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Nerd Can Cook

Aaron Quint
April 21, 2012
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Nerd Can Cook

A talk about Food and the search for perfection given at #devslovebacon

Aaron Quint

April 21, 2012
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Transcript

  1. Nerd can cook
    Devs Love Bacon / London 2012
    Aaron Quint - @aq

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  2. By day
    CTO of Paperless post

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  3. By Night
    Obsessive amateur chef

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  4. of _any_ kind
    No formal training

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  5. Graduated with a BA in Art History
    No computer
    science degree

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  6. Well, my wife gifted a
    knife skills class once.
    Best. Gift. Ever.
    No culinary training

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  7. Thats how I do.
    100% Self taught

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  8. Feel free to call me on my bullshit.
    In other words

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  9. The Keynote.
    JSConf 2010

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  11. Crafts.
    Programing
    & Cooking

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  12. Similarities
    are endless

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  13. Draw your own connections.
    This is a talk about
    food & cooking.

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  14. Bacon WAS JUST
    THE BEGINNING

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  15. Pastrami

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  16. Cheese

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  17. Haggis

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  18. Just a little.
    I’m a little obsessed.

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  19. Or how to achieve greatness in food.
    Cooking as the quest
    for perfection

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  20. Thomas Keller,
    The French Laundry Cookbook
    “When you acknowledge, as you
    must, that there is no such thing as
    perfect food, only the idea of it, the
    the real purpose of striving for
    perfection becomes clear: to make
    people happy. Thats what cooking is
    all about.”

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  22. Grant Achatz, “Life on the Line”
    “There were a few unspoken rules:
    chef Keller was God; try to be like chef
    Keller, exactly; the food was perfect or
    it was wrong; failure was never an
    option; and ‘yes, Chef’ was the only
    proper response to any request.”

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  23. Or how to make your partner and friends
    very happy.
    How to strive for
    perfection at home

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  24. Towards Perfection

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  25. Towards Perfection
    • Knowledge

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  26. Towards Perfection
    • Knowledge
    • Technique

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  27. Towards Perfection
    • Knowledge
    • Technique
    • Creativity

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  28. Seriously. You need it.
    Knowledge

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  29. REad.

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  30. And when they tell you to do things,
    you do them.
    These people
    Know things.

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  31. There is a reason for everything.
    Technique

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  32. It’s not about small, its about shapely.
    Knife skills

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  33. Perfect just means even
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/redpeace/6277431836/lightbox/

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  38. HEAT

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  39. HEAT
    HEAT

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  40. HEAT
    HEAT

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  41. HEAT
    HEAT

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  42. Even. Tasty. Polka Dots.

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  43. “It says blanch the veg, put it in an ice bath,
    _then_ put it in the pan . . . ehhh”
    Blanching

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  44. Blanching. Just Do it.

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  45. The #1 Forgotten Rule of Meat Cookery.
    Don’t touch it.

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  46. If every piece is perfect,
    the final dish will be perfect.
    (DE/RE)composition

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  47. Daniel Humm and Will Guidara,
    Eleven Madison Park Cookbook
    “We define excelence as the
    culmination of thousands of details
    executed perfectly. We understand
    that true perfection is unattainable.
    But rather than be discouraged by
    that fact, we find inspiration in
    getting as close as possible.”

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  48. Thomas Keller’s three day >50 ingredient beef bourguignon

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  49. AKA Patient Food.
    Cooking with Time

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  50. The gateway drug.
    How to Make Pickles

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  58. Pickles

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  59. Or Corned Beef, or Bacon.
    One special ingredient. Thats it.
    HOW TO MAKE Pastrami.

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  67. Pastrami.

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  68. Patience. And a nice digital scale.
    How to make bread.

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  74. Beautiful Bread.

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  75. Technology as a tool for perfection.
    Cooking with Science

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  76. Sous Vide. How to perfect temperature.

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  79. Water

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  80. Water

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  81. Water
    Heating
    Elements

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  82. Water
    Heating
    Elements

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  83. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple

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  84. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple

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  85. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump

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  86. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump
    60.5
    40.8

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  87. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump
    60.5
    40.8
    PID Controller

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  88. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump
    60.5
    40.8
    PID Controller

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  89. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump
    60.5
    40.8
    PID Controller

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  90. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump
    60.5
    40.8
    PID Controller

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  91. Water
    Heating
    Elements
    Thermocouple
    Pump
    60.5
    40.8
    PID Controller
    Food Sealed in
    Vacuum Bag

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  92. Eggs. 60.5C for 45 mins.

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  94. Besides impressing your friends.
    BUt WHY?

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  95. Getting iN Touch
    with your food.

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  96. Its about knowing and owning
    a major part of your existence.
    Not just about organic
    or local or gourmet

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  97. I’m not perfect.

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  99. I allow myself
    the occasional M.B.U.O.

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  100. I allow myself
    the occasional M.B.U.O.

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  101. I allow myself
    the occasional M.B.U.O.
    Massive Burrito of Unknown Origin

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  102. Just try harder.
    Love what you eat

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  103. Snobs eat better.
    Be a Snob.

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  104. twitter: @aq
    web:
    http://www.quirkey.com
    http://dev.paperlesspost.com
    Thanks!

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