Mario Batali Quotes

It's like spicy food - sometimes you have to tone it down so more people can enjoy it.

We're achieving better marbling and better flavor with old world wisdom that's been passed down for generations but we're still using technology.

Woe to the cook whose sauce has no sting.

The key to a good meal is simplicity and the right seasoning.

It's well worth making your own harissa, but there are some very good commercial varieties.

I only eat spicy food.

Charcoal or gas. Both give excellent results, so choose the one that best suits your style of cooking.

The difference between a bland tomato and great one is immense, much like the difference between a standard, sliced white bread and a crusty, aromatic sourdough.

For me no good food is illuminated without acidity.

Being a food show and being me, I always kicked it up a notch, which means I would always elevate the spice level or the complexity of a particular dish. So, it was always like we're going to kick this up a little bit.

The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite.

A food's value is based on how good it tastes.

Everything tastes better with butter. Meat that has fat in it is tender in a certain way, flavorful in a certain way. It's hard to deny the flavor quotient there.

If you are working with high quality products, you can elevate the flavors more by cooking it at a low temperature than you can by searing it.

I pride myself in figuring out how to elevate a dish with a little preserved lemon or, then, a sprinkle of Maldon salt.

I've thrown vanilla beans into mustard. Nothing crazy or grainy, just normal dijon. It's great for duck. Smear some of that right on the duck, coupled with some roast plums, and it all comes together in that savory over sweet over savory over sweet way we all love.

People under-salt their food, and they think it's bland, but salt brings out flavor.

I always have homemade chicken stock in the refrigerator. I'll reduce it, maybe add a little cream and a few shallots. Before you know it, eureka! It's the best.

Desserts are all about form and function, about warm and hot and cold. I want every component to hit your palate on different levels at different times.

In order to write music, you need lots of Tabasco sauce.

Salt's relationship to flavor is multidimensional: It has its own particular taste, and it both balances and enhances the flavor of other ingredients.

Salt has a greater impact on flavor than any other ingredient. Learn to use it well, and food will taste good.

My two essential ingredients are chilies, any kind, dried or fresh; and acid, whether it's citrus - lemon, lime, yuzu - or vinegars. Food has to pop.

Parsley goes really nicely with everything. It adds a nice lightness; it wakes up a dish.

The mild creaminess of cottage cheese makes it a perfect blank canvas for almost any flavor combination, savory or sweet. Since it's so soft, I usually try to give it some textural contrast in the form of something crunchy. Brightening it up with acid is also a must.