Why I French My Toast and Not My Pain | Kenji's Cooking Show

[@jonathannagel7427]

Leaving the bread out = gold. “If you want to eat this today, you should start this recipe yesterday,” - Chef John.

[@simulacrae]

"You are after all, ahead of your bread"

[@Alnahdimubarak]

Wish Chef John could see this! He'd be so proud.

[@LALACIONTIOLALA]

@@Alnahdimubarak why can't he?? Did he pass away?? Edit: chef John has fortunately NOT passed away. You should really think the way you say things a little better.

[@Alnahdimubarak]

@@LALACIONTIOLALA OMG lol what just happened here?

[@jordanjones1095]

@@Alnahdimubarak lmao, dude lost his shit

[@stolen_cactus]

The friendship between Kenji and Adam is immeasurable.

[@AudreysKitchen]

Why I season my internet colleagues

[@ChadSnider]

and the Chef John reference in there too!

[@seffers4788]

@@AudreysKitchen Lol made me laugh

[@Morgannin]

Early morning Kenji just seems to be made of unfiltered Dad Jokes.

[@jestaman3356]

i love it

[@miltonkwock7538]

Love those lame jokes 😉

[@BALLSOHARDU]

What can non dog owner do with the little leftover custard? I always run into a dead end with that.

[@randomite88]

@@BALLSOHARDU I just fry it up and make like sweet scrambled eggs. Goes well with the French toast imo

[@SuperNikeynike]

@@BALLSOHARDU MOAR TOAST

[@navicityy]

i saw the spoon he was gna use for sugar n thought "damn thats a small spoon" then Kenji masterfully used the side of the spoon to dump 80 lbs of sugar into the custard, choked on my water at that bit ahhahaha

[@violetviolet888]

Kenji says in above comments it was no more than 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. That's spread over all pieces of toast and not all the custard was used.

[@greeksurferdude]

@@violetviolet888 True but still.... so much sugar lol

[@stevenrodriguez9655]

“A few tablespoons” 😂

[@swimfan752]

@@violetviolet888 still a fuck ton

[@doubtyea]

"a few shots of vodka" vibes i died

[@ChanceBunn]

Lmao. Top-tier title.

[@binyaminkup2967]

It's like when your two dads meet each other

[@bozhang9829]

Help! I don’t get it.

[@KnightAarant]

@@bozhang9829 It's a joke from Adam Ragusea's channel. There's a couple videos titled: "Why I season my _______ and not my _______" These videos talk about seasoning efficiency, one of them for example talks about seasoning the cutting board instead of the steak itself because the steak will pick up the seasoning as you cut and flip. These titles became a bit of an inside joke amongst Adam's viewers.

[@stephennetu]

@@KnightAarant Good on you for actually explaining it instead of fibbing.

[@stephennetu]

I did a triple-take, too, because it's even "Pain" and not "Pan". LOL.

[@TeacherRichardP]

Kenji, while dumping in half a cup of sugar: "just a few tablespoons of sugar". I love how chefs measure sugar and salt.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

I can guarantee there was no more than 3-4 tablespoons in that pour. Closer to 3. I’ve tested myself in eyeball measures!

[@ericrodriguez6990]

A tablespoon is bigger than a lot of people realize, myself included.

[@aprophetofrng9821]

@@ericrodriguez6990 The camera lens also makes it seem like it's more sugar than it is. If you look when Kenji hold tablespoons or teaspoons for measuring in other videos, they look way bigger than they do in real life.

[@TeacherRichardP]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life. It's surely more a taste thing at that point anyway. What blew my mind is how much milk went in more than anything - I make French Toast weekly for my family and have always been reticent to put in too much milk. Thanks for changing my life as a home cook AGAIN, Kenji.

[@TeacherRichardP]

@@aprophetofrng9821 this makes so much sense

[@virajmathur119]

This may be your best video yet, just because of how much your personality shines through on this, the jokes, the deadpan humour

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

I just wanted to let you know that you have 69 thumbs up.

[@redbeard36]

Chef John - "keep trying with the rhymes, you’ll get there some day."

[@coldwynn]

That was funny.

[@peach-tea]

you have very interesting taste in nail varnish Kenji. I do unironically enjoy the colour palette.

