Culinary Culture with Michael Tolkachev

Michael Tolkachev
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Culinary Culture with Michael Tolkachev is a podcast about the world behind the plate. We explore the craft of cooking, culinary techniques, ingredients, modern gastronomy, kitchen culture and the journey of becoming a professional chef. From classical French foundations to modern culinary techniques, we break down what really matters in the kitchen — how to understand products, develop your palate, build discipline and bring out the best in every ingredient. For chefs, young professionals, culinary students and everyone who wants to understand food on a deeper level. Because great cooking starts with understanding the product — falling in love with it, feeling its character and bringing out the best on the plate.

  1. 1h ago

    Culinary Culture Episode 20 - White meat and Red meat

    Chicken and Duck Why is chicken meat “white” while duck meat is red? Why are the breasts of either bird different than their legs? The answer to both questions is that the muscles—and the fibers that make them—have evolved to play different roles. Thigh and leg muscles are dominated by slow-twitch, dark-colored muscle fibers.

  2. Sep 28

    Culinary Culture Episode 19 - True Professionalism - True Chef

    What should you choose in many situations: a chef with extensive experience, many years in the industry, and a deep understanding of the business, the product, strategy, how to make the right decision at a particular stage, and someone who knows how to handle an opening and everything that comes with it? The professionalism of the chef you bring into the project really matters. The question is whether you should choose someone who simply fits the budget and can get the doors open as quickly as possible.

  3. Sep 21

    Culinary Culture Episode 18 - The Meat

    When we cook meat, we are essentially changing its texture, juiciness, flavor, and appearance by applying heat. It sounds simple, but the science behind cooking meat is actually quite complex. Many different physical and chemical reactions take place as the temperature of the meat increases. Today, let’s focus on one of the most important ones — tenderness.

  4. Sep 14

    Culinary Culture Episode 17 - Sous Vide Vegetables

    Fortunately, cooking vegetables and other plant-based foods is generally more forgiving than cooking meat or seafood. Heat changes the cells and structures of plants in a relatively predictable way, making precise temperature control less critical in many cases. Fortunately, cooking vegetables and other plant-based foods is generally more forgiving than cooking meat or seafood. Heat changes the cells and structures of plants in a relatively predictable way, making precise temperature control less critical in many cases. higher temperatures accelerate softening

  5. Sep 9

    Culinary Culture Episode 16 - How Hydration works

    Hydration is one of important chemical processes Why it’s happening What need to keep texture more soft and juicy Each type of hydrocolloid becomes fully hydrated at a characteristic temperature Some compounds, like xanthan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, and some carrageenans, can be hydrated without adding heat; others must be brought to 85°C / 185°F or higher. A few hydrocolloids have a hydration temperature that depends on the ion content of the liquid with which they are hydrated. As a rule of thumb, good dispersion occurs when you mix oil with xanthan at a ratio of at least 3:1.

  6. Sep 4

    Culinary Culture Episode 15 - The Basics of Culinary Art: Time, Balance and Pleasure

    One of them is organizing your workspace properly. Another essential element in cooking is time. We should also think about how the guest will feel after eating it. There is another quality that I believe is essential to gastronomy — the desire to give pleasure. Food is a way to create memories.

    Culinary Culture Episode 15 - The Basics of Culinary Art: Time, Balance and Pleasure

  7. Sep 1

    Culinary Culture Episode 14 - Seafood

    One of the most interesting things about shellfish is that they have no internal skeleton like fish or land animals. Their bodies are supported by an external shell. Inside that shell, the majority of what we eat is muscle, connective tissue and organs. And this is exactly why understanding the biology of seafood makes us better chefs. The more we understand the animal, the more precisely we can choose how to handle it, cook it and present it.

    Culinary Culture Episode 14 - Seafood

  8. Aug 29

    Culinary Culture Episode 13 - Tuna. Difference between tuna and beef

    Why the tuna flesh is red? Maybe tuna can be instead beef? Its structure of meat and muscle. Fish muscle is designed for movement, not weight-bearing Light muscle = speed Dark muscle = endurance Tuna are extremely active swimmers. They can maintain high-speed movement for long periods, so they have a much greater proportion of dark, aerobic muscle than many other fish.

    Culinary Culture Episode 13 - Tuna. Difference between tuna and beef
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About

Culinary Culture with Michael Tolkachev is a podcast about the world behind the plate. We explore the craft of cooking, culinary techniques, ingredients, modern gastronomy, kitchen culture and the journey of becoming a professional chef. From classical French foundations to modern culinary techniques, we break down what really matters in the kitchen — how to understand products, develop your palate, build discipline and bring out the best in every ingredient. For chefs, young professionals, culinary students and everyone who wants to understand food on a deeper level. Because great cooking starts with understanding the product — falling in love with it, feeling its character and bringing out the best on the plate.

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