Years ago, when Shannon Bennett’s star was rising at Vue de Monde, I went to his Melbourne home for a photo shoot, during which he was to cook a meal for friends. Of course, the food was pretty and delicious.
What didn’t make it into the story was how foreign a visitor the chef was in his own home kitchen. I couldn’t find the plug for the sink. The oven was an unsolved mystery. And he didn’t even use the fridge: the ingredients came out of chilled crates transported from the restaurant.
Perhaps things are different now. A little more work-life balance. More of a focus on health. And, as we see with these young guns, miso and kimchi are now compulsory. It seems today’s up-and-comers not only have food in their fridge they also – lo and behold – cook and eat it.
Good Food fossicked in the fridges of four accomplished young chefs. Two of them, Hugh Allen and Charlie Carrington, cooked at the recent Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 30th birthday gala dinner.
This is voyeuristic, for sure, but can we also glean pro tips for home? I think we can.
Hugh Allen
chief chef
View of the World, Melbourne
Hugh Allen’s fridge bounty falls into one of three categories: food from friends, jazzy condiments and seasonal fruit and veg. “I only cook simple food at home, unless I’m on holidays,” he says. “I’ll do curry, steamed rice with egg, a piece of meat or fish.”
Fruit is a must. “I’m not a sit-down breakfast person but I’ll grab and go,” says Allen, biting into a pear. He’ll also reach for Market Lane coffee beans to brew in a Moccamaster batch filter. Vegetables reflect those on the menu at the restaurant, partly because they’re in season but also because they’re front of mind. In summer, it’s tomatoes and berries. Now it’s turnips, celeriac and lion’s mane mushrooms. “There’s nothing wrong with potato but celeriac is less starchy and heavy,” says Allen. “You can roast it, mash it, make gratin or chips.” Mushrooms can be sliced to make a schnitzel or chopped into a curry. “They are an awesome replacement for meat, they hold their shape and absorb flavor really well.”
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He loves umami bombs such Ronin Kelp Wild Soy Sauce, a locally made tamari-style sauce that he uses instead of salt in many dishes (available from chefshat.com.au) and macadamia nuts from Meru Miso in Tasmania (widely available in delis and from merumiso.com). “I’ll add it to cookies, salad dressing, barbecued corn or steamed broccoli, and butter when I’m frying an egg. It makes dishes much more interesting.”
Cheese is from the same local artisans who star on the Vue cheese trolley. “We know them all,” says Allen. “I’d rather buy cheese from someone I’ve met than French cheese I have no connection with.” He loves the White Savourine Log from Yarra Valley Dairy, a delicious semi-mature white mold goat’s milk cheese; a triple cream brie from Woombye Cheese on the Sunshine Coast; and Oasis from Boatshed Cheese on the Mornington Peninsula, a fluffy goat’s milk cheese with native bush herbs.
Free-range chicken liver pâté from chef Robbie Bell of City Larder (city-larder.com) is a constant. “I’ve known Robbie since I was 15,” says Allen, who started his apprenticeship at Rockpool, where Bell was then a senior chef. “I love everything he does,” says Allen. There’s also a very recognizable Meredith jar. “That marinated goat’s cheese, I love it. Salad, avocado on toast, it sneaks its way into heaps of stuff. I think it’s a staple in many Australian households.”
And drinks? “I am a beer man,” he says. “Stone & Wood Pacific Ale is my favourite.” bottled cocktails are from Byrdi, a Melbourne bar owned by friend Luke Whearty. Currently on the shelf, there’s brandy infused with fennel pollen and a liquid “Lamington”, with coconut oil and raspberry vermouth available at byrdishop.com.au). “It’s nice to offer people something more exciting than a martini or negroni,” says Allen.
‘It’s all about the prep game’ in Abby Kitchen’s home kitchen. Photo: Louise Kennerley
Abby’s Kitchen
head chef
Nomad, Sydney
Abby Kitchen starts with a confession. “That’s the fullest my fridge has been in six months,” she says. Ella’s partner Tom Jeffery is head chef at Totti’s Bondi and when they’re off work together, they like going to new restaurants. Cooking at home is a luxury. “All that said, I tried to be as true to myself as possible,” says Kitchen.
Her shopping and cooking are strategic. “I think about quick breakfasts before work or late-night snacks that won’t make me feel ill at one in the morning,” she says. The red Le Creuset casserole is often key. “I like a one pot wonder that I can graze on for a few days,” says Kitchen. “That one is braised white beans with kale and tomato. I might crack a poached egg on top and it becomes brunch, or put crispy bacon through and it becomes a hearty stew, or saute extra greens and anchovies and fold them through. I like multi-purpose dishes that also work as a fridge cleaner.”
fennell is a constant. “I usually have a dip of some sort and make myself a vegie and dip plate, or I’ll shave it into a salad for lunch on the go, maybe with tuna. I often boil potatoes and keep them for a few days – they might become a hearty salad with eggs, fennel and mayonnaise. “I’m American – I love May,“says Kitchen, explaining away the fridge door stocked with Kewpie, vegan and whole egg mayonnaise.
