how to break down a chicken (a video!)

What seems like a lifetime ago, the Chef and I put together this photo tutorial on how to chop an onion. We had only been married a month, Little Bean was just a hope in our hearts, and he was still the chef at that restaurant where he used to work. We loved putting together that post, because so much of cooking is about having the confidence that comes from knowing the right techniques when working with food. Your responses were pretty voluminous too. We planned to do more. Many more.

But life intruded. We went to Italy. My book came out. We went on tour to promote it. Little Bean was conceived. I was pregnant, joyfully. She arrived, with some tremors, and then singing with health. The Chef quit his job and came home. We wrote a cookbook. Little Bean amazes us every day.

And then we bought a video camera, to record her squeaks and giggles. Every day, she does something astonishing. She’s talking now. She deliberately says Mama! when I leave the room, a gentle call to say, “Hey! Come back!” When I put my face around the corner, she smiles a grin like this. The other day, she was laying on the Chef’s chest, her head under his chin. And she looked up at him, and said, “Papa!” with wonder in her eyes. We both had tears in ours. Suddenly, when she wants to eat, she looks at us with great intent and says “Baba! Baba!” This talking thing sure makes it easier to know what she wants.

We don’t want to miss a moment.

So we bought a video camera, this miraculous little video camera called Flip Video MinoHD. Oh my goodness, we’re in love with it. Small as a cell phone, which makes it far more portable than more expensive cameras, it comes with a USB arm embedded in it. Push a button, out it comes, and we can plug it into the computer to download videos every night. The grandparents are ecstatic. We love it too.

And then we looked at each other and said, “Hey, let’s make some food videos!”

So we have. We filmed these in our kitchen, the other day, as Little Bean took a nap. And we had so much fun that we’re going to continue. Every Wednesday here, you’ll find a video of the Chef demonstrating a technique with food. It could be basic, it could be fancy. It could be him showing you how to make a recipe on this site. Most of them won’t be surrounded many words. Just today, I wanted to share.

This first video is a long one, with no cuts or edits. It’s the Chef talking you through the process of breaking down a chicken. (I realize this might be the first time that some of you hear his voice, except in writing.)

Those of you who don’t eat meat will not want to watch this. It’s a clear demonstration, with bones and sinews. (And I’m sorry that the static shot is one of raw meat. I don’t know how to make that change. I’m new at this.)

And so, I give you: the Chef breaks down a chicken.

This next video is the same process, but close-up, more slowly, and without words. Again, the sounds are real. If you are a vegetarian, you might not enjoy this.

But we wanted to show this in component parts so that, if you are new to this, you can watch it in snippets, pause, and do this yourself. Be sure to wash your hands before you touch the computer again.

So there you go. A little sliver of life in our kitchen. There will be many more in the weeks to come.

Here’s the question: what would you like to see demonstrated on video next?