Ragù Bolognese is Easy, Actually | Kenji's Cooking Show

[@JTB312]

Since you encouraged it: I'd say that it's not so much that the energy gets used to evaporate the water before raising anything above 100°C, but rather that anything that's hotter than the boiling point of water then gets cooled down by any liquid water left in the pan (which in turn gets heated), since the whole system will tend to stay in equilibrium, meaning that it'll only stop cooling down once there isn't any liquid water left.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

This is a simpler way to explain it. Thanks, I’ll use this in the future!

[@SpoilerAlert__]

Nice

[@wideeyedraven15]

This is really well said. I might add that it has to do with the thermal mass of remnant moisture in the pan vs the surface presentation of solids in the pan. The moisture in the pan is closer to the specific heat of water (which is very high) and can absorb a lot of heat form the stove and the food and the whole thing remains in equilibrium (as Salt so wisely pointed out) til that block to greater overall heating in the moisture is gone.

[@andrewogden1480]

I would disagree with your explanation. The heat or energy is entering the pan at a constant rate (as long as you are not playing with the burner) and through conduction heat is transferred to the food in the pan. At 100 deg C in the pan, energy goes into the latent heat of vaporization, so rather than energy being used to increase temperature it is being used for phase change to get the water to steam.

[@loonator1995]

That is is not quite correct. The assumption were making is that no food in the pan is way above 100°C so nothing really browns. The reason this assumption is correct is because liquid water under normal pressure can't be above 100°C. While in the heating process your explanation is correct, we're already in the evaporation/boiling phase when we even fear the food to brown. So we assume that also most water is at or slightly below 100°C. And even if at 70°C the energy needed to bring it to 100°C is about twenty times lower than the energy needed to evaporate the same amount. So the excess energy that would bring the food above 100°C is indeed used to evaporate the water. So the simplest explanation is: Water can't go above 100°C. The heat from the stove is used to evaporate the water and thats why the food stays at 100°C. Kenji was pretty correct in what he said and you can't really put that simpler because after all it is a physical process and especially thermodynamics ist not the simplest of disciplines. Don't hate me please.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Hello there.

[@EiNthps]

General Kenobi

[@mustafa_checker]

Hi

[@l0ck3nj0nny7]

@@EiNthps You are a bold one

[@ethanmarino931]

Your the best

[@Ghost-uj8oc]

hi

[@chaseockerse7280]

If I was Kenji's neighbor I would have a garden with every vegetable imaginable and offer him free use so he could constantly "repay me" with meals like this.

[@russellzauner]

you basically described the entire pacific northwest lol except mostly zucchini

[@jessicaberger2619]

He’s a dream neighbor

[@marthacalkins8054]

@@russellzauner Remember A Prairie Home Companion? My favorite intro to Lake Wobegon Days began: It’s August. It’s that time of year when folks creep around in the dead of night and leave anonymous zucchini on their neighbors’ doorsteps.”

[@robertaakcakiryan817]

I thought the very same thing!

[@dtsung3d]

Imaging being kenji’s neighbor, you basicaly don’t have to go to restaurant anymore

[@toughluck2012]

The hard truth: "People ask me how I keep my stovetop clean -- I just clean it."

[@PZotya]

My wife just perked up when the video got to this part, but when Kenji said he just cleans it immediately after cooking, she sulked back. Sad, sad truth. :)

[@tim.creenis]

I refuse to accept this answer

[@andrewharrisonway110]

big if true

[@andrewkeller1117]

haha I wonder what kind of answer people expected.

[@ahmxtb]

_Proceeds to throw half a rigatoni under the fridge_ 26:18

[@zacharyhalvorson]

Would love a video about grocery management and food waste. I often struggle with having ingredients on hand for spontaneity and not wasting food - would be interested to see how you do this in a typical week!

[@HKdouche]

Strongly agree

[@686tech2]

+1

[@GP-qi1ve]

eat what you buy, buy what you eat. It's not rocket science and it's time you cut your food waste.

[@HKdouche]

@@GP-qi1ve Unless you're frugal, spices cost a lot when discovering other types of cuisine. Half the fun is trying, the other half is eating food you get the hang of with people you enjoy being around.

