I’ve thought about this many times, but never with the expert advice of a mathematician! Or the lubrication of a bottle of wine! I guess Kenji is both more rational and more fun than I am.
top three things i’ve learned from Kenji, and i mean truly learned, not just heard and comprehended: 1. Taste what you cook. Seriously, taste everything 2. Recipes are guidelines, and merging recipes and adding your own twists is not sacrilege 3. You can make almost anything with stuff lying around in your fridge/pantry
Hey Kenji -- I've been a fan forever, and I think i know why. You've managed to develop your natural delivery into something which full of pearls of wisdom. Even though I've made this type of sauce many times, there's always something to learn. Cheers!
I'm 27 and only now getting into cooking and I have to say your channel has completely changed my outlook on cooking. Simple, to the point and well-explained. My issue with cooking was always just fear of messing up and wasting the money I put into a dish as I live alone and money is relatively tight. I really enjoy cooking but that fear always got to me. I grew up always watching the Food Network with my mom and learning food combinations and despite it taking me so long to finally get started I'm glad i'm pushing myself to learn. Thank you so much for this content. You're the best.
So you just happening to have ground italian sausage in your fridge got me thinking. As you're planning meals for your family, what is your thought process? For me, it usually entails thinking about what new recipes have me excited, or a certain cuisine that has me focusing on it. And then I'll buy all of my groceries at the beginning of the week for the meals ahead. For example, we usually have a different pasta meal every week, or a different example, this week was vegetarian week. So I'm assuming as a popular chef with your access to different ingredients, and your experience to not only come up with new recipes on a regular basis, but to be able to have certain ingredients ready on the fly to be like "oh hey, this would be good for a weeknight bolognese" allows you to be flexible with what you buy. Any chance you could provide some exposition on your thought process for buying ingredients? I'm sure, it might be too long of a question to provide an answer, but I would sure vote for this as a potential future video! Thanks for all of the content during this time. I know I've certainly learned a ton from your videos in particular.
I usually get what looks good and go from there. I had sausage in my fridge because when we make sausage at the restaurant, there's always a little at the end of each batch that the piston cannot push into casings and that goes into the walk-in for people to take home if they'd like. There's always a half pound of this or that hanging out in there.
@@JKenjiLopezAlt that's awesome. I worked at a restaurant briefly once and they used to THROW EVERYTHING AWAY! Literally dozens of kilos of fresh meat every shift! :(
Man I have to say, I adore your book (we call it "the kenji bible") but I've learned so much more of the nuance from these videos the last 5-6 months than I learned in years of following your writing. I can't express enough how awesome it is that you're putting out this content for free, especially right now. Keep being awesome!
The reason I love this channel is because "I enlisted a mathematician to under how to dice an onion" is the base level of expertise present in all the recipes.
This is my first video of Kenji's, and when I heard that bit, let me tell you: instant grinning from ear to ear. I'm really excited to dive into the backlog now!! 😋
With just a couple gopro cameras, Kenji has been putting out content from his own kitchen that easily blows most of the food network shows made in the 90's and early 00's away.
I hope this doesn't creep anyone out but I sometimes use your videos to help me calm down enough so I can sleep after a bad anxiety attack. Aside from teaching a lot about cooking, your videos help me hold onto my mental health. Thanks so much for your content.
How would this creep someone out? I do this all the time to fall asleep: watching cooking videos especially people like kenji. It relaxes me and the only issue I have is i sometimes fall asleep with my stomach rumbling haha.
Kenji: _chops onion_ You know, I enlisted the help of a mathematician friend... Me: Oh, he's about to kneel down and explain dicing onions, isn't he Kenji: _kneels down and explains dicing onions_ Me: YEAAAAAAAH!!!!!!
Thank god I'm not the only one thinking that. My ex was italian and holy shit do they have their ideas of cooking engrained in their head, I was scared to cook pasta around her lmao
The ragu bolognese recipe in your book is simultaneously the most challenging/complicated recipe I’ve ever made (chicken livers and marmite, seriously?). It is also the most delicious thing I’ve ever made. And it made enough for dinners, lasagna and frozen leftovers of both.
Thank you for the visual que on when it is done. As a non Italian, I could never tell. Also what else it can be used on. Your videos have kept me sane throughout the pandemic. Thank you.
Kenji is the Bob Ross of cooking. So wise yet so relaxing, and almost definitely cooler than any person you know, while still being humble. Protect this man at all costs.
This is the first recipe that I’ve used of yours and it turned out amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your love of food with us! I can’t wait to make many more of your dishes!!!!!!
