The Cheeseburger Fatty Melt | Kenji's Cooking Show

[@skriller7102]

Props to the cameraman for sitting on Kenji's head and filming the entire time

[@mikejohnston8275]

Ratatouille got into directing

[@eduardourdaneta4733]

@@mikejohnston8275 😂😂

[@seanconti1696]

Guy it’s a head mount

[@ratwasher.]

@@seanconti1696 rly????

[@redmystica72]

@@ratwasher. 🤣

[@IAttackYou]

I'm going to miss seeing Shabu's cheerful face. Rest well sweet pup.

[@daljedalje7079]

What, when? Omg... :(

[@relativeus]

Kenji's dog has a seriously great gig over there.

[@JeepWranglerIslander]

Knows exactly where the prime falling scraps positions are.

[@trashAndNoStar]

🐶💭 Human starts talking to himself and strapping the thing on his head = food imminent

[@entity9588]

@@trashAndNoStar LOL

[@cr3dentialz-nw]

What kind of dog is it? Great looking.

[@grimtv37]

It's basically Kenji's Sandwich Show at this point and I'm completely here for it

[@swordsmike]

Wondering if his next book is about sandwiches :)

[@GovenorMcLovin]

I was going to say I have absolutely no problems with all sandwiches all the time.

[@TheGreektrojan]

@@swordsmike Honestly I'd love a real, actual deep dive on sandwiches in a full book. I feel like there is a lot there but its easy to gloss over.

[@AForEh]

Haven’t heard “and I’m here for it” in a while. It was everywhere in 2020.

[@gabrielvenske8387]

I would love to see a collab between Kenji and the roll for sandwich guy from tiktok

[@thomasnoll4538]

Back in the day a place nearby had this on the menu as the American Dream. I tried to order one for delivery on an extremely hungover New Years Day, and after four hours I realized it was never arriving. That was the day the American Dream died

[@gabagoul67]

that's honestly so fucking sad waiting for something like this to arrive and never getting it, I would have cried my heart out lol

[@legoshi6531]

:c

[@raviatm]

it didn't die. Someone else enjoyed it while you were drunk and waiting.

[@studentism]

bye bye, miss american fry :(

[@ethanjensen6802]

@@studentism drove my chevy to the bevy but the bevy was dry 😢

[@NerdMiGerd]

As a dude born and raised in Philly there's just something so special about the combination of beef, onions, and cheese for me. Now I'm definitely craving one of these.

[@jas7256]

This comment makes me wonder if a cheesesteak is really less unhealthy than what kenji made

[@NerdMiGerd]

@@jas7256 I think the obscene amount of butter present in Kenji’s dish takes it over the edge. But it still looks damn tasty.

[@joncarroll2040]

​@@jas7256i would say the cheesesteak is definitely "worse". Butter aside, there is less beef and cheese on this than the average cheesesteak.

[@mattromeo1040]

from "every night is pizza night" to pizza once a week...how the mighty have fallen (this is a joke)

[@MrAqr2598]

6:17~ In Japanese junior high schools(7~9th grade), the first two things we look at under the microscope are: onion skin(the thin, translucent film on the inside of onion peels) and human mouth cells(you gently rub off the inner lining of your mouth with a q-tip, so the surface cells can be placed on a microscope slide.)

[@shawnmiguel]

i laughed so hard at the "yes, you can have a third grilled cheese in the middle" perfectly timed with the exact thought in my head

[@robertinogochev3682]

lol

[@iggywow]

would that make it a "fatty club"?

[@Tst1359]

I cooked your smash burgers for the family this weekend and they were a huge hit. Thanks Kenji

[@listentodave]

I was expecting this to be a mean spirited comment about somebody's mom at the end. Disappointed ; )

[@TheWrongRighter]

Which video did you use as a guide?

[@Tst1359]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/moLaZapvjMyLmbM

[@ImSpartacus811]

My boy Kenji is on an onion rampage and I'm so down for this.

