Ep 14: Get Your Grill On with Chef Joel Chapman
Summary: There’s a saying, “abs are made in the kitchen.” If that’s true, I’d better get cooking!<br> Lucky for me, this episode’s guest is Joel Chapman, professional chef, crossfitter, and all-around good guy. These days, Joel makes food for several thousand people a day as part of a catering team for the University of California at Santa Barbara. When a guy cooks for that many people, he knows how to prep his meals.<br> As you’ve heard me discuss on previous episodes, meal prep and diet have been some of my biggest challenges. From the emails I get, other police officers and law enforcement share the same problems.<br> It’s not that I don’t want to eat healthy, or understand the obvious benefits. For me, it’s usually the meal prep. When I work 12-hour shifts 4 days a week, I’m looking at up to 8 meals I need to prep for the week. By my Friday, I’m pretty sick of whatever dish I’d prepared for lunch, regardless of how healthy, nutritious or ingenious it is.<br> But here’s the thing: I LOVE TO COOK!<br> I really do, and I cook the majority of the meals in my home. But it wasn’t like I always knew how to cook, or how to cook for my own tastes. It took a lot of time, experimentation and more error than trial. But, that’s part of the fun of learning.<br> But if you don’t have much time, learning to cook is intimidating. So today we’re going to help you get started.<br> Joel Chapman’s training and experience as a chef makes him a perfect guest to talk about how to start cooking for yourself. Joel spent 3 years at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris perfecting his cooking skills. If you’re not familiar with cooking schools, it’s like Harvard for chefs.<br> Here’s a smidgen of what we cover in this episode:<br> <br> * What kind of utensils and tools do you need to have on hand.<br> * How to prep your food, and plan your meals.<br> * What spices you should start with.<br> * How long can you keep various dead, cooked animals in the fridge before they’re dangerous.<br> * Why it’s important to let your meats “rest” after cooking them, and how long should you do it.<br> <br> There’s a lot more too…<br> We also talk specifics about what materials you should have on hand. Here are some links to the products we discuss (**disclosure: Amazon links are an affiliate link and we receive a commission on any sale. However, that is not why they are featured here. Joel brought his recommendations regardless of our affiliate association.)<br> <a href="http://amzn.to/1GF6O9v">“How to Cook Everything”</a> was the cookbook that got me started on cooking. It’ll teach you everything you need. 2000 recipes!<br> Joel’s favorite intro cookbook is <a href="http://amzn.to/1R8a8PP">The Joy of Cooking</a>.<br> <a href="http://amzn.to/1MqY650">J.A. Henckel’s 18-piece knife set</a>: This was on our wedding registry and they’ve held up well for 10 years. They need sharpening like any good knife set. Another set is the <a href="http://amzn.to/1hBGRRr">Wusthof Knife Set</a><br> <a href="http://amzn.to/1K3rB6P">Cutting Boards </a>– Here’s a good tip, and one my wife has been preaching for years (yes, Honey you were right). To minimize the risk of bacterial infections, separate the preparation of your meats and vegetables onto different boards. In my house, colored boards are for fruit and vegetables. Black and white boards are for meats. If you only have one board, make sure you prep vegetables first, then meat.<br> A <a href="http://amzn.to/1hBH333">Cast Iron Skillet</a> is great, and Joel agrees.<br> <a href="http://amzn.to/1GDJrNn">Pans:</a> This is a hot topic we actually didn’t get in to. However, this ceramic pan has been a favorite of mine. I have a decent set of Kirkland (Costco) brand steel pans but frankly they&...
