Pro Chefs Debate 11 Cooking Tips & Tricks | Test Kitchen Talks | Bon Appétit 

Brad and Harold need their own segment, their chemistry is amazing!

As a chef of 18 years, washing your mushrooms is fine. Its the cooking technique and heat that makes mushrooms soggy. This has been disproven many times as other commenters have already stated.

Just wanted to give you a heads up about Silpats feeling like they don't get clean. That's the point. It feels greasy, but it's not. Next time you wash one, dry it good, rub your fingers on it, feel that it's greasy, but then rub your fingers together. You absolutely don't get a sensation that you've just touched something greasy.

Alton Brown debunked the whole waterlogging the mushrooms thing.

Soaking beans, particularly older beans, in water with a source of sodium (salt or baking soda) will help make them tender. Over time naturally occurring minerals bind with the pectin in the beans making it hard even when cooked. When soaked with salt or baking soda the sodium will replace the minerals and allows the pectin to soften.

Waterlogged mushrooms because of washing has been scientifically disproven. A quick wash is more effective than brushing at removing dirt, and as long as we're not talking about an extended soak, they'll pick up only a negligible amount of water.

I'm kind of iffy on the commentary that cooking bacon in a hot pan is faster, or cooking eggs in water that's already boiling is faster. For the simple reason that, when I pull my pan out of the cabinet, it's not already hot. Like, there's _going_ to be some waiting around for the pan to heat up, and for the water to boil.

Most of these aren't up for debate. They are proven facts. Like the ripening fruit and adding citrus to guac.

Love seeing the pairs talk together, Brad and Harold are an awesome duo

Just give Harold and Brad their own show. My gosh love them

Personally, I bake my bacon. However, if no oven is available I start with a cold skillet to allow for more of the fat to be rendered off prior to being "done". To me, "crispy" is easy to achieve no matter what method you choose.

Surprised they all got the mushroom one wrong

Mushrooms absorb only 2% of their water weight during washing. Source: Serious Eats

Cold pan + low heat = crispiest bacon ever. Just give it enough time (at least until the fat gets foamy). They took it out too early in this video.

Brad and Harold need a show where they just cook whatever they want and swear at each other!

2 "chefs" couldn't manage one pan of bacon. Errrrrr can I get a job? I've sometimes used 3 or even 4 pans.

I have to disagree on many of the "it's faster" when ingredients are added to hot medium. It's faster if you start the timer when adding the ingredient, but in total it's slower. when you add the ingredient to a cold medium you don't have to wait for the medium to get hot first. And you are using the heat energy that the medium already gives off while heating up, which would be lost when waiting to add to a hot medium. So physics disagrees.

I bought an egg steamer and have never had eggs peel so easy before in my life. You don't need the appliance though, carefully poke a hole in the air sack side of the egg, steamer basket. Boom best eggs. TRY STEAMING

brad is the best. giving a lecture on the social behaviour of fruits until 1:10 just to tell you to fact check all of what he just said, because it might not be true.

BRAD and HAROLD ARE MY NEW FAVORITE DUO

I think they should have added some scenarios around the bean soaking question. If you don't have a pressure cooler I think it's necessary to soak beans overnight or do a quick soak where you bring it to boiling, turn the fire out, and then soak for an hour. It will take the beans forever to get tender if you don't soak them.

J. Kenji Lopez Alt actually proved that when you wash you mushrooms, the mushrooms themselves don't soak enough liquid to make whatever dish you're making watery. So by all means, wash your mushrooms and don't eat poo.

I thought the meat question was interesting. Washing it of course isn’t going to do much in terms of sanitation but Kenji did a video recently on why he rinses beef for stir fry and says in his tests that it increases tenderness and the amount of marinade the meat can absorb by a noticeable amount.

WASH the mushrooms! Fill the sink with cold water then drop in the mushrooms. After a minute swish them around then rinse them off with clean water then let them drain so that the stem is facing downward (as opposed to cap-side down) so any water that may be inside the cap can drain away. When they're nice and dry, slice and use OR store them in a paper bag in the fridge. And if you truly think they don't need to be washed, just check out the bottom of the sink where they were having their brief soak! I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat that! OH! EGGS! Start in cold water, bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a simmer and time them for SIX MINUTES. When time is up, let them hang out in the water off the heat for another SIX MINUTES. Dump out the hot water and let cold water run over them a minute or so....DONE! Peel and enjoy.