[@thomasthomeson54]

As someone who leaves butter out, you don't have to leave out a whole stick at once. You can just leave out enough for a couple slices of bread per person who uses it and replace the butter as it runs out. Just make sure to wash the dish regularly so that it doesn't get rancid butter on it That said I'm still in the butter the griddle gang

[@coathanger_irenfell5131]

I am not in the butter the griddle gang. Look at what it does to the coverage. He has spots on his bread that aren't buttered and it's driving me nuts. I get those 4 oz half-sticks and leave them out for things like this.

[@ileutur6863]

How tf do you leave butter out without it turning to rancid mush??

[@michaeloconnor3865]

@@ileutur6863 By using a butter bell/butter crock. It's a vessel featuring a special lid. The underside of the lid has a bell or cup shaped attachment, opening downwards. You place your butter in the bell, making sure it sticks well to the sides, then fill your vessel with a little water. When you put the lid on the vessel, the lip of the bell submerges in the water, thereby sealing the butter off from the environment. They're really great for having soft, spreadable butter at the ready. You can fill the whole bell with butter, but I prefer to put enough in to last a few days. That way you can change out the water and clean out the bell when you run out, keeping your butter as fresh as possible. If you're unfamiliar, you should really check it out. I was well into adulthood before I realized these things even existed. It'll change your bread-buttering life.

[@johnkozup9959]

@@michaeloconnor3865 I have a butter bell because I like soft butter that doesn't tear the bread like cold butter...my parents always had ice cold butter. I tried to get them to at least use whipped butter but it didn't last. If I bought it they are a lot more bread, toast, etc. Anyway I love my butter bell and I enjoy a couple slices of PBJ toast almost every night and a couple slices buttered toast with my morning eggs and other breakfast items.

[@coathanger_irenfell5131]

I use so much butter it never has time to become rancid lol

[@FeloniousFunk]

I enjoyed the Ozersky story Kenji, thanks for that. I’ll be putting his hamburger book on my list of things to read this year.

[@brandondavis6365]

I’ve had this before as a Dead Texan. The “rub” being that the grilled cheese sandwiches had pickled jalapeño slices in the middle, and the cheese may have been some sort of pepper Jack.

[@djdj216]

gotta try that...

[@rudydsouza7432]

christ in heaven i would murder someone with my bare hands for that sandwich rn

[@kamisc2865]

That sounds amazing

[@nolansykinsley3734]

Oh my god, this reminds me of a time a few years back when I visited a local restaurant with my grandpa and I saw a "double grilled cheese burger" on the menu, I thought that sounded good, a double cheeseburger but made like a grilled cheese, so ordered one. My grandpa decided to order one too. You should have seen the look on our face when it came out and it was a double cheeseburger like yours with a grilled cheese sandwich for each bun! It was exactly this but regular burgers and no onions! Oh my, I could only eat half, my poor grandpa could only muster a few bites! I was wondering why you were giving such a warning, I though "this is not bad for two burgers, doesn't seem much different", once I realized this was ONE serving... oh the memories came flooding back!

[@shnad9880]

Saw the title and wondered how Kenji found out about my nickname

[@Schmegvan13]

🤣🤣🤣

[@clashwithkeen]

I've always mandolined my onions pole to pole because I feel like it gets slimey as it cooks when cutting the other way. This may just be a mental thing, I've never tested side by side.

[@PeopleR2sensitive]

It wont matter much. It’ll be a lil more weepy but you wont disrupt the cellular walls much if your mandolin is sharp.

[@JustAnotherBuckyLover]

That might make sense if you burst more cells open slicing the other way, and less when slicing pole to pole. The inside of cells is mostly water so it'd make sense that it might end up wetter (or slimy) depending on what else is inside the cytoplasm of onion cells. It'd definitely be an interesting test, though, to cut the same onion, half one way, half the other, and then cook them both in the same way,

[@pranay4232]

Ethan Chlebowski has a video discussing this exact topic, called Why I always slice Onions from root to stem, interesting to hear the varied perspectives kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIa7fJV4es-Gp7c

[@natmickan]

Helen Rennie did a side-by-side on her channel (highly recommend)

[@fubearchu865]

What skillet is that? No handles, perfectly flat, juice moat.... I can't find anything like it.

