$250 vs $29 Lobster: Pro Chef & Home Cook Swap Ingredients | Epicurious

Professional chef Eric Huang and home cook Emily are trading recipes and hitting the kitchen to make a lobster dinner! We set Emily up with the finest ingredients from chef Eric’s kitchen along with his expert-level $250 lobster recipe. Meanwhile over with our pro chef, Eric was finessing Emily’s recipe and $29 worth of ingredients up to gourmet status with a little skill and professional know-how. Which lobster are you going for in a pinch?
Chef Huang and Pecking House are on Instagram at @pecking_house
Keep up with Emily on her KZbin channel at / emilyduncan and on Instagram at @emilyslamduncan
Director: Chris Principe
Director of Photography: Ben Dewey
Editor: Micah Philips
Pro Chef: Eric Huang
Home Cook: Emily Duncan
Director of Culinary Production: Kelly Janke
Culinary Researcher and Recipe Editor: Vivian Jao
Producer: Belle Roman
Producer: Madison Coffey
Culinary Producer: Jessica Do
Culinary Associate Producer: Katrina Zito
Associate Producer: Tim Colao
Line Producer: Jennifer McGinity
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Camera Operator: Caleb Weiss
Audio: Brett Van Deusen
Production Assistant: Kayla Zimmerman
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araújo
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Graphics Supervisor: Ross Rackin
Graphics, Animation, VFX: Léa Kichler
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[@geekylesbian7440]

Emily's character arc from putting Ketchup on borderline everything to being trusted with a live lobster is my favorite reason to watch this channel

[@bluenosegamer9175]

She’s from Nova Scotia, fam, where we are born with live lobsters in our hands.

[@crispygecko7294]

🦷

[@78625amginE]

Lol i came to the comments looking for ketchup being referenced. You did not disappoint

[@rowobin]

i think the chef does an exceptional job of explaining. so nice to listen to and very educational! loved his anecdotes too:)

[@ghostgirl6970]

Agreed, a VERY clear explanation about how to dissect the lobster which was super helpful. But all his explanations of what he was doing were very clear and educational.

[@tristanmartinez9326]

He did jave excellent advice and was also open to common banter with the audience and anecdotal stories

[@yuvals]

The fact that Emily had a LIVE LOBSTER in her own ingredients just show how far she come

[@gerardacronin334]

She’s from Nova Scotia, where lobster is a regular dish in season. It’s quite possible she grew up knowing how to deal with live lobsters!

[@indiragajah]

And no ketchup!

[@MrJosmanelele]

at the end there were 2 plates so who knows who coocked what

[@DormantGolem]

The fact they could have all those ingredients and a live lobster not going over $50 dollars just shows how great living in a coastal city must be.

[@Heartwing37]

Right? So proud of her!!!

[@charmainevillamin4658]

Our girl Emily is killing it. She's really showing off her level up

[@rabiaxbx]

honestly

[@Trebuchet48]

She even turned one lobster into two!

[@FringedHorizon]

Emily has had the best character arc I've seen in YEARS!!

[@Lewisus_flame]

True, I still remember that French toast episode like it was yesterday

[@mochamadzhirfanshauman5162]

Yeah we're all learn and improve together

[@DelroyNedd0409]

Deadasss!!! Like she has come so far

[@tigerz8174]

From Ketchup to lobster aka level 1 to level 2

[@desireeheremaia7636]

She really has! I've really come to like Emily

[@Diastrefo]

Eric is quickly becoming one of my favorite chefs. "No conjoined chives allowed."

[@Steveofthejungle8]

Spiny lobster and Emily, both broken down. A Queen

[@GyroCannon]

Damn, Eric definitely killed it. Even the non-lobster ingredients looked super gourmet

[@darryl7803]

this swapping ingredients episodes has really built up Emily a lot to promote her to level 2 chef.

[@fromnaras]

eric is so kind and easy to understand - he’s really humble too even though he does fine dining

[@DynastyLuminous46]

Okay so we're ignoring that the bird figurine on the shelf actually wished good luck to Emily? Changes the whole world building principles of the Epicurious kitchen universe.

[@gerardacronin334]

When I saw “Emily” and “lobster” I knew she would nail it. Because she’s from Nova Scotia and they know their lobsters! 🦞

[@jackkramer568]

Damn Eric a cool guy keep bringing him back

[@toregenekhatun480]

Eric and Emily together was great. Of course I just love Emily! She just makes you smile!

[@MGD313]

Not only does Emily use less ketchup, but she's also relying less on Rosemary.

[@fashionablechangeling1988]

Rose hasn't been in this series for a while now

[@KnightBang]

lets face it, Emily will become a level 3

[@SamBrickell]

The true reason behind this series confusingly being named *"4 levels"* will finally be revealed when Emily becomes the first ever "level 4".

