5 Unexpected Things You'll Find in Chef Jacques Pepin's Fridge

Including tortillas! For making pizza!

November 15, 2011

Pepin wrote on this napkin at his home in Madison CT just before flying to Paris on August 4 2011.

Yesterday we told you that chef Jacques Pepin, a.k.a. Godfather of La Technique, keeps beer next to a jar of truffles in his fridge, 'So that when someone asks if he can have a beer, I can tell him, 'Help yourself, the beer is next to the truffles.'" Want to know what else Pepin keeps on hand at all times? We asked the chef what we'd be surprised to find in his refrigerator, and what he does with it.

You may be less surprised by the rest of the contents of the chef's fridge. But hey, it's Jacques Pepin, so you still probably want to know:

"On the shelves in the door of my refrigerator, I always have good eggs from a nearby farm, many different types of sauces, cornichons, sesame oil, at least two kinds of mustard, yeast, butter, tomato paste, and truffle oil."

"I have four shelves and three drawers in the main part of my refrigerator. The top shelf holds milk, juice, beer, mayonnaise, ketchup, and the jar of truffles."

"The second shelf has salad greens, yogurt, pickled onions, pressed caviar, and a jar of unknown stuff. (I always have a few jars that have been in there for so long that nobody knows what is in them.)"

"Under the shelf is a drawer containing four types of cheese--Gruyere, blue, Parmesan, and a Camembert type--in addition to some dried sausage, a package of smoked fish (like salmon), and tortillas."

"The third shelf has leftovers from one, two, or even three meals, chopped herbs, a jar of peppers, and three or four types of jam (apricot, raspberry, etc.)."

"The bottom shelf holds pate, two or three types of olives, cooked beans, garlic oil, and other seasoned oils."

So, how does your fridge compare?