Hi All, Glad to be back on Reddit again. A lot of great things happening right now, MasterChef Junior Season 5 premiered in the US, my new company Studio Ramsay just announced three new series and I’m currently shooting another season of Hell’s Kitchen! But today I want to talk about something that I’ve never done before! A few months ago I decided teach an online class. Check it out here, and www.masterclass.com/gr. I teach the art and techniques of cooking from my home kitchen in Los Angeles., I teach chefs and home cooks how to elevate their own cooking through 20 in-depth, instructive, and visually stunning lessons. By diving deep into picking ingredients, knife skills, how to build great dishes and presentation, taking you through my own recipes for everything from lobster ravioli to beef wellington and I promise not to yell at you (too much). Ask me Anything ….

Proof: https://www.instagram.com/p/BQMtb3RDnH9/?taken-by=gordongram&hl=en

https://twitter.com/GordonRamsay/status/828844769006673920

Edit:

I would just like to say for me having a chance to engage personally with, I hate that word fans, supporters is the highlight of my week. So, thank you to everybody on Reddit and more importantly, continue testing me because unless you test me, I can't get any better. In the meantime, enjoy dinner tonight because damn well I fucking will be.

Comments: 3331 • Responses: 30  • Date: 

i3atfasturd4844 karma

Hey chef, as someone working in kitchens for the last 20 years starting as dishwasher, moved through prep and ending up in NYC as a two star Michelin fish roast I have some questions I hope you can shed some light on. Here in the city in some of the most prestigious places I made what worked out to be around $3 an hour. On paper it was 10-12 but a lot of work was required of me off the clock in order to pull my weight and really give my entire life to these places. As a mid 20's cook with stars in my eyes this wasn't anything to complain about and because I could afford it I actually wore it as a badge of honor. All this changed when my daughter came into the world 2 years ago, I've since left food entirely for a stay at home dad role which is very rewarding. My first question to you is how do you manage to have such seemingly well adjusted kids having obviously sacrificed so much quality time with them in exchange for success?
Personally having never made more than 30k a year cooking I couldn't even consider hiring a nanny at the 50k/year they want and be able to sleep at night knowing I missed so much time in my kids life and lost money doing it. Now I'm faced with the daunting realization that I'll reenter the culinary scene at 39 as a line cook when my son (who is due to be born this summer) turns 5 years old and is able to be in school. My second question is do you think at some point cooks in the highest tier of food will ever be compensated for their work like people in traditional jobs? Also how do you think the new minimum wage laws will effect restauranteurs? Based on what I've seen many places just barely scrape by paying their cooks $10/hour here due to astronomical rent, do you think someone in my position will be more valuable due to decreased demand for cooks or should I consider a new career path. I know this post comes off like I only care about being paid, if it were up to me I'd still be working and losing money to be where I belong but I'm part of a family I love and respect and they come before my aspirations. I've followed your career for a long time and you are a true inspiration to myself and I'm sure many other cooks, I've adopted your compassionate yet no nonsense approach when in sous positions and I attribute 100% of my success to you. Thank you for every thing you have done for the industry.

_Gordon_Ramsay9329 karma

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.

KhaLo0oDzZ3442 karma

WHERE IS THE LAMB SAUCE????

_Gordon_Ramsay7984 karma

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

karafrakinthrace3122 karma

Chef Ramsay, I want to take your Master Class course but I don't have any nice knives or pans. Will I be able to make everything in the course with just regular cookware?

EDIT: I RECEIVED THE KNIVES TODAY! Goint to post pics tomorrow! :D
EDIT: Here they are! Fair warning, my pictures suck. They are Henckels knives!

THANK YOU SO MUCH /u/_Gordon_Ramsay You are amazing!

_Gordon_Ramsay11341 karma

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.

wcvechten2145 karma

Hey Gordon,

Big fan of you and your series, but I'd like to know if we'll ever see another Gordon's great escape? I really loved the insight into different cooking cultures and how you got to go along with them and learn from it.

_Gordon_Ramsay3964 karma

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

coolLane1897 karma

Which do you prefer, waffles or pancakes?

_Gordon_Ramsay4097 karma

Waffles on Saturday, pancakes on Sunday.

MattBaster1643 karma

What is a good dish that a single guy (who can't cook) should make to impress a first date?

_Gordon_Ramsay6721 karma

Pasta is a great way to show some great flair, in a way that, whether it's dry spaghetti or even fresh made Tagliatelle pasta. I would start off with a sort of roasted shallot, garlic, chili, fresh lime juice, with flaked crab meat over it. Once you've mastered the basics and so simply done like that, using pasta as a starch is with an amazing protein. So is it a beautiful caramelized breast of chicken on that pasta, is that amazing marinated slice of tuna. So start off with pasta, and that's really exciting to show off some great skills mastering pasta. If you really want to be the ultimate single guy, looking for the most extreme date, crank a little pasta machine, sit her down, serve her the most amazing glass of champagne, and just tell her to sit and watch for five minutes while I roll the pasta. Now rolling that pasta through the machine and cranking it down into those thin layers and all of a sudden you've got this tiny bowl of pasta, 5 minutes later you've got this 10 meter incredible rivered table of pasta. I swear to god, 50 shades, shadier, trust me, this will be 50 sheets of pasta in you duvet!

funnydrunkman1616 karma

Hey Gordon, I have a question about this online class: Will you scream at us online like you do in real life? If not, sadly I will not be taking it, as I want an authentic experience. Thanks for the AMA!

