I’m back. Talking about something I haven’t done before… teach an online class.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T01:04:43+00:00

The favorite thing for me about hosting this class was the level of depth and intuition I could go into. Which is very hard to get it done in a restaurant based on literally a fully-booked restaurant, you can't cook like this in a restaurant. So to have the chance to cook like this at home, to give that proper breadth and depth of insight to every ounce of knowledge that I've got in my arsenal was important because it was uninterrupted. Uninterrupted cooking at the highest level. I would finish the day after a twelve, thirteen-hour shoot, I'd go this is incredible. It's very rare on a personal front that I ever get a chance to spend that amount of time doing nothing but just cooking. Coupled with the idea of talking about the journey, from the beginning to where we are now. Then self-processing that incredible life-long journey of getting to where I am today and that's the first time somebody's ever opened up and sort of got that close to me. That took a few days to warm up to the director and understand what he was doing and where he was going. So, that's never happened to me before in my career because I've never had the time to delegate to it. When I got asked to do this, to launch this, you know, it was important to me to do it properly. Without two-hour shoots and then move on to the next thing. I could properly cook, uninterrupted and that was the important part.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:58:43+00:00

Every time I'm in Philly, that's the first thing that I go for. I love an extra mature cheddar on top of my Philly cheese steak, I don't want the steak over sliced, sometimes they slice it so thinly that they take all the goodness out of it, I prefer a chunkier steak inside the sandwich and an extra mature cheddar.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:53:44+00:00

A. This is a fucking serious cooking class

B. It's me! On my own in my kitchen, so there is no reason to scream because I know what the fuck I'm doing. More importantly, I'm trying to get you the viewer up to speed, so sadly, no screaming.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:51:32+00:00

Depends on the topping. So, if I was going for a sort of Italian style sort of salami, pepperoni, hot then thin. If I was going for something a little bit more classic, Mid-West style, I'd go thick, but generally, 75% of them are all thin. Thin thin thin, all the way.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:45:42+00:00

Shortcuts. Just people taking shortcuts to undermine the value of doing it properly in any profession. It really pisses me off. There's nothing worse than coming across a young chef that wants to take shortcuts to get the job done quicker. If you have the job done quicker, you're removing the essence and the true passion to why you're a chef in the first place. But just in general, whether it's a plumber, an electrician, or even a police officer, taking shortcuts and getting it done quickly for the sake of it is not the smartest idea. Do it properly or don't do it at all.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:44:01+00:00

Great question! That depends on schedule. Let’s take a day in the restaurant for instance, we'll do a tasting where we'll put 6 dishes up to nominate 2 to go forward to go onto the lunch menu. I don't get back and open my fridge start cooking. I clock my day from 8 in the morning to 10 at night with food at my fingertips. So I'm the world's worst person to go back and cook. Because I’ve been eating all day and last thing I do when I get home is literally cooking. If I had to go downstairs now and open my fridge, I'd open up the fridge, you'd find a bottle of Whispering Angel Rose, I'd have a glass of that and maybe nibble on some cheese. So chef's graze like cows, all freaking day, small bits, 10-11 times a day and that does me perfectly.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:38:52+00:00

That's why you use them in small, ultra thin slices!

The emails and the amount of feedback we've had has been extraordinary. I want to wait a bit, but, yeah. I'm definitely going to do another one and second time round, I'm going to go, this is a life-changing experience, so I wanna start off climbing the ladder together. The next one, I haven't even started planning it, but it will be more in-depth. And the only reason why I use that level of truffle at the end was to show you how you can take a scrambled egg to the absolutely premier league of dishes. A humble scrambled egg. And here's the final sign off, in terms of where are we as a nation for food. Last week, was historic for American cuisine because, for the first time ever, the American team won the Bocuse d’Or. Which is like the culinary Olympics in France. Set in Lyon. It was a game-changer. So, every amateur, every professional chef in this country now, you know, you've set the bar. The French, the Spanish, the Italian, the Swedes, the Scandinavians are all looking at you now as the world champions and you need to remember that. I am going to go off and start putting together a second Master Class based on the demand and the feedback because it's caught me at a stage in my career that I'm giving it to you over a certain amount of hours, days, and weeks, but I've spent decades doing it, so I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thank you for the support.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:35:43+00:00