[@frankieteardrop666]

@@HKdouche Spices last a long time if stored properly, so they shouldn't be an issue. A big part of cooking is understanding how to adapt a recipe to what you have on hand. Another big part is buying more of the base ingredients for recipes and spending less on quicker less adaptable industrialized products. I.E. salad dressing, (if you have oil and vinegar and salt and pepper you can make it yourself easily), pasta sauces (buy a can of tomatoes instead, as they can be adapted to many things other than italian cooking). This goes for a lot of things, many of your favourite foods can be made with some sort of combination of the same base ingredients. (mayo is eggs and oil and an emulsifier like lemon juice and mustard), (stock can be made with left over animal bones and vegetable scraps). Also: freeze things. If you buy too many steaks, ground beef, chicken thighs; just freeze some of them.

[@eh3299]

As soon as I watched this, I actually bought all of the ingredients and made it, starting at 10am in the morning so it might be ready for lunch. I messed up some of the steps slightly (I forgot to brown the meat in the pan before adding in the veggies but this turned out ok when I browned the meat in a separate pan) but man it was soooooo delicious. I finished off the dish by reheating small amounts of ragu in a pan with olive oil, throwing in some extra parmesan and fresh parsley, and a splash of pasta water like you suggested and it's one of the best pasta dishes I've ever made. I got to make it for loved ones and they said it was better than any restaurant pasta they'd had. Thank you so much for another wonderful recipe, I love your food recipes & videos!

[@bobbyt2012]

I absolutely love these videos. The format is so awesome. Really appreciate how you talk about ingredient options/substitutes. I used a lot of these with my wife and it has added some really fun variety to our dinners.

[@Azaghal1988]

I also love how Kenji regularely talks about leftovers (Foods as well as ingredients) and how to use them, He has a great format for the reality of homecooking, unlike some other youtubers who basically treat everything like a professional kitchen job.

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

I love the way you talk about every single factor that affects the food

[@borisvandruff7532]

Kenji, I appreciate so much that you are a total geek about everything, whether it is related to cooking or not. There is so much knowledge to be gained from your channel. Thank you.

[@dAfoodie101]

2:39 that's one of my favorite parts about cooking. i love being able to hear the difference of sounds when things are cooking. i feel like this is something that isn't mentioned a lot but is really important and cool!

[@AirNikeNick23]

That was one of the nicest fond build up and deglaze I’ve ever seen

[@SweetChinMuzik1]

very nice indeed

[@marlborordeci]

Randy Marsh would be proud

[@sandyrose4829]

I bought The Food Lab cookbook for myself.... loved it so much I bought it for my grand-daughter....she loved it and so now it's become my go-to present that I give..... I believe it will be a classic cook book for generations...(ordered the WOK online today and I cant wait to get it)

[@fattdamon5342]

Petition for a Shabucam so we can see how impatient and excited the pups are getting throughout the process!

[@DuckyBe]

4:50 Hamon coming up and just watching you do your thing for a couple of minutes was what my soul needed right now, thank you

[@cinnamokiii]

you are my new favorite cooking channel. i love the conversation style, the pov perspective, and all your helpful tips! thank you so much!

[@luked4043]

I’m so glad to have some of these KZbinrs like Kenji and Adam Ragusea. You guys have turned me into a monster in the kitchen over the last few years. My mom is intimidated by my skills now.

[@MissBinks]

Check the Pasta Grannies. Little old (some over 100!!!) ladies in Italy. I heart them!

[@WickedWisdom55]

Adam Ragusea's personality is insufferable

[@luked4043]

@@WickedWisdom55 that’s just like your opinion man. But what do u find insufferable? I’m curious

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

@@luked4043 I've tried to watch his videos but he comes across as a snob

[@chrishunt646]

I actually like both Adam and Kenji, but Kenji is/was an actual chef in very prestigious restaurants through the US. Adam Regusea is a KZbinr who just cooks in his kitchen on the internet. That being said, I enjoy both videos

[@TheNickqq]

You are such a great teacher Kenji, we are lucky to have you!

