Michelin starred chef: Homecooking is better than most restaurants
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A Michelin-starred chef explains why home cooking beats most restaurants — and why the constraints of a family kitchen is exactly what many professionals need.
When you cook in a restaurant, every movement has to earn its place. But at a certain points it's about learning what not to do.
In this one: pressure cooker braising, why cooking without a plan is the most creative way to cook, what discovering your palate at Noma teaches you, and why constraints, not freedom, create the best food you'll ever make.
0:00 — Cooking for a family strips the bullshit
2:15 — The pressure cooker: getting somewhere fast
4:40 — Why "ugly delicious" is the whole philosophy
7:20 — What professional kitchens teach about ROI
9:40 — Discovering your palate at Noma
12:10 — Building Relæ with nothing
14:00 — The wine analogy: struggle creates character
—
Who I am:
I'm Christian Puglisi. Former Michelin star chef. Relæ, Manfreds, Bæst, Mirabelle, Farm of Ideas. 150 employees. I sold everything at 43. Now I'm asking the questions most people in kitchens won't say out loud — about what it costs to build something, and what actually matters at the end of it.
Substack: https://chrifrapug.substack.com/subscribe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrifrapug/
—
#homecooking #professionalchef #cookingforfamily
When you cook in a restaurant, every movement has to earn its place. But at a certain points it's about learning what not to do.
In this one: pressure cooker braising, why cooking without a plan is the most creative way to cook, what discovering your palate at Noma teaches you, and why constraints, not freedom, create the best food you'll ever make.
0:00 — Cooking for a family strips the bullshit
2:15 — The pressure cooker: getting somewhere fast
4:40 — Why "ugly delicious" is the whole philosophy
7:20 — What professional kitchens teach about ROI
9:40 — Discovering your palate at Noma
12:10 — Building Relæ with nothing
14:00 — The wine analogy: struggle creates character
—
Who I am:
I'm Christian Puglisi. Former Michelin star chef. Relæ, Manfreds, Bæst, Mirabelle, Farm of Ideas. 150 employees. I sold everything at 43. Now I'm asking the questions most people in kitchens won't say out loud — about what it costs to build something, and what actually matters at the end of it.
Substack: https://chrifrapug.substack.com/subscribe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrifrapug/
—
#homecooking #professionalchef #cookingforfamily
@TheJuiceBears
This one episode of Gordon Ramsey he had a particular client who had a very expensive menu, and he brought 80 dollars worth of food and placed it on a table, and says something along the lines of "your diners have two choices: two plates from you, or a weeks worth of food"
It really stuck with me.
Obviously I'm paying for the experience, ambiance and the skill in the dish when i go to a restaurant, but i have not received, in my opinion, equivalent value.
I can cook in my underwear, at home, with the worlds largest database at my fingers if my creativity lapses, and spend the time with my family cooking what we want.
The impetus to spend more money than i need to is lacking, and the desire to go out and experience the lesser parts of human nature is waning every day.
Plus i like cooking for people, i like to provide and be dependable and growing and cooking food fills me with a pride that i can't find anywhere else.
13 likes
@danalarson7590
I have gone from cooking at home 1 night a week to ~4-5 times. The cost of food for what you get is abysmal. When it comes to a Michelin star restaurant or some high end place, the money is never an issue because you will typically get what you pay for and many times it is stuff I won't bother to make, go to the bother of getting ingredients for, or lack the equipment to do it - and I consider those things when ordering. Love your videos.
34 likes
@BenBGauthier-p2
Being able to properly cook a delicious meal at home is an everyday, ordinary superpower. I could not be more grateful to my Creole great-grandmother (RIP) who taught me basic cooking skills when she lived with my family near the end of her life. How to season, how to use garlic and onions, how to roast meats, etc.
21 likes
@Garet2k
One thing I noticed while being in Italy is that the food you get in restaurants is okayish. In citys like Bologna you can't eat bad, but most home cooks will probably cook as good as the average restaurant in Bologna. However, the real, mind blowing food I've eaten in Italy came from home cooks.
4 likes
@suzannewalker9005
Loved this blend of philosophy, cooking and humanness. Thanks.
40 likes
@jonlouis2582
I trained as a cook and a pastry chef before switching careers, so it's 100% true in our case! We almost never eat out.
