Jacques Pepin Cooking

Double cook thighs.

Render slow in their own fat.

Chill briefly in fridge.

Sear hard.

He's cool, but that man is violent with the nonstick

Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, Martin Yan. Three old-school cooking show hosts that are all worth watching. And Justin Wilson had the "southern" cooking show. The combination of different styles of cuisine on different shows was part of the inspiration for the original Japanese Iron Chef.

Child was already older when Pepin was taking off, television-wise, but they teamed up a few times. Pepin's health isn't what it was, and he's really slowed down since his wife passed away in 2020. His daughter stepped up and helped keep him motivated, though.

It's really interesting to see the change in ingredients (particularly from using butter and lard to margarine) over time in the older shows, and then see newer videos that have shifted back. Also, how much parsley was used as a garnish and ingredient when today everyone seems to overuse green onion. There are also some great cooking technique videos that feature Pepin (may not be uploaded by his channel, but rather by other chefs that had him on as a guest).

I follow Pepin on social media. Always informative

Have you tried the cold pan thighs? Start 4-6 skin-on thighs, skin down, in a cold cast iron pan. Throttle up to medium and put it all on the burner. This makes a delightfully crispy thigh full of flavor.

Pepin’s green beans are one of my go-to dishes.

They are sublime for being something so simple.

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Have you tried the cold pan thighs?

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I have. And then I modified it including some of Pepin’s techniques as I mentioned in the OP. Both are very good. The addition of the spinach (which I also modified to include onions and sautéed mushrooms) is a game changer.

I think I’ve watched all of his videos. Love them and love watching him. The chicken thighs are great.

I’ve made his potato leek soup with potato flakes and lots of Gruyere many times. I use way more leeks that I sauté in butter and top with Gruyere. I made it my own.

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AlxTgr (iirc) presented a chicken thigh cooking technique

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So, on some online platform, I dared to suggest that I liked mine better uncovered due to what the steam does. You would have thought I had called for the death of all puppies.

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You would have thought I had called for the death of all puppies.

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why do you hate puppies?

I've made a couple of his recipes, including the thighs and spinach recipe. They are all very simple and very good. I've watched a lot more of his videos because they are just fun to watch. He makes it look so easy and there are no theatrics.