[@MyxomaStrain]

It took me way too long to realise they were painted, I had to go back and rewatch for the cooking

[@Duiker36]

He has a kid. This kind of thing happens.

[@WildChinoise]

I was getting ready to scoff at your toast. But, it ended up being a trip down memory lane. This is the way my dad used to make it. We were poor growing up, so usually there was no vanilla flavoring added and no syrup to serve over top. But we did use a lot of butter. Back in the day, butter and cream were still popular cooking ingredients. Dad used loads of sugar and a little bit of cream, which made his toast plenty sweet. We grew up with wonder bread in the house, which soaks up loads of egg-sugar mixture. The middle of his toast was usually soaked through and had a pudding like texture. I still make french toast, just as I learned from watching my dad. Thanks for bring back some memories.

[@kokonutmilkshake703]

Wait... So you go around clicking on thumbnails of videos that you expect to scoff at? Why would you do that to yourself

[@violetviolet888]

"I was getting ready to scoff at your toast." Why?

[@uwirl4338]

I consider myself pretty self confident but damn, there's people out there who really think their recipe for X is going to be better than Kenji's. I'd imagine that if the confidence wasn't misplaced you'd be on top of the world.

[@mmmk9966]

@@kokonutmilkshake703 don't act like you've never rubbernecked an internet trash fire. We've all seen the Gordon Ramsay grilled cheese video.

[@ltrigga219]

The mutual love (and inside jokes and shoutouts) from all the home cooking community on KZbin makes my heart happy. French toast…probably makes my heart physically unhappy, but I can almost smell how good this batch is.

[@FabsWilliams]

For a nice bump in flavor; I do not use regular sugar but I add both vanilla & almond extract with cinnamon sugar & top the finish product with nutmeg.

[@TheTroy8]

GOATed. I've realized something that always makes Kenji's videos really stand out to me is how he is able to really relate to the viewer and not come off as some vastly superior chef (even though he is lol). But by talking about how skillets would just have room for 2 pieces of bread/talking for 10 seconds about what French toast is/dropping the tip about leaving the bread out he enhances the video quality in a way that I don't really see much. Cheers!

[@photogineer951]

One of my favorite things is how casually he reacts to errors, just "oh, it'll still taste good" or tossing a dropped utensil in to the sink and moving on, he makes me feel a lot better about mistakes I make learning to cook. Other channels usually edit out the mistakes and make me feel much more anxious about it.

[@ren1818ren]

Happy new year Ken! Thank you for all the recipes you post. You make cooking easy to understand and a joy to do. I was eating out literally everyday but now I cook about 90% of my meals 🎉

[@tizzlethaevens3467]

Love this recipe. In the Netherlands we call it 'wentelteefjes', which would translate to 'turn-aroundbitches'. We mainly use a lot of cinnamon in our batter. For extra sweetness sugarbread is delicious. This is a breakfast a lot of Dutch people have fond memories off from their youth.

[@rf1platinum]

That title caught me SEVERELY off guard…and then I remembered that pain is just bread in French 😂

[@aurorat7633]

I just Google it. Yup, pain means bread

[@TJStellmach]

... and to English-speakers it sounds quite similar to "pan."

[@Jonpoo1]

@@TJStellmach though nothing like the way Americans say “pan”

[@excel958]

Kenji out here trying to whip out Chef John-level rhyming puns lmao.

[@TheSyntheticOmega]

There will never be anyone that can challenge Chef John

[@J.T.K]

That sugar trick changed my life when I read it. It works so well. I've done it with lavender sugar before and it was awesome.

[@09scarecrow]

I've found that the $6 brioche bread is only slightly better than a $.93 loaf of potato bread for French toast. So, now I keep potato bread in my freezer for when I get a hankering.

[@grainassault4844]

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the french toast crust go brown! In a most delightful way.

[@alexabbruzzese9679]

Chef John would be proud of those rhyming skills.

[@CaronteBeats]

I'm spanish, I know well about 'torrijas' but this is new to me, it's the same but griddled instead of fried. I tried this today and loved it, will be doing it more often!

[@felipea.barretto7503]

Kenji was particularly well-humored in this one. Love it!