_Gordon_Ramsay4223 karma

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.

kitchennightmares4201550 karma

Gordan what is your go to vegan dish to impress? i will attempt to create your suggestion whilst watching kitchen nightmares reruns. Could you also please tell me what your favourite meme is whether it involves you or not. Also I'm laying in bed eating salsa from a jar and i know you wouldn't approve.

_Gordon_Ramsay4803 karma

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.

Malaysiaholiday1418 karma

Hi Chef, just want to thank you for all the hard work you out into your shows, it's inspiring to see someone after so many years so passionate about what they do. I notice you use wusthof knives when you cook, what knife would you recommend specifically for people to use? Looking and buying one and who better to get advice from then you. (I'm sure this will be covered in your live class but would like to get it sooner).

_Gordon_Ramsay2417 karma

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.

Cocochica331075 karma

Hi Gordon,

I'm planning to grow a home garden for the first time this summer. If you had to pick five essentials to grow in a garden that you could incorporate into most meals, what would you recommend?

_Gordon_Ramsay1995 karma

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.

hshakoor121000 karma

What pisses you off more than anything in the world? Doesn't have to be related to cooking.

_Gordon_Ramsay3146 karma

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.

Spadaroonie989 karma

For the american version of the F-word, are you going to continue the style and format that made it so well received? I know a big problem a lot of younger Americans like myself and many other redditors have is the barrage of sound effects and over-the-top music that detracts from so much of the TV we consume over here.

_Gordon_Ramsay1628 karma

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".

Menageatrois97626 karma

Do you prefer thin or thick crust on your pizza?

_Gordon_Ramsay1219 karma

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.

etoforgeto620 karma

Hi Gordon

What's your favourite meal to cook for guests and why?

_Gordon_Ramsay1764 karma

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.

Aleril_Antarai586 karma

Where is your go to place to eat in San Francisco?

_Gordon_Ramsay1710 karma

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.

geekgoddess93563 karma

I'm a scientist, not a chef, but your work ethic is what I try to aim for. How do you keep a balance between striving for perfection in your work and not letting that drive take over your entire life? I love what I've chosen to do with my life, but I'm not overly fond of the control freak that grad school turned me into.

_Gordon_Ramsay1168 karma

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.

jmedelman477 karma

Chef,

Do you predict any technology based disruptions to the dinning world?

Thanks!

_Gordon_Ramsay1897 karma

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.

nzr97437 karma

Hi Gordon,

Will you be coming back to New Zealand anytime soon, and would you ever consider opening a restaurant here?

p.s. I've just finished watching your masterclass and loved it - I'll never work as a chef (my passion is in finance/business) but I do enjoy trying to 'elevate' my cooking. My favourite part of the class, surprisingly, wasn't to do with cooking but rather the bits where you talked about your journey. I found that extremely motivational, but the most interesting part for me was thinking about how applicable the concepts you talk about are to anything people are passionate about.

_Gordon_Ramsay534 karma

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.

Jer-o-nimo348 karma

Hi Gordon! Really excited about the new course. I am starting to teach a few basics to my kids (8yo, 2x 5yo and 2yo). We started with bread making.

At what age did you start involving your kids in the kitchen and what did you cook? Any tips on how to get them interested?

_Gordon_Ramsay1062 karma

About 12 years ago, we started the "The 'F' Word" on channel 4 in the UK and, whilst all their friends at school were getting Xbox's and video games, I bought the kids animals. I started off with turkeys. After turkeys, we progressed to Royal Berkshire pigs. Then I bought them lamb and from there u/Jer-o-nimo, what I taught them to do was a, look after these animals, to respect the actual product when it hits the plate, b, part-time jobs cleaning out the pens, massaging the pigs with baby oil to protect their skin in the sun. And understanding that these turkeys are raised to eat, to celebrate, whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. So, I bought them all animals.

