Good bread and good butter go together. They are one of the perfect marriages in gastronomy, and they never fail to cheer me.

Hands are our earliest tools. Cooking starts with the hands which are so sensitive that when they touch something they transmit messages to your brain about texture and temperature.

I don't like gourmet cooking or 'this' cooking or 'that' cooking. I like good cooking.

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.

I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.

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

I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find.