@ Barila Bakes That what I was taught to make a dark gravy. Just give the flour butter roux time to brown and watch that you don't burn it. Slowly pour the liquid in.
Roux not brown, then removes skins... calling it canadian but does not precise de province Quebec. Its like saying a got a cheese steak sandwich no its a philly cheese steak
As a Quebec resident I must say that the curds make the difference between a good poutine and a bad one, and that toppings aren’t cheating, but its different from a classic poutine
The difficult thing to reproduce is when they can get cheese curds they're not actually fresh, they've been refrigerated which does not give the right texture.
Ok so this is where all the people with good insight on cheese hang out to cringe about the crappy cheese he used? Good! Also having worked at Ashton in Quebec for a while, Ketchup is definitely in heavy load in the recipe there and all the gravys he made were wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too light. But the jalapeno one seemed like the one I'd order the most confidently here
As a Québecoise; you're fucking ignorant for not acknowledging the importance of EACH ingredient, not just the cheese. People outside Drummondville don't know JACK SHIT about poutine.
The reason your non gravied fries still get soggy is they're basically steaming in the dish. Try letting them cool first in a single layer on a cooling rack and they'll retain a little more crunch.
What about Chef John with his homemade cheese curds? When he was in culinary school, he would take trips to Montreal for poutine and other stuff. Plus, he gives a video for making your own cheese curds. Chef John is the OG so I hope you use his recipes more.
Guga foods (and Sous-Vide everything) is fun to watch... but they don't know crap about poutine... but what he created here, I'd still eat! (ok, scarf down like I wouldn't ever get another meal).
@@kooobnet7252 I would argue that Guga is not perfect, or even that great. The repetition with some things and the length of the videos gets grating. Could only do with like one video per week.
@@oneblacksun we can agree to disagree... everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I won't tell you what you NEED to like or dislike, if you'll give me the same courtesy :)
Things I loved in this episode: pronouncing Worcestershire differently each time; “Poutine Purists”; your love of crispy fries; and how even when putting the ingredients out for Rachael Ray’s your hand seemed salty. Also, thanks for the PSA on deep fry safety. I don’t use fry methods (I’m scared of fire) but recently I’ve considered trying but that little unintentional display has convinced me not to.
Fry Daddy may be a good way for you to go. I'm not allowed to pan fry, because 8 of 10 times it ends up popping out and badly burning me. lol It's not nearly so bad with the Fry Daddy, because it automatically heats to the right temperature and maintains it, so the oil isn't as energetic. No, I'm not a spokesperson, even though this does sound like a commercial.
I've never had a problem with frying until about a year ago when I was heating up just a bit of oil in a pan and I somehow forgot about it, idk how. I start to smell smoke and that made me remember about the pan so I ran into the kitchen to see the oil in the pan on fire. I was 24 when this happened and unfortunately, I didn't know how to put it out correctly. I panicked and took the pan to the sink to run some water on it... big mistake. It caused the flame to get so big. Luckily, I managed to put out the fire but panicking and not knowing how to put it out made it worse. I really freaked out once the flame got so big the second I put water on it. I did end up putting it out and nothing else caught fire. The cabinets about my sink are white and because of the huge flame that touched them, they were covered in sud. After that, I looked up how to put out different types of fires like oil fires if it happened and also just how to prevent them. Now that I did my research, I don't get scared cooking with oil. You'd think that experience would scare me enough to never cook with it again but learning more about stuff like that, it just made me confident and I'm not scared working with it now.
I'd say don't be afraid of deep frying. You should look up some tutorials on it, and proper, at-home fry safety. Things like "Don't fill your pan over half way with oil" and "If you ever have a grease fire, cover it with a damp kitchen towel" are the two biggest tips for at-home frying.