Now, I took a lot of criticism for it, but I set up with them going into supermarkets and understanding that food wasn't supposed to be wrapped in plastic wrap and on a shelf. They need to understand where it's from. That's what I did. It got a little bit emotional when they... ya know.. Obviously, they didn't come to the frickin slaughter. I wouldn't do that. We have the two pigs, for instance. They had a pig each. And we fed one of them a cherry beer and we could taste the difference when we came to braze that pork belly. One was, obviously pigs are vegetarian, but we fed one beer and it was just the most amazing experiment. Look at what goes on in Japan, when they're massaging the Wagyu, etc, So, I wanted them to understand the traceability of great product. And they wasted less, they respected it more, and they understood the importance of rearing animals properly and humanely. There is a big lesson. Now Tilly was only 3 when she found herself with this turkey, ya know, 12 weeks out before Christmas. Within 7 days of her landing this turkey in the back garden, 24 hours later I found the bird upstairs in the frickin bedroom.

paper_eclipse315 karma

Hi Gordon,

I know you must be busy these days, do you have time to cook your own food at home? If you do, do you prefer quick and easy recipes or those that take longer time to prepare but last a couple of days, so you don't have to cook every day?

_Gordon_Ramsay763 karma

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.

cscareerquestions712283 karma

Hi Gordon! What kind of cheese and toppings do you like on a philly cheesesteak?

_Gordon_Ramsay516 karma

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.

Jedimaster1134241 karma

Hello Chef! Thanks for doing this again.

  1. As a young (22) American cook, what is the best way for me to stage in a European kitchen? Is it networking or should I just go kitchen to kitchen pleading with the chef to take me on and hope for the best? (Also, how did you find your job cooking on private yachts in the Caribbean? That seems like an awesome experience.)

  2. What is the best marathon that your have ran so far (in terms of course, atmosphere, etc.)?

PS - My mom got me your masterclass for Christmas! I can't wait to start it!

_Gordon_Ramsay449 karma

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.

jenkoschmidt2121235 karma

What's your opinion on high end cannabis infused cooking as a business model?

_Gordon_Ramsay912 karma

Haha, yea, I mean, the scary thing for me is getting legalized in a different states across the country. I understand the purpose of it for medicinal use, I get that, but I'm slightly nervous that if it's legal without an issue medically, we can have a nation as high as a kite. Food wise, I get high off perfection, I don't need cannabis.

WolfCinema233 karma

Hello Chef,

My name is Wolf, nice to meet you! I recently bought your cooking app and, thanks to you, my family now loves my food. They even got me a wok for Xmas!

Question: While making fried cheese sticks in a pan, what must I do to stop the cheese from melting and ending up everywhere, breaking the crust? How do YOU do it?

Thank you very much!

_Gordon_Ramsay564 karma

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.

Abydost217 karma

If you have to choose one for the rest of your life: cast iron or non-stick pans?

_Gordon_Ramsay698 karma

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.

courtneyann23160 karma

Hello Gordon! I am so excited to be taking your Masterclass and learn from someone who is so passionate about cooking. What was your favorite thing about creating this class?

_Gordon_Ramsay247 karma

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.

wok2kill148 karma

Hi Gordon! I'm a huge fan. I love food and cooking, but also have a passion for cars. What is your favourite car you own? Also, would you consider owning a Koenigsegg or Pagani in the future? Cheers!

_Gordon_Ramsay585 karma

First of all, I’m a speedfreak, so I love that level of adrenaline. 2 or 3 times a year, I'm very fortunate if I get onto a track and I race. I don't race on the normal roads. So, big car fan.

Last year, I saved up my pennies and got the ultimate car and it was a LaFerrari. They only made 499 of them, so when I got the call from Marinella, the Ferrari factory in Italy, honestly, I've never felt so happy. The happiest I felt last time was either when I received my 3rd Michelin Star or when our eldest daughter born. When I went down to the track at Marinella in Italy to pick up LaFerrari, honestly, you know what, I wouldn't leave the garage. I literally slept by this car for 2 or 3 hours. It was beautiful. It is a gunmetal gray, matte black roof, carbon fiber finish, and just the ultimate experience. Strapped myself in and when I took it for a ride, I was just like wow, this is incredible. Having gone to school in one of the shittiest cars ever imaginable. With more rust on the inside than the outside of my dad's car. I used to ask him to drop me off from school a mile away from the front gate, out of embarrassment for the car. God bless him. So, to be in that Ferrari, it was just insane. It's in storage and I get them delivered to a track to race them purely on the track. Never on the road. I have a collection of them, so every time I win a Michelin Star, I add another Ferrari to the collection.

Wi55o147 karma

Hi! I've watched your ultimate cookery course and learned a lot. My question is: how is your masterclass different to or better than your ultimate cookery course considering it is shorter in total time and is paid?

_Gordon_Ramsay222 karma

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.

maiapal119 karma

Hi Gordon,
I am taking your class right now and enjoying it! Do you plan to do another, more in depth class in the future?
Also, what made you decide to do a Masterclass?
Thank you, and looking forward to office hours! (side note- white truffles are very expensive!)

_Gordon_Ramsay212 karma

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.

SethReineke32 karma

In a society that's becoming more and more conscious of local, organic, and responsibly farmed ingredients, have you ever considered a MasterChef or Hells Kitchen spin-off for a vegetarian/vegan audience, or is something like that not really viable at this point?

_Gordon_Ramsay69 karma

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.