Hi Kenji. Nice recipe. It'll give me another option for weeknight cooking. My Nona never believed in browning the meat completely. She always wanted the meat to finish in the sauce to give it even more flavor. That's how I've always made all of my tomato sauces.
Trying your variation on Ragu tonight. Plus I added some of that sacrilegious fish sauce! Also, I saw Kenji on an few years old episode of Guy's Grocery Games. He knocked it out of the park, but was eliminated on the final round. I definitely think he should have won it, but the cool part was the show still give his charity some money.
Ive been making a similar sauce using Impossible or Beyond beef and Beyond Sausage without the milk and it comes out super good. I do mine in enameled cast iron then stick it in the oven at 275 til its done. Also, my onion cutting has gotten so much faster since you taught that technique, so thanks for that.
pur3pker131 we’ve done it with almond milk for vegan bolognese for some of the emergency relief meals we do for coronavirus and now the Bay Area fires.
Hey Kenji! I totally get what you are saying about using fish sauce. Fish products can add a lot of good umami flavor that just complements a lot of meats. I use anchovy paste anytime I make a meat sauce or a ground beef dish like Picadillo Cubano
When I make a ragu in this style, I like to use about a half a bulb (or more) of fennel in place of celery. I find that it gives the end product a really nice warmth.
Attempted this recipe and it was great! I actually screwed up with the ingredient measuring and the ragu turned out more "saucy" at first, but I thought about what you said regarding the meat browning preferences leading to overcooked meat, so I deeply browned the remaining half pound of ground beef and ground spicy Italian sausage, pan cooking it with the remaining diced onions, minced garlic, and ground pepper. Then I added it with its juices to the already-made sauce and it was amazing! I think I got the best of both worlds with the extra meaty flavor and tender meat.
You’re awesome man!. I lived that video of you and Ragusea, another of my go-to RU-vidrs when it comes to home cooking. Of course there’s a lot more about the two of you but I’ll keep it short. I see a culinarily revolution coming already going on.
Today we learned that Kenji figured out the mathmatically correct way to cut an onion because he could and keeps all his rinds on the off chance he feels like he needs them. Shine on, you hungry diamond.
I watch so many chefs and cooks I really respect brown ground meat then use a pastry cutter or ‘meat masher’ technique to try and break it apart, and I’ve tried many ways to do the same myself. If you start the ground meat with a little splash of water in the pan it allows all the particles of meat and sausage to separate as their fat renders, and the fat stops the meat proteins from binding together as they cook and clumping. Then as the water evaporates away the tiny meat particles can brown in the rendered fat. Adding powdered gelatine also allows the meat of the ragu to stay beautifully moist and enriches the sauce with a wonderful mouthfeel.
Back in my cooking days, early on I had a job where my task sheet had me dicing 100# of Spanish onions a day and eventually I intuited to treat the onion as if it formed an invisible teardrop on the bottom profile and to aim for that. Glad to know what I worked out is backed by hard math!
This was not the first thing I've made from your channel or cookbook and it won't be my last. Thanks again for the great meal, Kenji. I really appreciate how you showed us a simpler take while supplying a more detailed ragu recipe. Awesome to have a choice of different complexities since I wouldn't have had time for a 4-5 hour ragu but this was perfect!
That little addition of sausage brings it home. I agree with your method regarding the browing of meat. I love your science background too! What a groovy cat you are!
Watching this made me feel really dumb. I used to always have the problem that when I added the milk, it would curdle. But here Kenji added it right after the tomatoes, when the sauce had had a chance to cool down. For some reason I never thought about doing it that way, I always added the milk at the end of cooking.
@@violetviolet888 I feel like that wasn't really even a point in this video. He never mentioned "oh by the way add your milk now so it doesn't curdle." He just did it nonchalantly like there wasn't even a problem to begin with. But either way, haven't heard of those channels before. I'll have to check them out, thanks!
I've only recently started watching Kenji's stuff because of how inclusive and cool he seems to be but real talk, how often does he share the mathematician onion model story? This is the second time I've heard it within a week. I'm not really complaining, worst case scenario is I will subconsciously know how to perfectly slice onion.
I have recently converted to swapping out the celery for some diced fennel in a meat sauce, particularly any one that you want to be a rich sauce. Just works. Also sprinkling mybe half a tablespoon of fennel seeds in the oil at the start
Just wondered if you would recommend treating the meat with a baking soda and water solution (I believe it's 1/2 tsp. baking soda mixed in 1 or 2 tbsp. of water) prior to cooking it so that it could brown more without becoming tough. Would that work for this recipe?
