James Beard Quotes

I’m going to break one of the rules of the trade here. I’m going to tell you some of the secrets of improvisation. Just remember—it’s always a good idea to follow the directions exactly the first time you try a recipe. But from then on, you’re on your own.

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.

If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.

The secret of good cooking is, first, having a love of it… If you’re convinced that cooking is drudgery, you’re never going to be good at it, and you might as well warm up something frozen.

There is absolutely no substitute for the best. Good food cannot be made of inferior ingredients masked with high flavor. It is true thrift to use the best ingredients available and to waste nothing.