Guide to Making the Perfect BLT | Basics with Babish

[@babishculinaryuniverse]

Big thanks to Brad Cash, our creative director, for doing such a beautiful job with the Basics short film Edit: and thank you guys so much for sharing all your beautiful stories about love, loss, and cooking. It really means a lot.

[@Arise4Fries90]

I remember when u had just less than 10k subs man. Your content has always been consistent and high quality. You came along way!

[@updateguypls1088]

I was not ready for this amount of feels as I eat my lunch...

[@bradacash]

Awe, shucks! - You wrote something beautiful, and it was an honor to get to tell the story with you visually.

[@valkoharja]

Please, please, please stop using "hot tap water". It's not safe, and the time saved is not worth the bad habit. You should always run the cold tap until the water actually runs cold. Water sitting and warming in the pipes again is not guaranteed safe. If food security isn't of interest then consider that cold, fresh water also tastes better, as it has less dissolved stuff from the pipes.

[@OrbObserver]

@@valkoharja Not the time or place, dude.

[@theotherwhiteguy]

The Babish Team really wanted us to start crying at 9am on a Friday with that short film. I'm gonna riot if it's not an award winner.

[@theaubergine1337]

omg fr tho

[@Nomadmandude]

That hit hard.

[@fingerbottom]

Pandering

[@Iam_FJ]

facts, at work tearing up in my office.

[@djeniiala]

Yep

[@luchewigg168]

My mom recently passed from ALS but she was he best cook and baker around, and every bite of her food was filled with love. Before she passed her friends helped her make a cookbook of all her recipes and stories and I’m going to treasure it forever.

[@sethgaston845]

I'm sorry you lost your mom. She sounds like a truly special lady. It's wonderful that you have a book of her love for food and her memories. She's still with you there. Wishing you and your family as much peace and healing as possible in this difficult time.

[@DealerTags]

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my mom a month ago to cancer and going through her recipes has been really tough, but I'm so thankful to have them. I'm glad you have your mom's too. Hang in there. ❤

[@Panama_Red]

That's a beautiful gift from her friends. Anytime you're missing her you can pull it out and cook with her one more time.

[@evenpolle]

passing it on

[@andreawashere11]

I’m so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful gift you’ll have to pass down through generations

[@kareningram6093]

That was a lovely tribute to your mom at the beginning of the video. I'd say most of us with moms can relate to having intense food-related memories about them. To everyone out there who is missing their mom, have a virtual hug. For those of you who still have a mom, or motherlike figure, and are on good terms with them, I hope this inspires you to do something nice for them today. And for those of you who don't have a mom or are not on good terms, I hope you still have people in your life to make warm memories with, preferably with cookies.

[@nollypolly]

​@@SimuLordsame. I do have a daughter to share with so that's something.

[@nomoretwitterhandles]

Thank you so much for your consideration of people without great mothers. I try really hard to connect with my mom and understand things on her level, but she never tries to do the same for me. It really hurts not having a mother who listens to you; one who makes you feel secure, like you actually HAVE a mother. I'm a stranger to my mom and that will forever hurt. The moment I get my PhD and move away from home, I may very well find myself to be an estranged family member. To be surrounded by people who make you feel like you don't have any true, genuine family... it kills me. I just want a mom. I hope those who can relate find people in their lives that they can cherish like a family. To those of you who take your family for granted, please give an effort before it is much too late. Family is so very important.

[@kat3times]

This was a very thoughtful comment thank you ❤

[@nastassia1313]

I lost my mom to breast cancer almost 15 years ago, and she's the one that taught me to love baking. Wasn't expecting to get teared up when I clicked on this video. I still have a notebook filled with recipes on looseleaf paper from her, and I'll treasure it for the rest of my life.

[@tinypickle]

Get it digitized for safe keeping if nothing else!

[@BluEyedRaven]

That's just beautiful.

[@SpinCityDemon]

My grandmother also lost to her third bout of breast cancer. I know how that feels. What a way to start the video Babish. Keep cooking. Keep baking. Savor every memory.