[@rlwalker2]

I don't use sugar in mine; I use cinnamon; the rest is pretty much the same including spooning extra custard over the toast while it cooks. I scramble the left-over custard. I put pancake syrup over my toast.

[@taakotuesday]

oh my god that whole bit of doing the chef john thing but combining it with the french name, and then doing it AGAIN-- that killed me. Having a second kid has just sent Kenji's dad joke game through the roof

[@tmo-y5b]

Kenji, the French toast I’ve enjoyed most was served at Bob’s Big Boy. What it made it absolutely delicious was that they deep-fried the brioche. Topped with butter and syrup, it was scrumptious.

[@demerzel3798]

We're all talking about Adam Ragusea, but is nobody going to talk about the Chef John reference?

[@madhavved2875]

Nobody can be better than chef John than chef John himself

[@kelzuya]

Kenji loves giving Chef-Jeezy a shoutout.

[@munjee2]

The real chef John reference was saying "some sugar" and throwing in loads

[@BulletFever1]

@@munjee2 And "A little bit of butter... On each slice" I like what he actually put on

[@jason47milkshakeenjoyer]

Definitely a missed opportunity by not adding some cayenne pepper.

[@jomoncon]

Here in New Orleans, pain perdue was always a special treat for us as children. Usually we used leftover French bread, so the slices were much smaller than yours but about as thick. My mom made them exactly as you did but always added a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Then there was a sprinkling of powdered sugar with syrup on top of that. Whenever I’m feeling the need of a treat, I make up a quick batch of our “lost bread!”

[@Tralfamadorian1312]

Morning Kenji is a very funny Kenji, and I can't wait for a chance to call this lost bread to first confusion then bemused interest. Thanks!

[@798byrd]

I'm having a bad day. Like I'm scheduling when I'm next free to crawl into a ball bad. I wanted French toast for my soul. I hit up youtube for my lunch break and see this. Title is perfect. I hope your day is better then mine Kenji.

[@ernestpaul6444]

when the dogs see a man with a gopro strapped to his forehead they go "ooh we gon' eat good today"

[@jeppyli5832]

These basic family meals are awesome! Thanks Kenji!

[@dartfamily3409]

Seeing you make french toast gave me the feeling of christmas morning. I haven’t felt since i was 9. Thank you, I missed that feeling

[@Michael-vg5tl]

This guys videos are generally the best, but the American Test Kitchen cooking instructions on French toast are just perfect, and so easy!

[@johnmersy1409]

My day always is better when I see a J. Kenji Lopez-alt video having just been released. Gotta love the Chef John reference as well. ❤️

[@elibaker9111]

Congrats on 1M, I have been here for a couple of years and you are the best foodTuber

[@krantipally208]

I see Kenji likes a little french toast with his sugar.

[@ilovelamp22]

I gasped on the third shovel of sugar into the bowl.

[@xXcangjieXx]

@@ilovelamp22 I didn’t know people put sugar into the batter I always thought maple syrup on top was plenty sweet😮

[@WyattWinters]

@@xXcangjieXx Exactly. Heterogeneity for the win

[@Obsidianone831]

He said "...a few tablespoons of sugar...". I was like dude that's like half a cup!

[@seb.l8429]

Heart attack at breakfast is kinda nice to start the day

[@drawitout]

I love Kenji and Chef John. 👌

[@thinkingsoup6149]

I will never get tired of watching Shabu get so ecstatic for treats!

[@meeds7473]

In the UK it's sometimes called 'eggy bread' but I know some people that call it 'poor knight's' or 'poor knight's bread'. Though eggy bread is sometimes just fried bread with an egg wash - it varies. Weird how a dish can have so many names! Apparently it goes all the way back to Roman times!

[@neilmanansala399]

Wow, one 1-hour long talk with Adam Ragusea, and you’re already roasting him in your titles; I love it 😂

[@clockworkcadaver]

Kenji is such a guy, a real lad, a nice bloke, a character even.

[@expertb6348]

I find myself coming here for the stand up comedy more than the cooking lessons. Also congratulations on 1M. Long time coming.

[@rorymcloughlin2023]

Great to see you are using the best butter! Greetings from Ireland

[@GregR2023]

Your "few tables spoons of Sugar" is that one lady's "2 shots of vodka" Christ man!

