We live in an age of plenty, when food is consumed and pursued as much for entertainment as for sustenance. Haute cuisine foodie magazines abound. There are television food channels that are devoted to every aspect of gastronomy. Celebrity chefs are as ubiquitous and as famous as actors and politicians. Gourmet food stores have sprouted in every town of any size in the United States. Chains such as Kroger and Safeway have in-store gourmet shops solely devoted to enhancing the preparation and presentation of meals.

As recently as two centuries ago this adoration of food and cooking was unthinkable. For the vast majority of people the only interest they had in food was securing enough nutrition to stay alive. Taste, presentation and assortments of foodstuffs were of no importance and beyond their reality. This changed in the first decade of the 19th century in Paris.

In 1792 Marie-Antoine Careme was born to destitute parents at the height of the violent French Revolution. The parents abandoned the boy and he was apprenticed at the age of eight to the famous patissier Sylvain Bailly. The young boy was ambitious, hard working and smart and Bailly encouraged him to open his own bakery after he had complete his apprenticeship.

Careme opened the Patisserie de la Rue de la Paix in 1813. The shop quickly gained fame and a loyal following. The windows were famous for "pieces montees", elaborate constructions famous for their scale used as table centerpieces. Many were designed to look like ruins and famous buildings from around the world. They were as much sculpture as edible food.

As a baker Careme was always experimenting, seeking to push the envelope of presentation, subtle taste enhancements and inventing new forms of cooking. He is credited with creating gros nougats, grosses maringues, croquantes and solilemmes. The famous French politician Charles Talleyrand and Napoleon became fans of his work and he was often commissioned to cook for diplomatic functions.

Eventually Talleyrand hired Careme to work exclusively for him at his country estate. Talleyrand famously presented Careme with a test. He had to devise a menu for a complete year of meals, with no repetition of dishes and using only local, seasonal foodstuffs. When Careme passed the test Talleyrand vigorously promoted his young chef who had turned his attention from solely baking to formal cooking.

After the fall of Napoleon Careme went to London and served as chef de cuisine for King George IV. Later he travelled to St. Petersburg to work for Czar Alexander I. Finally, returning to Paris and the employee of James Mayer Rothschild, he died at the age of 48. It is believed that Careme died at a young age because he spent his life cooking near open charcoal flames.

It was as chef for Talleyrand that Careme spread the greatest influence. He cooked for the large diplomatic councils that Talleyrand convened. As diplomats returned to their distant countries they carried stories about the wonderful delicacies that Careme had concocted. The upper classes of Europe quickly became enamored and haute cuisine, stylized French cooking became the rage.

Careme is the most influential chef of all time. Many of his techniques and improvements are in use to this day. He invented the famous toque (chef's hat). His creation and classification of the universally utilized four Mother Sauces changed cooking. He pioneered the "service a la Russe", serving dishes one at a time as they appeared on the menu. Numerous recipes and cooking techniques are attributed to this culinary genius.

His five part book "L' Arte de la Cuisine Francais" is still considered a classic. It details numerous recipes, plans for menus and tables settings, organizing kitchens and the history of French cookery.

In most major cities around the world, the French restaurant is considered the apex of taste, refinement and luxurious dining. When visiting Paris, especially for first time travelers, the experience of viewing patisserie windows is street theatre. The colors, styles and shapes of the treats are so visually stunning. The pace and style of French restaurants have a cadence all their own. Food is art and life to the French. Marie-Antoine Careme, "The King of Chefs, and the Chef of Kings" deserves much of the credit for this grand legacy.

by: Geoff Ficke

Geoff Ficke has been a serial entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a small boy, earning his spending money doing odd jobs in the neighborhood, he learned the value of selling himself, offering service and value for money.

After putting himself through the University of Kentucky (B.A. Broadcast Journalism, 1969) and serving in the United States Marine Corp, Mr. Ficke commenced a career in the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28, he then launched a number of ventures, including Rubigo Cosmetics, Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris, Le Bain Couture and Fashion Fragrance.

Geoff Ficke and his consulting firm, Duquesa Marketing, has assisted businesses large and small, domestic and international, entrepreneurs, inventors and students in new product development, capital formation, licensing, marketing, sales and business plans and successful implementation of his customized strategies. He is a Senior Fellow at the Page Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Business School, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

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It is important to understand the significance of the chef's knife. In fact, one of the secrets that professionals use to create amazing meals at home and on the job is the use of the chef's knife.

Professional chefs know that correct preparation of ingredients helps in the eye appeal of the final presentation of the dish. More importantly, items that are cut consistently will cook consistently. That way, every piece of carrot has the same texture in the soup. If they're cut to different sizes, the larger one will be hard and crunchy, and the smaller piece soft and mushy.

Practicing correct skills with your kitchen knives will also save money by allowing you to buy larger items and break them into usable pieces. When you prepare fresh ingredients correctly, there is less waste and fresh ingredients improve your cooking by increasing the nutrients in your diet by using more wholesome foods.

One of the most common items that needs to be cut in household cooking is an onion. Every time you make a cut into an onion, it releases sulfur-based gas. When that gas comes in contact with the water in your eye, it turns into sulfuric acid and burns. So, not only does the onion need to be cut into consistent pieces, it is certainly more pleasant if you can do it with as few knife strokes as possible.

Wrong Way to Cut an Onion

The common rocking of the knife against the cutting board, the "mezzaluna" motion is just another way to chop things inconsistently.

Right Way to Cut an Onion

The correct way to dice an onion is to first cut the onion in half from root end to blossom end, giving you a flat surface to work from, avoiding a rolling onion and sharp knife. Since the root end of the onion holds it together, the next step is to cut the blossom end from the onion and remove the skin.

The natural curve of the onion layers will help you in cutting the item into consistent pieces if you first make horizontal cuts in the onion that travel parallel to your cutting board. Now, make vertical cuts in the onion with the tip of your knife, but not all the way back to the root end.

You should now have a "checkerboard" type slices in the onion, but it should stay together because you haven't cut back to the root end. A tip/fulcrum method will now cut the onion into consistent diced pieces if you now cut across the previous two cuts.

Try it at home! You're going to love the time and tears that it saves you as well as having the ability to have consistent sized pieces of onion. So, one of the most important kitchen skills is having knife skills. The correct use of a chef's knife will help you save money, use better foods, improve your confidence, and save time spent in the kitchen.

Chef Todd Mohr is a classically trained chef, entrepreneur and educator. Since 2007, he has been the creator and host of the "Cooking Coarse" video series, which is known for its straight-forward and entertaining approach to cooking instruction. Chef Todd's simple philosophy - burn your recipes and learn how to really cook - has helped many home cooks and professionals alike finally achieve success in the kitchen.
For more details on Cooking by Method and how you can cook better everyday at home, Click Here to get his FREE monthly ezine Burn Your Recipes - filled with great cooking advice, guidance ideas and support.

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