Really good content. Good job everybody...

Harold and Brad are so fun together!!

mushrooms are not sponges. wash them

Yeah, but wash your mushrooms, people.

mushrooms are not sponges

Game changer… steam your hard boiled eggs instead of boiling them directly in the water. Also after cooking give them a slight crack before putting them in the ice bath to cool. Some water will seep between the shell and the white and makes it easier to peel.

"That's part of the rich tapestry of life". Thank you Chris. Well said.

A cold pan makes thing so much crispier and I even do it on the stove with so many things , renders the far then browns it nicely I swear by this especially if you have an electric stove that takes forever to heat in the first place

"for my mental health" lol

i just love all these people.

My favorite technique for dry beans is to par boil (about 10 minutes), let the water cool down, then soak overnight.

Didn’t Hestan Bluementhal prove that mushrooms don’t absorb much water when they are washed?

I have watched Alton Brown and Kenji P., yet I still enjoyed this episode. Also, I am old so I have seen ideas about these things change.

I love me some bacon and have tested it many a time. I feel like the cold pan makes the bacon contract less and cook more evenly. I am also a fan of bacon that’s between having a little chew and crunchy so it could be a personal preference

It's been a while since I visited BA. The flashbacks with the studio tho :/

surely one of these chefs has Kenji's phone number lol just send him a text, segment done!

If you boil eggs starting in cold water, it is harder to peel the shells off

Write better questions - make the chefs test more.

Very enjoyable moment watching your content! 😊

Starting with a cold pan or cold water doesn’t really take longer since the alternative method still involves letting those things heat up…

Adding oil at any stage to pasta before introducing a sauce is effectively putting a layer in between your pasta and sauce. Pasta should be finished cooking in a sauce for the final two minutes...I always was taught as pasta cooks, it absorbs the sauce. So I would think introducing a layer of oil to the pasta before any sauce is counter productive

WOURDER boi should have a show with Tito (Uncle) Harold! :D

Perfect tender but crisp on the outside bacon: (Pork belly is a tough cut, so cook it slow) - bacon on cold pan, set to med-low for 25 mins - flip, cook for 20 mins (bacon should look bright pink still, if not, turn down) - flip, set to med-high - it's gonna sear fast, flip as needed and take out of pan before it's done (for carry-over cooking)

I thought you weren't supposed to use cut silpat baking mats as they have those fiberglass mesh inside them that could get into food?

Any segment that includes Brad and Harold in the cast, they MUST be together.

I'm calling the test kitchen staff our for getting the Guacamole tip completely wrong! I've never made Guac without citrus and it always turns brown on the surface if you leave it in the fridge for a day. The tip I would give is to press plastic wrap down onto the surface which does prevent oxidization.

Can someone link that cookie recipe?? Those looked so delish! 🍪😋

Could their be episodes where the employees of Bon Appetite spend a day in life of of their cohorts? Ex: Brad spends a day with Harold.

Rinse with cold water for beef and pork once sliced to get restaurant quality vibes and remove myoglobin and what not- source Kenji Lopez Alt

You actually need to soak beans to remove more phitates and also making them less "gassy" lol

Mushrooms are already full of water, it's so annoying to see people I've ever heard of harping about something that is a lie! Yes you can wash them, good grief.

I voted exactly along with Kendra because of the Sideways on the Silpat. It's AS GOOD AS parchment paper for baking. Not better, but simpler because it's reusable. But she's also totally right that it does hold onto a bit of an oily residue-y feeling no matter how much you wash it. Foil was a red herring, you don't bake with foil.

So glad some of the old cast are gone

This video has the vibes of OG Bon Appètit videos.

GREAT episode! Do this more often.

I'm sure that's the cut-up baking mat that Clare used in the old chef makes gourmet series

Wooden spoon over the pot stops boil over

Who's making guacamole without lime? What are you doing? Also I just can't get enough of the Brad & Harold duo

i thought this was about pinapple on pizza, topics that divide the nation. but it was more like they tell you how to do stuff the right way. but it was informative anyways.

I’m washing my mushrooms. Period.

