Watch a Teaser for "Michelin Stars" the Movie

The world of Michelin stars and the passion and personalities that help define it is to get a dedicated movie.

Michelin Stars – Tales from the Kitchen has been two years in the making and will be the opening film of the Culinary Zinema: Film and Gastronomy Section, 23 September at the 65th edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival, it’s been announced.

The film follows 15 of the world’s best chefs including Alain Ducasse, Daniel Humm, René Redzepi, Andoni Aduriz, Yoshihiro Narisawa, Victor Arguinzoniz, and Guy Savoy, as well as Michelin management, food writers and diners in an attempt to understand just why these little stars have such a huge hold on the culinary world, while also exploring the darker side of cooking at the highest level.

Watch the trailer below and check the film’s Facebook page for more.

"Michelin Stars – Tales From The Kitchen" Trailer from Bon Vivant Communications on Vimeo.

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Stranded "Hero" Bakers Feed Thousands of Storm Victims

A group of Mexican bakers stranded in their Houston, Texas bakery for two days because of rising flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey put their time to good use – by baking hundreds of loaves of pan dulce for storm victims.

The four bakers at El Bolillo Bakery realised they were going to be stranded late one Friday night as the streets became impassable, The Independent reports.  But with the power still on they decided to knuckle down and bake through the night and throughout the next day, getting through nearly two tonnes of flour before they rescued.

The pan dulce, Mexican sweet bread, was then distributed to storm victims.

The story has since gone viral, with the bakers being hailed as “heroes” on social media. Thankfully, only one suffered damage to his home as a result of the storm. 

Hurricane Harvey pan dulce we are going to take to those in need. Bakers we're stuck inside for two days! We will announce when we open our stores again.

Posted by El Bolillo Bakery on Monday, August 28, 2017

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35 Things You Should Never Do in a Restaurant

What’s your worst restaurant faux pas, the thing you really hate seeing people do in restaurants? Perhaps it’s being rude to waiting staff, bad table manners, or fussy eaters?

Fourth software, as reported by The Independent, surveyed 1500 people in the UK to find out what irks them the most in restaurants. They found that 60% of people have been put off by their dining companion’s etiquette, 10% have felt the need to apologise for their parents’ manners, and only one in five think it’s acceptable to upload photos of your food to social media.

They used the results to draw up a list of the top 35 faux pas in restaurants. We’re sure you’ll recognise many of these, with the top three being clicking your fingers at the wait staff, talking with your mouth full and being too loud.

Any missing? Let us know over on our Facebook page.

 

Top 35 restuarant faux pas

1. Clicking your fingers for the waiter’s attention

2. Talking with your mouth full

3. Being too loud and raucous

4. Wiping hands on the tablecloth

5. Blowing your nose in a napkin

6. Letting children come and go as they please from the table

7. Licking a knife

8. Letting children listen to videos on a phone

9. Texting at the table

10. Answering/making a phone call

11. Letting your children play with cutlery and condiments

12. Touching up make-up at the table

13. Asking for a toothpick and removing food from your teeth at the table

14. Placing your phone on the table next to you

15. Not leaving a tip

16. Blowing on hot food too loudly

17. Taking a picture of your meal

18. Not sharing a ‘sharing platter’ and eating more than your fair share

19. Asking for ketchup/mayo in a fine dining restaurant

20. Flirting with the waiter/waitress

21. Tucking your napkin in your collar

22. Holding a knife like a pencil

23. Scooping out the ice from your drink with your fingers

24. Holding a knife and fork in the wrong hands

25. Paying your exact share when splitting the bill

26. Going outside to smoke

27. Pouring white wine in a glass that was being used for red

28. Downing a drink as soon as it arrives

29. Using the wrong cutlery for the course

30. Making a signing gesture for the bill

31. Moving around chairs and tables to accommodate your party

32. Ordering a fussy meal (no chips, no dressing etc)

33. Mispronouncing the name of a dish

34. Asking for a knife and fork because you can’t use chopsticks

35. Asking if a meal is vegan, dairy free, gluten free, etc

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35 Things You Should Never Do in a Restaurant

What Vegetables Can You Spiralize? Here are 7 Great Options

What vegetables can you spiralize? It is the first question that comes up when tip toeing into spiralizing territory. The two classics are zucchini and cucumber but those are just two of the many options out there. 

