Thursday, November 4, 2010

10 Most Famous Chefs in the World

Ever wonder who the most famous chefs in the world are?  You might be surprised!

We summed up the number of people searching Google for specific celebrity chefs. World-renowned French chef and
restaurateur Joël Robuchon didn't even make the top 10 list.  Jamie Oliver, aka The Naked Chef, was far and away the most searched for chef on the Internet.

Here's our full list of the 10 most searched for chefs on the Internet.

Jamie Oliver Jamie Oliver - The Naked Chef

Jamie Oliver is frequently nicknamed The Naked Chef, is an English chef best known for his growing list of food-focused television shows.  Oliver is also an active opponent of the use of processed foods in national schools

Gordon Ramsey Gordon Ramsey - Hell's Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay is a British chef who currently ranks 3rd in the world in terms of Michelin Stars behind Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse.  He's on Hell's Kitchen.
Rachael Ray Rachael Ray - Food Network Queen
Rachael Ray hosts the TV show Rachael Rayand two Food Network shows, 30 Minute Mealsand Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Rachael Ray has also written several cookbooks based on her 30 Minute Meals concept.
Bobby Flay Bobby Flay - BBQ Throw Down
Bobby Flay is the owner and executive chef of eight restaurants and has appeared on 8 different cooking television shows.  Flay has also competed on Iron Chef.
Wolfgang Puck Wolfgang Puck - Restarant Tycoon
Wolfgang Puck is an Austrian celebrity chef now based in Los Angeles. Wolfgang Puck owns a collection of restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products.
Giada De Laurentiis Giada De Laurentiis - Everyday Italian
Giada De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef and the current host of the Food Network programs Everyday ItalianBehind the Bash,Giada's Weekend GetawaysGiada in Paradise, and Giada at Home.
Sandra Lee Sandra Lee - Semi Homemade Cooking Author
Sandra Lee is best-known for her "Semi-Homemade" cooking concept. She describes the philosophy as "70% store-bought/ready-made products accompanied by 30% fresh and creative touches, allowing you to take 100% of the credit."
Mario Batali Mario Batali - Iron Chef champion
Mario Batali is one of the most accomplished 'Iron Chefs'.  He can whip up a 3 course meal faster than you can peel a potato.
Emeril Lagasse Emeril Lagasse - "Kick it up a notch"
Emeril Lagasse is best known for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and “BAM!”
Jacques Pepin Jacques Pepin - Famed French chef
Jacques Pepin  is an award-winning French chef, television personality, and author working in the United States.



Taiwan Most Wanted Night Market Food



  • Mini soup dumplings

    Mini soup dumplings

    This famous snack from Shanghai has spread throughout the Chinese world. It is made with pork and pork skin boiled in chicken broth wrapped in dough and steamed. They are carefully wrapped using 14 folds to make buns that “look like a bell on the bot''.
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  • Crispy Salt & Pepper Chicken

    Crispy Salt & Pepper Chicken

    One of Taiwan’s most popular snacks. The name originally referred to breaded deep fried chunks of chicken, but is now used for a wide variety of deep fried foods including tempura, dried mushrooms, silver rolls, green corn, and dried tofu. 
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  • Stinky tofu

    Stinky tofu

    As any lover of stinky tofu will tell you, the stinkier the better! Many people are afraid to try this pungent dish, but everyone agrees that once you do you’ll be hooked. This simple dish is prepared by frying fermented tofu in oil 
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  • Oyster vermicelli

    Oyster vermicelli

    No trip to the night market would be complete without a bowl of oyster noodles. Fresh oysters are added to red flour noodles and broth thickened with starch, then served with stewed sausage, black vinegar, and a special sauce and topped with cilantro...
  • Ba-wan (Taiwanese meatball)

    Ba-wan (Taiwanese meatball)

    Changhwa and Hsinchu are particularly famous for their ba-wan, the former specializing in fried ba-wan, and the latter in steamed. This traditional snack is made from pork, mushrooms, and dried bamboo shoots stuffed in dough made from rice flour 
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  • Chicken rice

    Chicken rice

    One of Chiayi’s most famous dishes, chicken rice is eaten for lunch and dinner, as a midnight snack, or even for breakfast. It is traditionally made from white rice smothered in chicken and chicken gravy, but there are many variations. 
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  • Braised pork rice

