1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:05,439 Speaker 1: During my two hundred and fifty plus days in Melbourne's Lockdown, 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: I was on a mission to use my extra time 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: at home to master making the perfect roast chicken. But 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,240 Speaker 1: it didn't really work out, and on several occasions I 5 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: think I came very close to giving the people I 6 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: cooked for food poisoning. Now, while this podcast is all 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: about the world of work, it's not every day that 8 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: you get to speak to one of Australia's most renowned chefs, 9 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: Maggie Beer. So when I got the chance to speak 10 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: to Maggie Beer last year, I was desperate to know 11 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: how do you make the perfect roast chicken. My name 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: is doctor Amantha Imba. I'm an organizational psychologist and the 13 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium. And this is how 14 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: I work, a show about how to help you do 15 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: your best work. On today is my Face Tip episode, 16 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: we go back to an interview from the past and 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: I pick out my favorite tip from the interview. In 18 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: today's show, I speak with Maggie Beer about how to 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: roast the perfect chicken. Okay, so now with roast chicken, 20 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: I think during twenty twenty I maybe roasted twenty chickens, right, 21 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: I was determined to perfect it, and then I found 22 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: like they were getting better and better, and then they 23 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: started getting worse and worse and they were undercooked, and 24 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,680 Speaker 1: you know, all right, risking people's health. So what are 25 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: the secrets to creating the perfect roast chicken? 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: The secret to creating a perfect roast chicken is one 27 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 2: by yourself a digital thermometer. Two, buy a well bought 28 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 2: up chook and not a supermarket chook. There is such 29 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 2: a difference. It's phenomenal a supermarket chilk. 30 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: Will I was just going to say, how do we 31 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: know if it's been well brought up? Is it just 32 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: a matter of going to a butcher rather than a supermarket. 33 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 2: No, it's asking questions. You know, there's a lot we 34 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 2: have to If we're looking for the best washing machine, 35 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 2: we would do some research. For the best chook. You've 36 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 2: got to do the same. And every state has got 37 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 2: really good chicken farmers where they're grown out naturally without 38 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: antibiotics which are used as a preventative to grow cooks 39 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 2: out quicker. And you want to know about their feed. So, 40 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 2: like everything, if you want something good, you've got to 41 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 2: do some background and make some choices how delicious Produce 42 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 2: Awards I'm very proud of. I'm the patron of those, 43 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 2: and each year Produce Awards you'll find they are finalists 44 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 2: in each state. And I know, I certainly know they 45 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 2: are in South Australia. They're beautiful chooks here because they're 46 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: within our family. But in Victoria they have, in Queensland 47 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 2: they have, In New South Wales they have really great chooks, 48 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 2: and I'm sure they have in Western Australia and Tasmania too. 49 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 2: So you've got to do a bit of work to 50 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 2: be buying well. And then it's a case of not 51 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 2: overcooking nor undercooking your chook. And I think I did 52 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,920 Speaker 2: a paper with for Matt Preston at one stage and 53 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 2: I came up with twenty nine different things that can 54 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 2: make a difference. 55 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, what are some of those things? 56 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:35,119 Speaker 2: Well, some of those things is for me, it's protecting 57 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 2: the breast with some foil when cooking so the breast 58 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: will dry out much easier. I cook it, say to 59 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: I always cook a large chook, say to kilos, because 60 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 2: that's a chok that's grown out naturally and allowed, you know, 61 00:03:55,320 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 2: had a good life and so I will cook for 62 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 2: probably two hundred degrees with the breast protected in an 63 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 2: oven tray with not very high sides, because that's important. 64 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 2: So the heat gets right into the chok for the 65 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 2: first twenty or thirty minutes, and then I will take 66 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 2: the foil off and I will rub the chook. I 67 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 2: have previously rubbed the chok with extra virgin olive oil 68 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 2: and salt. And then I will cook for about fifty minutes. 69 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:39,039 Speaker 2: Then I will check the temperature at the thickest part. 70 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 2: It must be sixty five degrees CE at the thickest 71 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 2: part to be safe. And then I will cook it 72 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 2: a little bit longer. I'll drizzle it with verdues, and 73 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 2: then I will take it out of the oven at 74 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 2: about an hour or an hour and ten turn it 75 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 2: over because that really helps all the go back down 76 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 2: into the breast, which is more likely to be dry. 77 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 2: So look, I could tell you a whole lot of 78 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 2: other things. 79 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: I'm I'm like making notes as you talk. I'm just 80 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: so excited to try these, Like what are some other 81 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: things that come to mind? 82 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 2: Some other things, put some lemon and some thyme in 83 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 2: the cavity, or always dry out the cavity before you 84 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 2: start cooking, because there can be You know that they're 85 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 2: always put in a bag after they've been processed, and 86 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 2: so you know you want to get rid of that 87 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 2: those juices that which are just water and blood. I 88 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 2: quite often spatchcock the chook if I'm wanting to cook 89 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 2: a little bit quicker. But that rubbing of the skin 90 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 2: with the olive oil and olive oil and salt to 91 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 2: start with and then diglazing it with verjuice helps enormously. 92 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 1: I hope you are now feeling motivated to maybe make 93 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 1: someone special in your life a roast for dinner tonight. 94 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,039 Speaker 1: And if you are looking for more tips to improve 95 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: the way that you work, I write a short fortnightly 96 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: newsletter that contains three cool things that I've discovered that 97 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: help me work better, ranging from interest in research findings, 98 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: street to gadgets and software that I am loving. You 99 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: can sign up for that at Howiwork dot co. That's 100 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 1: how I Work dot co. How I Work is produced 101 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: by Ventium with production support from Dead Set Studios, and 102 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: thank you to Martin Nimba who does the audio mix 103 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: for every episode and makes everything sounds so much better 104 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: than it would have otherwise, see you next time.