You'll be surprised to know that all sorts of vegetables can be spiralized, including root veggies and cruciferous varieties. Below is an easy guide to seven vegetables that can be spiralized and turned into colorful noodles you can use in countless low-carb, Paleo, vegetarian and gluten-free recipes:

Zucchini

Spiraled zucchini has been around for a while. It's mild flavor makes it a great substitute for pasta and it combines nicely with meats, seafood and spice.

Learn how to make zucchini spaghetti and meatballs.

Cucumbers

Keep the skin on cucumbers so they will look extra pretty when you pass them through the spiralizer. Remember that cucumbers will get watery when combined with salt so they should be consumed promptly.

Carrots

The long slender shape of carrots makes them an ideal vegetable to spiralize. Their sweetness is a pleasant contrast to sharp flavors like ginger and scallions.

Beets

Whether you opt for traditional red, yellow or orange beets, this hearty root vegetable perks up any dish. Citrus-based vinaigrettes play off the earthiness of beets but they are also tasty paired with cheese.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato noodles may be consumed raw and are a gorgeous addition to a salad. They are also delicious when lightly sautéed with olive oil and garlic.

Daikon Radish

^{image via Strength and Sunshine}

The pungency of daikon radish plays off stronger flavors like soy sauce, ginger and creamy peanut sauces. A simple but tasty idea: enjoy spiralized daikon with a squeeze of lemon and a touch of Himalayan salt. 

Try this spiralized Thai salad prepared with daikon, cucumber and spices.

Broccoli

^{Liz West/Flickr}

Did you know you could spiralize broccoli? It may not have been the first vegetable that popped into your head but broccoli stalks are loaded with fiber and have a pleasant crunch when raw. Save the florets and use them as a garnish for your tasty dish.

Wondering what else to do with spiralized veggies? Take a look at these awesome recipe ideas from Shape magazine:

Should you buy a vegetable spiralizer?Check out the pros and cons.

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What Vegetables Can You Spiralize? Here are 7 Great Options

The Science of Dry Brining

If you are experienced at using the barbecue, you will certainly know that grilling is only the last step of a complex procedure. One of the most important phases, before actually placing the food on heat, is brining. This is one of the secrets of bona fide "grillers": it consists in placing the food you intend to cook - usually poultry - in a water and salt solution to enhance its flavour and make the meat more tender and the skin crisper. However, this technique requires time and sufficient space in the refrigerator. Alternatively, the dry brining method can be used.

What is dry brining?

The basic idea is that of preparing a mixture of salt and spices with which to "massage" the piece of meat before cooking it. Behind this simple operation lies a procedure which is capable of transforming the flavour and tenderness of our barbecued dishes.

It is based on the consideration that traditional brining, as well as requiring space (imagine having to immerse a turkey of 3 or 4 kilos...) will certainly preserve the meat moisture after cooking but, to do so, dilutes its juices with the salt and water solution. So, while the meat is certainly more tender, it is also less tasty. In the case of dry brining, which involves the use of dry ingredients only, there is no need to keep the meat in the fridge for an entire night, or maybe more, nor the risk of watering down its flavour. As a result, the internal moisture of the food remains intact, as well as its flavour, not to mention the fact that any skin - such as chicken skin or pork rind - will be crisper and perfectly delicious.

The dry brining principle

Dry brining is based on the principle that when an external crust of salt and spices is created, this penetrates the muscle fibres of the meat. This magic happens because, when the meat starts to cook it tends to expel its moisture towards the outer surface and accumulate on the crust. As the cooking process continues, the latter returns some of the moisture to the fibre.

