A Night in Florence

Last week I had the opportunity to meet the ultimate chef, Tyler Florence.  He was giving a cooking demonstration, A-ing Qs like the old Food 911 days- all while we were sampling the food and drinking wine.  Other than the cookbooks I bought to be signed, it was a free event, which made it even better.

He's really a nice guy.  When approached by a woman thinking he was 'some other food network guy' he kept composure- unlike myself.  Who waits in line for an hour to see someone they can't recognize?  At least the amateurs have full wallets.  Tyler also did a great job of directly answering questions, and having answers I had not heard before.  For instance, a common scenario we all encounter, is buying a Ladies looking at Tyler & Men looking at hambunch of fresh herbs for a recipe that calls for a tablespoon.  Fresh herbs are expensive and wasting them sucks.  The response is to treat fresh herbs like flowers- that's what they are after all!  Cut off the bottom of your fresh herbs like you would flowers and stick in a jar of water.  Brilliant!  He also confirmed for me that it's perfectly acceptable to sear meats in my non-stick pans.  This makes me happy.  

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