--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the most important thing when you…" description: "\"I think the most important thing when you are in a competition and you have, let's say, ingredients you have to use make something you did already beca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg" --- # I think the most important thing when you are in a… ![“I think the most important thing when you are in a competition and you have, let's say, ingredients you have to use make something you did already because none of the judges, you know, probably had it in our lifetime, so I think do something you feel confident with, not something completely new…” quote by Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg) > “I think the most important thing when you are in a competition and you have, let's say, ingredients you have to use make something you did already because none of the judges, you know, probably had it in our lifetime, so I think do something you feel confident with, not something completely new where you are not sure how many hours or how many minutes you have to cook it or if the seasoning is right or if the combinations of spices and herbs are right.” [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When competing, rely on familiar ingredients and techniques you trust rather than untested innovations that risk failure. **In simple terms:** Use what you know best in contests. Key Takeaway Play to your strengths. Themes competition confidence creativity risk management Mood focused pragmatic Type advice instructional When to use this quote - Cooking contests - restaurant menu development - home cooking challenges Key Concepts Culinary expertise strategic simplicity Questions to Reflect On - What familiar element could you elevate? - How do you balance safety and innovation? A Different Perspective Overreliance on familiarity may limit breakthrough dishes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Combination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combination/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Cook Seasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cook-seasoning-3552968/) [Cooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooks/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Herbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herbs/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Ingredients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingredients/) [Ingredients Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingredients-use-1322411/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Say Ingredients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-ingredients-3552966/) [Seasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seasoning/) [Seasoning Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seasoning-right-3552967/) [Spices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spices/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Where you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where-you-are/) ## Related quotes > [It is important to be transparent about ingredients and use products with clean ingredients.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bilzerian/it-is-important-to-be-transparent-about-ingredients-and-use-products/) [Dan Bilzerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bilzerian/) > [The blues, the way it's interpreted, is always a product of your environment, and so it's almost like food. You know, it's like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/the-blues-the-way-it-s-interpreted-is-always-a-product-of-your/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [I would say that I mostly use Kosher Salt for seasoning my water and flour. I love sea salt, too. I think both are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-would-say-that-i-mostly-use-kosher-salt-for-seasoning-my-water-and/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [Most seasonings are based on family tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/most-seasonings-are-based-on-family-tradition/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [The best seasoning for food is hunger; for drink, thirst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-best-seasoning-for-food-is-hunger-for-drink-thirst/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [People under 75 need more seasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-lutz/people-under-75-need-more-seasoning/) [Bob Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-lutz/) > [Theoretical concepts of music and extended techniques are more like seasoning to me; they're not the meal. I like outside music that still has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-cox/theoretical-concepts-of-music-and-extended-techniques-are-more-like/) [Gerard Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-cox/) > [Good vinegars come in all shapes, sizes, strengths, and viscosities and are probably my most often used seasoning agent in the kitchen after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/good-vinegars-come-in-all-shapes-sizes-strengths-and-viscosities-and/) [Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/) > [In Hong Kong, Dallas, or at home —and regardless of whether or not I have been to bed — breakfast is a personal ritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/in-hong-kong-dallas-or-at-home-and-regardless-of-whether-or-not-i/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Soy sauce is really a multi-purpose seasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-yan/soy-sauce-is-really-a-multi-purpose-seasoning/) [Martin Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-yan/) > [He created the flavors! He created the colors. He created it all, and he did it all out of the overflow of his perfections.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/he-created-the-flavors-he-created-the-colors-he-created-it-all-and-he/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [It is not consistent with truth that a man should sacrifice half of his stomach only to God-that he should be sober in drinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/it-is-not-consistent-with-truth-that-a-man-should-sacrifice-half-of/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Wit is better as a seasoning than as a whole dish by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/wit-is-better-as-a-seasoning-than-as-a-whole-dish-by-itself/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [The key to a good meal is simplicity and the right seasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-valastro/the-key-to-a-good-meal-is-simplicity-and-the-right-seasoning/) [Buddy Valastro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-valastro/) > [Everything must have in it a sharp seasoning of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/everything-must-have-in-it-a-sharp-seasoning-of-truth/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) ## More by Wolfgang Puck > [I tell everybody the same thing: You have to make every dish so when you taste it, you should remember it when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-tell-everybody-the-same-thing-you-have-to-make-every-dish-so-when/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [It's an interesting thing, Top Chef. Some of the contestants will make you one great dish, and then make you something on the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/it-s-an-interesting-thing-top-chef-some-of-the-contestants-will-make/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [One thing I always say is being a great chef today is not enough - you have to be a great businessman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/one-thing-i-always-say-is-being-a-great-chef-today-is-not-enough-you/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [Nutrition