[@kikobbell]

you know, Andy, you might be pretty good at this cooking stuff, but you’re a heck of a filmmaker too

[@tylerbauer1022]

swear it sounds like hes rapping too 😂😂

[@Iluvmeth]

This comment is so corny

[@christopherwonch1726]

ubkf

[@kikobbell]

@@Iluvmeth yeah that’s me. i’m a corny person

[@vastttyl8161]

iirc in his early early videos he said he was between going to school for film and cooking. Guess which one he chose? Yup, the filmmaking. Surprisingly, he went to school for film but ended up combining the two things together by making a food channel lol

[@joshprice1256]

That’s exactly my same story with cooking. I’m sure she is proud of you.

[@azizchalghaf2432]

that short film touched my very soul. thanks to everyone who worked on it and to everyone sharing their stories in the comments. May your mom lay in peace knowing her son influences so many people positively.

[@MorganLiveLife8]

I took over holiday dinners when my aunt passed away. I tried really hard to recreate her amazing food but to no avail, it was delicious but just not the same. Over a decade later I was going through old photos and there was a picture of her holding me at like 3 years old basting a turkey and on the back was her damn turkey and gravy recipe. So i made it and everyone cried cuz it was just like they remembered, and we all shared this beautiful moment, followed by my mom telling me my aunt would have been so proud that I grew up to make even better gravy than she did.

[@KnightsofGaming2016]

This was such a touching story! What I love was that your aunt left the recipe on a picture that had you in it. Like she wanted you to find it one day and to use that recipe. Stuff like that tugs at my heartsrings. Hope that you and your family are doing well and I agree with what your mom said. She would definitely be proud you found and recreated that recipe.

[@Lanhua.v]

This entire comment section is making me bawl my eyes out on a Friday afternoon

[@pacificcoastpiper3949]

My mother also taught me to bake too. Now I’m making homemade bread for my family, doing more complex recipes, and I still happily remember her as I sit, working my dough ball. R.I.P. mom. Thanks for being a great teacher and good mom❤❤❤❤❤

[@TitanicTortise]

"Oh, new Babish! Maybe I'll learn something." Gets wacked in the heart with a baking sheet instead 😂 For real, lost my mom when I was 17 and I still make her broccoli casserole recipe on holidays. That was a very touching tribute.

[@andrews2727]

Didn't think I'd be crying at the beginning of a BWB episode, that was beautiful

[@pyrodoll7137]

that basics short film is exquisite. We hear them, the ones we've lost, in our kitchens the loudest, though always in our lives. We hear them, we know they're there from what they gave us while they were alive. The cookies, the special soup (that my vavo promised me would cure ANYTHING! and for the most part she has been right) the recipes, lessons, memories... they stay even when the person we love is gone. And in the kitchen, they may not be there anymore, but when we make their recipes it brings them home in the most beautiful way.

[@JohnJBrowne11209]

That was beautiful because of it's truth.

[@grabble7605]

"and for the most part she has been right" No she hasn't. Soup isn't a cure for anything.

[@WisakJ]

Wherever she is, she is happy and proud of you Andrew. You have come so far. Looking forward to get my book next month.

[@mrvincentjackson]

Love, love, love, love, LOVE you Babish! Your story in the beginning reminds me of my grandma when she would make pound cake; she was VERY particular about measurements and TO THIS DAY, I cannot make it without her voice. RIP to her and I just ordered your book.

[@GreatClownKing]

So Didn't come here expecting to cry but, here I am and there the tears go. Your forward made me think instantly of few of the wonderful women I've lost in my life and the timeless meals they taught me to make that I just cant seem to pull off like they did. Every time we try they're with us still.

[@Rhasputinn]

Where I live, we are known for tomatoes, and for tomato sandwiches. For less drips, season your tomato slices with salt first and let them sit for a couple of minutes, then pat off the excess moisture with a paper towel before adding them into the sandwich. :)

[@Micg51]

Yep, that would be the first thing I would do for a blt or club sandwich.

[@jefffrye1806]

Nothing beats an heirloom tomato sandwich during the summer.