[@jokerlaughsfirst8776]

Kenji is out here logically explaining anytime, sometime, and never food while other people are making sandwiches out of wagyu steaks with a whole pizza in the middle just because it's a Tuesday.

[@tomokoichi]

Seeing Shabu on the thumbnail made me want to cry. I'm seeing this after her passing. My condolences to you and family.

[@jasonswienckowski5373]

A wallpaper scraper! This is why I love your videos so much. Keeps me company while I eat my second dinner later at night lol

[@mipogrow]

There are foods that I have once or twice a year. This will make it into that rotation. I melt butter in the pan and drop the bread in after too.

[@znilf84]

What are some of the foods you only have once or twice a year??

[@mipogrow]

@@znilf84 today I made potato salad, and baked beans. They tend to happen once or twice a year. Cherry pie usually happens once because I make it when the cherries are in season. Brownies probably happen 4 times a year. It is usually sweets, something very fatty or high in cholesterol. Chilled creme anglaise is incredible over warm chocolate cake or fresh berries, but my dairy choice is heavy cream with ½ & ½. It's delicious, but deadly in heavy rotation. Red meat is rare, chicken is not. I am often accidentally vegetarian and rarely accidentally vegan.

[@znilf84]

@@mipogrow Thank you for sharing. I was just curious.

[@ileutur6863]

@@mipogrow congratulations on the self control. If I didn't know better, I could easily eat stuff like this on a weekly basis

[@jeffsstuff]

Looks good and “almost never food” or not, I’m going to make it (and I’ll be thinking of Josh when I eat it! Thank you for remembering him here.

[@jis70147]

I miss your late night cooking videos, your commentaries are fantastic but these fast videos were comfy to watch.

[@SvenTheMoose]

This was a classic at Friendly’s here in New England. Pretty sure that is the only place I’ve ever seen one of these on the menu.

[@stephenroylance3958]

I had one of those for lunch at friendly's in Waltham MA sometime in like 2010. I don't think they've had it on the menu for a long time now though.

[@boarsnout9526]

Always food. Sometimes food and almost never food. That's great parenting. All of my friends are starting to have kids now and the one thing I notice is how a lot of people don't know how to feed their kids properly. That's a fantastically simple breakdown of how you can relay that understanding to a child.

[@LancelotTheLion417]

Agreed. Definitely adopting that phrasing to explain it to my own children.

[@Steinborn24]

As a father of 3 under 3 its not that parents don't know how to feed kids, its that we choose our battles wisely

[@ampersand.8888]

I love the idea of very thin grilled cheese sandwiches on its own.

[@AugustasKunc]

Agree, and virtually everything smaller and thinner is tastier

[@SandraudigaVali]

Might wanna look up Adam Ragusea's video on smashed brioche grilled cheese then, quite interesting

[@00carmichael]

Your dog crying had me looking over my shoulder for mine :) Love the channel - and your way of being!!!

[@StephanieDefinitely]

Yum! I grew up in Oklahoma and my grandmother was originally from El Reno so I grew up eating onion burgers and nothing compares to their flavor in my book. Adding the grilled cheese sounds incredible!

[@fathersonandskillet]

Butter the bread or butter the griddle? You'll see a lot of short order cooks in diners either buttering the bread with melted butter using a butter wheel or just putting some butter down on the griddle where they're going to cook. Both methods do a nice even job. In our house, the butter usually is out, so the bread gets buttered before it goes on the griddle. If all the butter is cold, the butter goes on the griddle. The point is to get it spread evenly. Do what works for you.

[@Onneton55]

*sees someone slicing onions* My brain: "Don't say it! Don't!" Me: "Did you know that slicing the onion pole to pole ruptures less cells leading to less pungent flavour?"

[@shamanschlong]

why would you want a pungent-less onion?

[@EkatneviG]

There are two places in Portland, OR that serve these. Grilled Cheese Grill (Consolidated their food carts and reopened a brick and mortar during the pandemic. Their whole menu is grilled cheese sandwiches) and Brunch Box PDX (sadly closed down due to the pandemic. Also had many varieties of Grilled cheese burgers etc. Sadly missed)...if you're ever in PDX, stop by the Grilled Cheese Grill!

