Who's the best cook or other type of food preparer, whom you personally know?

Don’t laugh…my mother.

At culinary school, all of my chef instructors were pretty brilliant. Chef Sim Cass was my favorite though.

My Dad.

Me. I cook like a fiend and am damn good at it!! Besides me….my wife is a really good cook! We eat well! ;)

I’ve always liked my cooking better than anyone else’s. My mother was alright at cooking, but she didn’t add enough spice and creativity to her meals.

My husband. He makes the best holiday meals. His chicken wings are to die for too.

My brother-in-law T. Oh my god.

He’s like the Angus MacGuyver of cooking. He could have a rasher of bacon, some rusty nails, ¼ cup of rice, pond scum, a jalapeño, and string from the bottom of a drawer that no one’s opened since 1962 and the dish he’d make from that would turn out delicious, nutritious and somehow able to feed a group of 8.

I have gotten up at 6 in the morning, spent MF money on a MF seat on a MF plane to go on holiday to their house just to eat his cooking for a week.

My sister Linda is the best cook, but my other sister Pat is the best baker.

My mum. I don’t mean to boast but I won’t hesitate to state she’s the best cook in the world.
She can make anything and you can be sure it’ll taste nice., no, great!
She’s one of those cooks, they are naturals. But seriously, my mum’s is an amazing cook.
Though, when it comes to baking, I’m better :P

One of my favorite chefs used to work for the New Delhi Palace, in Pasadena, CA.

We chatted with him one evening, and he claimed that he was the best Indian food chef in CA. Usually when I hear someone superlatively honk their own horn, I think, “I’m sure your skills are exceeded only by your humility.”, but we loved the food there, and in this case the passion for his craft that his claim represented, told us that he just might be making the best palak paneer and bengan bhartha in the state.

Both sisters. They have introduced us to foods that have become family staples, like their mustard, pickles, hummus, piroskie, pesto, mint tea, gumbo, etc.

Thanks for the current list, people.
Once it’s done, I’m gonna do some toking, and visit all of the people that you’ve recommended! ;-)

@Brian1946 Can’t wait! :)

My wife. I didn’t get this big by accident.

My favorite dishes:
• Maple Salmon
• 4-Cheese Mac n’ Cheese
• Vegetarian Tacos
• Tiramisu
• Baked Talapia with Scallops

My very best lady friend. She makes Anthony Bourdain look like a little bitch. Her mom is a close second.

@queenie

“Can’t wait!”

Since your home has a great cook and a great baker, neither can I!
Give me a call- I’m staying at 10 Downing St., in London. ;-)

Me. But I figure that is not what you had in mind.
My girlfriend (a term that she hates. My SO?).

My Mother In Law was, but, sadly, she can’t do it any more due to frail health.

Some old friends and neighbors. He had his own restaurant, ‘Tomeis’ Italian, on our Main St. for some years. He was an excellent Italian cook. He taught my daughter ( who was friends with his daughter ) and a few of her other friends some recipes, he told the kids ” If you share these with anyone I am going to have to kill you.

@Coloma

“He had his own restaurant, ‘Tomeis’ Italian, on our Main St. for some years.”

Was this near where you now live?

Yes. Main Street Placerville California. :-)

My aunt is a very good cook.
She says if you can read,you can cook. XD

@Coloma

“Placerville California”

I’ve been through there a few times going from Sac to Tahoe.
It’s in such a beautiful setting. :-)

My ex sorta-brother-in-law. He prepares caviar, salted fish, jams, pastries, any kind of fowl, pickled vegies and… he makes a gorgeous table presentation too.

My mother is very good, but my wife takes the cake. Literally. Then she drops it on the floor.

Seriously, my wife knows how to boil water…. and scramble eggs.

She’s brilliant, she is. When I go away on business, she knows how to go to the Vietnamese Store around the corner and order tofu hoagies. They don’t teach that in schools!

But to be fair for a moment. Now that she’s retired, she’s giving it a try. She even managed to cook a chicken last week! It wasn’t half bad.

My mother really is the best cook I know personally. Other than myself, of course.

My partner. He actually trained as a chef, and worked (albeit briefly) at a top class hotel in London before deciding that computers would be more fun.

Untrained – My mom.
Trained – My partner’s brother in-law (he’s a chef).

By trained/untrained, I mean professionally trained/untrained.

@PluckyDog

“My partner’s brother in-law (he’s a chef).”

May I ask at what restaurant?

@Brian1946 The main Delta Hotels & Resorts in the city they live in. Before that…I think he was at a restaurant for a long time (can’t remember which).

My in-laws are pretty fantastic in the kitchen. Unfortunately, they know it and will go on and on about their culinary skills. Humble, they ain’t!

Hmm, if I say the wife i’d be lying. On the other hand, if I say my mother the wife may be offended. Decision time, how to tell the truth but keep the peace at the same time?
The best cook I know is…....me! Shit, am I in trouble now :¬(

My husband. That man can cook like nobody’s business, and it’s a good thing, too. I hate to cook!

I could say my mom…. Does it help that she was a trained gourmet chef??? I grew up with the best of the best food. (Double burn, and I come from a family of Italians) The downside is that it was easy to get very fat in my house. I learned at a young age to count my food intake and make sure I was eatting correct proportions of gourment goodness. I also can cook very well :)

I’ve worked with a lot of very talented cooks, but I’d have to give the nod to Roland Liccioni. Chances are you haven’t heard of him, even though for a few years he ran the top-rated Zagat restaurant in the US, “Le Francais” (now defunct). That’s because in a world of monstrous, attention-seeking egos, Liccioni hates the public eye.

The culinary world has become a media-driven circus of “star” chefs. Guys like Liccioni, who would far rather be combing the markets or fiddling with sauces than swanning for the cameras, tend to fall under the radar. That’s been his curse. He simply isn’t star material. I have many memories of him running and hiding in a back room of the kitchen when VIPs came back to tour the kitchen. Most chefs live for moments like that, a chance to bask in adoration. Liccioni absolutely hated it. He’s now working in a much less publicized restaurant, which probably suits him just fine. He just wants to be left alone to do his thing.

I also have a pick for best pastry cook: Gilles Bajolle. This guy is amazing. I met him when he was the pastry chef at Taillevent, then one of Paris’ best restaurants. He then went on to specialize in chocolate work at the best chocolatier in Paris, and has since gone on to conquer the world of bread. And again, he has managed to escape getting carried away with himself. No bluster, no playing to the crowd; just a craftsman doing his work perfectly.

My friend, Chris makes the best cakes.
My Grandmother (paternal) makes the most homely, comforting meals.
My mum can do wonders with pasta