The Mind of a Chef

2012 • PBS
4.9
144 reviews
TV-PG
Rating
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (16)

1 Noodle
11/9/12
David Chang makes instant ramen dishes and tsukemen. He travels to Japan for a bowl of the original tsukemen and visits a noodle factory. Food scientist Harold McGee explains alkalinity and its role in ramen.
2 Pig
11/9/12
Explore David Chang's relationship to the pig. He travels to San Sebastian to discuss pork bushi, prepares pork belly and tonkotsu, and visits Montreal with comedian Aziz Ansari for Wilensky's fried bologna sandwich.
3 Memory
11/9/12
This episode explores David Chang's past: dishes from childhood, summer eating, his time in Japan and golf.
4 Spain
11/9/12
Learn all about Spain's influence on David Chang's career. He visits with some of his idols — Juan Mari Arzak and Andoni Aduriz — makes fideos, salt cod omelet and a sponge cake from chef Albert Adria.
5 Rotten
11/16/12
There's something rotten in David Chang's kitchen — and that's a good thing. Rotten is delicious: katsuibushi in Japan, XO sauce, rotten bananas with Chef Christina Tosi, and kimchi.
6 René
11/16/12
David Chang hangs out with one of his best friends, René Redzepi — who happens to be the world's top chef.
7 Simple
11/23/12
Dishes presented in this episode are deceptively simple. David Chang travels to Japan for some yakitori and high-end sushi; his pal Daniel Patterson prepares beets.
8 Gluttony
11/23/12
It's gluttonous goodness in this episode — over-the-top indulgence with Joe Beef chefs Federic Morin and David McMillian's foie gras sandwich, a whiskey tasting mayhem with Chef Sean Brock at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky and the classic dish "Hot Brown" served up three ways.
9 Chef/Eggs
11/23/12
David Chang prepares eggs with his chef pals — Wylie Dufresne, Daniel Patterson and René Redzepi — and makes his Ko egg.
10 Japan
11/23/12
David Chang travels from Tokyo to Kyoto to meet and eat with friends. He visits a street market in Tokyo and finishes the trip at a Michelin three-star restaurant, Kikunoi.
11 New York
11/30/12
Enjoy this all-New York episode with the Torrisi boys, oysters, carrot dashi and farming. David Chang visits native New Yorker Ivan Orkin in Tokyo, where he's making ramen that's taking the city by storm.
12 Fresh/Frozen
11/30/12
This episode explores the idea of fresh in the kitchen: instant broth, pea agnollini, fresh and aged steak with Chef Tien, and "ike jime" with Dave Arnold and Chef Murata in Kyoto.
13 Soy
11/30/12
Savor an entire episode devoted to soy. David Chang visits tofu and miso factories in Japan, Chef Christina Tosi makes burnt miso apple pie, Laurent Gras takes on tofu, Chang makes his classic corn miso and the Torrisi boys compare making tofu to making mozzarella.
14 Sweet Spot
11/30/12
David Chang's protégé Christina Tosi makes corn cookies three ways and her three-layered Arnold Palmer cake. Chef Burns makes ice cream and Chang goes strawberry picking.
15 Smoke
1/11/13
David Chang profiles regional BBQ in North Carolina, Texas and Kansas City and the other-worldly smoky bacon from Allen Benton in Tennessee.
16 Buddies
1/11/13
David Chang cooks and goofs around with his friends Peter Meehan in Japan, Laurent Gras, Sat Bains, and René Redzepi in Copenhagen.

About this show

From ramen to rotting bananas, Copenhagen to Kansas City, pork buns to golf clubs, THE MIND OF A CHEF combines travel, cooking, history, science, and humor into an unforgettable journey. Join executive producer and narrator Anthony Bourdain as he takes viewers inside the mind of noted Korean-American chef and restaurateur David Chang, a New York Times best-selling author and chef/owner of the Momofuku restaurant group. Chang brings a voracious appetite for food knowledge and a youthful exuberance to cooking and travel, whether cooking in his kitchens in New York and Australia or traveling for inspiration to Japan, Denmark, Spain or Montreal.

Ratings and reviews

4.9
144 reviews
Matthew G. Noury
March 22, 2015
I love this series!
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Bryant Laney
September 26, 2015
I have binge watched every episode of this series and it is fantastic and inspiring.
3 people found this review helpful
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E
October 31, 2014
Good show, like it!
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