is just so important to me, mostly especially for children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/nutrition-is-just-so-important-to-me-mostly-especially-for-children/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [America has undergone a total food and wine revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/america-has-undergone-a-total-food-and-wine-revolution/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [Everybody has to put purees underneath everything now. It's like people think we need the steak, and then we need some baby food with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/everybody-has-to-put-purees-underneath-everything-now-it-s-like/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [For me, cooking is an expression of the land where you are and the culture of that place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/for-me-cooking-is-an-expression-of-the-land-where-you-are-and-the/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [A lot of restaurants serve good food, but they don't have very good service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/a-lot-of-restaurants-serve-good-food-but-they-don-t-have-very-good/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [It is so nice to talk to someone that has a passion for food and family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/it-is-so-nice-to-talk-to-someone-that-has-a-passion-for-food-and/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [Most seasonings are based on family tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/most-seasonings-are-based-on-family-tradition/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [In L.A. you live in a big city, but you feel like you're in the countryside. For example, I can be at home in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/in-l-a-you-live-in-a-big-city-but-you-feel-like-you-re-in-the/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [The most important thing for me is to really buy the best ingredient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/the-most-important-thing-for-me-is-to-really-buy-the-best-ingredient/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [Thirty-five years ago, being a cook was the same as being a used-car salesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/thirty-five-years-ago-being-a-cook-was-the-same-as-being-a-used-car/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [The usage of proper salt is really just a small piece of education. However, I want people to really get the proper nutrition from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/the-usage-of-proper-salt-is-really-just-a-small-piece-of-education/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [I grew up in Austria, and for me real comfort food is Wiener Schnitzel. Wiener Schnitzel and mashed potatoes because it reminds me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-grew-up-in-austria-and-for-me-real-comfort-food-is-wiener-schnitzel/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) [Explore all 85 Wolfgang Puck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) ## More Combination quotes > [Anytime there is any lyrical meaning or combination in my mixes, it's very blatant. I'm not trying to make any statement or anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/anytime-there-is-any-lyrical-meaning-or-combination-in-my-mixes-it-s/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/) [Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/) > [A successful director is someone who has the combination of skills that you can learn, but there's also an intuitive sensibility that they bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-heinrichs/a-successful-director-is-someone-who-has-the-combination-of-skills/) [Rick Heinrichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-heinrichs/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [The combination of such characters, some, as the sacral ones, altogether peculiar among Reptiles, others borrowed, as it were, from groups now distinct from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/the-combination-of-such-characters-some-as-the-sacral-ones-altogether/) [Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/) > [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [A combination of the qualities of the scholar, the master cook, the painter, the gastronomer, the sportsman and the pantologist, assisted by the skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ellwanger/a-combination-of-the-qualities-of-the-scholar-the-master-cook-the/) [George Ellwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ellwanger/) > [I did play a lot of fingerstyle when I first started playing. I could never really find the right combination of flatpick or fingerpick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-did-play-a-lot-of-fingerstyle-when-i-first-started-playing-i-could/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) [Peter Martins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-martins/) > [A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/a-thorough-understanding-of-the-typical-mating-continuations-makes/) [Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/) > [I am a combination of my entire family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionne-warwick/i-am-a-combination-of-my-entire-family/) [Dionne Warwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionne-warwick/) > [As I work day after day, inspirations from different places go into the work. It's combination, but it's also comparative. I'll be reading two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-banisadr/as-i-work-day-after-day-inspirations-from-different-places-go-into/) [Ali Banisadr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-banisadr/) > [Emile Zola was a poor student at his school at Aix. We are all so different largely because we all have different combinations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/emile-zola-was-a-poor-student-at-his-school-at-aix-we-are-all-so/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [“the previous weeks – a combination of being”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-previous-weeks-a-combination-of-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,578 Combination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the most important thing when you are in a competition and you have, let's say, ingredients you have to use make something you did already because none of the judges, you know, probably had it in our lifetime, so I think do something you feel confident with, not something completely new where you are not sure how many hours or how many minutes you have to cook it or if the seasoning is right or if the combinations of spices and herbs are right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wolfgang Puck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-you-are-in-a-competition-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Combination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-you-are-in-a-competition-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/wolfgang-puck-8022_combination_i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-yo_1193741.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the most important thing when you are in a competition and you have, let's say, ingredients you have…” — Wolfgang Puck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wolfgang Puck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think the most important thing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-you-are-in-a-competition-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/i-think-the-most-important-thing-when-you-are-in-a-competition-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```