In the third episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas, both winning teams use one common ingredient. A very common ingredient, but one that I consider quite special. It’s probably sitting on your shelf right now. A container full of swagger and an essential, go-to-bottle for your next company quickfire.
Mustard.
In any form.
I consider it to be in the list of top five things to always have on hand in your pantry.
And as condiments go, it’s the R rated version to ketchup’s PG rating. The beer to soda pop. For that matter, alternative music to pop music…sex to making out. And the reasons why are pretty simple from a pure flavor standpoint.
Mustard’s main role is to add acidity, closely followed by spice. Acid in a dish is a flavor that you hardly notice when it’s right but desperately miss when it isn’t. Where ketchup basks in its simple, one note of sweetness and success, mustard toils in the background. Never getting the press or attention, but confidently showing up in your fridge, day after day. I guess mustard is the offensive line. Or better yet, maybe the infantry is more appropriate for this military-themed challenge.
Last week, Michael Voltaggio, and Kevin Gillespie
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2000.
