Meatball Parm Sandwiches | Kenji's Cooking Show

[@ethan8378]

i like how kenji rises from the void at the start of every vid

[@nathant2309]

Lol

[@PandaPotPies]

i like how he puts us on his head it makes me feel like ratatouille

[@Schnuppi67]

😂

[@harrisonraycroft6531]

ill never be able to unsee this nnow

[@georgewalford7027]

DM: Its your turn, what do you do? Mage: I SUMMON KENJI!

[@gizanked]

A local place makes their meatball subs by cutting the meatballs in half and adding a nice crust to the flat cut side. It turns out great and it feels like the meatballs are less prone to slipping out since they aren't round.

[@Jonpoo1]

This works with sausages too.

[@_CoasterNinja]

This is what I do at home. If the meatballs are bigger, I go quarters or slice into rounds.

[@SockimusPrime]

I feel like Kenji has been experimenting with more editing techniques lately. No longer just the finger snap time jump. Now we get delicious timelapse of cheese melting.

[@samuelbrown9665]

i like that it’s not too over-produced though… it’s so real and personal in a way, unlike the direction that much of cooking youtube has taken (much as i love those guys too)

[@leesagrrl]

It's magic.

[@pBlackcoat]

With music!

[@boitaho]

It would've been criminal to not see that mouth watering timelapse!

[@FoolRegnant1]

I really love the through-line of these videos where we see something being made for a fresh dinner and then also as leftovers.

[@mdbbox5660]

People say they want a meatball sandwich, but what they really want is a meatLOAF sandwich with the same marinara and cheese ingredients. I started making my meatballs into a loaf that I then slice and brown before putting it on a sandwich. A thick slice of meatloaf holds together in the sandwich, and you don't get any empty bites of sandwich "between balls." I do this for other "meatball" based sandwiches as well like bahn mi and it works great. If you've got leftover meatballs like Kenji, do what you gotta do to make that sandwich, but otherwise start with a loaf! (BTW, the garlic butter on the bread is a great trick - kind of like an inside-out grilled cheese.)

[@Witmonger]

I think the same thing can be achieved by just slicing the large meatballs in half. My favorite meatball sub is one I get from my local Italian family of beefcake tanks' shop, save the second half for later, and then edit the hell out of it before reheating. More cheese, giardiniera, black olives, re-toasted, and I cut the meatballs in half and re-position them for coverage. Perfection on the second go-around.

[@fiona4450]

"The best cheese is the cheese you have." I *really appreciate you saying this. Sometimes the best cheese I can afford is something not so great.

[@user-st3nk9ui9j]

Those garlic smashes were very satisfying, felt therapeutic even through the screen.

[@jinghow]

feels great to regularly see your videos again

[@UraniumFire]

What a gorgeous time-lapse cheese melt! With music fitting the mood. Thanks, Kenji.

[@pjechiverri]

kenji, your garlic crushes are more like garlic explosions into pancakes. amazing.

[@unethical_land7482]

literally 😺

[@theovertyrant2620]

I love to learn about the science behind the techniques it really helps you improvise when necessary

[@anope9053]

so as it turns out i've been pronouncing the pasta sauce wrong for the past 10 years???? its ray-o and not raj but with an o instead of a j??????? truly the highlight of this video, thank you so much kenji for enlightening me

[@TequilaSunris3]

Big Fan of the timelapse of stuff cooking away in the oven. Something so satisfyign about watching that cheese melt

[@davidcarbone3385]

just made meatball flavored meatloaf using my family's meatball recipe. used fresh parsley and basil from the plants and fresh garlic; may or may not make MP sandwich because the meatloaf is so good on it's own with seasoning and seasoned Italian bread crumbs and PR cheese

[@ikeelu024]

Looks good. Bunk Sandwiches in Portland used to have my favorite meatball sub by a long shot, but feel like they lost a step when they had to close all locations except one. I also loved the concept of Sam's meatball sandwich in Burlingame, but the flavors weren't there. They would take a loaf, cut off the tip, hollow out the inside, and stuff it. This way there was no where for the messiness of a meatball sub to escape and you had to eat it top down like a burrito.

[@Electric.Spaghetti.Neon.Studio]

There are a few edible meatball parms around Portland, but after I had one in NJ I realized that the ones in PDX are all lacking something. Usually the bread is all wrong, but sometimes they’re also inexplicably bland, or there’s way too much sauce, or they’re dry as hell. There’s a new one I just tried at the Lucky Horseshoe that was good, but tiny - about half the size of Kenji’s. The one from Bridge City Pizza is usually very good; they get almost everything right! But the bread is too soft for my taste… I like a nice crispy crust on mine.