[@ImFataI]

he's using a teaspoon. a few tablespoons implies at least nine teaspoons of sugar so he didn't really lie lol.

[@minchrono24lover27]

You just know that chick gets absolutely loaded if that is 2 shots of vodka loool

[@CerpinTxt87]

The difference being that 2 shots is exact and "a few" is not. 🙄

[@Tilmann5138]

Not only the sugar there, but there's also sugar in the bread and he topped it off with maple syrup. I just got diabetes from watching the video...

[@violetviolet888]

Kenji says in above comments it was no more than 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. That's spread over all pieces of toast and not all the custard was used.

[@childrenslivesmatter3073]

I use a loaf of real French bread already cut at the grocery store. Fry up maybe 10 or 12 and have it on the next day too. They always have the pre cut French bread loaves in the day old bread section. I freeze them.

[@Mr.MimeisFrench]

Have you ever made it classic sytle? Seperate the egg and milk first off. Saturate the day old bread in seasoned milk then coat in whisked egg just before frying. This creates a unique dynamic between the eggyness of the crust and the nearly spongelike center as opposed to the creamy custardy center.

[@clashwithkeen]

My whole life I've only put a couple table spoons of milk in with my egg. I only copied what my parents did when I was a kid. This is the first time I've ever actually watched a french toast recipe video.

[@Alexois]

Om Sweden they are called "fattiga riddare" which means "poor knights" usually we put sugar and cinnamon after they are fried! You can also make "rika riddare" which means "rich knights" and use cream instead of milk! My personal favourite is to use thinner bread and have dubble slices one with almond paste on the inside, one with apple sauce on the inside, stick them together, dip, fry and dunk in sugar and cinnamon mix afterwards!

[@alejandradd27]

"You are the Gérard Depardieu of your French toast"

[@nicolasguerin4678]

In France, they may say "pain perdu" but in Québec, we say "pain doré", which translates directly to golden bread but in cooking, "doré" generally alludes to sauteing or par frying.

[@MorallyAmbigousEnby]

I never knew it was called pain perdu in France. Here in Canada it's usually called pain doré (golden bread) by the French speaking population, at least in my experience.

[@smolderingtitan]

There's a lovely small French restaurant in Toronto called Pain Perdu.

[@katrinarempel9295]

Can confirm... it's typically called pain doré in Québec :) I wonder where the different terms originate from.

[@shamus8687]

@@smolderingtitan In Toronto we eat no-name frozen waffles from FreshCo scrub

[@smolderingtitan]

@@shamus8687 hahaha that's the Toronto I know and love. Can't wait to get back there.

[@shamus8687]

@@smolderingtitan jokes aside, I pass by Pain Perdu all the time to go to Khmer Thai. I'll have to try it, thanks for the recommendation!

[@GovenorMcLovin]

I cheat and use the thick sliced cinnamon stuesel bread from Costco. I made the mistake a while back of walking away for a few minutes, and my piece looked burnt. It tasted really good though because the custard (I add brown sugar to my custard) was just really carmelized, and it was ultra cinnamon french toast.

[@prithvirajgajjar287]

highlights from the most amazing cooking video i saw in a longtime : -the little tablespoons of sugar -Chef john rhymes but intentionally fudging it up -In france the call it toast, lé frénch toast -Adam reference -american food is so unhealthy remember that this is FRENCH toast -Teasing shabu -The ending with him saying oo aa... oo lala

[@faithnelson6069]

in my family we tore the bread into large chunks, didn't use syrup, just added lots of sugar and spices. these days i favor Chinese 5-spice, for a lot of things that call for cinnamon, like banana bread. haven't done it with French toast yet.

[@shadman_rafi]

"I gotta taste this and go ooh ah - right?" _Meanwhile Shabu in the background:_ "Ooh ah, ooh ah, ooh ah ..."

[@mmoseleywpi]

I have a mini muffin pan that I started using to make mini baked custards with the extra custard, as I always seem to have. My dog might be sad, but they make an excellent small lunch after eating a large amount of french toast for breakfast!