[@mikeybhoutex]

That opening. You are a master storyteller. And then cinematography to go with it. Thank you, sir.

[@marylandlax3]

My mom passed 2 years ago and I swear I can’t replicate even a third of her recipes, the one that I miss the most is either her guinness pie or chicken pot pie, it was the ultimate comfort food and she knew it was me and my brother’s favorite, like it was nearly a holiday for us, we’ve taken a few stabs at it but it just doesn’t scratch the same ole itch

[@adamyoung480]

Aloha. It never will because your mom didn’t make it.

[@jasonbaker1887]

The intro makes me want to buy the book again. It makes me think about my father and mother and how my hands are always too warm to make a good pie crust or puff pastry, how my mother always could do it just right.

[@notahotshot]

It gave me the exact opposite reaction. I've decided not to purchase it.

[@jasonbaker1887]

@@notahotshot well that's sad for you then. Sorry you didn't have people in your life that this made you think of and that you don't see any benefit in sharing of personal stories of loss and success. Have a good life I hope you find something else that has whatever it is that you are looking for.

[@notahotshot]

​​@@jasonbaker1887 It's not the story itself that made me not want to purchase the book. It's the fact that such a deeply personal, emotionally moving memory, of a much loved individual, was used as a commercial to sell the book. I found it as crass as your assumption that I don't have similar memories of my own mother. He could have shared the story without turning it into a sales pitch.

[@Jupiters0rbit]

@@notahotshot it was probably an anecdote from in the book. most cookbooks have things like that.

[@notahotshot]

​@@Jupiters0rbit Yes, it was definitely an anecdote. It may be included in the forward of the book. I'll never know, because turning it into a commercial, a sales pitch for the book, in my opinion, was distasteful. It's a very touching story, but he should have ended the story with a title card that said, "In loving memory", and pushed the, "Buy my book" to the very end of the video. It would have softened the crass commercialism a little bit. It's ok, you can disagree, and I'm sure his book will still sell well enough without my purchase.

[@karysamichaux1765]

The intro makes me double glad I ordered the book the second I could. My grandmother passed a week ago and she spent my entire childhood instilling a love of cooking and baking in me. The kitchen is still my favorite room in the house, and the place that makes me think of her the most. I’m eternally grateful I wrote out all of her recipes before dementia took her memory of them. Food is a love language 🩵

[@LivingInNowhere]

cinematography and narration is beyond impeccable. kudos to Andy's Team!

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Cinematography and narration are* ...

[@J4CK_014NT3RN]

As someone who lost their mom as a kid, it never really stops being on my mind. Everything reminds me of her or makes me think "what would she do?" Thank you for making me remember my angelic mother again.

[@fortunatesoul12]

Lost a father recently to cancer. The experience and lessons are always still there

[@Luke_Craft]

I got really emotional with that beginning... I still greatly miss my grandfather who passed from lung cancer, and the duality of the "perfect cookie" story couldn't be more true with me, still feeling like I've got lots to live up to since his passing... He was so proud of me, even at times where I was not at my best.

[@Groovebot3k]

Mom passed away a couple of years ago from cancer, and while our relationship was never what either of us probably wanted cooking was one of the few things we'd do together that we enjoyed... thanks for that reminder, Andrew.

[@benbaer4697]

Thank you andrew. I called my mom and thanked her for everything she has done. Nothing taste like her cooking. I cant imagine my life without her. I hope your memories of her dont fade with time.

[@felttip4431]

I loved the little short at the beginning! Some of my most treasured childhood memories are of baking cookies with my mother.

[@charribs9952]

Andy, that short at the beginning had me teared up. Beautiful.

[@chrisparker783]

That intro about your mother was beautiful. I lost my mother last year, and your cookie story resonated with me. It's hard to describe those special things you had with a loved one, and how things change when they are gone, even the small things

[@Animeguy300]

Never try a BLT but this guide helps me make one for my lunch. Thanks babish

[@grabble7605]

You need a guide for a sandwich that has all of its ingredients in the name and only one of them cooked?

