Emeril Lagasse Quotes

I think many cooks are afraid of undercooked meats. A good thermometer is a cook's best friend.

I make some of my best recipes with a simple homemade stock. Keep shrimp shells stored in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you have almost a gallon-bag full, you can make a stock in 30 minutes that you can use in soups and sauces. You can then freeze the stock in ice-cube trays.

Soups are a great way to introduce a lot of vegetables to kids. Stir-fries, too, because they contain so many different shapes and colors.

We're probably close to reaching 2,000 shows, which is more than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin together.

Whether it's books or TV, or whatever the case may be, the backbone of what I do is my restaurants.

My favorite Aspen memory is saving an upside-down cake that had exploded from the high altitude.

Books make great gifts because they expand your horizons and keep you cooking.

Life just doesn't hand you things. You have to get out there and make things happen. that's the exciting part.

I've always done food that can work in a set time frame. The message I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to take three days to do this. With planning, you can do a lot and really have quality food every day.

Radishes grow just about anywhere. People think, 'Oh it's just a radish.' But radishes are delicious, and people don't think of cooking them.

It's okay to play with your food.

I wouldn't ask any of my employees to do anything I wouldn't do. And I work as hard, if not harder than the rest of the staff, to set an example. I also believe in giving my employees a lot of room to be creative and to express themselves.

I like to keep things simple. It's really about the wine, food and the beach view. Nothing can beat that.

I think all kids need snacks. Mine are fruit machines. I give them things like apple slices, berries and melon. Do I let them eat ice cream? Absolutely. But not every day.

I think you've got to keep it simple, keep it fresh. Stay away from all that processed stuff, read the labels.

I love to cook; that's my passion.

When I want to kick it up, I like to add hardwood chips or chunks to the grill; it adds bold smoky flavors. The most common woods are hickory and mesquite, but you can find alder, apple, cherry and, my personal favorite, pecan.

You are going to be what you put in your body, so I try to teach that to my kids, and the kids around me.

My Food Network shows, 'Emeril Live' and 'Essence of Emeril,' are not in production right now, but I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily leaving Food Network. I have a lot of television still in me. I enjoy teaching people, so it's just a matter of time before I do something new.

Being a food show and being me, I always kicked it up a notch, which means I would always elevate the spice level or the complexity of a particular dish. So, it was always like we're going to kick this up a little bit.

A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables. The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.

If somebody has a chance to put my food in their mouth, that tells the story.

If kids can learn how to make a simple Bolognese sauce, they will never go hungry. It's pretty easy to cook pasta, but a good sauce is way more useful.

Get up every day and try a little harder than the day before.

I came here because the city has a tradition and is a very respected food city.

I had these recipes that say do this, do that. Who MAKES these rules?

I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.

I'm not impressed with presidents. I have met a few, but I'm not impressed with them.

I love fresh citrus and always keep lemons, limes, and oranges on hand; they come in handy for spritzing up quickly grilled meats, seafoods, and vegetables, especially when followed up by a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

My food is Louisiana, New Orleans-based, well-seasoned, rustic. I think it's pretty unique because of my background being influenced by my mom, Portuguese and French Canadian. There's a lot going on there.

In the restaurant it's much more serious.

We're setting up an urban farm for kids on more than 20 acres in New Orleans. We want to make this a world-class educational center for the community.

I've been very fortunate, because I've cooked for a lot of actors and actresses and musicians. I've cooked for presidents and I've been to the White House.

I don't limit myself.

I think you have to be careful with spices. Kids' palates can be very delicate, and they might not like things overspiced. In my cookbooks for kids, I do a milder version of my signature spice blend, Emeril's Essence, called Baby Bam, which has no cayenne pepper.

Music is one of those things that is constantly going in my head all the time. It's sort of like the evolution and creation of doing food, or my philosophy about wine. It's always beating in my head, so it keeps the spirit moving.

Growing up in New England, being schooled and classically trained, it needed to shake, it needed to evolve.

I respected it. I submerged myself into it. So on a lot of days off I would go and fish with the fishermen and the families that ran the boats. I would go work the fields with farmers. I would go and talk with farmers about growing particular products for me.

I guess I feel that I was following my instincts, and at the same time being guided by the best. I became totally intrigued with Louisiana - the people, the food. It is a part of my life. Everything that has happened for me since moving here has just been icing on the cake.

I started cooking when I was about 10. I have memories like when I was 6 or 7 with my mom, and when I was 12 I started getting real serious about cooking.

When I cook with my son, I might chop vegetables and have fun with different shapes. Cooking is a way to teach kids about other things, like reading or math with all of the weights and measures. There are so many things that are part of cooking that are also very educational.

The most interesting thing I've ever heard about myrself that isn't true is that I'm not a nice guy.

You know, in 1975 I couldn't get a job in New York City because I was American. The kitchens were predominantly run by French, Swiss, German, and basically I got laughed at. I had education, I had experience, but got laughed at because I was American.

Spain has some of the richest culinary traditions and truly appreciates food that is simply prepared with top-notch ingredients.

I've always been known for bold flavors and rustic cooking, but there is another side to me. As you evolve as a cook, you understand life and how serious it is. There comes a point where there's got to be a better balance.

Kids are now eating things like edamame and sushi. I didn't know what shiitake mushrooms were when I was 10 - most kids today do.

Spice is life. It depends upon what you like... have fun with it. Yes, food is serious, but you should have fun with it.

Many of my staff have been with me for over 20 years. I have a great team, and I make sure they feel respected and appreciated.