Environment-friendly cooking with Chef Bruce Lim

MANILA, Philippines - For Chef Bruce Lim, the food tells the story. “You taste the ‘love’ that goes into preparing a certain dish and you just know how much hard work the chef has put into the dish,” he shares at a dinner interview in his Kitchen Studio where he also shoots the travel and cooking show Tablescapes (co-hosted by Angel Aquino on Asian Food Channel and Studio 23).

Chef Bruce’s fun, simple approach to cooking has endeared him to televiewers everywhere, giving local cuisine a fresh flair in both presentation and taste. Now, with his new kitchen-demo program Chef’s Table on Studio 23, Chef Bruce faces new challenges.

The pugon-style stove and oven in the kitchen are like warmly assuring bookends in the wonderful picture that now frames Chef Bruce as host of a new show. It has been a culinary journey laden with lessons and challenges for our Fil-Chinese celebrity chef, who has worked with some of the world’s most renowned chefs and wine-and-dine experts.

And now, Chef Bruce reveals his fascination with the new environment-friendly cookware Ecopan stainless steel cookware, which he frequently uses these days to whip up stew or sautéed dishes or even something as simple as a brunch omelette.

With the demands of everyday cooking, Chef Bruce also realizes that there is no room for error when it comes to cooking food at very high temperatures.

He explains, “When are you going to cook something you want at a constant 450° and just enjoy doing it, without having to worry about burning or over-searing? With Ecopan, there’s a lid at the bottom of the pan which distributes the heat evenly, and when you bring the fire down, it reacts to your cooking quickly, just the way you want it.”

With Ecopan, there won’t be fluctuations in cooking temperature. It is also perfect and safe to use for a cook who wants to have a reduction or emulsification that needs constant heat.

One advice Chef Bruce has for newbie cooks is to refrain from using pans with too-thin bottoms. Using cheaper pans could ruin the dish and, after a few uses, ruin the utensil itself.

Chef Bruce Lim is glad to have the entire Ecopan line of cookware. It’s the first environmental, eco-friendly cookware in the Philippines. The product uses water-based, German-made ceramic non-stick coating. It also has an 18/10 stainless steel mirror finish and riveted handles and knobs.

Ecopan is available at Homeworld, SM Department Store.