[@adamyoung480]

Aloha. You haven’t lived.

[@adamyoung480]

@@grabble7605Aloha, hilarious right?

[@IQNAProductions]

Dude. That was frickin beautiful. I miss my mom so much. This brought many tears and many smiles to my day. Thank you. It really means a lot.

[@jacquespoulemer3577]

Andrew, your cookbook promotion and story was brilliant. Nicely made, full of nostalgia and a heartwarming story. I wish you good fortune in the sales. The BLT process while on vacation was also a memory jogger. How many times when on vacation does one find oneself cooking for others in a strange and under supplied kitchen. It forces one to be creative. Thanks again to you and the team. Jim Mexico

[@samsamm1402]

hearing you use the episodes of frasier as a unit of time again made me smile haha

[@elektrik3039]

Stunning beginning, very cool

[@downeyscoffee9446]

Not even a minute and a half in and I'm crying at 9 am, amazing intro, amazing storytelling skills. What killed me the most was the fading memory of the taste of his mom's cookies, bawling my eyes out, seriously.

[@lssjcarter]

i lost my mom to esophageal cancer 3 years ago. she made the best spaghetti and meatballs ever. i still have the way she did it memorized in my head, even if it's just a basic plate of spaghetti the fact that she's the one who made it makes it so much more special to me.

[@ErikSharpe]

I think it's important to have the tomato contact the mayo, making what J. Kenji Lopez Alt refers to as the "tomayo" situation. I stick to the classic order suggested by the name: bacon on bottom, lettuce in middle, tomato on top.

[@kyleclerc8099]

Great intro. Definitely hit me in the feels. I've been into making a homemade chipotle mayo lately for my blts. Use lime juice, a couple whole canned chipotles in Adobe, add cayenne and smoked paprika to taste. The smokiness compliments the bacon and a little spice makes it a little more interesting.

[@Odin_All-Father]

Lost my Ma to brain cancer in 2021. I cooked her her last few meals, one of which was a carbonara I learned from watching your show. Thank you for all you do. I still miss cooking with my Ma, and like you I think, I always will.

[@DoctorX17]

I had to stop and pause for a moment because that short film made me cry too much to see -- I'm so sorry for your loss, but I'm so glad you have something so deeply important to remember your mother by. I'm glad you have something to help you remember her all these years later, and a way to be connected.

[@brianlane6813]

great video as usual. only one slight issue-- we are about a month too late for tomatoes. A lot of people think it's a bacon sandwich, but for me, it;s a tomato sandwich. Gotta have August's best tomatoes and preferably heirloom.

[@RelaxingRestoration]

I have watched the ad like 12 times, I cant get over it. Fantastic.

[@towncrieronfire5899]

That is one of the most heartfelt things I have heard in a long time. I'm sure you already know, but you are loved.

[@ryleeculla5570]

The beginning to me was just unexpected but yet so heart warming and nice we all have something we remember our family’s by

[@mckenzie1584]

I just clicked on a BLT video why am I crying

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

That opening brought serious tears to my eyes. I have similar memories of my Mom, who went to Heaven three years ago. God bless you!

[@stuartmayberry666]

As someone who was inspired to cook by my mom and lost her to cancer years later... yeah. Right in the feels with that short, Andy. And I'm still struggling to get some of those recipes right, too.

[@CyberBnnny]

Lost my mom to cancer too. She was one of the main reasons I learned to love cooking. We used to work through cookbooks together, never making the same thing twice (often to the disappointment of the rest of the family).

[@MakeYourLifeaWorkofArt]

As someone who was a nomad for an entire year… the comment “traveling with a scale” is actually accurate 😂 I have a “kitchen” suitcase for any Airbnb I stay in. Airbnbs are usually surprisingly ridiculously under stocked with ANY kitchen equipment. I found this kit essential compared to most of the regular stuff one would normally travel with!

[@gustergreen]

Loved the Cookie short at the beginning. I also have a tender connection with my Mom's cookies and my ability or slight lack thereof to recreate them just like hers.