What about those jars? “Kimchi is always there,” she says. “Kimchi quesadilla was my lockdown thing: a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, kimchi, avocado, maybe halloumi.” pickles for adding to salads and olives for cocktails or snacking.
Making food last a while is a focus. “It’s all about the prep game,” she says. herbs and radishes are stored in water in the fridge to keep them zesty and lettuce is a no-no. “I need something that will hold up in the fridge for a few days.” Food waste upsets her. “Overall it’s about not buying too much and having long-lasting staples plus a few bits and pieces to make it a bit fancier or creative,” she says.
Kitchen has a pro tip. “One thing we do that feels cheffy is to saute mushrooms in miso and butter and serve them on a chunky piece of sourdough toast finished with a big squeeze of lemon,” she says.
Taylor Cullen uses a ‘first in, first out rule’ in his home kitchen. Photo: Louise Kennerley
taylor cullen
head chef
Chiswick Woollahra
“I’ve been cooking at home more recently because I’ve been focusing on being healthy,” says Taylor Cullen. “That means a lot of healthy vegetarian bowls with sweet potato, eggs, spinach, kimchi, hummus.” At lunchtime, he often slices zucchini and cucumber straight into a bowl and eats them raw with prickly pear, hummus and kimchi. “It takes two minutes, it’s healthy and you’ve got a meal.”
If he wants something warm, it’s often a brother. “I usually have stock, noodles and miso on hand,” says Cullen. “I make a nice miso broth, add udon noodles to cook in there, maybe broccolini and herbs from the window sill.” Curry is another option, with Thai green curry paste and Indian curry paste both on hand. “At work I would make all that stuff but there are so many good store-bought ones for home. You get heaps of flavor without spending too much time.”
Cullen fasts from 7pm to noon but he often starts the day with japanese green tea and then goes for a surf. “I get up at six, stretch, have a matcha using a proper bamboo whisk and bowl, at the correct temperature, and consumed in three mouthfuls. It’s a really nice routine. I love tradition – why would you change it?” He has a selection of single origin Zen Wonders matcha tins (zenwondersmatcha.com.au), stored in the fridge so they last longer. “They’re expensive – up to $70 for 20 grams – but once you have beautiful matcha, it’s hard to go back,” he says.
Cullen’s fridge reveals a few cheffy tricks. “If I’m making chicken soup, I roast the whole chicken, then take the skin off, put it on a piece of paper and back into the oven until it’s really dry and crisp. Then I’ll chop it up, put it in a jar with oil, soy sauce and chilli flakes. super umami crispy chilli oil and it lasts for a couple of months.” What about the chicken meat? “I make a turmeric, ginger and lemongrass chicken stock with the bones I’ve roasted then I put the meat through at the end,” he says.
Ginger, prepared two ways, offers another barrage of flavor bombs. “I cook whole ginger on the barbecue until it’s black, then slice it and store it with mirin and rice wine vinegar to make pickled ginger,” says Cullen. “The offcuts I cook down with sugar until they are burnt and crystallized. They are amazing in orange polenta cake: you get the char and the floral ginger flavour.”
Kitchen protocols have been carried over from restaurants. “I have a first in, first out rule,” he says. “You don’t want a moldy whatever in the back of your fridge. A neat and tidy fridge makes it easier to cook. I couldn’t stand it messy. I wouldn’t open it.”
charlie carrington
owner/chef
Atlas Dining
Everyone’s fridge tells stories. Charlie Carrington’s says he’s a highly organized dog lover with a penchant for noodles. “I cook at home Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,” he says. “I love Thai curries, steaks and Chinese stir-fries.“Carrington has the advantage of running a mealbox business, AtlasWeekly, so he often grabs a crate for himself, topped up with extra vegetables. “I eat raw carrot and broccoli,” he says. “It might seem very strange but I love them.”
Carrington’s dogs keep a close eye on the Ilume fancy dog food on the top shelf. The company cooks human-quality canine meals such as turkey and spinach medallions, chicken rainbow slaw and bone broth. “I actually work with them,” says Carrington. “I had a very sick dog and good food has changed its life.” The lactose-free yogurt is also for the dogs.
When it’s time to feed the humans, Carrington often grabs noodles or fresh Otway pasta. “My personal favorite is spaghetti with clams and white wine,” he says. olives are a favourite. “I absolutely love eating them, adding them to charcuterie plates and shopping for them at Prahran or South Melbourne markets.”
You can take the chef out of a restaurant but you can’t take the principles of a neat coolroom out of a chef. “I love seeing things organized so I always have everything in order,” says Carrington. “I need to be able to see what I have at a glance.” Pro kitchen lore extends to keeping things fresh. “I wrap my herbs in damp towels because it really helps with the shelf life,” he says. “Also I store my olive oil in the fridge. I treat it like butter, which keeps that pure, fresh flavor when I use it in a salad dressing.”
TAKE HOME TIPS
- Make a one pot winner that can be added to and adapted during the week.
- Keep your fridge clean and tidy so it’s a pleasure to open it.
- put miso in everything, especially in butter to fry an egg.
- Store food well to extend its life: wrap herbs and leaves in damp paper towels.
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