10.0/101 votesLoading...#1 - Spring
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 11/6/2014
After a long winter, the arrival of spring awakens the delicate flavors of young herbs. The sun remains perched in the sky until midnight, the temperature climbs, and life returns to the once snow-covered landscape. This episode takes advantage of this brief window of time to explore the ingredients of spring in Sweden.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/1020 votesLoading...#2 - Argentina
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 9/18/2014
Travel with Ed to the foothills of the Andes to explore the most elemental part of cooking: fire.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/1070 votesLoading...#3 - Noodle
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 11/9/2012
Korean-American Author and Chef David Chang visits a noodle factory in Japan, eats the best bowl of ramen in his life, and cooks two incredible dishes with the instant ramen variety. Food Scientist Harold McGee explains how alkaline salts make ramen noodles unique.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/1025 votesLoading...#4 - Low Country BBQ
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 10/17/2013
Host Sean Brock prepares an outdoor feast on a friend's farm, where he's joined by barbecue pitmaster Rodney Scott, who roasts a whole pig; and Steven Satterfield, who makes Savannah red rice. Brock also prepares frogmore stew
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/1014 votesLoading...#5 - La Mer
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/2016
Ludo came up under mentors like Alain Passard and Mark Meneau, chefs with an almost pathological obsession with ingredients. His eyes light up when he describes the Lobsters of Brittany, the Oysters from Cancale, and the myriad of other extraordinary culinary jewels in the oceanic bounty of France.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/1035 votesLoading...#6 - René
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/16/2012
Chang hangs out with one of his best friends- who happens to be the world’s top chef- Rene Redzepi.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/1016 votesLoading...#7 - Louisville
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 9/25/2014
Taste the food and culture of Louisville, Kentucky, the place Ed now calls home.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/1015 votesLoading...#8 - Legacy
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 11/7/2015
Food is evolution, and wise chefs never forget from whence they came. A solid foundation allows them to test new boundaries and push things to new limits.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/1013 votesLoading...#9 - Le Végétale
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/2016
Today’s chef reveres his gardener as much as his butcher. Ludo explores the vegetables, gardens, and memories he uses to cook some of his dishes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/1013 votesLoading...#10 - Tous Au Bistro
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/2016
A bistro is typically defined by its modesty – they are relatively small, affordable and humble. With Petit Trois, Ludo’s has brought the spirit of the bistro to Los Angeles. In this episode, Ludo brings us back to Paris to introduce us to some of the people and places that first inspired him to begin a culinary career.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1039 votesLoading...#11 - Spain
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 11/9/2012
This episode is all about Spain’s influence on Chang’s career. He visits with some of his idols- Juan Mari Arzak and Andoni Aduriz, makes fideos, salt cod omelet and a sponge cake from chef Albert Adria.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1029 votesLoading...#12 - Soy
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 11/30/2012
This episode is all soy; Chang visits tofu and miso factories in Japan, Chef Christina Tosi makes Burnt Miso.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1015 votesLoading...#13 - Curry
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 11/14/2013
Explore the origins of curry and England’s versions of this historic cuisine.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1015 votesLoading...#14 - 25 Bites
Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 12/19/2015
A perfect tasting menu relies on balance, and on not fatiguing a customer’s palate. Based on that theory, no meal should be more than 25 bites.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1012 votesLoading...#15 - Joie De Vivre
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/2016
The demands of a celebrity chef, especially one that runs three vibrant restaurants and a fried chicken franchise, are rigorous. When Ludo needs to escape the chaos, he heads to the lilting and poetic world of Paris in the spring, where the emphasis is placed on the joy and fun of life.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1037 votesLoading...#16 - Rotten
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 11/16/2012
There is something rotten in David Chang’s kitchen and that’s a good thing. Rotten is delicious; katsuibushi in Japan, XO sauce, rotten bananas with Chef Christina Tosi, and Kimchi.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1028 votesLoading...#17 - Chef
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/23/2012
Chang makes eggs with his chef pals; Wylie Dufresne, Daniel Patterson, Rene Redzepi, and makes his Ko egg.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1033 votesLoading...#18 - Japan
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/23/2012
Chang travels to Tokyo and Kyoto where he visits a street market and Kikunoi, a Michelin three-star restaurant.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1023 votesLoading...#19 - Seeds
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 9/12/2013
It all began when Sean Brock went looking for Jimmy red corn. That simple journey turned into a lifetime of searching, archiving and reviving lost crops of the South. His partners in crime are legendary owner and operator of Anson Mills, Glen Roberts, and University of South Carolina professor David Shields — a trifecta of seed nerds hell-bent on preserving Southern food heritage.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1020 votesLoading...#20 - Rice
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 9/19/2013
The resurrection of Carolina gold rice, which disappeared following the Civil War era, is examined. Included: making pilaf and Hoppin' John fritters. Also: Louisiana chef Donald Link makes jambalaya; and Senegalese chef Fati Ly makes pilau.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1020 votesLoading...#21 - Preserve
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 10/3/2013
Preservation techniques that play an important role in Southern culture are discussed, including drying, salt-curing, canning and fermentation.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1013 votesLoading...#22 - LudoBird
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/2016
How does a chef trained in the finest kitchens of France translate his haute cuisine to fast food? Ludo’s obsession with a perfectly cooked bird can be traced back to France, where he learned to roast chicken, and his love for the American classic was solidified when he ate at KFC for the first time.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/1031 votesLoading...#23 - Simple
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/23/2012
Dishes in this episode are deceivingly simple; Chang travels to Japan for some Yakitori and high-end sushi, and his pal Daniel Patterson makes beets.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/1029 votesLoading...#24 - Gluttony
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/23/2012
It’s gluttonous goodness in this episode; over the top indulgence with Joe Beef chefs Federic Morin and David McMillian’s fois gras sandwich, a whiskey tasting Mayhem with Chef Sean Brock at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky and the classic dish Hot Brown served up three ways.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/1027 votesLoading...#25 - Fresh
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 11/30/2012
This episode explores the idea of fresh in the kitchen; instant broth, pea agnollini, fresh and aged steak with Chef Tien and Ike Jime with Dave Arnold and Chef Murata in Kyoto.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of The Mind of a Chef
Every episode of The Mind of a Chef ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Mind of a Chef!
Go inside the minds of some of the world's top chefs. Narrated by Executive Producer Anthony Bourdain, The Mind of a Chef is that rare...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Best Episodes Summary
"Spring" is the best rated episode of "The Mind of a Chef". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 11/6/2014. This episode scored 2.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Argentina".