Top 98 Quotes & Sayings by Rachel Khoo - Page 2

Whatever I do, whether it's cooking shows, books or events, the details count and that's what sets me apart from other food TV personalities. If you take out the details what's left?

While we Brits love a curry, the French get their spicy kicks from the culinary traditions bestowed by their North African population.

I inherited my 1960s copy of 'French Provincial Cooking' by Elizabeth David from my mother Gabrielle, who in turn inherited it from her mother Frances. It was my bible when I first moved to Paris aged 26.

A visit to the Rennes market, one of the finest I have seen in France, alone will convince you of the virtues of Breton gastronomy. It's a testament to the fact that Brittany is Frances' most agriculturally active region, with the producers themselves peddling their products, a vocal bunch, full of recipe ideas and passion.

I went to art college. I like to be creative. I use food as my medium at the moment but it could easily be illustrations in the future, or something else.

Every Frenchie has inherited their own way of making ratatouille, usually just as maman used to make. Well, my mum never made one, so I consider that my licence to make mine as I please.

Ramen is Japanese soul food, appealing to old and young, rich and poor.

I always say I'm more of a food writer than a TV presenter, because that's what I'm trained in, that's what I spend most of my year doing. TV is about performance and I've never had any training.

I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables not so much meat and fish. Baguettes and croissants are not an everyday food for me.

I am a big fan of spice. It's not only the intense heat of chilli flakes or a sprinkling of cayenne that gets my taste buds going, but also the deep warmth of cumin and ginger.

I love to draw and paint. I did all the illustrations in my books, so I always have my watercolours with me. I was creative as a child and studied art at Central Saint Martins before getting into food.

But understanding the complexities of the ramen menu is an equally tricky feat for a foreigner. Both regional and stylistic variations apply to each menu. Add to that the spin that each particular ramen chef puts on his dish, and you rarely know what you are going to get.

While they might have got a bit fancier over the years, I still relish a good packed lunch if I am on the road, with that mounting excitement for a particular goodie I've wrapped up for the trip and the challenge of holding out for as long as I can before I cave.

Crumpets for me are the quintessence of a British afternoon tea, the ideal winter warmer that would welcome me home from school.

True to his Malay Chinese heritage, my dad would regularly whip up a revitalising spicy broth in the depths of winter. He was a firm believer that spicy food is the solution to most problems, and feeling under the weather was no exception.

My mum still needs all her pots and pans, so she's not giving me any of hers yet.

Savoury cakes are very popular in France, they appear in boulangeries and with a side salad on lunch menus in chic cafes, but they're most likely to appear at a picnic.

I realised filming in my own apartment that it was nice to come home and have some space. It worked for 'The Little Paris Kitchen' but now I've learned a lot about TV; you need space for the camera and you want to be mentally sound after filming.

I adore flaky croissants and buttery millefeuilles. But sometimes I like to steer the other way, opting for light, airy cakes enriched with tart red fruits.

Like its breakfast companion Marmite, jam seems to divide the crowds. In many of its mass-produced guises, it seems barely acquainted with the fruit named on the jar, tasting mostly of sugar.

When I first moved to Paris, I worked as an au pair for two girls aged eight and 11.

Failing ownership of a wood-fired oven, whacking pizza dough straight on to the hot grill is the next best way to achieve that beautiful scorched crust.

I had quite a few jobs in Paris before hitting the jackpot and writing cookbooks. One of them was peeling vegetables and prepping other veggie delights at Bob's Juice Bar.

The northern Japanese ramen is characterised by its miso base. In the south, the ramen may steer more towards a seafood-based broth, while in Tokyo, virtually every style of ramen exists.

Mum is a fantastic knitter - she taught me, too, but I can only manage simple things.

I think for me the final push to move to Paris was the fact I wanted an adventure and I was slightly bored of my life in London.

Whether it evokes pleasant memories of holidays in the Caribbean, or best-forgotten outings to Notting Hill, most of us have experienced jerk chicken in one form or another.

Angel cake is an American classic; a delicate meringue gently merged with minimal flour and zero butter, angelic because of its fluffy texture.

Back in my school days, when I would scuttle off with a cheese roll, an apple, a box of Sun-Maid raisins and a Penguin bar, my packed lunches were reassuringly predictable. And I liked it that way.

I grew up surrounded by generously yielding plum trees, and as a family we were constantly on the hunt for inspired ways to use up the lovely plums before age got the better of them.

Brittany might not boast the biggest collection of Michelin stars in France, but when it comes to produce, you quickly realise that some of the key building blocks of French cuisine have their roots here.

Wimbledon heralds the unofficial start of summer.

Moving to France is not the hard part. Living here is more difficult. Of course there are many benefits but it's not always easy especially if you don't speak the language.

I used to have a bit of a thing against starting a meal with soup. I'd find they were often too heavy, filling you up rather than igniting the appetite. Plus, I'd end up mopping it up with scoops of baguette.

A sandwich needn't be loaded with bacon or ham to make it a serious feast.

Wild garlic and crab is a revelatory pairing.

Crab meat is surprisingly sweet in its purest form, which is why it is often pepped up with zippy chilli and lifted with citrus.

Many a Gallic treat is based on a hearty dose of butter.