[@mediumunwell]

I lost my dad to cancer as well. I keep an old Jeep of his that reminds me of what I came from and a bit of him is with me every time I start it. Losing him made me appreciate my mother that much more. Time is limited and everything can change at the drop of a hat

[@WolfWarrior623]

This hit hard. Its coming up on a year since losing my mom to pancreatic cancer. There's so many foods i wish she could have taught me, but i'm glad i got what I did. I wish i could replicate the taste of even half the things she cooked.

[@shareeligons3786]

Never made a BLT before. Used your recipe today for lunch and it was delicious. I didn't think bacon cooked in the oven could get so crispy!

[@nimbly1693]

I lost my little brother and best friend to lymphoma 2 years ago. He was 25. Listening to you talk about your mom and her fight with cancer broke my heart.

[@mikeshardreviews4154]

Whelp, now I’m crying while I preorder a cookbook. Never thought that my life would hit this exact point, but here we are! Excited for all of you for the release of the book! Amazing work!

[@lmfao1314]

The beginning part about his mom had me sobbing like a baby my mom is a 3 time breast cancer survivor and i would be lost without her im very blessed and thankful to have her around still im definitely am a mama's boy and i say that with full pride but i am sorry for your loss idk how you cope with that but i admire your strength your tenacity and your work ethic 💯🤝🏻🖤

[@jesseturner9865]

Everybody is over there getting feel-ie about your short film and I'm loosing it over a fried egg sandwich my dad used to make when I was a kid. Thank you for that.

[@Molejules]

The video hasn't even started and I'm sobbing. How could you, Andrew (and Brad)?

[@EnderDragon]

I do enjoy the new format.

[@Trutxfan]

There is no better sandwich in the world. The humble BLT is so simple, yet so elegant in its presentation, bursting with vibrant flavors and textures.

[@christopherguarneri6191]

My mom also made some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies up until she passed when I was a kid. I only made them twice by myself since then. Seeing this really hit home for me

[@theshademercenary]

Andrew's tribute to his mother was beautiful and I WAS NOT READY. 😢

[@aapeliholtta1197]

My mom passed away of cancer fairly recently, my brother was the one that made the cookies at home and I was always the foodie who preferred to make food

[@adamf3894]

Yup, the first minute of this made me weep uncontrollably. Thanks babish.

[@zesty.bubbles]

Andrew really wanted us to CRY this week. That intro was beautiful ❤

[@miketilton6393]

This is a great story. Im sorry about your mom, she sounded like auch a great mom. We all need that in our lives

[@specialradios]

My mom just went through her first, I consider myself incredibly lucky because some of her sisters/my aunts didn't quite have it like we do now where it is far more treatable and therefore has a higher survival rate. She made it through chemo but still had the surgery because it tends to come back. To say that first part hit it right home, it's an understatement for me. The shock, the sadness when you first find out to the treatments, the surgery, the money, it goes on and on. Thank you for sharing that personal anecdote, it really did bring water to my eyes although wait no, I'm not crying, I'm just cutting onions man. Also, can't wait to try and make some version of this BLT. Keep them coming Andrew. Someone, Somewhere in Brooklyn.

[@get_rhythm]

I was not expecting the first sentence in a BLT video to be "My history with cookies is a long one"

[@Robot-Overlord]

One thing I do to improve my BLTs is to use shredded lettuce and I toss the lettuce in oil and herbs/spices. Really ups the flavor. The spices kind of depend on what im feeling.

[@anapoptartz962]

Today's my mothers birthday, it's thanks to her that I have a love of cooking and baking, My food still never tastes as good as hers did. She passed away from an autoimmune disease when I was in my twenties. Cheers to all the loving mothers in this world and that secret ingredient in their baking that we just cant seem to figure out 💙

[@ortegacameron21]

Geez, that into got me in the feels. I loved it. Thank you, sir!

