# Highbrow Processed Cheese Eric Ripert Reveals Kitchen Secrets from Le Bernardin By Marissa Liu | Published 2009-09-30 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/eric-ripert References: [newsweek](http://www.newsweek.com/id/216049/output/print) & [blog.aveceric](http://blog.aveceric.com/) New York super-chef, Top Chef guest judge and Anthony Bourdin’s sometimes food adventurer, [Eric Ripert](http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/09/eric-ripert-hearts-processed-cheese/) has a new television series, ‘Avec Eric,’ and in a promotional interview he reveals an interesting tid-bit about his famous New York restaurant, Le Bernardin. The sous chefs use processed cheese as a tasting reference point. “We realized a couple of years ago that one guy was saying a sauce was bland, while another guy was saying, ‘No, it’s not bland,'" says Eric Ripert. “So to have the same palate, we buy some [cheap, fake Swiss cheese](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wheelveeta) full of artificial flavors. In terms of flavor, that cheese tastes identical all year long... so it give us a reference, and we can judge fairly.” ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.3/10 - Popularity: 3% | Activity: 87% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Processed Cheese as Tasting Reference Point:** Food industry professionals are experimenting with processed cheese as a tasting reference point for consistent evaluations. - **Artificial Flavoring for Consistency:** The food industry is using artificial flavoring for consistency in taste evaluations. - **Tasting Consistency with a Fixed Reference Point:** The food industry is adapting to using a fixed reference point to ensure consistency in tasting evaluations. ### Who This Affects Most - **Food Industry:** The food industry can take advantage of a consistent taste reference point to ensure quality control and increase customer satisfaction. - **Flavor Industry:** The flavor industry can create more artificial flavorings for consistent taste evaluations in the food industry. - **Quality Control Industry:** The quality control industry can focus on creating consistent taste evaluations by creating standardized reference points. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Soft-Ripened Grilling Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brie-for-grilling.md) - [Grilled Cheese Swatch Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/borden-grilled-cheese-swatch-book.md) - [French-Style Cashew Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alpine-svviss.md) - [Cheese-Infused Luxury Chocolates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/m-cacao-fromage-chocolate-collection.md) - [Restaurant-Quality Shredded Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kraft-signature-shreds.md) - [Succulently Brined Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/softripened-goat-cheese.md) - [Ready-to-Cook Marinated Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rougette-bonfire-marinated-cheese.md) - [Artisan Cheese Fondues](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/parmigiano-reggiano-fondue.md) - [Rose-Shaped Swiss Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tte-de-moine-rosettes-semisoft-cheese.md)