Food for Thought: Back to Basics by Dr Philip Friel

Dr Philip Friel swaps clinic scrubs for an apron to discuss what he considers basic needs when it comes to kitchen wares and ingredients

Tips from a master chef: Dr Philip Friel with triple Michelin-starred chef Daniel Garcia in the kitchen of Garcia’s Spanish restaurant.

by Dr Philip Friel

Over the years I’ve cooked in many places—parental home, student flat, around the campfire, on the barbeque, in the galley aboard a world-famous racing yacht, and in more precise kitchens bespoke-designed for professional cooks.

Recently a couple of “street food” chefs have earned coveted Michelin stars, which is proof positive that it’s what you do that matters, not where you do it. Of course, for us lesser chefs, so long as expectations are realistic, our chosen cooking spaces can work perfectly well and outcomes can be mouth-watering and satisfying.

For me, there are many basic kitchen requirements—some essential and some, as I’ll explain, borne from personal preference.

It’s important to make a cooking space work as well and as efficiently as possible. I’m a fan of good open surfaces with minimal clutter. My preference for heat source are conventional gas burners. Of course, other options work, but recipes may need to be altered accordingly.

A thick wooden chopping board is always my preference; however, consideration must be given to cross-infection. Consequently, that thick board is more often used for presentation rather than preparation, making way for standard plastic, labelled or colour-coded versions.

Knives form a vital part of any kitchen and the types and brands are endless. It’s nice and certainly more efficient to have a full set to cover myriad cutting/slicing tasks, but bear in mind you can do an awful lot with a single knife or pair and some practice!

Pots, pans, trays and skillets come in all shapes and sizes, and they all work, from the most basic through to the most advanced thermoconductive metals to ensure a consistent and even heat transfer. As always, so long as you adapt to what you’re working with, then there should be no issues.

Finally, crockery: Presentation is everything! The theatre of food adds as much to the experience as the ingredients and preparation. Any shape, colour or size can work perfectly well to augment your creation.

So, what would I label as basic ingredients? These are the best aspects of having cooking as my passion (and my stress-buster).

Ingredients surround us everywhere. I love investigating ingredients, checking out their provenance and when they’re best eaten. A well-stocked larder is easy to accumulate and use in most things we make, even with just a little travel.

It’s easy to think that we need expensive ingredients for the best meals, but that’s not the case.

My recipes are generally devised ‘on the go’; you’ll rarely see me with specific weights and measures, and there will always be easy substitutions. There is always a way, and on the face of it, there is only so much that can go wrong!

As well as listing the basics here, I’ll go into more detail in future issues as I explore recipes and food types. For now, though, here are my basic, must-have ingredients:

Oils: Extra-virgin olive oil; vegetable oil; homemade flavoured oils.

Vinegars: White and red wine vinegars; traditional and white balsamic vinegars.

Sea salts: Maldon as a mainstay, but also any other varieties I pick up on my travels—most recently, Himalayan rock salt.

Pepper: Whole and white peppercorns with a variable grinder. Many other types can be added, both whole corns and powders.

Wines: Household red and white—whatever you have on the rack.

Stock: If time allows, use fresh or frozen stocks from beef, chicken and fish. When time is short, prepacked stocks can work just as well.

Garlic: Always whole, sliced or freshly crushed.

Onions: Shallots; common white and red onions; and a favourite of mine, sweet Spanish onions.

Vegetables: Many and varied—whatever is in season and looks good, either from the garden or supermarket.

Herbs: Home grown, either indoor or garden, or bought fresh or dried from the market or supermarket.

These form my outline ingredients, but each to his own. Don’t rule out an ingredient just because you’ve never eaten or cooked with it before. Be brave—try it out!

Another key ingredient in any kitchen should be awareness. Think of any allergies among your dining guests. Consider the risks from spoiled foods, as well as the dangers of those knives, heat and hot liquids. Bear all in mind and work within usual safety protocols. We adhere to safety protocols in our clinics; do the same in the kitchen.

Once stocked up with your basics and unleashed in your kitchen, have fun, experiment and, as I always say, what’s the worst that can happen?

In the next issue I’ll share with you the first of my favourite recipes: a mouth-watering, low-cost asparagus soup.