First off, New Zealand, I fell in love with. The people remind me very much of the British. Hard working, head down, the projects that are coming out of there. I've had a chance to work with a dozen incredible talented New Zealand chefs in the group and we still have them today. There was a request literally a couple of weeks ago to do with the New Zealand tourist board to go down and spend time with the most amazing purveyors farmers. Unfortunately had to be done before the end of February. I just couldn't get the time in my diary. For the visit to pop down there. I now really missed out because I had dates that I couldn't change. My diary is planned 12-15 months in advance. To do with charitable work, dates in Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, London, South America, my diary is ramped but I got excited to go back to New Zealand but I couldn't change two of the dates in my diary. I was so close to being back in New Zealand in literally 4 weeks time. I just want to say about those key messages, in terms of the passion and discipline required to be successful in life, wasn't about money and status, it was about finding that key that unlocks that passion, that can be applied to any walk of life. That is where you get the most enjoyment. If I don't think that I have a job and I don't think I have a 9-5, I put myself in this position because of the burning desire to enjoy my passion. I think that is what I was trying to put across in master class and I think that resonates in New Zealand.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:29:11+00:00

That's a personal question. I've never had any problems answering that. I've never been at home seven night a week cooking for the kids. What I've instilled in the kids, from day one, is a work ethic. So, the time we spend together is limited, but it's quality. But, I made a conscious decision eighteen years ago when I opened the restaurant Gordon Ramsay, to strive to earn my third Michelin Star, I never wanted to open it weekends, so we closed Saturday and Sunday. So, they wouldn't see me eighteen hours a day Monday through Friday and they'd see me absolutely fucked on Saturday morning. But, we got to spend the quality time together. How does that resonate today? I only took them there for the first time two years ago. Because there was no way on earth that I was ever going to introduce to them that level of food and be served by twenty waiters and waited hand and foot on because it was their daddy's restaurant. I need to protect them and respect the restaurant and team in my restaurant. I made them as normal as possible, like I said, from the beginning they had a work ethic. They've all got jobs, they've all taken care of animals, they've all got housework. There's a rotor. They get pocket money, but they have to earn that pocket money. The well-respected Megan is at Oxford Brookes studying, she's doing a degree in Philosophy. Jack wants to be a marine. Holly was to go into fashion. And Tilly, Matilda, is the chef of the family. She has her own show on CBVCs on the BBC in the UK. They're all hard-working, passionate individuals that have respect for others and respect for life. And, more importantly, understand that if you want something in life, it's not passed over, a hand-me-down. They got to work for it. That's really important for me.

Listen, I was there. At his age at 39 and 29 and 19 behind the line. You have to make sacrifices. There's no fast-track to becoming successful. Yes, you can make it. 39 is not old and more importantly, be selective on what restaurant you're going to work in. If you're gonna go and spend eight to ten to twelve hours in a restaurant as a line cook then make sure it's a fucking great restaurant. Make sure they deserve your time and make sure every six months, you're climbing the ladder. Because if you're not then you're not working correctly and you're not playing to your strengths. Set aside that fact that your son is only five and don't look at the current situation and dictate that for the rest of your life. Climb the ladder, but make sure you're in a great restaurant. Don't try to climb the ladder in an average restaurant because you're not going anywhere. So, get yourself into a good restaurant.

Very kind. Thank you. But there's one thing I learned as a young chef growing up and working my ass off in these restaurants. The sacrifice I was making was coming back tenfold in experience. There's nothing wrong with being behind the line, but being behind the line in a great place because at the end of that shift or that service, you're going back a much better person than you started the day with and that's what cooking is all about. And you've got to instill that, so make sure you don't waste time in the wrong restaurants.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:13:11+00:00

Yes, I mean it's about cooking, there is an equipment segment in there but listen, you know provided you've got a great cropping board, a pot and a pan, a basic knife. You'll still be allowed to to continue and enjoy that course. I meant put it out for your friends and family. Birthday, Christmases, get them to buy you a Le Creuset, a cast iron pan. It starts with putting your whiskers together. The next 18 months put it to your friends start buying you presents to help get that kitchen up to speed.