[@Lost_Hwasal]

Good to see Jamon is doing well.

[@AboutOliver]

i was not expecting such a profound smash on that garlic. thats amazing

[@MrStevenSpeelberg]

I appreciate the mouth noises disclaimer 😂 but damn does that look good. I’m appreciating the food through you today Kenji!

[@cupfulofeathers]

I appreciated it, too, since I have mild misophonia. But the mouth sounds weren't too bad, actually!

[@LindsayDaly]

As do I, haha

[@Vitosaurus]

God damn beatiful. Also, the day i avoid mouth noises from Kenji is the day i gently go into the good night.

[@JustAnotherBuckyLover]

Unfortunately for some of us, those mouth sounds are akin to the metaphorical nails on a chalkboard or worse. Misophonia FTL. So it's genuinely appreciated by those of us with auditory sensory issues that he was kind enough to warn us about the extended negative stimuli. Now, if only I could get one for when people are creaming butter and sugar, or softening cream cheese...! 🤦

[@priayief]

One of your best, without doubt. Fairly simple ingredients that I wouldn't think of adding. Thank you.

[@jeffreydlayman]

Thanks for the food noise warning. I really appreciated that!

[@galaxy_mosaic3587]

find it mildly entertaining how Kenji notices immediately there is a half-eaten meatball in the pot. and also how someone eats half the meatball and leaves the remainder in the pot (maybe they believed the sauce would cover it up). lol... enjoy the italian american dishes...Rao's sauce is very good, I only tried it for my first time in my life this year but the flavor is way better than what I've bought traditionally (although it is 3x the cost of my regular brand too)...

[@the_Sarahnator]

"Mouth noises incoming" is, like, the best warning signal.

[@veronicaBolanos-mc4fc]

Bread is everything for me. If I'm making subs or some other specialty sandwich, I just pop into Panera and get couple loaves of French bread. Cant go wrong with their bread which I love. I'm in the south so that's as good as it gets since I'm from Northern New Jersey and won't settle for crappy bread. That looks delicious kenji

[@lacrossefire9]

As a former Panera baker their bread quality has gone way way down hill in the last decade

[@TurnOntheBrightLights.]

Holy crap that looks delicious 🤤😋

[@ajcampbellone]

As someone with misophonia I really appreciated the mouth noises warning!!

[@Corybander]

I loved the music interlude. It was hilarious. Thank you.

[@Corybander]

I was really worried you would forget the basil

[@EctopicFlatus]

I have the same fridge. I feel like they intentionally designed it to be as difficult to close the doors as possible. Every door has a chance to just barely not fully close causing the inside to slowly warm up. You're lucky if the alarm sounds quickly. Sometimes it will just be barely cracked and you'll wake up to a partially defrosted freezer.

[@acekombat2k5]

kenji! don't forget the bas-oh. he's got it.

[@charlottehudson6739]

Thank you for the "mouth noises" warning. Greatly appreciated.

[@Kelium148]

I have the same relationship with garlic powder 😂 that nostalgic taste from childhood pizzeria days

[@stevekoutros9358]

NYC slice with garlic powder and red chili flakes...

[@discofreddisco]

so glad ur back buddy. keep it up!

[@joescarborough1]

Nice to see the old school china bristle brush in the kitchen. The only thing I use those silicone versions for is spreading glue.

[@thedracophile]

We drive a 40 mile round trip down to Carpinito's produce stand in Kent several times a year, mostly to get their 20 lb boxes of field ripened tomatoes. Two dutch ovens on the stove making marinara sauce, into 32 oz containers for the freezer for sauce year round. Rao's is very good, not the least of which is no sugar added, but homemade is just better :D Going to school in Boston, there was a shop that did meatball grinders nearby, that I was addictede to. This looks like I will have to give it a try :D

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Which shop did the grinders? I’m a Boston guy.

[@thedracophile]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt It was in the 200 block of Massachusetts Ave, ground floor with our residence above in the old remodeled warehouse, right across the street from the Necco wafer plant. Using Google Maps, Cambridge Pizza is in the right location, but I dont remember if that was the name used back then.

[@PhilJLF]

Lol when you we’re making the meatballs and eating them just plain with the sauce the other day I was screaming meatball sub!!! Hahah.

[@roadweary5252]

Just sat down to lunch - perfectly timed upload!

[@dirtthirst3348]

RIP the italian bakery on Rainier ave and College in South Seattle. It was one of the best places to get sandwich rolls.

[@nickricca3505]

40 seconds of mouth sounds. Now that’s a good meatball sub

[@Deagle123]

Wait bro, but I love the mouth noises. That's like almost the best part

[@BriceStacey]

Hasn't had a meatball sub in 20 years, but can make one. They're really that easy, go make them!

