Austin’s legendary Soup Peddler picks out his key seasonings, an amazing barbecue cooker and a cookbook by Salvador Dali
OBJECTS
Fagor pressure cooker »
“I love my pressure cooker, it’s absolutely essential. It’s the microwave of true cookery because it compresses the time horizon. People are afraid of pressure cookers and stuff but it’s really not a scary device. You can steam broccoli in three minutes if you pressure-steam it.” – David
Thermopop digital thermometer »
“A digital thermometer is really important because it teaches you that food is ready at specific temperatures, so you don’t have to be a chef to be know when a piece of meat is done – you just take the temperature.”
Big Green Egg »
A charcoal barbeque cooker based on the Japanese kamado cook stove. “It’s an amazing device, just a great, really nice piece of kit. You just set it and forget it. It’s such a precision instrument.”
INGREDIENTS
Salt, pepper and olive oil
“People don’t realise you can take any vegetable, chop it up, put it in a roasting pan with just olive oil, salt and some fresh cracked pepper, throw it in the oven and that’s it. When I go camping I always take these three things – that’s enough to season a great meal.” – David
Old Bay seasoning »
“This is one essential spice in my cupboard; it’s a Maryland crab seasoning blend which has quite a few uses in my home.”
Saffron
“People get put off saffron because it’s expensive but it’s a very cool ingredient.”
BOOKS
Les Diners de Gaia, Salvador Dali »
“I’ve never used this for cooking, but it’s amazing to look at [see below]; it was a gift from a friend and sits proudly on a shelf in my living room.” – David
How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman »
“The book has a section at the beginning that is really the most important part of his cookbooks – how to create a culinary atmosphere in your home, how to have a well stocked pantry, what are the things you should always have to hand.”
The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook »
“This is what people need to be reading if they want to become cooks. Even though they sometimes overcomplicate things, it gives you the scientific angle. Cook’s Illustrated is the opposite of most other food magazines: it’s black and white and there are no photographs.”