[@MunchyLikesOtters]

@@SamBrickell the 4th level is the teacher lol

[@piyte]

@@MunchyLikesOtters Joke went over your head

[@MunchyLikesOtters]

@@piyte it wasn't a joke... It was fortune telling!!

[@l.tc.5032]

Emily is just so wholesome.

[@cresdc8481]

I love how Chef Eric explains, it's thorough so it's really easy to follow. I feel like I can dissect a lobster although I can't because of him. He

[@itzybitzyhoop3130]

He ✊🏾❤

[@JP-jd8wr]

Chef Eric is dope at teaching! Man I'd love to learn from him

[@ArielK1987]

I wonder how much of the Cheese Wheel Emily has left from the Fettuccine Alfrado cook with Chef Frank.

[@EK-xz8ig]

great chemistry between these two!

[@jc3drums916]

11:20 Emily gets a special effects budget now, she truly is a star, lol.

[@jdsan2636]

love to see cantonese cooking being represented! hope to see more of chef eric in the future

[@StevieeeTV]

I love this community that the Epicurious has put together. It is very heartwarming to see comments about Emily whom we have seen between her progress and now she is a level 2 chef.

[@ChaosDestruction100]

"The mandoline is the most dangerous piece of equipment in the kitchen." My pinkie is _still_ lopsided.

[@benjaminmurray455]

Lol Emily never fails to make a video humorous 😅😂😂. Eric is back!! Yay!😊

[@summatim]

Summary was generated by Summatim, let us know if there are any inaccuracies! 🤖 0:01: Introduction 0:36: Eric's Recipe 1:52: Breaking Down the Lobster 2:51: Emily's Recipe 3:06: Eric's Grilled Lobster 4:56: Lobster Reduction and Croissant 7:11: Extra Crispy Potatoes 9:25: Garlic Butter Lo Mein 10:27: Final Preparation 10:47: Preparing Bacon Crumble 11:20: Making Garlic Butter Lo Mein 11:35: Making Cheddar Corn Pudding 12:48: Frying Lobster 14:45: Making Lobster Sauce 15:01: Grilling Lobster 16:11: Plating the Dish 18:15: Trying Emily's Dish

[@annacharles4338]

Emily’s sense of humor is priceless 🫶🏼

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

Emily is a sweet and beautiful soul, who does her best. Her arc of learning how to tackle the insanity that is high level cooking is wonderful.

[@gibberishname]

Emily is SO CHARMING and ENDEARING. We are alway rooting for her and NEVER disappointed!

[@jaydenzavalapina4222]

WE NEED A PRO CHEF AND PRO CHEF SWAP

[@Unfaux-compte]

Glad to see Emily back again, she has an incredible ability to put a smile on my face. 😄

[@christinetoaza7468]

Omg i love that Emily has been back!! And also another video!!❤😂

[@stacycole1935]

So proud of our girl Emily!

[@xtsdagger6956]

Always love to see Emily cook!

[@treehuggingbuddhist]

thanks Emily for bringing humor AND experience to us lowly home cooks! 😂

[@marylenehall405]

Emily is a whole burst of delightfulness 😊

[@buihelgason]

I havent watched one of these episodes in like, 3 years, and now all of a sudden Emily is a home cook? They grow up so fast🥲

[@PPGZBubbles62]

Emily's character arc is insane and Eric's so sweet and humble!! I deffo wanna see more of them!

[@Cliff-M-]

What a great duo! Very entertaining.

[@lucasgomespereira]

I loved watching them cook. So funny! I wish I could try those dishes right now.

[@ampenah]

I love that she's actively learning in every episode, and much she's grown. love that eric was completely down to explain how to make the pudding to her at the end, too.

[@glossaria2]

Okay, definitely have to try making fresh corn pudding. That looked AWESOME. The chive oil, too!

[@MatthiaGryffine]

Finally! We get a Lobster episode!

[@Romi_Zii]

Emily is so much fun to watch! 💗❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎

[@skylerroxasmidoriyatardisp2882]

Who else thinks that a epicurious should sponsor her a scholarship to the Institute of Culinary Education with how much the fans love her?

[@RoxyLuffer]

I'm so proud of Emily! I remember when she used to call Rose! So happy for her promotion! I love her new confidence! Though she was just as confident with the Ketchup back in her level 1 chef days XD Love ya gurl! Keep on truckin!

[@blacksealion]

Protect Emily at all costs! Love seeing her growth

[@Blitzkrieg1976]

Emily!!! You're dish looks freaking AMAZING! The whole time, I was like...dayum girl. Love it❤️

[@itssharktime6560]

Eric and Emily are quickly becoming the new Frank and Lorenzo.

[@rodniciajohnson5503]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!❤

[@elaine_detailer1031]

Not sure why this came up for me to watch, but mind blown!! WOW!! I'm so inspired!!

