Equipment & Tools

I've watched enough train wrecks to know this isn't about the gear—it's about watching someone else step into the chaos so you don't have to. DiGiovanni's got the balls to walk into these disaster zones, and sometimes the best equipment lesson is seeing what happens when everything else falls apart. You'll learn more about what NOT to do than any shiny new gadget review could teach you.

Vincent Williams has been frying chicken at Honey's Kettle for four decades, and when someone's been doing the same thing that long without going out of business, you shut up and listen. This isn't some celebrity chef bullshit—this is a master craftsman who understands that perfect fried chicken is about technique, timing, and the kind of obsessive consistency that keeps people coming back for 40 years.

Thirty years of roasting whole pigs, and Jack Tsoi still checks the fire every hour like his life depends on it — because in Chinese barbecue, it does. Watch how he manages that beast of an oven, the way he reads smoke and adjusts for wind, and you'll understand why most of us will never touch this level of fire mastery. This is what happens when technique becomes instinct.

You're not running a pizza joint to make TikToks, but Schiffer breaks down the camera work that separates amateur food porn from footage that actually sells your product. Watch this if you're tired of your marketing looking like it was shot through a grease-stained iPhone, and learn how proper B-roll can make even mediocre pizza look like something people will drive across town for.

I don't give a damn about Gordon's celebrity schtick, but the man knows his way around a fryer and isn't afraid to show the actual technique behind getting wings properly crispy. He breaks down the double-fry method and sauce application timing that most home cooks and half the wing joints in America still fuck up. Worth watching for the fundamentals, even if you have to endure the TV personality nonsense.

I've watched Scott Spellman roll bagels for four decades, and this isn't some food porn bullshit — it's a masterclass in why your equipment matters less than your hands. The man's technique with basic tools will teach you more about dough consistency and timing than any $10,000 mixer ever could. This is what real craft looks like when nobody's watching.

I've watched a dozen pizza dough videos this month, and most are garbage — too much talking, not enough doing. Städler cuts through the noise and shows you exactly what your hands need to know to make dough that won't embarrass you in front of actual Italians. The fact that he gives you a timestamp to skip his own intro tells you everything about his priorities.

I spent years watching line cooks blame their pans for shitty technique, when the real problem was never learning the fundamentals of heat control and timing. This breaks down the four rookie mistakes that separate the pros from the pretenders — and once you nail these basics, your stainless steel will perform like the workhorse it's meant to be.

Jean-Pierre cuts through all the prime rib mythology with the kind of old-school technique that actually works when you've got 200 covers on Christmas Eve. This is how you nail a $300 roast without the theater — just solid fundamentals that'll save your ass when the holiday rush hits.

I've watched a thousand cooks fuck up something as simple as a baked potato, and here's Elle Simone doing the real work to figure out why. America's Test Kitchen strips away the guesswork and gives you the actual science behind getting that perfect fluffy interior and crispy skin every damn time. This is the kind of methodical breakdown that separates professional kitchens from weekend warriors throwing spuds in the oven and hoping for the best.

I've watched Frank Proto work, and when he says there's a right way and wrong ways to cook bacon, you listen. This isn't some home cook nonsense—it's technique that translates directly to your line, where consistency and speed matter more than whatever trendy method food bloggers are pushing this week.

Babish cuts through the equipment noise and tells you what actually matters in a working kitchen — not the Instagram-worthy nonsense, but the tools that'll save your ass on a Tuesday night when the tickets are flying. This is the knife skills equivalent of equipment advice: fundamental, unglamorous, and absolutely essential if you want to survive service.