[@danieleardizzoni7958]

Sometimes I'm left with rock hard semolina italian bread (I'm from Italy, that what I got) and to save it I make french toast with this exact recipe but i leave the very very dry slices soaking overnight and it comes out perfect. I tried soaking them overnight with other kind of bread but they turn into soup

[@andrewstephens1176]

Thank you, I really do enjoy your videos and just find them so wholesome.

[@DenKrauten]

When are you and Adam going to collaborate on "Why I season my pigeon food, not my pigeon"?

[@scoobty4449]

Shabu always surprises me with how disciplined she is, you trained ur dogs well kenji!

[@offworlder4694]

An Adam Ragusea AND a Chef John joke? In the same episode? Sublime.

[@drunkenmasterii3250]

You can also call it Pain doré (golden bread) in french, well that's what we call it in Québec, but it's also used in France and Belgium, croûtes doré (golden crusts) is also used I believe in Switzerland

[@melz4662]

ive always made my french toast without sugar or vanilla, just a bit of cinnamon, personal preference really. i like a soggy, almost omelette-ish interior thats not too sweet, and then i drench it in our delicious Québec maple syrup (the best)! that being said, this looks heavenly and i would finish that plate in under 2 minutes, great vid as always :)

[@JohnSmith-hm1lj]

My favorite trick for really good French toast, is freezing the bread. Slice thick, then throw in the freezer. You can soak it directly from Frozen and get the same effect as the stale bread. It holds its structural integrity, I do soak it quite a bit longer than Kenji did here though. Another trick, try adding a scant teaspoon of Marsala wine to the custard. Trust me, you'll thank me later, the aroma alone is awesome. I keep a loaf of bread in my freezer specifically to do French toast, so I can pull it out anytime without a lot of prep

[@nefariousyawn]

"just a few tablespoons of sugar." Yes, just 12 tablespoons of sugar. I really appreciate your demonstrations, even when it's something as mundane as French toast. You always add really interesting historical and scientific details in your narration.

[@Stan_sprinkle]

Lol. That’s what I was thinking. I make my French toast exactly like that but without the sugar

[@aprophetofrng9821]

I think the camera lens makes it seem like he's adding more than he is. I've noticed when he holds tablespoons or teaspoons they look way bigger than I remember them looking.

[@Nightriser271828]

Like, that wasn't even all the sugar he used on it, either!

[@kyorising]

@@aprophetofrng9821 I've always just assumed he was exceptionally bad at estimation. Every recipe he's like 'oh like a 1/4 cup' and proceeds to pour what's clearly like 2 cups in.. or so it seems.

[@potatorodka2795]

1/4 of a cup is 4 tablespoons. That was not 3/4 a cup of sugar.

[@clownpocket]

Sugar in the eggs is brilliant. I was out of syrup and that idea saved my french toast.

[@andrewkong3154]

@2:56 I see, good to know Kenji is mortal like the rest of us and makes dad noises anytime we bend over past 45 degrees.

[@cameronempey8350]

Love how you gave your dog the custard ❤️

[@anonymous_816]

you can tell Kenji is an awesome dad by the painted toenails :'D

[@shtmouth]

Digging your content. I have learned so much watching your videos. Thankyou!!!

[@80storms]

"Why I French My Toast and Not My Pain" is an absolute galaxy brain title

[@RonJDuncan]

He likes his French Toast simple and Pain-less.

[@WaaluigiBoard]

Favorite Kenji video, hands down

[@don914]

I'm not sure what age you need to reach to make the "I am bending over to pick something off the floor" noise like you did at 2:56, but I am right there with you.

[@Christopher-pe6zj]

This is some of the finest french toast I've seen... def on my list soon!

[@maximelepage7664]

We, the French people in Québec, call that "pain doré" which means golden bread.

[@danielashby9164]

Kenji is just the best.

[@bureku]

Kenji is hilarious in the mornings!! The "French toast isn't called French toast in France, it's just called... Toast" And the "Host with the most with your.. Pain De Perdu, no... just kidding... you're the Gerard Depardieu with your... French toast" you had me laughing way too loud at 10am!