Canadian here and, I'll tell you, all of those were good! There's a very traditional way that's it can be made (Montreal purists will say it's the only way) but when you travel around Canada, poutine is everywhere and it varies quite a bit. Only hard requirements are crispy fries, squeeky curds, and a medium-thick gravy. Toppings are NOT cheating and are very common; pulled pork, bacon, peppers, fried onions, you name it! There only bad poutine is the ones with soggy fries, shredded cheese, or super thin gravy. Some tricks I use for my favorites: Double fry your fries, first low, then high. Gets them right crispy. Get your curds fresh from a farm nearby, if you can. That squeek makes a big difference. Darken the roux for the gravy and put in a little more black pepper than you think you need. That toasted flour flavour will make a world of difference and the fattiness from the frying, cheese, and gravy will cut nicely from the pepper.
Crispy fries are not important in a poutine and ppl argue and prefer them lightly crispy and soggy. Shredded cheese is passable cause it’ll still taste good and most importantly gravy should only be made using a roux flavourful broth and salt/pepper to taste
As a Quebecer, poutine can be customized with toppings. We have restaurants who specializes in creating fun add-ons to poutine (fried pickles is my favorite lol) And also, the best fries for poutine are super dark and drenched in oil. The only crispy feel in it should be the small little crunchy potatoes at.the bottom haha
I always brown the butter first, that's how you get that lovely brown colour and flavour. Now I understand why the American gravy tasted like nothing when I was there 😭
I've noticed a pattern where he always skips techniques or basic cooking knowledge that he doesn't think is important, and then the dish turns out bad and he's like "Wow this recipe is garbage and none of you actually have taste." I'm not even sure he enjoys cooking at all, he doesn't seem to show interest in learning.
As an angry french canadian watching a poutine video on youtube, i have to say that the most common mistake people do is try to get crispy fries in the poutine. No real poutine is crispy, it is **supposed to be** a soggy mess.
Fresher cheese curds, the one's I get in Ontario aren't even refrigerated, also more gravy, you went a little light. Yes it will be soggy, yes toppings are okay. Yes it needs a splash of malt vinegar. Thank you for this episode.
Canadian here and like... I know some people can be total elitists about poutine, but IMO it's about the spirit of the dish!! Carby, gravy and cheesy goodness that is just easy and yet so indulgent. Dress it up or down however you want!!
Hear me out... If you treat poutine like pizza the the base is dough, sauce, cheese (fries, gravy, cheese curds) while toppings add to the flavor and texture.
In the binging with babish receipe, the fries where suggy because it was fried twice, and the first fry was shallow, which is way it was at low temperature
Canadian here - if somebody is complaining that poutine can't have toppings... they're just picking a fight. There are amazing smoked meat poutines, brisket poutines, butter chicken and buffalo chicken poutines - hell there's a place here that does a "Tokyo Street food" Poutine where the gravy is tweaked to have a teriyaki flavor, plus green onions, beef and a lime aioli.
Poutine is my favourite food. I lived within 20 minutes of rural Quebec for my entire young life and it was a staple food item. The recipes you tested today sound phenomenal and I can't wait to try them myself. Don't apologise for your excellent representation of and appreciation for poutine.
As a Canadian: toppings arent cheating. Its hard to do poutine toppings without overdoing it, so i welcome anyone who takes on the challenge. They typically fail though, always overzealous with the toppings
I know I'm late to the game, but I'm from Quebec, born and raised in one of the most French Canadian regions. The best poutines have the most half ass ingredients and are made almost in a rush. You use store bought sauce from a CAN, frozen fries fried to golden perfection, and cheese curds that have been sitting on a random table in the charcuterie section of your local grocery store. And you stack that shit in this order: fries, cheese and a butt load of it, sauce! Personally I don't like runny sauce. I like thick sauce that almost coagulates, and I add extra salt and beef powder when I prepare the sauce. That's it! Poutines were meant to be the American equivalent to like hot dog cart type of food. So the crappier and faster you make it, the better lmao That's my two cents. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
You've gotta use the cheese curds that are out on a counter if you can get your hands on them, refrigerating cheese curds affects the taste and texture which is why your best poutine tends to be made near cheese makers because they buy fresh curds and can keep them at room temp before using them
Your marketing/psychic projection is top quality - the visceral hatred I experienced when you first mentioned Rachael Ray was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
Hey there ! I'm from the Poutine home province, Québec Canada, and it is veeeery normal to have fancy toppings hahaha. All restaurants have them, even the side of the road bistros. The only law to live by is always cheese curds, never melty disgusting grated cheese. Grated cheese will create a fat brick while cheese curds don't melt. ;)
Just wanted to express appreciation for you David. Of all the channels I watched on youtube 5 years ago at 16 years old, you're the only one I still watch at 21
There are LOTS of places that have poutine with toppings that are served as a meal instead of a side dish in Canada. There are also lots of places that use shredded cheddar cheese instead of cheese curds (YUCK!). "Real" relating to poutine is pretty subjective IMHO... there are many great poutine places in Canada, but more horrible ones than you can shake a stick at! Despite my dislike for Sam, the result from his recipe is the closest to something I would expect. I do prefer a beef gravy to chicken gravy, but Sam's is still the best looking. Crispier fries are required... they sog up pretty good with the gravy on them, so there's the contrast of texture.
