griddle, evaporator... and it is not a tool or equipment, but liquid nitrogen. Those definely help expanding the "width" of culinary creativity.
I've seen many beautiful kitchens, Hawthorne Lane, Guy Savoy, Del Posto, Morimoto, Oceana, Geranium...... I would say L2o has the best kitchen / equipments I ever seen in my life!! But those treaure equipments listed above are mad expensive, I don't want to know the total cost for the kitchen equipments when L20 is opened!!
Right now I'm looking for a new job, and obviously the kitchen and the equipments are extremely important factor to decide my job. Can I find better kitchen than L2o? I honelsty it will never happen! Say I want liquid nitrogen or evaporator in my kitchen, sure it will automatically limit my job options. Wherever I work, I have to deal with what I have in the kitchen and still need to create innovative dishes somehow.
I ask myself "Do I need thousands bucks equipments to make my dishes innovative? Do I need dehydrator or whatever to make my dishes?" My answer is "preferably but not necessary" I Say... I can find good eats under 10 bucks in NY, so I can make sick "wow" dishes with limited kitchen equipments just like that!! One of the solutions for that, I would say using new tools.
I wouldn't say it's something new though. For plating, many of fine dining restaurants use tweezers which is originally medical uses and some kitchen use injectors. I use i slicer in the kitchen which is office supply and use bonsai scissors for cutting fish bones. Also when I was working on "black & white" at RM seafood, I tried to use many different kind of hair combs to make zebrra tone. There're many examples, and now what bout the tools carpenter use? Dentist? Make up artist? Hair stylist? Gardener? Stationary? Archtech? Art stores are filled with the tools could be real useful in the kitchen.
Actually... there has been something in my mind for a long time... There're people who are called "artists" such as make up artist, graphic artist, tattoo artist, craftman, desinger, drawer, musician... Then what bout "US", chefs? There is a word "culinary artist", but not widely recognized as other artists in my opinion. Just say "I'm an artist", people ever think I'm a chef? I doubt it unfortunately!
I'm guessing simply because cooking is so directly associated with human daily "routine". I mean everyone cook at home and we die if we don't eat!! Cooking and foods are essential to our life. BUT then chefs are not recognized as "artists"? That's UNACCPTABLE!! We're the artists!! We breath in beauty, elegance and emotions just like other artists!! And so in my theory I think I sure can utilize any other art tools in cooking. Beyond opening P.S.I., I want the world recognize us "chefs" as arists one day, one of my lifetime mission..
"New techniques" next!Labels: My Inspiration
