I called Pierre Wind’s ‘corona cooking hotline’ to ask what people are asking
Pierre has already received hundreds of calls since he opened his ‘corona cooking hotline’ on Friday. To make cooking at home during quarantine a little easier and healthier, you can call or message the TV chef with all your food-related questions.
Now, I don’t actually have a food-related question ready (well, FavorFlav already has everything), but I am curious about the kinds of questions people have for Pierre.
His phone number is prominently listed in the AD. I assume I’ll get an assistant when I call. Brrrrrrr. Brrrrrrr. No answer. Hmm. A bit disappointing, Pierre.
But half an hour later I try again and, sure enough: there he is! Pierre himself. Unmistakably so, because even over the phone the man sounds like a whirlwind. Or could it be the car he’s sitting in? I’m guessing both.
So? Is it busy?
“I’ve received a lot of calls, but if I’ve missed one, I’ll call back as soon as I can. Friday and Saturday were completely crazy. So many calls. Hundreds, really. On Friday, people were mainly calling to test whether it was actually true. To check whether they were really getting me on the line. Saturday brought lots of questions, and Sunday was mostly messages. Those are easier to answer because you can also forward links and things like that.”
What kinds of things do people ask?
“Everything. How do you fix Hollandaise sauce that has split? (Add a splash of warm water, keep stirring and heat it au bain-marie.) What are good meat substitutes without E-numbers? (I have a great recipe for that in my book De ecokeuken van Wind) Turmeric is healthy, but how do I use it? (First sauté it gently: in other words, dissolve it in warm butter or oil, without letting it get too hot.) Can you still eat raw vegetables such as lettuce during corona? (Difficult to say—I’m not a virologist, but if the lettuce is packaged, the problem is already less significant.) Flour is sold out everywhere; what are good alternatives? (Buckwheat flour is great; almond flour works too, but it’s much more expensive and you need more of it.)”
Are you surprised too?
“Some people send me tips as well, yes. I really love seeing that too. It’s incredibly rewarding work. What I did find heartbreaking was an older gentleman who is a patient at Erasmus hospital in Rotterdam. He was extremely pleased with the work they do there, but thought the food was terrible. Of course, I couldn’t really help him, but it did affect me.”
Were there more things you didn’t have an answer to?
“How to make Loetje’s gravy. Well, she had found a recipe for it, but it didn’t work. So we simply started a FaceTime call and I talked her through it. Then it worked. Sometimes I just need to watch along for a moment to see what’s going right and wrong. I absolutely love doing that.”
Why will you stop when the hospitality industry starts up again?
“After that, I won’t have time for it anymore. And I think the momentum will have passed by then too. But until then, you can still call or message me daily between 10:00 a.m. and midnight at 06-14713488. And as I said: if I don’t answer, I’ll call you back later!”
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