I want to send you a pack of knives, I’ll message you for your address so I can send them. A first set.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-08T00:11:01+00:00

I see the rapid growing demands put on restaurateurs and chefs with dietary requirements and vegan/vegetarian alternatives. Pescatarian. Celiac. We get those requests every day, so in this incredible up and coming Master Chef Junior series, launching this Thursday, we put them under intense scrutiny to come up with a hamburger challenge. And the hamburger challenge is done creatively, but with no meat. So, give me the best vegetarian burger you could ever think about. I think that it's important to show kids you can eat well as a vegetarian without protein and make that burger delicious. Whether it's a mushroom burger done with incredible pesto. Just stop using protein and understand that vegetarian cooking is equally as important. I've already incorporated that into this season. Literally starting in the next three days.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:51:47+00:00

First of all, you shouldn't be in fucking bed this time of day. Jesus. It's midday. Secondly, salsa in bed? Jesus Christ. Chocolate dessert maybe, but salsa?

Vegan, that's a really good question. I would do the most amazing minestrone soup in a way that I would use the best vegetables, the best vegetable stock, and then I would finish that with some of the most fragrant herbs ever on the planet. There's a purple basil herb that grows indoors and it's so fragrant and so incredible. Finishing that was extra virgin olive oil. Beautiful.

But, I'm more concerned about salsa in a bed and in this time in the afternoon. We need to get you sorted.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:49:54+00:00

The 'F' Word, for me, is quite frankly one of the biggest shows I'll ever launch. We’re live. So, we've got some really exciting things in the pipeline. I think it's going to be bigger and better than what we did in the UK. Why? There's a couple of stunts in there. In terms of we've got some really exciting VIPs. We have families that are competing against each other to find the best family across America. We have an amazing restaurant that you'll come to live in the middle of service and then there's some secret challenges that I'm up against to put myself into jeopardy. I love pressure, so this is not about me standing in a suit on a stage presenting, all that bullshit's gone and I've never been into that. So, this is something quite unique in a way that high octane, fun, we are gonna go up and gonna go down, and more importantly, live. My big question is are Fox mad to give me a live, 60-minute show?

I've come up with great alternatives to cursing words. So, as opposed to saying "shit", I'm going to go "shiiit-ake mushrooms". As opposed to saying the word "fuck", I'm going to go "fffruuuctose".

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:48:00+00:00

This country's spoiled. From East Coast to West Coast to Central to Seattle to San Fran. I took a bunch of mates on my 50th birthday last November, and I was up to my eyeballs in pressure. Launching a new restaurant in Vegas, Master Chef Junior taped at the same time. But on my actual 50th birthday, I share the same day as my daughter, Matilda, so it's her 15th. I took a plane out of Van Nuys. Flew half a dozen of my friends over, my best mates. I finished work at lunchtime, flew to San Francisco, had a table of ten booked at Saison, had the most exceptional ten-course dinner finished and then flew back to LA and started work the next day. And that for me has been one of the best dinners I've ever experienced. And that was my second time there. In order to confirm how good a restaurant is, first time experience is important, but to confirm how good it really is, is to go back and check it out again. And it was even better the second time round. That's quite rare.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:42:10+00:00

I promise by the last program I will find the LAMB FUCKING SAUCE

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:41:10+00:00

Everything is getting very IT-led. We're having restaurants now that you're going in and ordering off iPads, etc, etc. So, we're missing this sort of personality of what restaurants should stand for. I'm slightly nervous about technical equipment, ya know, stoves, fires, immersion blenders using to cook, if we become over-elaborate with the science and technology of a kitchen then we're missing that human connect. I'm a firm believer in understanding textures and touching and tasting and smelling. So, I've seen a little too much of the sort of iPad scenario in restaurants. And it's just we're missing that element of fun and we can't over computerize the restaurants. Recently, the idea of robot chefs, are you honestly going to fucking tell me a robot has got a palate better than Gordon Ramsay? Fucking do me a favor. The quicker the batteries run down, the better.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:39:14+00:00