[@curt300s]

amen to that! Kenji has turned my life around-at least in the kitchen.

[@ejwhite]

Love the sound of the dogs' nails clicking on the floor at the end. They recognize the sound of the dish being served!

[@sullivan108]

We just got a dog so I keep checking around me lol

[@colina1330]

This is such a great cold-weather recipe. I've also adopted the practice of putting my garlic in the pan at the same time as everything else (unless I'm only cooking onions and garlic). As long as you're not blasting the pan with heat and stirring/tossing at a relatively constant rate, you'll be fine.

[@aaronblair9583]

My entire family has never understood browning. It's always been.....graying.... My grandma asked me every time I cooked her recipes why they were Soo much better..(I'd argue they weren't regardless, eating grandmas food is a win) but it's actually Browning...and my secret salt. Which REALLY helps Browning .. 10 to 1 salt/msg Edit. Also. My personal secret it's to use dry apple cider instead of wine for deglazing. And more! I make ten gallons a year...good stuff

[@luked4043]

Going to try that secret salt. Thank you brother

[@pamelaparsons9046]

Good idea on the Apple cider. I will have to try that. I used beef stock and balsamic vinegar.

[@UNLKYHNTR]

Bolognese is magical. I have eaten and cooked this dish probably over 100 times now, there is nothing that comes close. Here is the beautiful part: I KNOW what it tastes like, but every time I make it and put the first fork in my mouth, it just hits me every time like I'm eating it for the first time. This dish simply doesn't get old or boring. After the the third fork I have the biggest grin on my face, shake my head and say "man, that's good!" Always, every time. Cooking actually helped me with my depression a lot, I found a new hobby and with it the love for cooking food. There is nothing more rewarding than cooking a meal for a few hours and then being rewarded with a beautiful dish.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

That’s so true about cooking and depression. There are many ways to achieve a zen-like state, and cooking with music is a great way to do it, for me.

[@donaldist7321]

only this recipe has absolutely nothing to do with the ragu bolognese. The original recipe can be found on Bologna's website and has been deposited there in the 1880s.

[@aarondonald1611]

@@donaldist7321 Ok

[@cnorovich48]

Just received your new Wok cookbook as a gift and I’m SO EXCITED! Your first book is one of my all time favorites that I refer to more than any other. Almost any cookbook can give me a good recipe, but yours give me information that enables me to make good kitchen decisions which, I seriously think make me a better cook. You demystify good cooking!!! My daughter (a classmate of yours) gave me both of your books, and introduced me to you via uTube. Wishing you much success on the new book as well as uTube channel. From a Wisconsin fan! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍👍👍♥️🤩😉

[@bettymackey379]

Love when your pups show up after smelling the meats cooking.

[@marijkeschellenbach2680]

Every time you go to your window to eat the finished product I give a little sigh when I see the rhododendrons in your yard, making me miss my home a little north of Seattle. I so often wish I were back there, my favorite place ever!

[@TheJPomp]

I spent the afternoon making this and fresh pasta for some friends and it turned out wonderful. There was a lot of anxiety about messing things up but I seriously think it was 5 star resturaunt worthy. Thank you so much for your videos!

[@StefanRees]

Just coming back to this vid to finally make this for my girlfriend. I forgot how much I love hearing Kenji talk about cooking and the science of it. It's really what got me into making more difficult dishes. Thanks for being you Kenji!

[@listofromantics]

Kenji: Making Ragu Bolognese... Me: Staring at "Chekhov's" open can of Cento tomatoes on his cutting board (the only ingredient visible, which he didn't use(???)).

[@dennistzo]

Same, I felt confused

[@mcneck0wns]

I was wondering the whole time what happened to them?! 😅 Did they go in or not?

[@AaronWilsonAnarchy]

same with the nutmeg.

[@AskMiko]

I felt he intended to make something else then changed his mind….

[@mischbeck]

Bolognese is a meat sauce and not a tomato sauce, so I’m glad he left them out

[@DC_DC_DC_DC]

Thanks Kenji for making your channel so much nicer to watch, by not purposefully butchering non English words like most Americans make a habit of, almost to redicule the fact it's not English. The Italian pronunciations are quite good in fact.

