Frequently I get asked whether or not I plan to become a chef. The question is pretty fitting given my immense passion for food and cooking, accompanied by my culinary escapades like my recent trip to France. Yes, I adore food. I love being healthy and eating right. Swimming at the University of Texas my coach Eddie Reese always says, “90% of the US Olympic team hates to lose and 10% loves to win.” I relate this to food, nutrition, and life in that more than my love of food and cooking, I hate to see people struggle with their fitness, health, and eating habits. I want to help people be healthier. I don’t believe my calling is to be a chef. My intention is to travel the world learning everything I can about food and cooking. Then I plan to take this knowledge and help Americans take control of their health through smarter food that tastes great!
Some of you may wonder how my trip to France could help me learn to make healthy foods. Yes, butter, cream, salt, and other fats and sugars are mainstays in French cuisine. However the ingredients I used in France were irrelevant to my learning. Chef Michel Troisgros put it simply, “French cuisine is based on two things, technique and taste.” I found myself with eagle eyes and elephant ears in the kitchen as I channeled all my senses towards picking up every intricacy in their cooking methods.
Tasting Is Part of Learning
At La Maison Troisgros (the restaurant where I staged) there is a big emphasis on acidity in their cooking. Chef Michel inherited from his father and uncle (former chefs at La Maison Troisgros) a love for vinegars. This technique is a perfect theme for me to be exposed to given my pursuit of low-sodium foods. Adding acidity to foods through vinegars, citrus juices, and plants like sorrell, naturally enhances the flavors of the food. A higher acidity level minimizes the need for the addition of salt. Brilliant. Vinegar is healthy for you too!
The ways they use acidity are all over the board. Some of the simple applications are in tomato sauces, preservation techniques like canning, cooking vegetables, marinades, dressings for salads, sauces for steaks and other meats, mayonaise, even the preparations of some desserts. The beauty of the kitchen is that you are the boss. Go out and get a couple bottles of different types of vinegars. They’re inexpensive and can be used in tons of different ways.
Boom shock-a-laka…off the bat I learned a simple way to reduce the sodium content of foods! Acidity. Don’t let the stereotype of French food fool you…these guys know a lot more than just fats, sugars, and salts. The chefs at La Maison Troisgros are truly masters of their domain. Stay tuned as I let you in on more techniques and tricks I learned in France that can help you in the kitchen…
Garrett Weber-Gale 
March 30th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
The French are healthy BECAUSE of the high fat diet, not in spite of it. I applaud your desire to bring the tradition of a real food culture like they have in France to the States, but you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you modify it to be low fat, low sodium, etc. just to conform to the faulty ideas of what passes for nutrition science in the Western world.
The French paradox is like all paradoxes, not one at all.