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Chef David Chang is among the most celebrated chefs in the world known for his iconic Asian Dishes. Steppin in the culinary scene in 2004 with his famed restaurant Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York, David Chang soon became popular for his innovative cooking. From there on, his restaurant continued to grow and garnered praise from all across the world.
Just like every chef, Chef David Chang also has his own practices to live by. Apart from his Asian cooking style, he is highly philosophical with his culinary practices, which helps him define the characteristic flavours in every dish. Due to the values and sophisticated knowledge that he associates with every dish, he created a number of well-known dishes like the famous Momofuku Pork Buns.
His unique style has made him one of the most sought-after chefs. Chef Chang’s delicious food makes everyone curious about his cooking secrets. It is his distinctive style that sets him apart from others. The Chef’s practical pieces of advice accompany thought-provoking reflections on food, cooking, and the obligation to feed others. Read below to learn how you can improve and what you can implement in your cooking style.
10 Essential Cooking Tips By David Chang For Homecooks
1) Using Good Kitchen Appliances
For cooking efficiently and drawing the best flavours, chef David Chang emphasises using good instruments. He says good kitchen tools are the foundation for good cooking. While many may consider investing in specialised equipment, he swiftly debunks this misconception yet agrees with the sentiment of having proper appliances. In an interview, he stated that you only need three essential knives — a chef’s knife, a serrated bread knife, and a pairing knife — in your sheath. Apart from knives, he also firmly emphasises the importance of using good pots and pans with high-quality materials like copper, enamel-coated cast iron and cast iron. Chang advises everyone to steer clear of the fancy appliances and only stick to the basics.
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2) Don’t Shy Away From Salt
David Chang believes that good seasoning requires as much use of salt as you can add without making a dish too salty. He addresses that home cooks use too little salt, which is a most common blunder. While agreeing that using salt is a little complicated, he strives for the ideal level of seasoning in which food is both under and over-salted. It is a delicate process which may appear difficult to some, and that is why he advises all cooks to experiment with different levels of salt with glasses of water. When you find a specific point, use that reference to season your every dish for maximum flavours.
3) Add Oil Only After Pan Is Hot
The most common mistake that people make is adding oil before the pan is heated thoroughly. This not only makes oil harder to break down but also creates an uneven texture and makes the dishes more soggy. Chef David Chang highlights that the pan should be preheated before adding oil to it. This will give oil more time to break down and reach an ideal temperature for cooking. If you add oil before hating the pan, it will result in uneven cooking and more oil absorption leading to soggy and less crispy dishes.
4) Utilise Microwave
Using a Microwave can help you with many things. David Chang is a strong supporter of using microwaves for home-cooked meals. Microwave helps in preparing dishes in less amount of time with the least amount of mess. Several home-cooked meals are simple and don't require much preparation. Microwaves only add to this and you can benefit from it if you need to prepare dishes at the last minute. After all, throwing in everything at once is a lot better than cooking on stove tops which requires a specific time for the ingredients to be added.
5) Always Improve Your Techniques
David Change stated that invention is what made his restaurant such a great success. After allowing the chefs at the restaurant to try whatever they wanted and bring ideas to the table, he realised that innovation and improvisation are all that are needed for success. Before this, he mentioned that the restaurant was struggling a lot. Chang explains that learning how to improve the techniques and ingredients and cooking without specific instruction allows innovation to be the guiding light. It might be scary at first, but it also teaches you how to become a great cook.
6) Use Wooden Cutting Board Instead of Plastic
David Chang insists on using strong wooden boards instead of cheap plastic ones. This has many great reasons. First of all, plastic boards are prone to a lot of bacteria and using them for a long time also introduces microplastics to the ingredients. Woods, on the other hand, are known for having natural antibacterial properties and can restrict the growth of bacteria. Along with this, wood is also less harsh on the knives in contrast to plastic boards which can dull knives. Yet many people don't consider using wooden boards because of their process and the attention they require, David Chang suggests opting for expensive boards as they will last for longer times.
7) Go Beyond Guidelines
Just like Chang emphasises innovation, he also makes clear that focusing on authenticity limits creativity. In the culinary industry, authenticity is often exaggerated and going beyond the guidelines may seem a lot easier to say than implementing. Thankfully, it is being increasingly admitted that the concept of authentic food only exists in ideologies and lacks a literal definition. Every chef crafts their own interpretations of authentic dishes. He suggests that if you stick to the guidelines, you will limit yourself from experimenting and improvising.
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8) Pay More Attention To Flavours Than Appearance
David Chang focuses on prioritising flavour over presentation. Presentation is another facet of cooking that many get obsessed with. People more often exaggerate aesthetic appeal more than the flavour itself, and it is all thanks to social media platforms. In contrast to his, David Chang highlights deliciousness over appeal. With this in mind, you can clearly outperform your dishes by not stressing too much about the presentation and rather focusing on proper ingredients, cooking methods and texture.
9) Keep It Clean
One of the most challenging parts of home cooking is keeping the counter clean at all times. Cooking efficiently requires every minute to be put to good use without wasting time. Therefore many might find it hard to focus on not creating a mess. David Chang suggests that you can cook better when you go clutter-free. If your kitchen seems flooded with dirty dishes, vegetable scraps and waste, Chang advises you to take time to clear the mess first before getting into cooking.
10) Add Extra Flavours with Fish Sauce and Kelp
The most contrasting flavours of Chef David’s dishes are the umami flavours and the use of the freshest ingredients. He shares that he likes to use Fish Sauce with Bolognese to bring a twist to the dish instead of classic parmesan. Along with this he also suggests the use of Kelp for enhancing the nutrition profile of the dish and bringing the underlining umami flavour to every recipe.
From proper usage of appliances to the addition of some special ingredients, David Chang shares these tips for home cooks. If it is new for you, you can implement it right away and if you already know some of these, it may make it clear to you that you're heading in the right direction.
