The foie gras was seared to perfection and the plump little pigeon breasts had a pink blush to them which indicated the most accurate cooking and resting from the kitchen. Not to mention the crispy skin on the tastiest Sea bass sampled for a long time. Great ingredients, respected and treated well. With love.
Although not greasy on the inside and clearly clean from its last dunk in the hot sink, the pan(s) could clearly do with a little bit of TLC. Once upon a time, on the day of delivery, reflections of the kitchen strip lights shone onto every surface of the bright kitchen from the stainless-steel body. But now it is not so. Black. Caked. Greasy. And if it were a person it would be outside the local co-op, begging for change with a scruffy mongrel and looking far from happy.
An under seasoned steak is disappointing, but nowhere near as disappointing as an overcooked, under seasoned steak. A piece of glorious Halloumi, spoiled by poor cooking, hardly any colour or burnt to a crisp is tragic. Getting to the plate should be off the cards. Good ingredients not reaching their full potential. Looks like a fox has been at them.
In the finer kitchens they are expensive, copper, shiny and polished. They're like new but are not. It's not about expense though and it’s not about price. It’s about pride. It's about paying attention to the smaller details and no burned-on grease. Scrubbed back to the metal. Time spent on them. A pleasure to use them. It shows respect. Putting a piece of fresh Turbot into a scruffy pan is counter intuitive. It makes no sense.
The bigger picture speaks volumes. A clean pan usually means a clean kitchen. Quality ingredients mean respect for food. It’s about the pride which you have for yourself. You can tell as soon as you enter the kitchen. Look around and see beyond the trees. Look after your pans and they'll look after you.