[@sameoldsteph]

To avoid mouth noises, skip to 8:06 for hiccup content.

[@zachcalder3143]

Wow thank you for putting the "Mouth noises skip to..."! I love watching cooking videos but I really hate the sound of people chomping on food so that was super appreciated adding that! BTW thats a fantastic looking meatball hoagie, nice job!

[@HiddenSunny]

I’d love to know your recommendations for “minimal hardware” kitchen setups. With how small apartments are these days, what would you say are the absolute essential pieces of equipment to cook the widest range of food?

[@cletushatfield8817]

A carbon steel wok, wok spatula, nice cutting board, nice clever. I cook steaks, make 1000s of variations of stir fries, Indian cuisine, anything is possible. I've even made a Philly cheesesteak, and could therefore make this meatball sub. Technique is everything. Add a dutch oven, paring knife, and maybe a small sauce pan if you want to get extra fancy.

[@JSalonsky]

Me and my best friend used to go to our favorite bar and get black out drunk then stumble next door to this pizzeria that would be open till 2 am for some reason and get a meatball sub every time… man good times.. this reminded me of that.. that bread looked amazing

[@TravisHansenMN]

Broken Kenji. I like the honesty. Just makin’ good on a promise.

[@JeffStone0]

My man raw dogging that garlic butter cast iron, holy hell.

[@clubsandwich559]

i needed a way to incorporate my job at subway into my home life.

[@YoungGirlz8463]

Nice!

[@Themdawgsishell]

What’s the best way to get garlic juice out of a cutting board next to full blown washing in the sink?

[@HereIsMySpout]

When he was talking about reusing the bread and said "circle of..." I really thought "circle of loaf" was coming!

[@etzool]

"Circle of life." Man, you really missed the _circle of loaf_ joke!

[@ownifant2436]

As someone who suffers from misofonia the only complaint I had on your videos were the noises when you eat. Very considerate of you to now give a heads up hahaha. Now I can just skip that part instead of having to throw my headphones across the room in frustration or mute the video ;) Thanks for that!

[@robertbauer3676]

Kenji unusually critical of his ingredients today, crummy baguette, worst motz you can buy lol. Sandwich looks killer.

[@georgewalford7027]

I expected him to talk about happy little trees while painting on that garlic butter.

[@jesauce9464]

Great content sir! You have taught us all so much : ) I remember the OG Babish videos where he said that he was learning everything from your KZbin vids. Don't be too PC my friend, some people, (myself included), don't really like mouth crunching noises but it doesn't make me skip ahead in the video. For me it's when my mom is just sitting next to me munching on almonds 3 ft from my ears for 20min, or when my dad is clomping away like a horse. It's ok to offend some people, look at the greatest comics of all time! Stay killin' it : ) I look forward to visiting your restaurant

[@jacobjdong]

Kenji, whoever married you is probably the smartest person in the world

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

She is. I’m very lucky!

[@konara_]

eating my Wawa sandwich (not a meatball) and I started the video thinking "I bet he'd never eat something like this) - glad you ended the video talking about a Wawa sub.

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

A great meatball parm sammich is one you should probably eat with a knife and fork, but you power through and eat it with your hands.

[@heitildeg]

Hey Kenji! I've got a special question for you if you know the answer it would be great, if anyone else has any suggestions I appreciate it. I've got 1kg of ELK meat which im gonna make elk patties of, do you think the result is better if I add some gelatin to it? Also gonna add some pork for fat n flavor.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Yes absolutely. Elk is very lean and can benefit from gelatin and more fat.

[@heitildeg]

Thanks!!@@JKenjiLopezAlt

[@youarenowdark]

Hey Kenji! Have you tried Michaels of Brooklyn jarred tomato sauces? They are my personal fav

[@JustAnotherBuckyLover]

This misophonia sufferer appreciates the mouth noises warning. Good GOD, that looked delicious. 😍

[@magicalmond6979]

Great video, this is fantastic

[@fattdamon5342]

Looked amazing as always. Curious your thoughts on wrapping a sandwich like this in wax/foil and letting it sit for a few minutes before enjoying? I've started doing this with my homemade cheesesteaks and being from Philly I find it really adds to the experience letting the steam mingle all the textures together. I feel like it's maybe a tad similar to your bagel trick of toasting them whole instead of sliced which let's thst steam inside the bagel add a whole different texture. Anyways, thanks as always, stay excellent!

[@TheFatCupcakes]

Made me blush when you mentioned Wawa :)

[@jonathanslosser814]

Right?!?

