The session was chaired by veteran food critic Rajen Bali and had chefs Shaun Kenworthy, Mayank Kulshreshtra, Vikrant Ganpule, Ashis Roy, Joseph Gomes, Sammo Mazumdar and Rongon Neogi as the speakers.

While addressing the gathering, Kenworthy said, “Cooking is more to do with the basics really and then get them right. I started off peeling potatoes, gradually improved, became a pastry chef, so the idea is simple. We have a lot of devices now that takes off quite a bit of load but the absolute basics will never get replaced. I used to use a knife then, I use one now. My advice to all the students gathered here is, please use the equipment but know your basics well.”

Speaking on the use of technology, Chef Kulshreshtra of ITC Shonar said, “Technology will complement the work and it will have to go with the requirements. Technology should facilitate rather than render.”

He spoke about the use of foreign machines and said, “They should be made a bit user friendly for Indian conditions. The average height of an Indian is lesser when compared to someone from the West, so they should keep that in mind.”

However the chef had some cautious advice for people who want to experiment with chemicals inside the kitchen in order to make lip-smacking dishes.

 

He said, “Before you do anything, study and get into it. Get informed about the various long term effects a chemical has before you use it.”

Chef Ganpule of Hyatt Regency was vocal about the use of Indian made equipment as he said, “Let us encourage local manufacturers.”

He, however, expressed his disappointment about the lack of availability of standard homemade kitchen equipment.




(Reporting By Sudipto Maity)