Though I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting any of his restaurants, Thomas Keller certainly needs no introduction to me. I’ve been hearing about and reading about his genius in the kitchen for years. His multi-award winning, three Michelin star rated flagship restaurant, The French Laundry, is legendary. The rest of his fleet, Bouchon, Per Se and ad hoc are no slouches either.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Tony Bourdain’s No Reservations on TV. This particular episode was all about cooking techniques, and had several famous chefs demonstrating how to make various basic dishes, such as omelets, pasta and burgers. Thomas Keller was on board to show his method for making the perfect roast chicken. As soon as I saw him on the screen, I sat up and paid close attention. I just knew that there were going to be some fancy bells and whistles involved. Except, there weren’t. Thomas Keller roasts a chicken pretty much the same way most of us do – very, very simply. In fact, the only thing that I usually do that Keller doesn’t is rub a little fat on the bird before roasting. He explains that while it is perfectly acceptable to do so, he doesn’t because he feels it adds extra steam to the oven, making the chicken’s skin less crispy. Okay. That makes sense. Besides, who am I to argue with Thomas Keller?

Keller also explains that the key to perfectly roasted chicken with an impossibly crispy skin is to make sure that the chicken is completely and indisputably dry before putting it in the oven. Oh, and you also need to use lots of salt – way more than I ever use.

This article appears in May 5-11, 2010.