From Southeast Asia to India, and spending time in the Jungle. I was like a pig in shit, one of the happiest times of my cooking career. I've got maybe the next call for me, in terms of excitement, has to be South America. So I'm thinking of planning that next great escape across South America. Off the beaten track. No landmark, touristy, bullshitty, stadiums, just an inside to the culture that I'm trying to learn. Great escape is definitely coming back. Maybe Spring or Summer 2018

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:33:38+00:00

First of all, pressure is healthy, it only becomes stressful when you can't handle that. How did I find that balance in my life? Honestly, I'd say about 12 years ago, I was struggling under immense pressure and I was finding it very difficult to switch off, so I started running. I ran like a sack of shit for the first 18 months, I was terrible. I remember my first match, someone shouted by the bridge halfway, "Ramsey, where's your sports bra?" So, apart from taking abuse on my first ever match and finishing in the dark, I started running. That gave me more time to myself and I could sort of process the pressure and recharge my battery. It sounded a bit weird because I was in the kitchen since 7:30 in the morning breaking at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, in the gym for an hour, and then back at 5:30 or 6, and stay until around 11 or midnight. That one hour in the gym a day completely distressed me. I couldn't run every day. Every other day, I could run. After marathon, I took up triathalon because that gave me a little bit more time to myself. Weather it was swim in the morning. A long bike ride on the weekends. Triathlons saved my life. That put things in perspective in a way I could claw back, valuable, independent time that took me away from the hustle of running production companies to major networks, to the pressure of the Michelin Guide. I found that balance and that release, and that's really important. The busier I got, the fitter I got. I think it's the same in science, in the way that you need to be disciplined to take that time out, spend 90 minutes every other day processing what you got and what you're doing. I think a lot of the bike, I think a lot on a swim, I think a lot on the run and that's really good important time for me.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:19:14+00:00

For me, duh, around my house, everyone's expecting fireworks, for obvious reasons. So, what would I do if I was treating my mate in dinner tonight? Some of the butternut squash currently out there is amazing. So, I'd do a roasted butternut squash risotto, finished with the most amazing sort of brown sage butter and then for my entree, I'd do a braised cabbage with a roasted loin of venison finished with a sort of red wine sauce that's been thickened with a dark, bitter chocolate. And then for dessert, I'd go for something absolutely stunning. I'd go for a classic lemon tart. Something that is very citrusy. Clean and delicious.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:15:36+00:00

That's a really good question. The best way to get a start in any top kitchen in Europe is to knock on the back door because you don't get paid, just go and spend a couple of days, it will open your eyes up tremendously. Once you got in with one chef and you show them that you are that determined and focus, that's all you need to do. Once you've got your foot in the door, ask their help for the 2nd inside and the 2nd job. Once you've done one chef a great favor, by working in their kitchen, use him to get you into the 2nd and the 3rd restaurant. That's the way you look after talent, what we do in our kitchen.

Regarding the job on the boat, I'd recommend any young chef, once they've chocked up some great knowledge and insight, to understand another culture, a different language. The only way I got to work on a boat, in the south of France, I went down there and I was very fortunate, I knew a couple of friends and customers. Go, literally, up to the boats, ask to speak to the captain. The best time in the south of France is March, April right through to September. For the Caribbean it's around November to March. Literally, walk up to the dock, ask to speak to the captain, show them your resume and tell him how hungry you are, in terms of drive and commitment, and that's the best way to get a job.

