I travel around and hear from so many kids. Their parents say they were always very picky but they watch the show and they want to try stuff. The show is entertainment, but I think it has done so much for the public perception of what food can be.

Recipes tell you nothing. Learning techniques is the key.

Too often, chefs just want to experiment - they want to use liquid nitrogen before they know how to use heat.

Every chef should have an understanding of pastries or desserts.

Every season we try to do something new. And not for gimmicks. We feel the show has to evolve and keep changing.

One of the first jobs I ever had was opening clams in a seafood restaurant, so I'm pretty quick at it.

Im not a fan of grilling meat, since that tends to dry it out, and I find grill marks leave a bitter taste. A good steak house will offer different options for preparation, and I would ask them to broil or pan-roast the steak and finish it with butter. It ends up a dark chocolate color and stays very juicy.