What's In My Toolbox?: Executive Chef Nate Whiting, Tristan, Charleston SC
—Contest now closed—
Editor’s Note: We’re reintroducing our popular giveaways today! Read on…
The Chef: Nate Whiting has been at the highly-acclaimed Tristan in Charleston, South Carolina, for just about two years. Chef Whiting s known for highlighting the simplicity of great ingredients and for creating surprising and unexpected twists.
He’s been cooking since the age of 13, and prior to Tristan, he spent six years at The Dining Room at Woodlands Inn, worked under Peninsula Grill’s renowned Chef Bob Carter in Charleston, staged at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, and developed some of his favorite techniques at Da Vittorio in Bergamo, Italy. His cooking techniques are very meticulous and detail-oriented. He’s obsessed with using tweezers in his kitchen, utilizes a propane trigger torch to peel tomatoes, and has some other crazy retrofitted tools.
We asked him to open up his toolbox and reveal his top three tools.
Joyce Chen Scissors. The best tool on the planet for breaking down lobster knuckles. At the restaurant, I always keep them in my pocket. I primarily use them to cut tape neatly for labeling my mise en place. I’ve yet to find a job they can’t handle.
Global Nakiri Vegetable Knife. I have an extensive collection of knives of all types, styles and brands, but without question, this is my number one everyday blade. It is constructed of Cromova stainless steel (a lightweight chromium steel alloy), and expertly designed for a comfortable weight and good balance. It is extremely easy to care for, and is capable of holding a razor-sharp edge for weeks between sharpenings. This knife has become a part of me!
Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker. Like all pressure cookers, it was designed to create a chamber of super-heated steam allowing food to cook up to 70% faster, all while never boiling! This allows us to do jobs extremely quickly that would otherwise require hours of simmering. Not only does the cooker allow for pressurized cooking, it also keeps more vitamins and minerals in your food, making it healthier and more flavorful. No matter the style or brand, pressure cookers provide the absolute perfect conditions for making stock and brodo. I love this electric model for its ease of use. Plus, it doesn’t require a flame or take up any stove space, which is at a premium in my kitchen.
Win One!
One lucky BehindTheKnife.com reader will win a copy of the just-published Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills, a $34.95 value. Just leave a comment below by Sunday, November 6th, 11:59 p.m. This week, comment about how you could have used the skills you’ll learn with this book when you messed up badly with a knife in the past, whether by screwing up a dish, ingredient, or a body part.
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@BehindTheKnife Win a Zwilling JA Henckels Knife Skills Book #free #giveaway RT by 11/6 http://tinyurl.com/69ws8mm
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ON becoming a better cook.