Spending time in kitchens with so many talented chefs, you learn so much—some super simple things that get you thinking, ‘Why had I not thought of that?’ So, I thought it would be only fair to share some of their wisdom. In our base kitchen, I have put up a whiteboard that our chefs can use to add little tips that they swear by.
- Balancing and Intensifying Your Flavours : When you taste your dish and you like that flavour but you wish it was more full and punchy, try adding something sweet (sugar, honey, maple syrup), salty (salt, soy sauce, stock), sour (lemon juice, vinegar), and umami elements (soy sauce, miso paste, tomato paste).
- How food is presented is important. Garnish, garnish, garnish! An otherwise standard-looking dish can be elevated by some garnish. Adding some chopped fresh herbs, a colourful side salad, or a wedge of lemon works perfectly. We love to add a radish flower to our garnished platters; it adds a bright pop of pink and looks ‘fancy’ despite being reasonably easy to make. Here is a tutorial on how to make these beautiful radish flowers. Radish Star Flower 🌺😍🌹 (youtube.com)
- To stop your cake from sinking, you need to keep the oven door shut. It can be tempting to open the oven to check on your masterpiece in progress, but you must resist the urge. When the oven door is opened, a sudden drop in temperature and air pressure occurs. A cake relies on a slow and consistent rise in temperature to set, and a sudden change can lead to a disastrous collapse. So, try to trust the process, and if you do need to have a look, open the door only a little and for as short a time as possible.