[@petemarsh3446]

Such good, patient doggos waiting in vain while the veggies were being prepped. They deserve treats!

[@MothersFavourite]

This is like the cooking show equivalent of Bob Ross. It's all just so pure and relaxing, and yet so incredibly informative!

[@leonardo6110]

As an Italian living in Bologna I have to say: maaaaan that looks good! I just finished to cook a batch of lasagna for my friends that are visiting tomorrow and I did a very similar ragù bolognese (just I had only beef and veal, cooked the soffritto separately and used bay leaves instead of the greens). It is so nice to see someone makes justice to an Italian dish. Lot of love, you are the best!

[@hoist8111]

Finally, an Italian that admits they don't use the exact recipe every single time.

[@GP-qi1ve]

are you drunk or crazy? Changing the recipe is one thing, but putting the soffritto directly into the meat is simply disgusting.

[@leonardo6110]

@GP what do you mean?

[@GP-qi1ve]

@@leonardo6110 have you seen the video? He puts uncooked vegetable directly into coocked meat.

[@leonardo6110]

@@GP-qi1veso you are saying that cooking the vegetables separately from the meat and then put cooked meat and cooked vegetable in the same pot is disgusting right?

[@Dani-ladyy]

love ur mentality towards cooking not so rigid or focused on doing it the right way, encouraging to use our senses and tweak it

[@Ashhong1]

Imagine getting free fully cooked meals from Kenji just by providing him with an ingredient or two. I'd take that trade anytime!

[@Propane_Acccessories]

Cooking the meal yourself is part of the satisfaction! I get what you mean though. I'd love to eat his food if I could.

[@pakofajer838]

I tried this recipe at home, I've added more rosemary and thyme - and have to admit, this was the best bolognese sauce I have ever had. Flavours beautifully blend together here and with a good, fresh pasta it creates an amazing combination. Thank you Kenji

[@JH-lz4dh]

I made this for my grandmother who has dementia. She loved it!

[@AllYourFriendsThink]

I only found your channel today! I wanted to make bolognese for my friend, and so of course I searched for Kenji Lopez's take. Your video presentation is excellent! You have a very organized mind sir. I wanted to say I really appreciate the time, care, and attention to detail you put into your work. I've bought your book 4 times! Twice as a gift, once on kindle, another in physical format. I love learning about all the reasons behind why something tastes this way or that. I've made some of the best dishes I've ever had using the techniques out of the Food Lab. Thank you for all your hard work! Will stay tuned!

[@ueberweiss]

I made this ragu today and it came out fantastic. Didn’t have sage but put thyme and a bay leaf instead and it was delicious. Great tip on waiting out the greasy phase: I was sceptical but given time the grease emulsified and I was left with a delicious ragu that my wife loved. Keep it up Kenji, this is good stuff!

[@luukkenselaar4202]

May i ask how long it took for the ragu to emulsify?

[@ueberweiss]

I’d say at least two hours.

[@floripaspbr]

Just made this recipe for my parents today, it was a big hit! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

[@andrewtoth7674]

I love how whenever you finish, Shabu and Jamon start to get all antsy and excited. I wonder what their cue is since they can't see what you're doing. Maybe it's how you say "Look at that!" in calm astonishment

[@3sons4fun20]

Hi, my friend. I just watched and then made this bolognese and then the Serious Eats lasagna with béchamel. Hands down, the best lasagna I’ve ever made. Thank you so much! Your videos help me understand cooking far beyond what you can glean from any cookbook. 💕💕💕

[@Fr0zEnPh0eNiX]

I made this, and it was delicious. Thank you for consistently making killer videos and sharing delicious recipes.

[@harrywilson945]

this has to be the most relaxed and instructive cooking vids ever !!!....And it looks beyond YUMMMMMM

[@cman5337]

How lucky to be Kenji’s neighbor and have him cook you ragu for some carrots. I’d have him picking veggies all the time!

[@MyBoomStick1]

He can take anything in my house just give me some Ragu!!!

