What you can learn from Daniel Humm

Insider cooking knowledge from the celebrated Davies and Brook chef

1 Every kitchen should have a metal skewer for testing meat and fish. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your ingredients are if you’re under or over-cooking things. Insert the skewer into the food, leave for a moment, remove it, and touch it just under your lip where it’s quite sensitive. In time and with some practice, you’ll learn what “done” feels like for just about everything.

2 To add depth to your food, use umami flavours.

Start working with ingredients like bonito flakes, kombu and miso, and watch the depth and richness of your cooking grow exponentially. These ingredients last a very long time in your pantry, too.

3 My go-to quick, fouringredient meal is spaghetti tossed with olive oil and lemon juice, topped with shaved pecorino. The success of this simple supper relies on each ingredient being the best quality there is.

4 Roasting a whole head of cauliflower is always a hit. Cook it until it’s caramelised and brown, then serve as a centrepiece and dress with brown butter and capers at the table.

5 Aubergine parmigiana is my favourite vegetarian main course. I love the fact that it can be assembled and cooked ahead, then eaten at room temperature. It’s best to make it in late summer, when aubergines and tomatoes are at their best.

6 Homemade chicken stock is infinitely better than shop-bought. To save yourself time, make a huge batch and freeze it in di erent sizes: from big enough to make a soup, to small amounts in ice cube trays. That way, you’ll always have readily available stock.

7 Get creative with food waste. If you like to experiment in the kitchen, push yourself to come up with dishes comprised of the forgotten parts of vegetables or leftovers. Some of our most delicious and creative dishes have been a result of this thinking.

8 Patience is one of the most di cult cooking skills to master. Some of the best dishes and cooking techniques involve a lot of waiting time and can’t be rushed. For instance, for my signature duck dish, we dry age the duck for two weeks, but we check it every day.

9 I predict we’ll be eating a lot less animal protein in the future. It’s not just a trend, I think it’s a life choice that more people will be making from now on. 10 My cooking motto is ‘make it nice’. It means going that extra step – maybe it’s planning ahead for a longer marinade on a steak or turkey brine; maybe it means walking an extra block before heading home to grab a good loaf of bread to accompany your quick pasta; perhaps it’s taking a bit of time for more precise chopping. Cooking extraordinary things can be intimidating; we like to say that executing each of the steps with a bit more care and attention is an easier way to do it.

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Swiss native Daniel Humm began working in kitchens at the age of 14 before earning his irst Michelin star at the age of 24. In 2006 he moved to New York to become executive chef at Eleven Madison Park. Now as co-owner, Daniel has transformed it into one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. In January, he opened his irst British restaurant, Davis & Brook, in London’s historic Claridge’s hotel. daviesandbrook. co.uk