[@noneofyourbusiness7094]

These two are great together. More please.

[@terrybradford3727]

Loving the advancement of Emily.

[@LilT2o00]

We love Emily. Love you, Emily

[@planetdidi]

Eric slowly becoming my fave professional chef

[@diegodoesmusic]

We all love Emily!!!

[@corvettesbme]

I love this series

[@smac07]

Emily's cooking skills gkow up is my favorite thing about this channel!

[@Stephie0125]

That chive oil is so pretty. The colour is stunning 😍

[@RaskylC]

wow i am amazed at the Growth of Emily! im so here for it!

[@Aldo_The_Apache76]

That corn pudding looks so GOOD

[@ginnyweatherbee7941]

Two incredible looking dishes

[@alexkassongotambu785]

I would really like a swap but between 2 pro chefs!

[@onlykanthony5611]

The color on that chive oil had me SWOONING😍

[@tieresadiggs7230]

Chef Eric's dish from Emily's amazing ingredients was very creative. I'd pay for both the dishes they made!

[@kat_ilming]

"I may not be strong but I'm wily"

[@michelledegeorge5708]

Emily's glo up............ ok queen

[@landerssimbi3876]

The person that sets emily up for this 😭😹😹😹😹.. thank you for giving us Emily

[@deannenguyen3041]

Emily is a national treasure and Eric needs his own show.

[@monicaarencibia4431]

Can you imagine two pros making the other persons meal

[@ChildofBodom918]

Long live the ketchup queen

[@TheListofMrRaguso]

Dang it emily You are an angel im so proud of you keep killing it

[@lindafreeman7030]

It is entirely possible that I will die by exploding into noodles.

[@0ceanicify]

I never thought I'd see Emily so shellfish 😂

[@ThiskidKnowledge]

This food looks amazing

[@southerncooker6475]

Love Emily and Eric is great too!

[@AliiKattTalks]

I really love this pairing! Maybe this is how we get Level 3 Emily? 🤔

[@samorenpalmer]

Great episode of great show

[@chicken2jail545]

Wow! Way to go Emily! I guess next time they'll have you grow your own wheat and forge yout pans lol.

[@farronroboff255]

A great team!

[@owen9510]

It’s confirmed. I’ve fallen in love with Emily.

[@mattmcgee2830]

"That was stressful but we did it" is the most accurate saying in my life ❤😂

[@Singsonggirl]

"get your mind out of the gutter" hahaha he understands me!

[@daroboff]

We are all Emily’s kiwi buddy!

[@hulksmashflowers]

Y’all need to do pro chef Vs home chef but make the home chef from south Louisiana and both chefs have to follow the other’s recipe. (Obviously it would be Cajun dishes) 😊

[@randyroseeternal89]

Where did the second spiny lobster come from?

[@Monster1472580]

Emily needs her own channel!!!!

[@noneofyourbusiness7094]

Emily does have her own channel. It's called No expert.

[@stanlau1749]

The chive PTSD is real in this one

[@giorgiagiommoni4952]

I love emilyyyy she's so funny

[@extrememanner3867]

God I love Emily so much

[@shiina_mahiru_9067]

I was expecting the chef to prepare a soft shell lobster for Emily for some reason, but that still turns out great.

[@Y0utube5ucks]

Dang! I live in Halifax Nova Scotia and just the lobster that size is probably 25 bucks! Also Spiny lobster is inferior to Atlantic lobster in every way (no east coast bias at all :p ) I'm a claw man and those spinies are all booties.

[@casuallydead1747]

4:22 "once you remeove the tip you can just...' *SNIP SNIP SNIP SNIP*😭✋

[@raditz9676]

It's so easy to like Emily :)

[@wesleycolvin7158]

Someday, Emily will get her own segment and the world will be a better place.

[@SirVegas100]

I do love that these videos keep hammering in how *terrifying* mandolins are. I still remember the first time I used one when making potato chips. I've never seen so much blood before. Biggest tragedy was that I had to throw out that whole batch of chips before even frying it.

[@drunkpervertedmonk]

That is some Catsup Sister development! yaay! 👏

[@clapanse]

The chef's comment about the azeotrope was incorrect. Alcohol and water form an azeotrope at a concentration of 95% alcohol. As long as your cooking liquid/sauce before reduction is below 95% alcohol, there will indeed be more alcohol in the vapor proportionally and the liquid will reduce in alcohol concentration as it is simmered. Also, the wine already has ~80-90% water in it anyways, so it's already in an alcohol-water mixture from the beginning. (It may well taste better if you reduce the madeira a bit first, that's certainly possible and I'm not a chef, I'm just stating that a wine or alcohol based sauce will get lower in ABV as it reduces as long as it's not pure everclear)

[@alyssapearsall632]

emily saying “ope sorry” have midwest vibes and I’m here for it