James Beard Quotes

20 Sourced Quotes

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.

James Beard
If ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.

James Beard
It's foolish to go through life bemoaning the fact that you can't have this or that. Twaddle! You can omit certain foods and still enjoy eating.

James Beard
The roe of the Russian sturgeon has probably been present at more important international affairs than have all the Russian dignitaries of history combined. This seemingly simple article of diet has taken its place in the world along with pearls, sables, old silver, and Cellini cups.

James Beard
Good bread and good butter go together. They are one of the perfect marriages in gastronomy, and they never fail to cheer me.

James Beard
I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find.

James Beard
Like the theater, offering food and hospitality to people is a matter of showmanship, and no matter how simple the performance, unless you do it well, with love and originality, you have a flop on your hands.

James Beard
If you have never tasted a braised vegetable, you'll find it is a revelation.

James Beard
When you cook, you never stop learning.
That's the fascination of it all.

James Beard
The kitchen, reasonably enough, was the scene of my first gastronomic adventure. I was on all fours. I crawled into the vegetable bin, settled on a giant onion and ate it, skin and all. It must have marked me for life, for I have never ceased to love the hearty flavor of raw onions.

James Beard
In a house without a genuine kitchen, one of the delights of growing up is lost.

James Beard
People are also trying to achieve good honest bread in their own kitchens once again, and that is perhaps the healthiest sign of all — a return not only to home baking but also to the most fundamental traditions of American cookery.

James Beard
While I do not overlook the grotesqueries of American cooking, I believe we have a rich and fascinating food heritage that occasionally reaches greatness in its own right.

James Beard
If I had to narrow my choice of meats down to one for the rest of my life, I am quite certain that meat would be pork.

James Beard
There is absolutely no substitute for the best. Good food cannot be made of inferior ingredients masked with high flavor. It is true thrift to use the best ingredients available and to waste nothing.

James Beard
Grilling, broiling, barbecuing — whatever you want to call it — is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre and throwing on a piece of meat as a sacrifice to the gods of the stomach.

James Beard
So just gird your apron a little tighter, wield your skillet and spatula with an added flourish, and toss the crêpes a little higher in the air.

James Beard
I'm going to break one of the rules of the trade here. I'm going to tell you some of the secrets of improvisation. Just remember — it's always a good idea to follow the directions exactly the first time you try a recipe. But from then on, you're on your own.

James Beard
Goodness, how much there is to learn about food. Each time I am here I realize how small my knowledge is. Someday I hope to know something.

James Beard
I believe that if ever I had to practise cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.

James Beard