How Do You Cook With Balance? – Tips from Chef Jon Soileau

It’s a Food Friday and on today’s edition of the show, Jon Soileau talks about how you need to use balance in the way that you cook.  Soileau said that many young chefs have made the same mistake, using lots of different ingredients in food to make a statement and have people remember them.  Soileau drew on his experience and said,

Oftentimes, if you will just simply cook with balance in what you’re utilizing when you cook, then those natural ingredients will speak for themselves without you having to cram all of those things in there.

So how does that work when you walk into your own kitchen?  Soileau suggested that Herbed Lemon Chicken is a great example of how someone can balance their cooking.  He talked about all of the simple ingredients coming together to make a flavor that so many of us have enjoyed.  He said that there are a couple of bold ingredients and the rest compliment what is in there.

Chef Soileau comments that one of the best things you can do when you are cooking is to ask for the opinion of someone else.  He said that when we cook, many times we taste things so much that we don’t have an objective point of view.

Soileau also suggested that when you have a sauce that really needs the extra punch, use an acid.  That would be something like a lemon juice, lime juice or a small dash of vinegar.  But, he said that you need to use it sparingly.

Check out the complete conversation with Chef Jon Soileau below:

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