People also have a very clear recency bias when it comes to foods. Usually the history of a dish is a lot more varied than the strict "rules" people give them in contemporary times. It's always fun to watch a channel like "glenn and friends cooking" (a canadian for that matter) that does a lot of historical foods and how peoples perceptions change over time (and what ingredients are "required")
At least Sam didn't use ketchup and soy sauce in his gravy. Seriously, ketchup, in a gravy? Soy sauce I kinda get it since the gravy is brown and salty. But, ketchup?
Hii! What works for me best for making crispy french fries is putting the potatoes directly into the oil, not boiling them earlier, then when they look cooked but not golden taking them out, let them rest a bit and then putting them in hot oil again until golden.
I'm not Canadian so I don't know how a poutine should actually be like.. I've never even had poutine. Never tried it in America or in Canada where I guess it'd be done exactly how it should be so I'm sure my opinion doesn't really matter when it comes to this... but I'd feel like using crispy fries would be better because they're gonna soak up the gravy and get soft anyway. Using fries that aren't crispy would just make it all like sludge with the gravy. I mean, your comment does say that's how it should be but I personally just feel like the gravy on crispy fries making them soft but not like sludge would be better. Then again, what do I know? 😂
@@Mikapac Don’t worry. There are Canadians here who will argue that crispier fries give a better poutine because of the exact reason you gave and others who prefer their poutine semi-mushy.
Hi David- to get your fries crispier try soaking the sliced potatoes in cold water for like 30min-1hr before patting dry and frying. It removes the starch to give the potatoes better texture, Also sometimes dusting them in cornstarch makes them extra crispy but the soaking should do it.
The frying temperature affects the crunch and moisture levels of the French fries. Low and slow makes it so there is less moisture in the French fry making for a crispier ‘harder’ fry. The higher temperature will increase the moisture levels in the French fries making them have a softer crispy/bite.
You should use Adam Regusa fries with Babish/Matteson gravy, Sam's toppings, and regular cheese curds while using Rachel's melting cheese method = pretty sweet poutine idea 💡
I used to work at a poutine place in Quebec. You need to Blanch them in oil 300 first and then crank to 375-400. The gravy needs to be a lotttttt darker and you do that by cooking the flour just before it’s burned. Only use beef stock do use soy, white pepper grate in some garlic at the end, paprika and some vinegar for balance. (If you really wanna make it amazing cook your fries in beef fat it makes a difference) No need for toppings
So with poutine, we like crispy fries. But we like initially crispy fries. The fries should be dark, but not burnt. They kinda need to be greasy and just have a crispy exterior. Wanting the fries to be crispy is purely an American thing. What we crave here in Canada is not a crispy fry, but a nice soft, soggy fry that just soaked in all the gravy. It’s all about blending of the flavours and textures. I know a lot of people in Canada might disagree, but that’s because we’ve grown up with American ideals here. But true, good poutine, is a sloppy mess that is just salty potatoes, deep brown gravy, and fresh cheese curds.