[@JohnDoe-je3cr]

I saw him snowboarding down a hill a block away from where I live a year or so ago...somebody around here is a very lucky neighbor

[@MyBoomStick1]

@@JohnDoe-je3cr wow, I’d be so curious to chat with him but I’d definitely would leave him alone because the man deserves (and clearly values) his privacy.

[@danielaguilar9011]

One of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I will be making this a few times a year for the rest of my life. It is the most comforting weekend meal I can think of. The only modification I made was to go a bit heavier on the wine; probably about 1 and a half cups.

[@hiugo]

You were talking about how you clean the stove and I’d actually love to see a video about the cleaning process after a meal. How to clean the stove, the knives, the wooden board and stuff like that. I always end up damaging my tools because I never learned how to take care of them properly

[@abndmt]

if you ever worked in a lab setting cleaning after cooking comes to you like riding a bike

[@hiugo]

@@abndmt can’t say I have

[@MyraLee-c4r]

Thank you for all your cooking tips during this, more helpful than just a recipe.

[@Y0u.kn0w.wh0]

Finally some Kenji content that got us through lockdown!!! Love these videos more than anything blessings to you and your family

[@barbaramanning8299]

I sorta made this. I followed Kenji's advice and used what I had -- ground beef, chicken, and lamb. My dice veg did not look so pretty, but no blood was spilled, so that was a plus. No celery or wine either -- sigh. But, the results were fantastic! I had some for breakfast with a fried egg, and saltines (no bread in the house, either). Thanks, J. Kenji Lopez-alt for showing me how to cook everything and stop sweating the small stuff.

[@osmosisazman]

Feels odd when there's pancetta but Sous Chef Eric wasn't mentioned. I hope he's doing well.

[@chalor182]

The downside of Kenji moving, no more nearby sous chef Eric lol

[@lachie_beta316]

@@chalor182 sous chef eric left for greener pastures, hope he's doing fine

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

He’s good. He works as a development Chef for Impossible Foods now.

[@osmosisazman]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt That's amazing.

[@ethanmarino931]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt that’s awesome

[@prodesin]

I've made this kids-requested dish over and over again. Easy, family-friendly and delicious. Thanks Kenji!

[@SovietOnion]

Just made this recipe - it was outstanding, thank you. Very easy to make, very delicious. I've got an entire batch in the fridge now so I'm stocked up.

[@kenschwarz8057]

So I made this yesterday in two batches: one following the recipe and a kosher version that omitted the pancetta and ground pork. They were different but both absolutely delicious.

[@bgleadbetter]

Man, I love how you geek out on food science. I bought your book and it’s one of the best “cookbook/science-tomes” ever!!

[@andrewknaff9220]

The tip about the pastry cutter is super awesome! I love learning about techniques for food prep and cooking! Thanks for that.

[@amontpetit]

The comment at 3mins about the sound of the pan is key: its a weird skill that takes some time to develop but it's crucial! The sound of stuff in a pan tells you all you need to know about where it's at in the process and can be super helpful when you're working on multiple things at once.

[@xZOOMARx]

food will speak to you if you listen to it

[@gregorylocke]

Smell is also a good sense to have awareness of. 😊

[@xskinyx]

also just look for the steam, really easy to see

[@nodidog]

Thank you for taking the time to write out the recipe and method in the description as well, appreciated! I'll be giving this recipe a whirl on wednesday, looking forward to it.

[@nodidog]

Follow up: it was exceptional 😍

[@minghanphotography1838]

A few years ago, I went to Bologna and literally ate 14 pasta dishes over the course of 2.5 days lol

[@ellioto8708]

You’re living the goddamn dream.

[@minghanphotography1838]

@@ellioto8708 I wish my belly felt the same way after each subsequent dish

[@gatousakhel6206]

Was it really superior?? Also was it expensive??

[@minghanphotography1838]

@@gatousakhel6206 expensive is relative. I thought it was pricey but I was in Italy so go big or go home. As far as superior, let's just say that I haven't had a good plate of pasta in the US since my trip lol. But maybe I'm just biased or hyping it up so I remember differently.