This is almost exactly how I make mine! The only difference is I add dried oregano and fresh basil (I also add fish sauce or anchovies now, because kenji is usually right). And of course I save my Parmesan rinds for my sauce. Looks delicious.
I would very much like a "how to cut an onion" video from you that includes that golden ratio one (amongst others). That'd be a perfect video, IMO. But you gotta include how to cut shallots and cipollini onions. Also, what's your opinion on pearl onions (the fresh ones, not the canned ones)? I'm actually curious about using them.
You can check out this video by Ethan Chlebowski about dicing onions, I don't think it contains shallots or the golden ratio trick, but it's informative anyway ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RL_9l975bNI.html
Dishes like this are great since you really don’t need any recipe at all besides the staple meat, vege and stock. Everything else is what you make it. I often use soy sauce, tomato paste, plenty of garlic, vinegar for acid, very lean mince, home made vege stock, random and differing spices. It’s a beautifully bastardised cross cultural non traditional morass and I love it
I like to add a little bit of marjoram, something I picked up from the Talisman cookbook. Also do a variation with ground chicken & ground turkey, for a member of the household who doesn't eat beef or pork. Duck fat is a great addition there 👍 Good stuff, thanks as always Kenji!
Mad I always done this one without the milk. Going to try that one soon!! I always make loads to put in the freezer. Easy meal I add some cherry tomatoes sliced and arugula n parm to the pasta with the sauce! One tip I have gotten is to lightly toast the onion before slicing for extra flavor!
Made this tonight. Didn’t do a perfect job, but it was still very good. I could see a million jumping off points for directions to take it. Quite certain we'll play with it a bunch!
Didn't know about Batali... thanks for stating you don't support him anymore, real class. Could you do a video with your thoughts on meat substitutes? I turned vegetarian 2 years ago. Planning to try this recipe with Gardein Beef Grounds. They get pretty close to mouth feel/flavor, but would love your input on the chemistry and optimal cooking processes.
I’d really enjoy watching your cooking video. I’d learn lot about how to cook the right way and I’d really like how you film your videos. And your little dog is cute 🍕🇨🇦
Is there anything I can replace the wine with? I’m fifteen, so I can’t exactly go and buy it ahahah :”D I wanna try this recipe though! Seems really fun.
Get a parent to buy it if you explain what it's for? 😂 alternatively most grocery stores have "cooking wine" for sale usually with the vinegars and oils, won't be as good but that's what I used when I wasn't 21 yet and didn't live at hone
You might be missing a bit of depth, but maybe grape juice ? I think once the alcohol evaporates you're left with mostly he deep fruity flavour of the wine....but he does mention having to use dry wine....hmmm🤷♂️
J. Kenji López-Alt I use 1:1 ratio of apple cider VINEGAR :water when substituting for wine in cooking a sauce and has been working great. . Correct don’t use grape juice, or any broth(I have spent months looking for a decent substitute so tried them All), it doesn’t work as well. Hope it helps.
Just made a pork and beef ragu myself recently Kenji, added green peppers and celery to mine as well as all the ingredients you added. I like to puree my sauce though to give it a smoother texture...
I had no idea you used fish sauce in your bolognese, I DO TOO! I started cooking a lot more with fish sauce when I started to learn how my wife cooks her native Laos dishes- I've been putting in everything from pasta dishes to chili. It's an amazing ingredient!
I remember Issac Toupes suggested for browning ground meat (he was doing so specifically for dirty rice) forming you meat into a large thick patty and searing hard on both sides, then break up the meat leaving you with some browned bits and some more tender bits
Made this last night and it was (as expected) utterly fantastic. Used a pound of spicy Italian sausage which did most of the heavy lifting, but I was surprised how deep and complex this was for such a simple recipe! I didn't have any parm rinds so didn't use those and had some bay leaves on hand so threw one in, but other than that, followed the recipe pretty much exactly and it was delightful! Once I turned the heat down, took about 90 minutes to get to right consistency (probably could have sped that up if I had heat higher, but I was reading in other room and didn't want to get up every 5 minutes!) One question for the group. Since we were browning the meat first and I was using my non-stick, I saw no point in using olive oil. The sausage produced enough fat for me to cook the veg in and so don't think oil is necessary here. Am I wrong and should I have used the olive oil? If so, why? Sauce tasted plenty flavourful to me - definitely not lacking in fat!