This reaction, known as “pull-push”, enhances the meat with the flavour of salt and spices, but without diluting its natural juices. And that's not all: the dry brining technique enables any damage to be limited in the case of over-cooking. What actually happens is that a moisture reserve is created which comes in useful if we forget to remove the food from the heat when done. With dry brining, it is sufficient to prepare the meat a couple of hours, or even a few minutes before cooking and you are all set to go, even though the extra hour or so will certainly improve the final result.

How to use the dry brining method

Dry brining is so easy and effective that it is quickly explained. It consists in preparing a mixture of three spoonfuls of kosher salt and one of baking powder - if you can't get baking powder, you can use an equivalent amount of bicarbonate of soda or cream tartar. Alternatively, prepare a mixture of half salt and up to half of kosher salt.

Now, dry your piece of meat and massage it thoroughly with the mixture so that it adheres to the surface. It is now ready for the grill but if you can, leave it in the fridge to rest for 10-12 hours. A whole day would be even better but, in this case, wrap the meat in cellophane.

When it is time to cook your food, do not rinse the meat but simply place it on the grill. It has been demonstrated that dry brining is almost as effective as traditional brining in preserving natural moisture but it also retains the right concentration of meat juices. Then, if you feel like experimenting, you can enhance your salt mixture with (a few) spices in powder form. From now on, dry brining will be an essential part of your barbecue cooking.
 

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The Science of Dry Brining

3 Videos That Will Help You Master Dessert Plating

Here are three videos that will help you master dessert plating and hopefully stimulate some fresh thinking when it comes to creating a fitting grand finale to any meal.

The first, from the Institute of Culinary Education, reimagines the same dessert three different ways, showing just what you can do if you take a step back and look at a dish in a different way. The second offers a run through of six basic sauce patterns, while the third, from the The Art of Plating shows you how to plate ice cream in an elegant, yet simple way to produce a stunning plate. 

We’ve tons more beautiful plating content on the site, but if you’re looking for a laugh, take a look at 39 of the worst plating ideas ever – you won’t believe some of these!

Simple to Spectacular - Ice Cream from The Art of Plating on Vimeo.

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6 Risotto Recipes With A Chef's Touch

You don't have to be Italian to make great risotto. You don't even have to be a chef, for that matter. But you do need one thing: a good risotto recipe.

These six stellar risotto recipes are from world-renown chefs and are just the thing to make when you want to impress your dinner guests.

Take your pick from a seafood inspired squid risotto from the chef of the sea, Angel Leon, or showcase salicornia in an unusual risotto from Inaki Aizpitarte. Keep it classic and bold with Marchesi's iconic saffron risotto from the home of risotto, or try your hand at a more daring mushroom risotto with sweetbreads. There's an unusual twist to appeal to all budding chefs.

For the uninitiated, risotto making comes with a few important rules. Check in with our 5 chef rules for making risotto before starting out.

Chef Ángel León's recipe enriches a classic risotto with both squid and marine plankton, giving extra flavour and texture. Find out more about marine plankton here.

Renowned celebrity Italian chef, restaurateur and Marchesi taught Carlo Cracco shares an unusal recipe for risotto with black sesame and apple.

Try the world famous Italian chef Gualtiero Marchesi's signature dish for a traditional Milanese saffron risotto made adding a precious golden leaf at the end. Here are 9 more dishes from the Italian master.

If you are a funghi fan, try elevating your standard mushroom risotto with this recipe that includes sweetbreads and Grana Padano, from the Italian chef Claudio Sadler from Sadler restaurant in Milan.

Chef Inaki Aizpitarte shows us how to cook salicornia like an Italian risotto with a easy and healthy recipe, ready in half an hour. Find out more about the delights of salicornia here.

This wonderfully light and elegant scampi rice recipe for a delicious seafood risotto was presented by chefs Italo Bassi and Riccardo Monco.

If you like these recipes, try exploring further with our collection of Michelin starred chef risotto recipes.

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6 Risotto Recipes With A Chef's Touch