4 likes
@CardCaptor32584
My wife and I take turns cooking depending on the day. Being raised on French and Italian food, I used to get a little shocked when I opened the fridge and she had stocked it full of Chinese veggies, meat cuts, and sauces. I had to get really good at using whatever's in the fridge no matter how familiar I was with the ingredients lol.
6 likes
@nbnd3342
My favorite restaurant is one that taste like homecooking but a bit more classy/refined. Real food over anything
5 likes
@biashacker
Of course home cooking is better than most restaurants. Every recipe you could ever want to cook can be found online. I found Chinese recipes from a Chinese chef that had been cooking Chinese food for the last 25 years, and following his recipes I was able to make better quality Chinese food than I had eaten in the last 10 years.
3 likes
@muslimmuslim8095
I started cooking curries with my mum when i was like 6 or 7. My primary job was to peel onions and garlic and then chop tomatoes. Then using a Pakistani extremely heavy stone based pestal and mortar to grind whole coriander seeds with garlic and salt. Thats all I did for a very long time. Eventually age 20 something I could cook for 50-100 (no 'professional' training). There was never any measurements just a loose plan and flow.
8 likes
@daysofgrace2934
I cook at the weekend, usually from prep to ready in about 2 hours - Punjabi curries usually - I mix in Thai, Italian & Spanish flavours. You can't get that in restaurants...I was born in UK and gravitated to more Italian & Spanish cuisine. English & French cuisine is like a competition in who can make the blandest food...
@JonFairhurst
Great message. I’ve never worked in the restaurant business. I started cooking at home after getting a nice knife. I subscribed to Cook Smarts to get good recipes and a bit of guidance. I cook for my wife and myself, and I strive for quality, such as cutting ingredients evenly, rather than speed or visuals.
Now, we aren’t so interested in going out. My meals are more satisfying than most every restaurant in my small community. They have balance. They are right sized. They aren’t over flavored in an attempt to cut through the noise.
My main exception is a taco truck with authentic dishes from Jalisco, including three dollar tacos. They have constraints and they have identity. Their food isn’t beautiful, but the textures and flavors are excellent.
An interesting thing about home cooking is that I might make a modest meal one day and a fancy meal the next. A restaurant probably couldn’t charge enough to put the modest meal on the menu, and they might over charge for the fancy meal, but at home, both meals might have a wonderful combination of flavors and might be equally satisfying and healthy with fresh ingredients and good preparation. It helps us appreciate the food, rather than what the food represents.
12 likes
@ShadowKestrel
to be fair, "beef breast" isn't an inaccurate description of brisket :3
24 likes
@DietGhostSCP
This is one of the reasons I stopped working in resteruants. The joy I had cooking at home by comparison died. It's definitely not for everyone.
1 likes
@DARKLYLIT
I totally agree Christian. It's the same with anything that involves creativity. The more money and possibilities you have, the less creative you will be. Just look at the state of film these days. If you have less it compels you to be more creative in your process...and that's a GOOD thing!😁✌
4 likes
@rimmersbryggeri
I have always objected to the phrase "Restaurant Level/quality" what restaurant are they talking about?
1 likes
@GreatGreebo
My Gran called it cooking with love (her food was delicious). Thank you for sharing with us.
2 likes
@chefandy-f5z
Didn't that spanish guy that did molecular gastronomy go back to home cooking years ago? I was doing "fine dining" at the time, although not that. As well i'm glad to have exited fine dining before sous vide became ubiquitous. I mostly comment to try to maintain my vocabulary and spelling, please forgive me.
1 likes
@Miquelodeon87
The ideas you shared in this video about how you think that great food is made especially when the chefs set themselves some constraints and limits reminded me so much to how King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard approach the creative process with their music. They're my favorite band in the world (please, listen if this is the first time you ever hear about them. You're welcome). But that is exactly what they do whenever they creat the concept for a new record. They set up a bunch of constraints limiting the sort of music they're able to work on and then they start fucking around with it. Creativity does the rest, and oh man they're good at it. They've ended up being the most creative, fun, talented, relentless, fearless, innovative and productive group of musicians on earth. 28 excellent studio albums released in just 14 years, and the best live shows on the planet right now.
Sorry, I had to write about it because I think you hit on the nail there.
Long live the Gizz!
@angelwest-o8w
There is so much more going on here than "cooking"... you are a brilliant filmmaker .. the sounds of your family cracking thru, the pauses. It's musical and therapeutic.. bravo!
- American jazz musician 68 yo
8 likes