    Braised pork rice

    An endearing traditional favorite, this dish became popular in the post-war era when meat was a luxury that was only available on special occasions. It is traditionally made with inexpensive meat from a pig’s head and ears cooked in soy sauce.
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  • Shrimp rolls

    Shrimp rolls

    Shrimp rolls are made with fresh shrimp, minced pork, fish sauce, celery and onions wrapped in pork skin and deep fried, then served with a sweet sauce. Unbelievably delicious!
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  • Oyster omelet

    Oyster omelet

    A very popular item, these omelettes are made from fresh oysters coated in potato or sweet potato starch and fried on a skillet with eggs and onions, then served with a special sweet and sour sauce. A taste you won’t soon forget.
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  • Pearl milk tea

    Pearl milk tea

    Also known as bubble tea, this drink was created in Taichung by mixing black tea and chewy tapioca balls. Its popularity quickly spread, and now you can find pearl milk tea wherever you find Chinese people throughout the world
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    Shilin Super Size HugeChicken Cutlet
    豪大炸雞排(Ho-Da Ja-Ji-Pai)
    NT$~50
    Shilin Super Size Huge Chicken Cutlet is one of the most popular street foods in Taiwan. However, this snack at Shilin Night Market is famous for its jumbo size. It is 1.5 times larger than regular friend chicken; perhaps larger than your face. Taiwanese fried chicken is soaked in special sauce before frying, and its taste is mixed with spicy pepper and aromatic herbals, and the meat quality is tender and juicy; it is of its own kind other from common western style fried chicken.


    Wok-fried Squid
    生炒花枝(Sheng Chao Hua Zhi)
    NT$~50
    Fresh squid is sliced and then wok-fried with garlic, red pepper, bamboo shoot slices, and carrots, and boiled with stock soup to make thick soup. Tasted somewhat sour with sweetness and aroma of basil; it opens up appetite. Squid itself has no distinct flavor, but the crisp chewing makes it one of the most popular seafood among Taiwanese people.

    Health spareribs soup with Chinese medicine
    藥燉排骨(Yao Dun Pai Gu)
    NT$~90
    Taiwanese like to maintain health with health enhancing diets, and the herbal stew of ribs is the most classic and affordable nutrient gourmet dish. Its stock soup includes more than ten varieties of Chinese herbal medicines that are stewed for 3 to 4 hours before used for boiling fresh pork ribs. Its dark appearance may look deterring, but after pork ribs are boiled to soft with flavors are brought out, the soup tastes light and sweet with unique aromatic scent of herbals.

    Mango Ice
    芒果冰(Mango-bin)
    NT$~80
    Mangos are among the tastiest fruits you can enjoy in Taiwan. While just eating the succulent sweet flesh is a great pleasure in itself, the experience becomes even more pleasurable when fresh mango is combined with ice cream or condensed milk atop shaved ice. In recent years mango ice has become extremely popular in Taiwan.

    Fried Buns
    生煎包(sheng jian bao) 
    NT$~10
    These delicacies come with either a vegetable filling of cabbage and mushrooms or a meat filling of pork and scallions. As the patiently waiting customers like to note, “You haven’t been to Shi Lin Night Market if you haven’t had Shanghai buns.” But be careful when biting a freshly-cooked bun, lest you get burned by the hot juice inside.

    Sausage Wrappened in Glutinous Rice
    大腸包小腸(Dacha-po-Xiaocha) 
    NT$~40
    A segment of Taiwanese pork sausage is wrapped in a (slightly bigger and fatter) glutinous rice to make this delicacy, usually served chargrilled. It may be compared to a hot dog. Deluxe versions are available in night markets in Taiwan, with condiments such as pickled bokchoi, garlic, and thick soy sauce paste to complement the taste.
    Bun in a Bun
    大餅包小餅(Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing) 
    NT$~50
    This snack is recommended by many foreign tourists. Wrapped under handmade flour crust is a crispy, smaller fried cake that comes with optional fillings including bean paste, taro, sesame, curry, and chilly. It tastes totally different from western style desserts, and is one of the most famous key signature snacks. You may find Bun in a Bun stall in the Shilin Night Market.

    Snow Flakes Crushed Ice
    雪花冰(Xue Hua Bin) 
    NT$~80
    Snow Flake Crushed Ice looks like layers and layers of snow flakes. It is a unique ice block with mixtures of flavors of milk, peanuts, coffee, and others, machine-chopped to beautiful layers of snow flakes; stacked up to more than 3 inches on a plate.