Technique vs. Ingredients

Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White and Anthony Bourdain on choosing between first-rate ingredients prepared by a second-rate chef, or second-rate ingredients prepared by a first-rate chef: "After some careful thought, both Blumenthal and Bourdain chose the second-rate ingredients in the hands of a first-rate chef ... Blumenthal also mused that Brits tend to agree with Californians about ingredients and, later, Bourdain suggested that in Spain, it's all about technique." But White hedged, saying that he has "never seen first-rate ingredients ruined by a chef." [Guardian via Eater SF]