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Vintage Chef Videos

Eggs 3 Ways With Julia Child, a Vintage Chef Video

Edit: Well boo! The original PBS video was here, and the message on the page now states: “We were unable to find the page that was requested. Our engineers have been notified and we apologize for any inconvenience.” Fingers crossed for a new upload of this classic! Our apologies.

“The egg can be your best friend if you just give it the right break” – Julia Child

This vintage Julia Child video is from 1964 and is entitled “Elegance with eggs” from her “The French Chef” series on PBS. The segment includes methods and tips for cooking eggs three ways: baked eggs, shirred eggs, and omelettes.

Julia teaches us how to make baked eggs in steamed water using ramekin cups or molded muffin tins. She places the eggs in their cups, and simmers in a pan of water on the stovetop until the bottom has just set, and finishes them in a 375 degree oven for 6-7 minutes. You may use these in any recipe as you would poached eggs, but Julia makes a gorgeous Egg Florentine recipe, see below for instructions. Continue Reading

The Perfect Omelette via Julia Child

Julia Child in France

We are Julia Child obsessed this month! With the upcoming movie and reviewing her old shows on Tv, we are consumed with Julia as of late. How can an icon of the past cast a spell on a new generation of foodies and cooks? Easily, with her attitude and encouragement that we can make great food at home, fans of JC of all ages and genres are coming out of the woodwork to appreciate her teaching, even more so now than ever with the upcoming film approaching.

Food Network and Bravo Tv are you listening? We love your reality shows, but bring us back the vintage classics. Show us vintage Julia, Galloping Gourmet, the 60’s and 70’s kitchens that our parents cooked in, and help us pass on classic recipes and techniques to newer generations.

We love this simple recipe, and you cannot go wrong with it! It’s a no fail Julia Child omelette and a 30 second technique perfect for home cooks when time is limited. She is a bit rough with the eggs, but try this and trust us, it’s a super fast and easy breakfast, brunch, or dinner.

Recipe for the perfect omelette via the video:

Take a non stick pan, toss 2 eggs in a bowl and throw into it salt, pepper, beat, and add one tsp of water. Add the mixture into your pan that has been heated with 1 tsp of butter over high heat. Swirl swirl flip! Add a bit of butter and parsley for garnish, enjoy!

PS. Do you wish to impress your omelette eater friends or simply make the perfect breakfast with a baby on your hip? Learn how to simply crack the eggs with one hand. Chef John provides a tutorial that we mastered after 2 not so sober practice trials. If we can do this, surely you can too. Give this amazing egg cracking technique a try. Thank us later.

We also have a longer vintage Julia Child episode entitled “Elegance With Eggs” which demonstrates eggs 3 ways, including omelettes, baked eggs, and shirred eggs.

Random Musings Vintage Chef Videos

An Ode to Julia Child, Quotes Included!

Over the years, the wild and wonderful Julia Child has inspired so many home cooks to step out of their element and make cooking joyful. All of us who have been touched by her have our own reasons for adoring her, but here are mine!

Her venture into the culinary world didn’t start until age 40, I love that.
She was rough, sloppy, and spirited in the kitchen at times, but she always made things work!
She was a freaking spy! Before her culinary career Julia worked for the OSS, which later became the CIA. According to NPR, “she was assigned to solve a problem for U.S. naval forces during World War II: Sharks would bump into explosives that were placed underwater, setting them off and warning the German U-boats they were intended to sink. Julia Child and a few of her male compatriots got together and literally cooked up a shark repellent that was used to coat the explosives”.
She hosted the world’s first ever cooking show in 1962 for WGBH, Boston’s public television station.
She bashed nonsensical diets and health crazes, had a love for full fat butter, wine, and gin and tonics, and lived to be almost 92. Watch the video as she declares her love for McDonald’s french fries, before they made them healthier!

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF31qCrclC0[/pro-player]
And her words are my favorite, here are an endearing list of Julia Child quotes: (Be sure to also check our previous post for more fabulous food quotes!)

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook”

“In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal.”

On what her longevity is attributed to, “Red meat and gin.”

“Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?”

“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”

“Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.”

“I don’t think about whether people will remember me or not. I’ve been an okay person. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve taught people a thing or two. That’s what’s important. Sooner or later the public will forget you, the memory of you will fade. What’s important are the individuals you’ve influenced along the way.”

The great news for Julia Child fans is that there is a new film premiering August 7th, entitled “Julie and Julia“. The movie is writer-director Nora Ephron’s adaptation of two best selling memoirs; Powell’s “Julie & Julia” and “Life in France” by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme, and stars Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell. Michael Ruhlman attended an early screening and loved the film, I cannot wait to see it! For those on Twitter be sure to follow @JulieandJulia for fun vintage photos and more classic quotes!

Vintage Chef Videos

Vintage Chef Video: Mad Slicing Skills!

Ok, we admit it, while waiting for our amazing video camera to become a reality, after reviewing thousands of chef videos, we are becoming quite the chef video critics. And, while learning how to hone skills by watching cooking videos can be fun inside itself, there is something to be said for amusement value while watching. Which is, by the way, why we love watching Average Betty videos!

Again, we digress! Tonight we’ve stumbled upon Archive.org, which is an amazing library of both new and public domain vintage videos. So, we thought, hey, why not have a vintage chef videos collection? Just to mix it up once in a while?

This video is hilarious, it’s a vintage unnamed chef infomercial of a crazy WC Fields type wannabe with some mad slicing skills, shilling for a 12 piece cutlery set. A must see!!