[@JamMastaJew]

Damn shots fired at Bel Gioioso. Did the Whale inspire this video? What'd you get up to while the cheese was melting?

[@rekzors]

Haha, I like that Kenji said almost exactly what I commented in the meatball video.

[@Zachary_Sweis]

This is Mordecai's and Rigby's favorite KZbin video.

[@jonathanatwood5287]

Gotta love the Wawa reference IYKYK

[@diegoghuerta]

2:19 Kenji how are you just touching the hot cast iron without burning your hand?

[@brad.206]

Kenji, curious what the machine is that is on top of your toaster oven?

[@CrossXhunteR]

I believe it is a Breville Pizzaiolo pizza oven, that he has used previously in his heart-shaped pizza video.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

It’s a Breville pizzaiolo electric pizza oven.

[@acidtreat101]

man that looks amazing

[@mydogsnameisbob]

Kenji, what is this box grater? It looks perfect and ours is fully clapped out. I love that open top, full cross section design.

[@sybrwookie]

Jamon would like, nay, requires, nay, deserves a piece of meatball

[@overtonwindowshopper]

Lol good on you for including a mouth noises warning Can’t imagine why someone would watch this channel if they had an issue with it tho

[@Zmargo702]

Raos was bought by Campbells. I don’t think they’re gonna change things but im worried to say the least.

[@jesselanders4688]

This question is probably more appropriate for the meatball video, but here i go... do vietnamese restaurants use gelatin in their meatballs? They have a very specific texture (denser, smoother) than ones i have made.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Depends on the kind of meatball but they are stronger forcemeats typically. They are heavilynpureed and mixed to make them bouncy and springy. More like a sausage. Some styles of Vietnamese meatball (like the ones you get in banh mi) are made with glutinous rice.

[@Backsaladfrontblunt]

Kenji rules!

[@Woodshadow]

0:58 this is what I’ve been saying. I love a good meatball sub or cheesesteak but I can’t find decent hoagie bread that is not sweet, not rock hard exterior, and not a huge French loaf. I swear it doesn’t exist in Seattle

[@patrickwestern6255]

just ate and now im hungry again.

[@Fina1Verse]

Is that "broiler" a toaster oven or air fryer?

[@jeremyd2676]

Hey Kenji, that Wawa wouldn’t happen to be the one next to the train station at Princeton, would it? 8:09

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Probably yes.

[@viclapira]

Twenty years between meatball subs? My heart aches.

[@Raygetsu]

The worst part of this video is the end where I don't get to taste what you cooked.

[@nancyl9678]

Where can I get a knife like yours? This sandwich looks amazing!!!!!

[@Michelcomin]

Kenji, where did you get Enrique Tomas jamón in the USA? I'm from Spain and I've never seen it in California!

[@marcies3789]

Meatball, (or chicken) parm subs need a nice crunchy bread. Can't use soft bread for this!

[@pastorjustinspady6453]

Never been so early. Love your videos! I’m vegetarian but I like to gain ideas to modify with vegetarian options. Making meatballs with impossible today

[@captainkaleb]

Falafel parm sandwich?

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

This works great with impossible. We used to make imposssible meatballs at my restaurant in San Mateo.

[@MatthiasKrumm]

"Oh boy ..." 😄

[@FightingIrishFan91]

Daniel Gritzer does chicken stock jello - then chopped and added into the panade ...is that overkill and sprinkling powder the same?

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Sprinkling works fine for me. No way I’m making a full on aspic for a weeknight meatball.

[@FightingIrishFan91]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt Thanks! I've had great success with Daniel's recipe, I'm sure he got that from his restaurant days - so this at home hack sounds great!

[@erikhoffman5659]

Ayyy love me some Wawa!

[@Witmonger]

The bread scooping hurt me deep in the cockles of my heart, but everything else was pretty great.

[@weeties]

"The best cheese is the cheese you have." KJLA, 2023

[@MikeEswed]

Is that the Tunisian olive oil?

[@MHSDankusPotatus]

Keep it up 💪

[@maxsmith8196]

I’ve been wondering if it’s worth getting a chinese cleaver. It looks so fun to use and versitile. It would probably take a while to get used to though. Anyone have tips?

[@magicalmond6979]

i really enjoy when you speed up footage, quite cool to see processes happening in real time....or fake time... :)

[@fonsowaffles]

what type of pan is that called you used to broil the sandwich?

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

It’s called a sizzle platter.

[@mrrjmey]

Thank you so much for the mouth noise warning.

[@megagoodtimes78]

What brand is the cleaver?

[@Pt0wN973b0iI]

Hiccups usually are a sign that your stomach is full. As per Ayurvedic Medicine.