[@gatousakhel6206]

@@minghanphotography1838 facts, thanks for replying

[@Tpazmachine]

This is simply amazing content! Thank you for giving ingredient alternatives as this makes access to the cooking so much easier!

[@underwaterunicorn207]

I love how Kenji has a mathematical model showing how to evenly cut an onion. This man’s a genius

[@freestinje]

Tbf he said his friend made the model

[@burst_ch.]

Yes, 1+1+1+1 to make 4 is much better than 2+2

[@Bohemka27]

Life is a double-edged sword. I made this recently and received rave reviews from my family, and I quickly admitted that it was your recipe, not mine. Our son will now only eat recipes from you. He will ask, "Is this a Kenji recipe?" If it is, he'll eat it. We're in this together now.

[@melsjo5749]

I recently got my shipment of Cascatelli pasta and wanted a sauce with lots of little meaty bits to stick in the "sauce trough." This totally fit the bill and was absolutely delicious. My picky 5 year old has seriously never complemented a meal I made so much, even after he noticed the carrots 3/4 of the way in (a tiny fit was pitched, then back to shoveling it in)! Thanks !

[@TheWhitetailrancher]

By FAAAAR the very best instructional cooking channel on KZbin! Thank you for that!

[@lunarmagpie619]

Kenji using box wine to deglaze gives me so much validation on my college student budget

[@tiagooooo]

anything more expensive would be a waste tbh

[@LEN-iy3ix]

Wine bags for the win sir

[@DefinitelyNotSpam]

Most professional kitchens use cheap wine, usually boxed. Why would you cook with expensive wine?

[@spencerjcolling]

Out of all the cooking shows, I’m missing this one the most. The pace is so therapeutic.

[@justinguitarcia]

one of my favorite parts of Kenji's cooking vids is watching the dishes/recipes change with the seasons. It just hit the lower 40s here on the east coast and with it I broke out the dutch oven and started braising dishes again.

[@MrKmoconne]

My mother(born 1922), who was NOT Italian, made two types of spaghetti. Spaghetti with meat sauce and spaghetti with meatballs. It's the latter that I have been searching around, trying to figure out the sauce she made because it was not the same as the meat sauce version. I think what she was making was a VODKA sauce, but I never saw a bottle of vodka around our house when I was a kid. I think KZbin suggested your video based on my recent searches. It was a creamy, orange sauce that clung to the pasta and meatballs really well. If you made a video about making a vodka sauce, that would be cool.

[@The_Chef2511]

The existence of ragu bolognese makes me feel significantly better about my childhood of eating spaghetti red in Joplin. It really was just bolognese using Tex-Mex spices. And a lot of what they claimed was cheese.

[@craigkirby9202]

I love the way your spend that little bit of effort to say "or do what you want", and pay a little tribute at the end to those people that might not be you. I'm a white middle aged hetro guy, so it seems the world is just built for me. It's nice to be reminded. Cracking effort on all your content, and your attention to detail.

[@Erythropoietin]

I almost never cook, but your videos inspire me to experiment and try new stuff. Sometimes its hard to find ingredients here in europe, but thank you for sharing with us these videos!

[@halvorlol]

My wife has been asking for 3 weeks 'Has Kenji uploaded?!?!' Shes very happy!

[@AndreaAustoni]

Free Italian lesson: Barilla is Italian so the double LL is pronounced as a long L, not like in Spanish. Also in "tagliatelle" is pronounced similar to "tah-lya-TELL-ay".

[@BadCookWhoJudgesChefs]

Many native spanish speakers have pronounced my name using the spanish double L, I usually just roll with it haha.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Thanks. Being married to a Colombian makes my Latin language pronunciation skew Spanish 😂

[@alexandroskanellos]

@@BadCookWhoJudgesChefs i have the same problem, funny enough

[@BadCookWhoJudgesChefs]

@@alexandroskanellos I love that both of our names are variations of the same name!

[@d0rinat0r]

@@BadCookWhoJudgesChefs surely a glitch in the matrix here oO

[@zruss0]

kenji, you’re the best. very inspirational. and you’re becoming a real media savant with the cameras and lights! thank you for being you.

[@kieranjanczur8069]

You have brown stuff on your nose..