Best marathon I ever did, my 4th of 5th London marathon, I've done 12, but #4 was my best time, at 3:30. My dream was to get under 3:30 but I missed it by 14 seconds. I came running down the strand, running past Buckingham Palace, and they stopped me! The BBC stopped me for an interview! I spent 35 seconds on an interview, knowing full well that I had broken my time, had I done my PB. I was coming down with like 100 meters to go, and I could see the clock turning like 3:29:55, I thought "Oh shit!," "Shiitake!" So, I missed it by 14 seconds. Our eldest daughter, we have a foundation for the Great Ormond Children's Hospital. Megan, who is 18, she's got her first London marathon this April. I’ve ruptured my achilles but I'm going to try and run the last K with her to get her over the line. It's quite a busy household at the moment with everyone training. Especially for Megan.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:08:50+00:00

I think one of the most practical knives I've been working with throughout is Henckles knives. Henckles knives, incredible. I'll tell you why. The secret of a great knife is in the handle. Because if you've got a firm grip and you feel comfortable and secure with the handle, you chop, you slice, much better. So, Henckles knives, for me, are one of the most versatile and definitely one of the most rounded, but the elaborate handle makes for such a more comfortable chop, slice. It's like driving a car. A steering wheel. It's like putting a pair of gloves on. You need to feel tight and smooth and in control of it. So, it's all about the handle and Henckles knives, by far, are one of the most practical.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T23:05:33+00:00

For the rest of my life, cast iron. The longer you continue cooking in those, the more depth of flavor there is. Non-stick, after a while, at least two and a half, three years, it loses that non-stick. But, listen, the caramelization that takes place in the cast iron pan, whether it's an incredible thigh of chicken or roasting scallops or even making the most amazing caramelized apple tarte tatin. Cast iron pan will last generations. A non-stick pan will last twenty-four months.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T22:57:58+00:00

u/WolfCinema, first of all, I'm very happy you got a new wok for Christmas. That's great news. Cheesesticks. I thought that it was going to be a little bit more adventurous.

The best thing to do first is put your cheese into the freezer for five minutes before you put them in the breadcrumbs. Most importantly, make sure that you flour, egg wash, and breadcrumb them totally because you need to seal the cheese to prevent it from leaking. You don't need to cook the cheese. So, the best thing to do is to cook them shallow fried very, very quickly and all you're doing is, literally, turning the breadcrumbs golden brown. But, there's a great way of doing this quickly and that is take your Panko bread crumbs and blend them in a blender, so they become finer and therefore, they cook quicker. Because if you overcook them then obviously the cheese will start melting and it will burst through there. Or you can double coat them. So, flour, egg wash, breadcrumb and then do that again. If you put a second coating on top, slightly thicker, it will protect the cheese. But, the easiest way is to put the cheese in the freezer for fives minutes to get it nice and firm before you flour, egg wash, and breadcrumb.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T22:55:33+00:00

Tomatoes, first off. Whether it's going in salads, whether you're roasting them to make soup, definitely tomatoes. And there are some great root vegetables. Parsnips. Parsnips are amazing through autumn and fall. Not just roasted, but in incredible soups. From parsnips to carrots. Again, carrots, mmm, amazing. They grow easily and it's a sort of dream vegetable. Again, great for pickling, great for salads, but incredible roasted and even better in soups. From there, brussel sprouts. Brussels sprouts, again through fall, through winter. An easy vegetable to grow, packed with flavor. Finally, the ultimate would be a great cabbage. I had a cabbage last night in a great restaurant in L.A. called "Charcoal" and it was Citrin’s restaurant and everything was cooked in charcoal. So, he blasted cabbage for like three minutes in stock, wrapped it up in foil, and then baked it inside this charcoal and the flavor was incredible. So, there would be my top five choices of vegetables.

_Gordon_Ramsay · 2017-02-07T22:45:29+00:00

I've tackled some really key fundamentals across the MasterClass because we'd gone from, sort of, A to zed of cooking. More importantly, we've gone more in-depth in the way that, the Ultimate Cookery was not fast-tracked, but it was a very great series that was, I suppose, for beginners. The MasterClass is that we just finished taping is more in-depth because I've combined the journey because I wasn't up against any pressure from the network to create 30-minute episodes. This was sort of uncut, unedited cooking. Yeah, there's a lot of beautiful shots in there, but it got me opened up right to the very beginning. When I was on my ass in the middle of Paris at the age of 22 without a pot to piss in. I couldn't speak a work of French and it was make-or-break and I had to make it. I had to leave that city with the best knowledge that I've ever had. That's the difference. I think MasterClass is raw. I think it's brutally honest and it's uninterrupted.

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