I always start my eggs in cold water, they never break and I get a perfect soft yolk every time, mind you, I'm only making about 6-8 eggs at a time, just enough water to cover, high heat 6-7 minutes after it starts to boil perfect egg every time

I've seen people put a little water on the guac after it's made, just enough to cover it. You just pour it off when you serve and air can't touch it until then

about rinsing the meat, i gotta say that it also depends on the cut of meat and what u r cooking. rinsing can help remove lingering bone shards for bony cuts. its not uncommon for ribs to be soaked, boiled and washed to ensure u get a clear broth.

I'm a huge fan on throwing the whole package of bacon in a pot and cooking it low. you wont get perfect strips, but who needs that.

I don't understand how everyone doesn't rinse the grocery store slime off their chicken?

A.B. tested that washing your mushrooms bit, they did not absorb any water. Myth debunked.

SeriousEats did a boiled eggs cold vs boiling water. The egg whites in cold starts don't cook evenly.

We need more advanced tips for us OG followers!

Chef is actually a title with qualifications wouldn't a food publication know that?

Bon App has lost it's way,, I like the new people but my god.. a lot of us want actual cooking content, not new friends

Next debate. Food cooks nicer in Staub cast iron versus cheaper cast iron.

The question of "when do you know a boil is a boil' pertaining to the cold water method is really silly. It would be the same boil that you look for when using the boiling water method.

Also not true about the bacon! If you cook bacon in a pan then the trick is to cover the pan with a lid. The water vapor will help to crisp it up!

Adding something as fatty as american bacon to a hot pan, especially a cast iron pan which retains and magnifies heat output, will cause the tissue walls to quickly break down, as they're relatively weak compared to other cuts of meat. It will cause the fat molecules stored inside the strips to rapidly expand and break through the already weak walls, leaving nothing much of the bacon strip behind. What you end with, as we see in the experiment, are charred, curled bits of bacon that are not ideal for much besides maybe bacon bits, if you enjoy the taste of burnt fat. The cold pan method while maybe not producing the most ideal crispy strip ensures the integrity and structure of the bacon, while also locking in the fat and effectively the moisture that most people enjoy in bacon. It can be used in more dishes like burgers and sandwiches this way, which to my mind means the cold pan method is the obvious winner. However, they are completely correct about baking on a wire rack being the most ideal method.

Can we do this episode but with a bunch of us screaming at the camera? Plsthx

peep zainab in the back 🥰👀

I got a cooking tip for ya... BRING BACK THE OLD COOKS/HOSTS!

didnt they do a study that proved the 30min v 24hrs? its a thing

Get that dirt off my mushroom! 🤣💦🧼🍄 And soak those beans! Save on cook time!

Glad to see some more Brad and Harold.

The oil works for the pasta, but it’s not a good idea

You alwaysss soak beans and chickpeas… alwaysss

Great show but could everyone here stop being so gosh darn tootin' cute all the time. Love your faces. Best of luck!

cooking tips with Brad & Harold when?

That was some sad bacon cooking ability.

Reverse sear is true if the first step is sous vide

Totally wrong about the mushrooms! You can't overcook them like meat so actually adding water doesn't make them soggy, you just will have to cook them longer! You can crowd them in the pan too, just will have to cook them longer again!

Water logged mushrooms has been disproven by countless studies. The difference in weight with even soaking mushrooms is so little that it won't even make a difference. Wash your mushrooms and enjoy

Bacon in a pan tastes way better than in an oven

“Pro chefs debate” Literally all agree on every question.

Uncle Harold and Chef Tiana, yey!!

Ba is way past it’s prime, this is pathetic.

sooo wheres that cookie recipe though ?

Yeah, baking bacon is great, but if you're just cooking for yourself, a wire rack and a baking sheet is overkill. It's gonna take much longer to cook and also take a long time to clean. It is better than pan bacon, but pan bacon is great too. Pick the right method for the situation.

Think of boiling an egg like cooking potatoes. You don't want the outer part (whites) overcooked and rubbery. Place eggs in cold water, bring to boil and start counting 15 minutes after it reaches a full boil for a hard boiled egg. ProTip: If using eggs for devilled eggs (the only reaxon I would boil them) place the eggs upside down in the carton the day before to get a more centred yolk.

Chris and Tiana cage match. Go.