[@sebastianescobar4697]

this is my fabourite kenji video yet

[@yacine_mkhlf]

"Hey everyone, it's Kenj- Tuesday morning"

[@scott9052]

I am making this tomorrow morning thanks Kenji

[@keikowatari9690]

Noticed the dog peeking around the corner while you were prepping, then at the end I found out why...... egg custard juice treat!!

[@yunengdahl3675]

I've never used sugar in the egg mix and feel like I cheated myself. That will be remedied the next time I make French toast

[@okami_sk7200]

“Don’t forget, this is FRENCH TOAST” lmaooo

[@cmquinn2000]

If you want to reinforce the pudding, then add some cornstarch into the dairy. An extra egg yolk helps reinforce the pudding aspect too!

[@TheGreektrojan]

The only thing higher tier than Kenji's cooking is his title game.

[@cfuzzkennedy]

The sugar at the end… BRILLIANT! It’s like a brûlée.

[@WG1417Gaming]

the best topping for french toast imo is whipped mascarpone which is how they serve it at the restaurant my family would get easter brunch from

[@tissuepaper9962]

They sell neufschatel at every Aldi and it is also delicious on french toast, or on a sandwich with some Nutella or peanut butter.

[@LtDansLegs69]

I could watch kenji feed his dog for hours

[@CharlieSmith-yr8ox]

toast in the morning and toenails on fleek, a man who can do both!

[@dirtyketchup]

I don't know if Kenji's dad jokes are getting better, or if I'm just becoming more susceptible to them, but either way I am loving them more and more these days. Makes me want to rewatch some of the older videos to see if maybe all of his golden dry wit just flew over my head before. Keep it up, Kenji, both the videos and the humor. ;)

[@Basomic]

Not to be nit-picky, but in France, they actually call it Royale with Custard

[@NeneHusband6490]

I did a quick google search to find out what you said isn't really true..?

[@slobtoto]

yeah what Kenji said is true we call it pain perdu and nothing else, royale with custard is not a thing around here

[@crisc340]

This is a good joke 😂😂

[@Tallinn8786]

Now that's a tasty custard.

[@MrZeDeathcaller]

@@slobtoto Yep it's "Pain perdu", lost bread as Kenji said. Although I don't remember putting that quantity of sugar ^^'

[@jorgeposada8803]

I actually like to add a bit of baking powder to the custard as it helps make the inside of the toast fluffier.

[@MarioBarrio42]

But if we're going to fall down the Ragusea rabbit hole, we need to know what is Kenji's opinion on Mariah Carey's Christmas Chords?

[@sergiofenoll7705]

hearing your dog go HAM on their food bowl was more more indicative than the first bite being "ooh aah"

[@raumgehll]

Whoa, whoa with the sugar! I'm hungry now though

[@KnickKnackPatty]

Yeah. That caught me off guard too. I didn't know it needed so much sugar woah

[@raumgehll]

@@KnickKnackPatty I'd argue it doesn't. But then I add sugar or syrup on the finished product so it probably ends up being about the same.

[@dartfamily3409]

@@raumgehll I mean, so did Mr. Kenji

[@DaMorg3]

As a person who routinely adds vanilla and cinnamon and skips the sugar altogether in favor of holding out for maple syrup at the table, I’m personally going to go for a rare firm disagree with Kenji on any added sugar whatsoever. That’s just me though.

[@violetviolet888]

Kenji says in above comments it was no more than 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. That's spread over all pieces of toast and not all the custard was used.

[@civilizeddiva]

1:57: Love French toast. Adore waffles. Pancakes mock me with their simplistic process that I never seem to get quite right. French toast can be made in the oven and waffle makers make waffles a breeze.

[@flashrogue4376]

Woooow.. Pretty heavy handed on the cream and sugar.. Maybe it's because I'm Canadian but I like mine alot eggier and with maple syrup glaze instead of white sugar

[@violetviolet888]

Kenji says in above comments it was no more than 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. That's spread over all pieces of toast and not all the custard was used.

[@MatthewTheUntitled]

Congrats on 1 milion Kenji ❤️

[@ejokeregaming]

"Waffles are better than pancakes!" - BigTimmy

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

"Yes, syrup is better than jelly,"-Homer J. Simpson.

[@Xylen69]

I feel a very warm and welcoming vibe from this man And I like it