Have you noticed lack of knife skills among media chefs?

[rotuts]

good for you. you could not find a better example

lets assume you have read the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Apprentice-My-Life-Kitchen/dp/0618444114/ref=sr_1_6/185-5165084-1269710?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390431407&sr=1-6&keywords=books+by+jacques+pepin

ive read it many times.

a lot more here than cooking.

I know people that know him. they say he is a pleasure to know.

rats Ive never met him

J.Child 2 x the same

[David Hensley]

I have read it, quite a few times, and am even now searching for a properly used copy to add to my collection!

The thing I love most about Jacques is his no-nonsense attitude about all things culinary. "This is what I was taught, and its good to know. This is what I learned later, and so I've incorporated it into my original method. This is the method I prefer to use today, because it covers all of my needs, while remaining true to the fundamentals of my craft." This kind of pragmatic thinking is sorely missing today, I believe. Nowadays, we all just grab for a gadget, or machine to do simple things for us.

Maybe I'll call my autobiography " I'm Waaayyyy better than you, but never better than Jacques Pepin!" LMAO

[gfweb]

I have read it, quite a few times, and am even now searching for a properly used copy to add to my collection!

The thing I love most about Jacques is his no-nonsense attitude about all things culinary. "This is what I was taught, and its good to know. This is what I learned later, and so I've incorporated it into my original method. This is the method I prefer to use today, because it covers all of my needs, while remaining true to the fundamentals of my craft." This kind of pragmatic thinking is sorely missing today, I believe. Nowadays, we all just grab for a gadget, or machine to do simple things for us.

Maybe I'll call my autobiography " I'm Waaayyyy better than you, but never better than Jacques Pepin!" LMAO

And the thing of it is that I'm certain there were more than a few guys with his chops who are gone forever and unlikely to be reproduced.

And not just in cooking. In many fields, deep expertise is a rare thing.

Rigorous, dare I say painful, training is almost illegal and certainly frowned-upon...but it gives results worth the effort.

Great stuff doesn't come easy.

[Renn]

And what has always been Chef Pepin's messaging? Fundamental technique...so of course, that's what he displays when on TV.

The only other chef I've seen recently with a focus on fundamental technique (vs. say modernist technique) on TV would be Raymond Blanc.

But again, we're talking about the fantasy world of TV...how things are in restaurant kitchens, that's a completely different discussion.

[gfweb]

Whether carpentry, plumbing, dentistry or cardiac surgery...there's a right way and a wrong way.

I can attest that the meals I had at the old Le Bec Fin in Phila, when Perrier was in full force doing old school French classic technique on modern dishes, were transformative without being stogy. Who knew a sauce could be that good... a galette so sublime? Kind of ruined restaurant meals coming after. Sucks that that is probably gone forever in the US.

The little things do matter. Maybe not in home cooking, but they matter.

[David Hensley]

Whether carpentry, plumbing, dentistry or cardiac surgery...there's a right way and a wrong way.

I can attest that the meals I had at the old Le Bec Fin in Phila, when Perrier was in full force doing old school French classic technique on modern dishes, were transformative without being stogy. Who knew a sauce could be that good... a galette so sublime? Kind of ruined restaurant meals coming after. Sucks that that is probably gone forever in the US.

The little things do matter. Maybe not in home cooking, but they matter.

The little things most certainly DO matter, especially in food! Its the "little things" that make a good meal better, and a great meal excellent. Its the difference in training, respect, and life! Learning the generalities may make you wise, but learning the fineries will make you great!

If Jacques says it, its probably true...

[rotuts]

Vive Jacque !

Im an Addicted a Student of cooking vids. the kind where you really learn something. J.Child, J.Pepin, etc

seeing makes the difference. J.Pepins last several series "Fast Food My Way" and "More" demonstrated more than Technique

they showed you meals that, having seen them done properly, you could easily make them yourself.

That's a skill that's a cut above the rest.