I Thought They Made it All From Scratch!

It appears that Alice Waters is falling out of favor with the fancy chef set. For those of us who have been known to add Hellman's Mayonnaise, Heinz Ketchup and Kraft American Slices to our dishes, it is comforting to know that many professional chefs do, too. Today's Wall Street Journal reports on chefs who use these, and other commercially available products, to make their dishes. The article is "for subscribers only," but if you have a subscription, you can read it here. Recipes are included. Some highlights include:

• Tim Love of the Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth, Texas uses Dr. Pepper to marinate Kobe Beef
• David Bouley uses ketchup with a bit of vinegar (called gastrique) as a starter for some of his sauces. It adds a tangy flavor.
• Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago uses salt and vinegar potato chips (a Male Martha personal favorite) as a coating for walleye pike.

My favorite part of the article was the hectoring of using these foods by Jean-Pierre Moullé, the c0-executive chef of Alice Water's Chez Panisse. The Journal quoted him as saying "it's wrong. It's what we fight against." I'm glad some one is out there fighting against commercial ketchup. It makes me feel safer.