Quick, cook well? Top chefs give tips on how to do this at home

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Cook fast and well? Top chefs reveal their tricks on how to do this at home

by Denise Snieguole Wachter

12/20/2022, 6:26 p.m

4 mins

How do you manage to cook really well between a hectic job, family life and leisure time stress? Stefanie Hiekmann asked the top chefs what they prepare on a daily basis.

What does the cooking elite actually cook when it has to be quick? What should the fridge be filled with? What can you cook when visitors come and what are the family classics? Stefanie Hiekmann has the top chefs in her cookbook “Fast. Good. Cook” asked about it. Professionals like Lucki Maurer, Haya Molcho and Cornelia Poletto answer her questions. Based on these conversations and insights, Hiekmann has developed 50 recipes with which all tips, ideas and inspiration can be implemented directly in everyday cooking.

What’s on the fly at ….

Robin Pietsch, top chef from Wernigerode

Sweet Chili Sauce is stuck in Robin’s private stash. “It flies everywhere!” he reveals in an interview in Stefanie Hiekmann’s new book “Fast. Good. Cooking. This is how top chefs cook at home”. He explains: Basically, sweet chilli sauce is a kind of ketchup alternative for him. And, surprise: This is also allowed in many top chefs’ households and is even in high demand. On pasta, pizza or simply with grilled meat. Robin’s tip for using the sweet chili sauce in a reasonably healthy way in everyday life: Fry fresh pak choi in a pan, cook some rice and pour the sweet chilli sauce over the warm pak choi. Add a few sesame seeds – and it’s lunchtime!

Lisa Angermann, top chef from Leipzig

When Lisa Angermann isn’t having pasta – and there’s a lot of that – the young top chef, who won “The Taste” in 2017, likes to grab a pack of cottage cheese. Her trick, which she reveals in an interview with Stefanie Hiekmann (“Quick. Good. Cooking. – This is how top chefs cook at home”): put the cottage cheese in a sieve, rinse briefly under cold water and the resulting mini “Mozzarella Season to taste with some herb oil or pesto and use as a quick salad topping. Wild garlic or basil pesto can be placed under the small protein balls, as can spicy tomato pesto – countless topping options for quick everyday cooking.

Alexander Huber, top chef in Pleiskirchen

In addition to soy sauce, which, excitingly, should not be missing in any top kitchen household, Alexander Huber also has honey. He likes to use this to taste sauces or dressings, as he does in Stefanie Hiekmann’s new book “Fast. Good. Cook. – This is how top chefs cook at home” reveals. Alexander Huber also likes to use honey for glazing: Meat, fish, vegetables or even salad can be glazed after frying in the pan with a mixture of honey, a little acid (vinegar or lemon) and oil. The effect: Like a marinade that gives the fried food a great shine and extra taste just before serving – great!

Ludwig Maurer, top chef from Rattenberg

Pasta, tomato sauce and parmesan – these three stock jokers are used by almost all top chefs that Stefanie Hiekmann wrote for her book “Schnell. Good. Cooking.” interviewed at the top of the hit list. This is also the case with Ludwig “Lucki” Maurer. In an interview, he talks about his beloved rice and noodle bowls, which are a bit different each time and can be eaten casually with a large spoon on the sofa – pure soul food! He says: “You always need a good tomato sauce! And parmesan of course! A crust of parmesan is a must. I rub it all over it, it’s indispensable here… And, some will call that a no-go again, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, I always have them with me.” What does he do with it? He also reveals: Tabasco is on every pizza at Lucki, the Worcestershire sauce ends up in the ham noodles. Such seasoning tricks are also allowed – especially at home.

Paul Ivic, top chef from Vienna

What does Paul Ivic’s everyday kitchen look like? “You cook what’s available,” says the top chef, who focuses entirely on vegetarian cuisine through his restaurant Tian and the other restaurants in the group. In an interview with Stefanie Hiekmann (“Fast. Good. Cooking. – This is how top chefs cook at home”), he reveals an all-time favorite dish from his private everyday kitchen: boiled potatoes with olive oil, butter and Parmesan. “You can put that in front of me every day, I’ll be happy to eat it.”

Paul Ivic’s Parmesan Potatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

Peel the potatoes and cut in halves or quarters depending on their size. Bring enough water with a little salt to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the turmeric and potatoes to the boiling water and cook the potatoes in it for about 15 minutes. Then pour off the cooking water and keep it as broth for a potato soup, for example.

Arrange the warm potatoes in portions, season with a little finger salt, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and serve drizzled with olive oil.

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