Submit questions for my live AMA tomorrow!
Added 2024-05-13 05:43:06 +0000 UTCHey folks - I’ll be hosting a live AMA on my YouTube channel Monday May 13th at 4pm ET/1pm PT.
Submit your questions below to be considered for an answer, and time in to my channel tomorrow here: https://youtube.com/@jkenjilopezalt?si=VugAHCCNcC_oI7PL
This post will be accessible to $5 patrons only until noon EST tomorrow, after which it’ll be available for all visitors.
Comments
I hope you don’t mind my butting in, but I solidify my used oil with stearic acid. You dissolve the stearic acid (I get mine from California Candle Supply) into the warm oil, which allows you to dump the oil in the trash. This is slightly better than storing it in the original container and taking it to a waste site because it’s just going to go to a dump and sit in the plastic container for ages. I still haven’t figured out quite the right ratio of stearic acid:oil.
ChrisM
2024-05-17 15:08:21 +0000 UTCWhat are a half dozen or so recipes that you recommend a beginning cook learn to have a basic repertoire to build on?
Juli Thompson
2024-05-14 13:38:43 +0000 UTCI know this didn't make it time for this AMA, but maybe next time? You've been pretty open with your journey to sobriety and I commend you for that. Now that you're sober, do you still cook & bake with alcohol? My brothers are sober and my father was sober for 37 years before he passed last September. One of my best dishes is my red wine braised beef but I've never made it for them because of the alcohol so I'm wondering what you do.
Rumble In The Kitchen (RITK)
2024-05-13 20:44:27 +0000 UTCWith a large wood block (cutting board) what is the proper daily cleaning technique?Onion juice and other juices from veggies seem to cause my layer of oil/wax to be removed much sooner.
Dennis C
2024-05-13 20:26:23 +0000 UTCHi Kenji, Like you I live in the Pacific Northwest and I was wondering if you could recommend any cookbooks that use local ingredients? (For example things like, pine mushrooms, chanterelles, fiddlehead fronds, spot prawns, lingcod, Dungeness crabs etc). Kind regards, David Gustavson (Victoria B.C.)
david gustavson
2024-05-13 19:40:44 +0000 UTCWhat prompted you to work in kitchens/restaurants after MIT instead of pursuing your career in architecture? Also, please tell us about the transition from being a professional/commercial chef to being a home chef.
Patreotic Pleb
2024-05-13 19:03:22 +0000 UTCWith recipes consistently being updated online these days, and subscription services to ATK and NYTIMES, what do you think is the viability of printed cook books moving forward, aside from the preference (which they are mine) and deep dive reading for better understanding of processes?
Joel Skoda
2024-05-13 18:28:40 +0000 UTCHi Kenji. What does a home cook do with used oil after frying? I made your delicious Italian meatballs (which will be my new go-to for meatballs). I know restaurants have a pick up service. Thanks very much.
LuciaKnits
2024-05-13 17:45:25 +0000 UTCQuestion: Would you share your top 10 kitchen tools, like the brands you recommend? Thank you
Sang O
2024-05-13 17:27:08 +0000 UTCNot sure if you've done this in the past or not but a video dedicated to reheating leftovers would be pretty nice. Like a way this is the best way I've found and why for various types of foods.
CantFlimFlamtheJimJam
2024-05-13 17:10:24 +0000 UTCI loved your mushroom prep method for maximising time efficiency from the gnocchi with peas & cream recipe. are there any more you can think of?
Rosie J
2024-05-13 17:09:43 +0000 UTCIs there anything you struggle to cook? As in, if you could wave a magic wand and instantly be terrific at making X, what would X be?
Nicole P.
2024-05-13 17:02:27 +0000 UTCHow can I smoke a Turkey or Chicken, and also ge the skin crispy!? Is it really really *really* impossible? Any other suggestions to make the skin (best part of poultry?) more enjoyable?
Mathew Levenson
2024-05-13 16:54:30 +0000 UTCWhat are your thoughts on using a pressure cooker/instant pot?
D. C. Washington
2024-05-13 16:50:52 +0000 UTCHi Kenji! Could you talk about your kitchen cleaning routine? What products you use/stay away from? How often do you sterilize your chopping block?
JD Rocha
2024-05-13 16:49:30 +0000 UTCDo you ever experience burnout with cooking? What are your easy go-to meals when you don't feel the passion but you still need to put out food for your family?
Robert Downes
2024-05-13 16:44:54 +0000 UTCLove all the science in "The Food Lab" and have made many of the recipes but I've also noticed a bit of an evolution in your recipes to a more simplified list of ingredients which I can certainly appreciate as a busy parent. Would love to see some tips on tasty meals that can be prepped in advance for lunches and quick dinners before/after sports. Any recipes you would go to first for some plan ahead meals?