[@zruss0]

@@kieranjanczur8069 you’re my best friend

[@jakcough]

i just love the fact that something as simple as cooking in the right environment can be lucrative these days, what a time to be alive, and hungry lol

[@kienanvella]

I made this today, subbing the ground pork for some bacon, and I added some home made roasted red pepper paste, made from peppers that were on sale in the fall, roasted and then frozen. Turned out phenomenal.

[@smittycat359]

I've made a few of your recipes lately from these videos, and I appreciate that you're down to earth and not pretentious. You show that's it's perfectly OK to use commonly found store bought ingredients and with those, you can create a perfectly delicious, wholesome meal.

[@TonysWayy]

That sounds awesome.. You would love my channel then..

[@darwin6883]

Yea, cutting onions using mathematical modeling isn’t pretentious…

[@smittycat359]

@@darwin6883 No, it's a logical way to explain the different results one might get when using different cutting methods while cutting an onion. Nothing pretentious about logic. Oh, and he didn't create the mathematical model, someone else did.

[@darwin6883]

@@smittycat359 let me know when you can fucking eyeball the golden ratio.

[@darwin6883]

@@smittycat359 I’ll concede it’s a great article for his blog, but the implementation is nearly impossible. Even worse is that in the context of cooking a long simmered sauce, the pieces need not be even. He’s affecting a greater importance then just fucking cutting an onion

[@skincareaddicted]

I made bolognese pasta today and tossed in another pan with pasta water just as you demonstrated with the added olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Now I understand why ppl use the extra pan instead of just pour the sauce on to the pasta on a plate. Thank you for explaining

[@popcap2004]

Chekhov's canned tomatoes in this video. Thanks for the quick version Kenji! Looks delicious.

[@BigJackGameplays]

Made this yesterday with fresh pasta, my whole family loved it so much; tastes 10/10, and surprisingly easy to make!!!

[@competentwoman9137]

why do those horizontal cuts help produce more even dice? i do get why it works on the extreme edges of the onion where the layers are vertical to the table, is that really the main point of it? i know that it does work, but don't quite understand why, because of how the layers separate anyway once you dice. i know this is a silly little question but thanks if you end up answering it :) and thanks for all you do! my younger brother who is seventeen has gotten very into cooking thanks in large part to you and these videos. you're inspiring a new generation of cooks who know why things work and aren't overly dependent on rules, and that's awesome!

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Because vertical cuts end up going between the layers of onion, which are vertically aligned where they meet the cutting board.

[@burst_ch.]

Take a look at the segments of an onion after making your vertical slices and ask yourself the question again.

[@lyndonlives638]

That's a good observation about using a wooden spoon to better scrape the bottom of the pan. I think you've perfectly articulated the main reason why I so often prefer to use wooden spoons over metal or spatulas.

[@jonfuzz744]

There was a can of tomatoes open when you were preparing the mirepoix / soffrito - as a Brit this is usually a staple in “spag bol”. Was this supposed to go in or intentionally omitted?

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

That was for something else I was cooking.

[@jonfuzz744]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt ah gotcha - I thought I'd missed something! Thanks ☺️

[@dphi808]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt I thought leaving the unused can of tomatoes in the shot was an intentional point that this was not a tomato dish haha

[@kimpritchard4322]

It bugged me too! I kept wondering when he would add the opened can. When when when? And then it was gone.

[@kevinmiller1356]

Chekhov’s tomato sauce.

[@lasehtrocks]

As a guy that's worked in an Italian place before, the noise and hand movement gave me an immediate flashback to that exact same thing. Pleased me when it reminded you of working in a place like that too.

[@Antilles1974]

"How do you keep your stovetop clean?" "I just clean it." Perfect.

[@VcassCsoto]

A great video with a side of asmr. Thanks for your knowledge bro

[@thebrianadkins]

Saw that open can of tomatoes sitting there at the beginning and kept waiting for you to do something with it.

[@chalor182]

I was wondering the same thing the whole time

[@fordhouse8b]

If Chekhov saw this he would be spinning in his grave.

[@stevegermond939]

Loved the vid. Enjoyed how you mixed the pasta sauce and water.

