4 Blogs Even a Chef Could Learn From

When everybody and his sous-chef suddenly fancies themself writer and photographer, discovering those who do truly interesting and inspiring work, and more importantly -- are able to present it in a thoughtful, coherent, and useful manner can be a task almost as daunting as tackling a ballotine.

Here are four websites that not only take cooking to the next level, but do so with style and clarity.



IDEAS IN FOOD
Penned by former restaurant cooks Aki Kamozawa and Alexander Talbot since 2004, this is the food blog that started it all--the one that first combined creative thought and stunning photography in a way that pretty much every other professional chef's blog has since emulated. The site has always been a favorite amongst chef's, starting with a small, cult-like following. When I worked in restaurant kitchens, I can remember post-service nights spent huddled in front of the computer to see what Alex and Aki were up to. It has since grown into the online source for menu inspiration ranging from the simple (essays French cheese and American meatloaf), to the decidedly molecular (say, how to spherify blueberry purée with agar).


L2O Blog
Ever want to live vicariously in the shoes of a 3-star, James Beard Award-winning chef? Laurent Gras, chef of Chicago's L2O restaurant brings you directly to the front lines of the back of the house where you can watch him play with his newest equipment (that would be the the Silverson Shear Mixer, basically a frappe machine on speed-laced steroids), see taste-ably good images of his works-in-progress (try rice crackers the color of bull's blood), or if you're in a more poetic mood, read while Laurent waxes philosophical about his childhood in Antibes, France. With great photos (which Gras shoots himself) and extensive text, it makes you wonder whether Laurent Gras is really a journalist who just happens to run a kitchen on the side.

Offal Good
Pig guts are finally having their day in the sun (nice image, right?), and who better to lay it all out than Chris Cosentino, the offal-loving chef of San Francisco's Incanto? Started in 2006 (inaugural posts include titles like "Delicious Tripe!!!" or "Recipe for Beef Hear"), the blog contains articles by Chris and others about all things variety-meat, news clippings about Chris' work, and reports from inside Incanto's kitchen.

But the real draw is its more manly elements. Try a unique photo journal of a tour inside Fermin's pig processing facility in Spain, where he graphically illustrates how the life of a pata negra pig must end so that the life of some of the finest Jamón Ibérico (a Spanish dry-cured ham) may begin. Or want to get right in on the action? Watch this video of chef's vying for a coveted spot in Cosentino's "Do you Have the Guts to Cook Guts?," an offal-based cooking competition.

The Quenelle
If there one restaurant in the world that every chef could learn something from, it's Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Napa. And if there's one school that has produced more culinary superstars than any other, it's the Culinary Institute of America. Well, as Pastry Chef at the former, and Assistant Professor at the latter, Francisco Migoya has got both on his pedigree. He pens the beautifully designed and photographed blog The Quenelle, where he combines equal parts science and art to explain modern pastry in a uniquely lucid manner.

Take this recent entry, in which he enlists the help of a chemist and a gastronomic scientific researcher to come up with a unique method of producing foolproof, lump-free pastry cream. It's posts like these that challenge both those new to the art, and seasoned professionals alike.

Which cooking websites or blogs inspire you?

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