[@wiltchamberlain9920]

Watching this while eating steel-cut oatmeal was an interesting situation.

[@mcmdrpiffle447]

Kenji, What is the knife on the upper left of the cutting board at 06:20 during the onion cutting part. Looks like a prime rib knife with an odd curved handle What brand/style, if you remember. I want one. imaf/ just now further south of you in Santa Cruz!

[@MrJayson204]

Perhaps a dumb question but why don’t you want the griddle to be greased with left over butter before putting the patties?

[@NiSE_Rafter]

I like to butter the griddle. Mainly because I saw my mother doing it while growing up. I prefer the memories of mom's grilled cheese over any "optimization".

[@Sneakyboson]

Helps keep the pan in good nick too, to have it constantly slathered in fats

[@MetalMilitia072583]

Grill 'Em All, an amazing burger spot in Alhambra, CA, has a similar offering with bacon called the Behemoth

[@neogreftcremat9090]

Every time I comeback it's another evolution of Kenji's mustache and I love it

[@nazmusas]

2:55 would love to know more about this game, and the foods in each catagories.

[@LSSRoshi]

If I've learned anything from this channel, it's that triangles are the superior geometrical sandwich shape.

[@stmmjd]

hey buddy, what weight chef's press is your go to? assuming you have a variety though.

[@MattXShaver]

I first came across the Fatty Melt years ago at Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood, Ohio. Great place.

[@TheeBurgerDude]

I wonder if getting some Texas Toast style white bread and cutting it into thin slices would work....

[@benmarshall5132]

Crazy cheeseburger party got out of hand Lucy, call an ambulance.

[@ScottPenick]

There's a burger joint local to me with basically this sandwich, and I always assumed it was just a local invention. Who knew!

[@iswearnotme]

Did I just watch you clean the knife you used to slice the onions with a single towel wipe? Is this the correct way to take care of my knives? I usually wash the hell out of them after an onion sesh, but now I wonder if I'm making a mistake.

[@Korietsu]

This is sort of a secret menu item at Five Guys. You can get their regular burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches if I remember

[@EvilQi]

When I make "patty" melts, I season the beef with doubanjiang, use kim chi instead of onions, and top it off with sriracha-mayo. Gonna have to step my version up with this version.

[@AGQ720]

Hey Kenji, what kind of American cheese do you use/where do you get it? It looks much more high quality that Kraft Singles and even the Horizon Organic brands that I always see.

[@staceymckinnon695]

Land O Lakes is pretty good. They have white and yellow. You get it at the deli.

[@CanyonWrens]

Watching this in bed, and you did the same whistle I do... my dog jumped on my face... she is much larger than Shabu, but anything patty melt related is so very worth it. Thanks for everything you do.

[@mydadiscool1234]

Hey Kenji! Just wondering what weight of patty you use for smash burgers? I’ve seen people use 2 oz to 4 oz so I was just wondering what you preferred

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

These were around 2.25 ounces.

[@lionelhutz4046]

I was shocked when I realized you were making one of them.

[@KatGlo]

Right

[@tasadem20]

Hey Kenji, I realized that the wallpaper tool is great but it removes the seasoning on the bottom of the pan. Originally, do you cook the onion side to caramelize when you do Oklahoma style onion smashed burgers or do you just warm it up and serve it right away?

[@travismolnoskey2745]

They served something very similar at Texas A&M student center cafe, called the Good Bull Burger, two smashed patties with cheese and caramelized onions, in between two grilled cheese sandwiches. This was in 2013/14.

[@holycrap1986]

Does an in-home range hood help with removing the smell of cooking? I like to cook but it nearly always causes my wife to leave or "hide" in the least smelliest (to her) part of the house.

[@MrJherime]

Thank you for the lovely quick meal ideas

[@32a34a]

I have for about 40 years kept my butter on the counter. Never had butter go bad. Maybe because I use top notch butter or my butter is cosmically blessed.

