Cook ingredients that you are used to cooking by other techniques, such as fish, chicken, or hamburgers. In other words be comfortable with the ingredients you are using. – Bobby Flay
I was hired as a sous-chef at a restaurant on the Upper East Side. The chef liked to drink – some mornings we would find him sleeping. Two weeks after its opening, I became the chef. I was 20 years old, and way over my head. I had to hire the cooks and do the menus. – Bobby Flay
Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course. – Bobby Flay
I wasn’t passionate about food until I’d been cooking for a while. I started long before food became part of the mainstream media. I just wanted to cook, period. – Bobby Flay
One thing you don’t want to do as a host is be running around all evening. Do as much as you can ahead of time, so all you have to do is grill the main ingredients. – Bobby Flay
Nobody believed the ‘Food Network’ could last. Even I was short sighted and thought to myself, 24 hours of food on TV? They’ll run out of things to talk about in four days! But that wasn’t true. ‘Food Network’ continues to get better and evolve. – Bobby Flay
I can’t grill vegetables, shellfish or steaks without tongs. Don’t bother with those long-handled grilling tongs normally found in the BBQ section of your home store. Get intimate with your grill and opt for the regular stainless steel tongs. – Bobby Flay
Grilling outside with my parents at the Jersey shore. We would grill lobster and corn in the summer. – Bobby Flay
There are so many great things about this business. Almost everybody is on the same team. It is all for one-friendly competitiveness. No one is out to hurt anyone. – Bobby Flay
When I go to a restaurant, I eat three-quarters of the food in front of me. That cuts my calorie intake by 25 percent. – Bobby Flay
I live in New York and I’m in New York basically all the time. I spend a lot of my time in my restaurants, and I feel like that’s why they’re successful. – Bobby Flay
‘The Food Network’ was just starting in New York, and I was getting lots of attention from Mesa Grill. They had no money, so if you couldn’t get there by subway, you couldn’t be on. It wasn’t like TV was something I really wanted to do – but I knew it would be great publicity for my restaurants. – Bobby Flay
Chipotles to me are a one-of-a-kind pepper because they’re smoked jalapenos, so they’re fiery and they’re smoky. It’s good to use chipotles in salsas or soups or condiments – that works really well. To me, they always really pick up anything you put them in. – Bobby Flay
When I’m on television, I think that I appeal to the everyday guy, ’cause that’s who I am. The guys who go to the football games on the weekends are my viewers, for sure. – Bobby Flay
Don’t underestimate the importance of having enough room to work. Grilling is much more relaxing when you are not trying to juggle a whole collection of plates and bowls as you do it. If your grill doesn’t have enough workspace – and they almost never do – set up a table right next to your grill. – Bobby Flay
When I’m hiring a cook for one of my restaurants, and I want to see what they can do, I usually ask them to make me an omelette. – Bobby Flay
I still love making hamburgers on the grill. I guess whenever I eat them childhood memories come up for me. – Bobby Flay
Lime juice makes things taste fresher. I use it for drinks, salsas, relishes, soups, and sauces. You want some give to your limes – firmness means the inside is dry – and they’ll stay softer longer if you don’t refrigerate them. – Bobby Flay
Most of the time, I grill over high heat. I like things to move fast. I like the sound and smell of a very hot fire. I gravitate towards dishes that you can get on and off the grill as quickly as possible. After a while, you’ll know without thinking about it how hot the fire is. – Bobby Flay
I think a lot of times people design restaurants with flash in mind. I think you should design restaurants with function in mind. Make sure it’s functional and works with what you’re trying to accomplish. Design can come later. – Bobby Flay
Brushes are crucial for applying glazes, sauces, and oils. The pastry brushes that you find in homestores can be pricey so pay a visit to your local hardware store and pick up a few paint brushes which are less expensive and work equally as well. – Bobby Flay
A molcajete is a stone mortar and pestle from Mexico. They’re great for grinding spices and making salsa and guacamole because they give everything a nice coarse and rustic feel. I’ve never collected anything, but I think I might start collecting these because each one is decorated differently. – Bobby Flay