[@samjarrett8663]

I feel like this is the most I've seen of Jamon in a while. 10/10 video.

[@jisf798]

Yeah I noticed that too…bending the rules

[@ElGrecoDaGeek]

You get a thumbs up today not just for a great video but plugging my favourite cleaning supply, Bar Keeper's Friend. The powdered variety plug quadruples the flawless victory.

[@user-ce6rm5re6r]

i want kenji's crackly pancetta impression as my alarm clock

[@ConstantlyAdging]

You're the first person I've ever seen that stirs the same way I do.. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@francescolatorraca9321]

Kenji, great great video, that ragù looks amazing (i’m from bologna so i saw quite a few different ragù in my life). Just one thing. Ragù doesn’t need to be reduced, or, at least originally, the long cooking time was due to the hardness of the beef, so it could be sufficiently tender, and obviously to infuse more and more flavour into the sauce. Nowadays however you can skip the 6 hours long cooking, but (imho) you should cook it for AT LEAST 3 hours. Yes, i know that even after 1.5h is good, but the more it cooks the more delicious it will be, i promise!

[@fduisterwinkel]

He did mention that he has another recipe that is more complicated and more better. but the strength of this recipe is it's effort to result ratio

[@BadCookWhoJudgesChefs]

He also mentions that cooking time depends on the size of the pan and other factors.

[@billbennington4444]

nah, didnt you hear him talk all about this? if he cooked it for three hours in that pan it would be burnt because the water had already reduced

[@lensofgeneration236]

@@billbennington4444 is it too hard to add more chicken stock or just water?

[@francescolatorraca9321]

@@billbennington4444 you can simply add stock or water😉

[@blinksstayfresh2524]

I love your style of cooking and the camera work you put into these videos makes it a masterpiece

[@dandiesel9966]

Gotta love the doggos waiting around incase any food falls on the floor they can quickly nab.

[@georgewebber6313]

I work in a Tex-Mex restaurant, and I am one of the prep chefs there. I have to make taco meat everyday. The easiest way I've found to break up ground meat while cooking, is to use a wire whisk.

[@myworl15]

This is only the second video I've seen of yours...Wow, awesome job👏🏾

[@gregb3690]

Same lol. I am hooked 😂

[@LMB943]

Love how your dog cooks with you. My little Cavalier girl always sits by me whilst I cook. 😊

[@DavidVerret]

What was with the can of tomatoes?! Also, love that he gets back from lunch to eat a bowl of pasta lmao

[@alibee2322]

In the longer version of the recipe in his book The Food Lab he uses a can of crushed tomatoes, but I’m sure that adds to the cook time so he decided to omit from the short version

[@Need90Luck]

I was looking exactly for an explanation of this mystery! I wasn't sure if Kenji simply forgot to mention it in his recipe, but even when skimming through the video I couldn't find it

[@charliedarwin8481]

Starting at 16:33 he explains the use of canned tomatoes or not.

[@Need90Luck]

@@charliedarwin8481 Thanks for pointing me to the right point of time where Kenji discuss this! Although I agree with the statement that Bolognese is a meat-based sauce, I do feel exchanging the chicken stock entirely with Passata contributes to a nice taste. But maybe that’s just me 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@ericconrad8854]

If I was J. Kenji López-Alt's neighbor I would immediately begin gardening just to share with this dude.

[@COY-m1w]

Thanks for the video, love the detailed explanations and justifications! Just a question - why do you use a stainless steel over a Dutch oven if you’re cooking over a few hours? (Ie is it for better browning of the meat) P.S. True story, before my wife and I realized you were an established chef / food writer, we thought you were a children’s author because we used to read “Every Night is a Pizza Night” book to our toddler son (it was his favorite for a while).

[@emmgeevideo]

I made this exactly the way he presents and I was blown away. It may be the best Bolognese I've ever eaten. I didn't use the chicken livers, but only because I would have had to buy a pound of frozen. Maybe I'll try it next time. I wouldn't call it easy BTW. But cooking it in the oven was much better than the stove because I always get a burnt spot in the dutch oven when doing low-and-slow on the stove.