[@LovelyLori193]

Loving how long the stache is getting Kenji

[@koridic3188]

I think a lot of people end up using the spreadable stuff like "I cant believe its not butter" or other emulsion based butter flavored spreads so they "butter" the bread since they dont have to bother keeping butter in a bell to have it be spreadable. I mean it still works but its not butter I suppose. Personally I sometimes use mayonnaise such as my go to Kewpie mayo for grilled cheese. Kewpie toasts it well but it isn't very healthy and ends up a bit greasier than butter admittedly.

[@JRubik726]

Had something like this (but bigger) in a small town bar and grill after a week of backpacking. The last 6 hours of hiking were though continuous rain and sleet. That was my "almost never" scenario, and a mega-calorie sandwich really hit the spot :-)

[@maxcastillo8191]

There used to be a burger restaurant in Houston called Bernie’s Burger Bus (RIP) that had a burger on their menu called the Detention that was basically this but with bacon grilled cheese. Damn I miss that place.

[@wingsabre]

A good compromise is mayo for the outside and butter the inside. Mayo on grilled cheese gives it a slightly better crust than butter, but it does not give the flavor.

[@asmranonymousgaming901]

Currently recovering from an ulcerative colitis flare. Love watching your videos kenji!

[@bureku]

I'm having a laugh because the game you play with your daughter puts PIZZA into the 'Sometimes Food' Category.. but you literally published a book called 'Every Night Is Pizza Night"! 😂 Love you Kenji!

[@papadankelson5480]

the book is literally about a girl who wants pizza every night and learns that there are other foods that are good too

[@davidoconnor1773]

Kenji, what the brand/model of the cast iron griddle you're using please?

[@iq2317]

Why is the instapot cable wrapped around the step...😳

[@tomate4799]

We need the chefs press in germany, it is awesome! What weight and amount would you recommend for 2 person household?

[@brucehill5112]

2-13 oz presses are a good starter set.

[@JosephBayot]

Oh man that look absolutely delicious! Which weight of chef's press did you use here? Been looking to get some.

[@jeanbaptisteclamence8061]

If I remember correctly, he mentioned where he got them from on one of his older grilled cheese videos.

[@brucehill5112]

he’s using 8oz presses, thanks for your interest @thechefspress

[@Ellpaige-v5s]

I cackled at the wallpaper scraper, such a ‘I’m gonna do this my way’ thing.

[@Sungirl801]

One triangle of that with a good side salad would make it a more often food. Portion makes the poison, I'd say. ;) Love it!

[@reklessbravo2129]

This looks really good and now i want one

[@gez1809]

I thought this was for two people, then kenji put the patties on top of each other and the penny dropped...

[@rlwalker2]

I have been known to ask the produce person if they have any onions I don't need an 18 wheeler to lug away. I also noticed that if you buy a small bag of the same onions they will be much smaller. At least that is what happens here. I like that you toast both sides of the bread. Some would toast one side resulting in the inside being very gummy. This sandwich definitely would have to be only once with a long window of time between each time it is made. I have to admit it looks positively delicious. Heart attach city.

[@dakotacx]

This feels like it would be really great with brioche - grilled and pressed until it's nice and thin and crispy.

[@tobarstep]

Local burger joint had this about 15 years ago, but with like 7 different cheeses in total. I think it was called Death by Cheeseburger or something like that.

[@SandraudigaVali]

Sounds amazing lmao

[@chadshaffer4838]

I think this would be good cut into 4's or Quarters. Shared as an appetizer. For what meal! I don't know.

[@poopstink1757]

I love that you feed your dogs. I do as well. I feel like when I love something they generally do as well ( at least as far as food goes).

[@dangriffinmusic]

What kind of griddle is that?

[@nathannguyen6683]

Kenji, I’m pretty sure you live in Seattle now but it’s 100 degrees the entire week in the Bay Area. I know you made those cold noodles, but you got anything else cold to make?

[@M_kanpur]

Came back to this after hearing of Shabu's passing. Rip to the og taste tester.

[@connorkelly5382]

really love that kenji mentioned this is a "literally never"-type dish. as someone now lacking a gallbladder, this is how you get gallstones

[@Electric.Spaghetti.Neon.Studio]

Gallstones are not caused simply by eating things like this. There are several causes, and they are genetic and not well understood. Yes, having very high cholesterol will contribute, but plenty of people eat ridiculous amounts of fat and never get gallstones. But it is VERY true that once you have them, eating something like this would be your worst nightmare.