Joe Palarchio
2024-05-13 16:42:55 +0000 UTCWhat is your favorite way to brew coffee for one, and/or coffee for four?
Joshua Hertzler
2024-05-13 16:42:11 +0000 UTCHey Kenji! Do you ever think about food contamination by the utensils as you cook? For example- cooking chicken, flipping raw chicken with tongs, then picking up the cooked chicken with the same tongs. Is that an issue? Clearly not getting sick by it but… Never considered it until I became a parent who cooks for their kid. I really enjoy your videos and content and was curious if you had ever thought about it.
Bo Milburn
2024-05-13 16:40:00 +0000 UTCDo induction burners with temperature settings making cooking and recipes more reliable? I always hate recipes saying "cook over medium heat", I have no idea what that means on my gas stove. "Cook at 320F" is so precise, does it really work for communicating a cooking technique?
Nelson Minar
2024-05-13 16:37:30 +0000 UTCI'm totally blind, and have been using your books and videos to help me learn to cook. So far it's going great, thanks to your clear writing, paying attention, and using tools like a thermometer and scale. I'm curious though; when do you turn to sound, smell or feel first in the kitchen, and what kinds of things do you feel are really helped by looking at what you're doing? For example, two things I'm asymptotically approaching are a "bare simmer" and "softened but not browned". Thanks for doing what you do!
Andrew Johnson
2024-05-13 16:12:44 +0000 UTCWhen you prepare chicken thighs, do you take the time to remove all the tendons and fat from them or do you cook them as they come?
ChrisM
2024-05-13 16:10:22 +0000 UTCPlease I would like pointers for whipping and folding in egg whites for a chiffon cake. I do not know when to stop whipping and my chiffon cake is always squatty.
Angel
2024-05-13 16:06:44 +0000 UTCDo you have any suggestions for vegetarian Showstoppers? I have lots of recipes for weeknight meals, but haven’t been able to find anything with a wow factor to make for vegetarian guests.
Hrach Gabrielyan
2024-05-13 15:35:08 +0000 UTCWhat is your favorite cereal and why is it Cap’n Crunch?
Ben Shopp
2024-05-13 15:23:05 +0000 UTCif you could change one established "food rule," what would it be and why?
Laura Wyatt
2024-05-13 15:17:20 +0000 UTCI have a 5 and 7 yo, I know food refusal is normal and they are fairly typical only eating Mac and cheese, burgers, nuggets, few veggies, etc. How do you introduce new foods to your kids? BTW Every Night is Pizza Night is a great book! 7 yo even tried chicken with apricots because of it (unfortunately she was not a fan of the results...)
Clark Sturdevant
2024-05-13 14:54:56 +0000 UTCI have a soon to be one year old and have been giving him lots of varied solid foods but definitely worried about food refusals. Any tips on how you handled it, because it seems like your kids are great eaters.
Ali Sherazee
2024-05-13 14:42:38 +0000 UTCare there any foods/dishes you used to like but are now sick of, after developing/cooking/eating too much
Zachary Antell
2024-05-13 14:41:32 +0000 UTCFor any poultry, does salting the skin actually penetrate into the meat? If yes, how long does salt take to penetrate through the skin?
Jim Glatthaar
2024-05-13 14:40:07 +0000 UTCFiguring out what to have for dinner seems to be one of the most frustrating things about being an adult. What are some of your easy go-to dinner ideas?
Dustin
2024-05-13 14:38:20 +0000 UTCWhere do you find new recipes? Do you have any favorite cookbooks/sites/other sources?
Jerred Shepherd
2024-05-13 14:22:30 +0000 UTCAny advice for someone just starting their culinary career? I recently just decided to pursue my passion for cooking and I just got a job at Zwilling at their cooking studio. Also, I just really want to thank you because watching your videos is what made me want to pursue cooking as a profession.
Jose
2024-05-13 14:07:55 +0000 UTCWhen does a recipe become "yours?" If you change one ingredient? One AMOUNT of an ingredient? One instruction? The title?
Brett Moore
2024-05-13 13:02:36 +0000 UTCIs it worth investing in expensive chef's knives such as Shun etc. for a passionate homecook?
Siddesh Sridhar
2024-05-13 12:33:03 +0000 UTCHi Kenji! Thank for this opportunity. A couple of things for you to choose from : I don't think ive ever seen you bake anything besides pizza dough - considering you are a food scientist and the precision required for baking, I would think cakes, pies, and breads would be ripe for your skillsets. Any reason why you don't bake more? | When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? If not food related, at what point did you become interested in food & why? | Is there anything you cannot do? Serious question, lol, is there a dish or technique that you just cannot master? | Alicia seems to be a "good" eater, how's it going with Wombat?!
