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J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

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Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#141

Post by bobf »

samatman wrote: post #131
tptacek wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't believe I didn't know about Spanish tortilla before. Easily the best egg dish and also maybe the best way I currently know to prepare potatoes at home now. And they get better when they're cold! I've wasted my life! I've made dozens since last summer, and Kenji's technique in the video has been pretty much bulletproof for me. His extra-creamy scrambled egg is also a mainstay now: https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Just as a point of order (and because I don't like giving Gordon Ramsay credit for things either), Jaques Pépin popularized that technique for scrambled eggs when Ramsay was ten years old. He remains a delight to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqKq0bQHnZU

I've watched this Jacques Pépin video countless times and the ease with which he casually prepares the two styles of omelets in ~5 minutes and narrates the process amazes me every time. I still can't perfectly replicate the second "classic French omelet" style even after years of effort. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1XoCQm5JSQ&t=8s

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#142

Post by bobf »

nyjah wrote: post #50

My favorite tip from Kenji is for the grilled cheese sandwich. I don't follow his recipe for 99% of it, but slicing a garlic clove and rubbing it on lightly toasted bread before making the grilled cheese completely enhances the sandwich without really adding an ingredient. Thats why its my favorite tip.

Not to lightly throw around the phrase "life changing", because I honestly don't eat that many grilled cheese sandwiches where the difference substantially changes my life, but using mayonnaise instead of butter is definitely a revelation. I think I learned that from another source before Kenji, but I know Kenji has highlighted that tip at various points and it's well worth repeating.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#143

Post by ryando »

ethbr0 wrote: post #74
sondr3 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you in that I prefer written material most of the time, but for food I actually prefer video over text. Mostly because it allows me to see and get a feel for the workflow, the timings and such that are impossible to get across from just a recipe. Especially for baking videos have been great because when it says “should be tacky to the touch but not sticky” it’s always “how sticky is sticky, what is tacky…

Watched for the first time just now. I love the PoV videos! It's really helpful to see just what the hands are doing, and no cuts. The biggest gaps in written IMHO tend to be (a) things people do but don't realize they do, (b) things people do but assume everyone else already knows, (c) things people do more efficiently but don't think to mention (obvious example: use a cook time break to clean prep-ware).

Those videos completely changed the way I drain pasta noodles, from dumping them into a strainer over the sink and losing all the starchy water to scooping them out with a spider and dropping them directly into the saucepan. Seriously upped my pasta game.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#144

Post by bobf »

lacker wrote: post #22

Serious Eats is a great source. Their writing on how to cook a steak in a cast iron pan is excellent, a really useful and interesting read for anyone who likes cooking steaks in cast iron pans. https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-p...

Kenji and Serious Eats' work on cooking meat and roasts has transformational. When time allows, sous vide with a reverse sear is my current favorite/unbeatable technique for perfect results without any extra work or active time beyond the initial water bath setup.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#145

Post by chockablock »

tptacek wrote: post #116
vitaliyf wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am very surprised it's not a more popular dish in the US - it seems like it would fit well the Denny's, IHOPs or even some fast-breakfast drive-throughs, and work as breakfast or appetizer or dinner. It's on every menu in Barcelona - yes, served cold. A Spaniard taught me that mixing in some potato chips gives it some variety. He said he even sometimes makes it completely out of packaged chips.

The potato chip Spanish tortilla is supposedly a Ferran Adria thing.

It’s in his cookbook “The Family Meal”.

It is a curious and useful book: the recipes are for the unfussy Spanish homestyle meals they served to the staff at el Bulli each night before opening. Each recipe is one that can scale way up, and the quantities are given to make each dish For 2, 6, 20, or 75 (!) people. It’s a good source of inspiration if you need to cook a dish for a crowd.

There are also detailed photo illustrations of the ingredients and of each step in the recipe.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#146

Post by Gatsky »

kenjilopezalt wrote: post #133
jasonwatkinspdx wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think using one of the newer action style cameras that does horizon leveling would help?

I use a gopro 9 with the strongest stabilization setting. I haven’t tried horizon leveling yet but that’s a good idea to test.

Never ceases to amaze me who is on HN.

Thanks for all the steak science.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#147

Post by rdtwo »

tptacek wrote: post #5

His Youtube is very, very good. Two Kenji videos that changed my life a little during the pandemic, in that I now make these things all the time: Spanish tortilla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPYk9W9v-bI Oyakadon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcXzpCqKdUA I feel like --- I might be wrong here --- Kenji's origin story is the Cook's Illustrated vodka pie crust, which replaces water in the dough with vodka to mini…

I did that vodka crust pie recipe when I was young and used every clear instead of vodka. Big mistake it ended up making a combustible mix in my oven and When I opened the door the sochometic ratio was just right and POOF.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#148

Post by tptacek »

chockablock wrote: post #145
tptacek wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The potato chip Spanish tortilla is supposedly a Ferran Adria thing.

It’s in his cookbook “The Family Meal”. It is a curious and useful book: the recipes are for the unfussy Spanish homestyle meals they served to the staff at el Bulli each night before opening. Each recipe is one that can scale way up, and the quantities are given to make each dish For 2, 6, 20, or 75 (!) people. It’s a good source of inspiration if you need to cook a dish for a crowd. There are also detailed photo il…

Huh, it's weird, I have The Family Meal, and even remember reading the potato chip omelette thing, but never connected that to a Spanish tortilla.

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#149

Post by Exuma »

xref wrote: post #115
Exuma wrote: post #16

Kenji AKA Peel ginger with a spoon!!!

Huh I’ve only watched like 10 of his vids but he hasn’t mentioned it once, he just smashes with a Chinese cleaver and minces in all the ones I’ve seen. What’s the benefit to dirtying both a spoon and a knife to mince garlic?

I said ginger, for garlic he usually just cuts it or uses mortar and pestle

Re: J. Kenji López-Alt is Seattle’s reluctant powerful food influencer

#150

Post by zebrafruit »

Gatsky wrote: post #146
kenjilopezalt wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use a gopro 9 with the strongest stabilization setting. I haven’t tried horizon leveling yet but that’s a good idea to test.

Never ceases to amaze me who is on HN. Thanks for all the steak science.

Yeah this is a surprising one
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