[@graefx]

With butter in the pan vs on the bread and Mythical kitchen did a test and voted that in the pan caused a more even distribution of butter and browning. I forget what sandwich I remember from college having grilled cheeses as the buns. Thank God I had to walk everywhere.

[@markws80]

The sandwich is amazing, but I’m thinking that cooking the grilled cheese sandwiches more well done and then wrapping the finished product in parchment paper for a couple minutes would yield an even better result.

[@Sneakyboson]

Won't the Razor eventually scrape off the pan seasoning?

[@JordonBeal]

I’ve never heard it called a Fatty Melt, usually just a grilled-cheese burger. And yea, they’re wonderful and deplorable all in one horrendously delicious package. 🤤 Also, there’s a local place outside of Chicago that does this, but with fried chicken instead of a burger, just in case you wanted to force that quadruple bypass.

[@jacksbyrne]

I'm delighted to discover that we've both got a crossover as a Kenji fan

[@skymasterson6504]

That was fun! And something I would never make. I have made some of your other recipes.

[@bklough]

LMAO. You bastard. I lost a good portion of Guinness thru my nose when I heard you say "salt and pecker". And you KNOW you said it cause you were trying not to laugh afterwards. Keep rocking you, bud!

[@Cermagine]

can you please throw a gopro on Shabu? I would LOVE to see a mini video or a short from Shabus' (or Jamon!) POV.

[@NihilusTheGreat]

I melt the butter on the griddle instead of on the bread as well

[@rafaellopez1690]

I know you’ve said it before but where did you get those press weights for the bread

[@MattijsTiggeler]

The thickness of the bread slices resembles the bread slices how Dutchmen eat them. Our beloved “boterhammen”.

[@brittanymcguire2533]

Salt and pecker are my favorite seasonings.

[@jordanrempel8401]

Patty melts are my favourite and you took it to another level. Amazing

[@Electric.Spaghetti.Neon.Studio]

Me too, but it’s gotta be rye bread! And preferably Swiss cheese.

[@bugsmoney1264]

They used to have this at Friendly's, a somewhat popular chain in the North East, called the Grilled-Cheeseburger. They also had one at a local place near me that they called the Davy Gravy. Haven't seen one anywhere else since probably 2014, probably for good reason, it really is a fatty melt.

[@AdNLB]

I was watching this in my flat in London and a Bald Eagle flew onto my windowsill, looked me in the eye, nodded at me, then flew away.

[@kingoftheshadowland]

Do you know if that scraper is foodsafe? It could be surface treated

[@froggalexis]

he’s talked about it before, he says you need to wash it thoroughly but once you do that it’s all good

[@drwgisblaidd2650]

If I had that for breakfast, it'd be burned off after a load day at the store, and when Holiday season hit's, I'll take two! with onion rings... Thank you, Kenji!

[@MrSameerMalik1]

how come you dont wash your knife before putting it back at 6:25

[@liamflynn1120]

Why ask this? He just cut an onion with it.

[@MrSameerMalik1]

@@liamflynn1120 I wash my cutlery after doing anything with it, I thought it was standard practice

[@faithsrvtrip8768]

Who cares? It's his house / kitchen!

[@MrSameerMalik1]

@@faithsrvtrip8768 clearly I care otherwise I wouldn’t have asked the question Been watching kenjis videos for many years now, jus wanted some clarification since mostly everything he does has some method behind it So do onions have anti microbial properties or something , is it normal to not wash your knife after cutting veggies with it and putting it back on the rack and am I the only one who does it, or was kenji just being a bit lazy here ?

[@trick384]

Wallpaper scraper. That’s some next level scraping. Although is it worth all the extra labour to clean all the junk that’s left in the nooks and crannies? I think my choice would have been a flexible 6” putty knife which would have allowed for scraping/flipping in one fell swoop 😆

[@leonards6935]

Did I hear a pepper pepper pepper yousuckatcooking reference? You never cease to amaze me, Kenji!