[@DavidSchumann-q1w]

Just wanna say I'm truly sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how that feels. I also can't imagine a better way you're honoring her memory by making cooking a career with how she taught you what you know about cooking

[@ashleycross7593]

When watching botched it's usually tears of laughter, but now it's ugly ugly tears, your a good man Andrew ❤

[@TheLastGreatDon]

The earth shattering tearjerker needs to be at the end of the video. How am I supposed to learn anything while sobbing.

[@J78Kio]

That opening was a beautiful story that your mother would be proud of

[@nicolasinfantevaldivieso239]

You made me shed proud tears man, that intro was beautiful.

[@crazymulatto8981]

When it comes to the Culinary Arts, the Babish Culinary Universe is absolutely amazing. I love this channel 👌🥇🏅💯

[@janetgerney2094]

I only hope that my kids think half as highly of me as you do of your Mom. ❤ She would be very proud of your accomplishments!

[@episodicstudiosllc]

Having trouble learning to make a BLT with tears streaming from my eyes. Very beautiful short film. Keep up the great work.

[@spozmanter9207]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your Mom. I always used to help my Dad make latkes, and even when I moved out, I called him for the recipe. He passed from lung cancer several years ago, and I miss him every day, but especially around the High Holidays and Chanukah.

[@beleva09]

When adding the sweet element for the yeast to feed on, I really enjoy using dark syrup. Highly recommend trying!

[@Timmycoo]

Mayo is actually a barrier so the moisture worry is unneeded, but the crisp from the bottom and the top is great. ALWAYS season your tomatoes! lol. I would like more lettuce on mine but that looks great. Ugh, I wish bacon wasn't so expensive!

[@nolanreddon119]

“I hope you guys enjoyed the short” bro of course we did; I have tears in my eyes.

[@Azriel637]

I for one am happy to see the "Time measured of Frasier Units" timekeeping method return.

[@donlapham1265]

Ordered my cookbook months ago and am looking forward to making those recipes for my family this winter!

[@wanderlustwarrior]

That opening was so sweet. Between this and a Cultaholic video, I've woken up to some unexpected warmth today!

[@johnblaze2230]

Around 6:10 you just answered a huge frustrating question for me regarding potato flour! Now I can attempt to make German Kartoffelknödels 😁 As always I am a huge fan of your channel and always look forward to your videos

[@SunnylandProds]

That was a beautiful short film!

[@MichaelSkinner-e9j]

I miss watching your channel! I loved watching it whenever you released videos!

[@caffeineadvocate]

Buh…. The intro made me weep internally. I, too, understand the struggle (and the happiness when done right) of trying to recreate your memory through recipes. You’re doing this thing we call ‘life’ correctly, my nostalgic dude. Cheers.

[@imNytr0]

this autoplayed while i'm trying to come up with a stuffed duck recipe and why am i about to cry beautiful story thank you for sharing and teaching

[@ericthompson2018]

Very nice...Kenji Lopez-Alt recommends marinating the tomatoes in red wine vinegar & olive oil (and S&P), which makes it extra flavorful. Try it sometime!

[@poesessed_8934]

I would LOVE to see Babish tackle traditional Suomi nissua bread, I bet he'd knock it out of the park. This guy can do anything!

[@guster4356]

My mother passed to pancreatic cancer about 5 years ago. A few years before she passed, I frantically scrambled to capture her chocolate fudge cake recipe on paper as she bustled around our kitchen and prepared my birthday cake from memory. Just last week I was visiting my siblings down in Charleston for my birthday and you can bet we all started tearing up as I blew the candles out on mom's chocolate fudge cake, prepared by my little sister with love. It will never be mom's but it is ours now. Thanks, Babish.

[@brandinbauer6560]

I cried at the beginning short flim having lost my mother in 2014 and being the one who found her body... I miss ya momma!! Rest easy keep the lights on and pour yourself a drink I love you see you on the other side

[@charliesanders4065]

I never thought I’d tear up to a basics with babish

[@believe8in8haley]

Dude that cookie story 😢❤

[@morganwhite4788]

Making a BLT; Me: Buys a loaf of bread, some frozen bacon, a head of lettuce, and some frozen bacon. Babish: "Alright guys, so first thing to do is plant these wheat seeds."