I also kinda want to add, as a Canadian, that toppings aren’t bad. But they’re easily turned into overkill. Personally, I like scallions, garlic shawarma sauce, or fried garlic on mine. But they essentially have to accentuate the poutine. The poutine should never be a vehicle for toppings. Toppings should be there to increase the affect of the poutine. A poutine will never be made better with toppings. A good poutine will reveal itself to be a good poutine, and the majority of toppings will reveal themselves to be superfluous.
David, I know you started doing your own takes on these recipes (in addition to testing other recipes). I have a suggestion: make your own fries with the parboil method, then freeze, THEN double fry. That will get you the pillowy interior, and the super crunchy outside. And to get that great pull with the cheese curds, keep them out for an hour and make sure that gravy is piping hot. You get them to squeak and then it's gooey. Thanks for the great video! Definitely left a like.
Canadian here, tip to up your fry game, soak them in water and vinegar, and use russet potatoes (my personal preference is to leave the skin on). Also, toppings are NOT cheating, but you should go to Montreal and get some of their smoked meat on top, it's AMAZING.
Honestly even Italians getting worked up over "pure" pasta dishes is hilarious. Tomatoes are not native to the Old World; so they were only introduced to the Italians a few centuries ago during the Columbian exchange. If their ancestors had been concerned over "tradition" and "purity" in the past, tomato-based pasta sauces would not even exist
I mean he gave the same “purity” bs treatment to Philly cheesesteaks… How pure can a bunch steak slapped into a bun with cheese be ? No one’s arguing poutine is haute cuisine man
If you are looking for a crunchier poutine, I recommend using Hashbrown patties that were deepfried or oven baked. then crush them up a bit and add your cheese/gravy. it stays very crisp even under the gravy. Personally I used the already made versions like cavendish.
😀 Love this. Always look forward to your videos. When I make gravy for biscuits, I almost always use a little more butter and on the average one or more TBS of flour per batch than most recipes call for, and always cook the flour and butter roux until almost the color of caramel, or even until it is, pour in your milk or stock as all at once and whisk until smooth, continue cooking etc.
Canadian here! My family just uses frozen fries lol my fave ways for poutine are: sweet potato/ yam poutine with caramelized onions, mushrooms and bacon. Or NY fries beef stew poutine 😋🇨🇦
As a Canadian, toppings on poutine (or even different sauces instead of gravy) are actually pretty common. Some that I really like: lobster poutine (which I've only had at a Poutine Fest), butter chicken poutine (butter chicken replaces the gravy), italian poutine (tomato sauce instead of gravy), and smoke meat poutine. That homemade bacon jalapeno poutine looked delicious but watch out if you ever order bacon poutine in a restaurant: it tends to be too salty. It does hurt that the favourite poutine this ep used store bought fries and mozzerella cheese.
David "One day I go vegetarian, but....." I'm 62 years old and I'm vegetarian for 14 month now. So David you still have some time to go. 😘 I have no regrets except I wished I quit eating meat along time ago. I do eat vegan many times in the week also, but I can't keep away from cheese, butter any milk products in general.
David: "Foods like this are exactly the types of videos I watch at 3AM and wish I had it in front of me" Me watching this video at 3:40AM right now: 😳🤤🥺
PSA you can still have a grease fire start on an electric stove if it is running hot enough, you dont necessarily need to have the open flame of a gas stove.
"You're gonna want to parboil them to cook them all the way through." No. Parboil Partially boiled. That first step is to get the outer layer of the potato pulling away from the inner portion. The low fry then produces a pillowy inner portion of fry. Then the the second fry crisps it.
@@nihlify What would restaurants stand to gain from colouring their gravy? Spend a minute or two longer when browning your flour and you get a darker _and_ more flavourful gravy. If any restaurant is spending money on colouring their gravy darker then the owners/chefs are idiots
@@raerohan4241 Why would restaurants color their own gravy? You just go to a store and buy a package of instant gravy mix. They come in all sorts of shades. All you need is water and a few scoops of that mixture. Most restaurants do not prepare their own gravy.
you're slow frying the fries till they brown even though they're fully cooked to get a crunchier crust. the longer you fry the more the crust dries , the less moisture the more the crunch.