Kim H
2024-05-13 12:27:48 +0000 UTCI just moved to Cambridge, MA and I’m wondering what some essential Boston/Cambridge eats are
Ben Shopp
2024-05-13 12:08:48 +0000 UTCCan you help me with avocados? From selecting to storing (fridge, counter), why some are watery and others stringy. Help me know how to choose the best one and keep it stored until i need it a day or three later. Thanks!
Yvonne S
2024-05-13 11:34:10 +0000 UTCAny early memories that you think helped solidify your love of the scientific method?
Alex Herring
2024-05-13 09:55:45 +0000 UTCcleaning hacks? specifically cleaning oil splatter off the range?
Aurelia
2024-05-13 09:44:09 +0000 UTCA few months back you mentioned working on a new book. Could you give us a small sneak peek of what to expect? How is it progressing and what topics are you exploring?
Misho
2024-05-13 08:27:14 +0000 UTCThere is a single recipe from The Food Lab that I was not happy with and I am not eager to test again - the Sticky Buns. (Sorry about this - everything else there is basically the holy book of cooking!) Given your detailed and scientific approach to cooking, I'm curious about your thoughts on dessert-making. Have you ever been interested in exploring this area further?
Misho
2024-05-13 08:23:43 +0000 UTCYou opened Wursthall in 2018 (I was recently informed with Tyson Mao, the founder of the World Cubing Association, the governing body of Rubik's Cube competitions) which was based on German cooking, but you don't do much German cooking in your at-home cooking, as it's either focused primarily on Asian cooking, pizza, maybe some Colombian cooking. What kind of German dishes would you suggest for fans?
Charlzz
2024-05-13 08:18:56 +0000 UTCFor as much Asian cooking as you do, I don't know if I've ever seen you do Indian cooking. If you were to suggest a chicken curry recipe for someone that has never cooked Indian, i.e., something nice and simple, what would you suggest? What variations would you suggest for those with dairy issues?
Charlzz
2024-05-13 08:15:06 +0000 UTCI tried many recipes for "High Protein" pancakes/waffles and most of them substitute some of the dry ingredients of a regular recipe with a mix of protein whey and casein powders, but no matter what I do, I always get a very noticeable dry texture that makes the whole meal not worth the trade off. So I was wondering if you can suggest any tips/tricks to have the desired fluffy (and not dry) texture after adding the protein powder. Thanks!
Abdulrahman Humayed
2024-05-13 07:40:37 +0000 UTCI began selling brisket on Facebook a couple months ago to a lot of happy customers but it doesn't make me much money. Do you have any other suggestions for a more profitable product? I was thinking chuck roast burnt ends. I smoke and sous vide the brisket and sell it sliced and vacuum sealed cold for $16/lb
Dan Gilfoil
2024-05-13 06:56:47 +0000 UTCWe’ve got gluten and dairy allergies in our household. When we try to make mother sauces or pan sauces, we have a hard time getting the sauce to bind together and emulsify, even with corn starch. How would you go about making dairy free mother sauces and pan sauces?
Dwight Hohnstein
2024-05-13 06:35:35 +0000 UTCIs the ooni capable of similar results to most (not necessarily all) of your favorite NY/Neapolitan pizza joints or are there insurmountable differences compared to top tier restaurant ovens? And a second question I’ve always wondered, if there’s time: does adding foil to the baking sheet when roasting make a difference to the cook or is it purely a convenience thing?
Tim Chen
2024-05-13 06:17:59 +0000 UTCIn our three-person household, I am the only one who isn't gluten-free due to medical reasons for the others. While we've found decent alternatives like corn tortillas and rice noodles, I struggle with dishes that traditionally rely heavily on gluten, such as fresh pastas, breads, and desserts. Do you have any personal experience with gluten-free cooking, and could you share any tips or specific products you recommend for making these kinds of dishes without losing the texture and flavor of the originals?
Chris Collander
2024-05-13 06:04:09 +0000 UTCCan you talk to us a bit about your time in the UK? Why you lived there, where you stayed and any interesting stories/observations?
Jamie McClung
2024-05-13 06:01:30 +0000 UTCI saw that you are setting up a new kitchen for work. How do you think about organizing a new cooking space and what is most important for you to have first? Any advice for others on setting up a new kitchen, or reorganizing it for a better flow?
Kai
2024-05-13 06:01:05 +0000 UTCWhen I form a pizza dough ball, using the bottom pinch technique, I always get an air bubble in there which translates into a thin spot when I stretch the dough. Based on YouTube I would appear to be the only person in the world this happens to. Any tips?!
Bill Kessels
2024-05-13 05:51:48 +0000 UTCWhy does Uncle Roger continue to persist as a personality? Did he ever comment on or speak about why many find that character to reinforce racist stereotypes?
Jeremy Gambill
2024-05-13 05:48:33 +0000 UTC
