The Food Lab: Emulsions | Serious Eats

*READ ME*
A few years back, we raised some money and spent some time asking ourselves, "What would a Food Lab television show look like?" Like the column, the show would strive to communicate complex scientific concepts, and more importantly, show how understanding those concepts can improve your cooking.
We pulled together a production team, and enlisted the help of former Serious Eats intern Katie Quinn to up the on-camera charisma factor, we wrote some scripts, and we shot and edited the episodes.
Then...pretty much nobody saw them. This was our own fault-due to a partnership we made to get the series funded, we were unfortunately required to distribute them behind a paywall. That contract has since ended, and we're in the clear to do with them as we please. So here we are, releasing them to you one-by-one, for free.
In this episode of the Food Lab video series, Kenji and Katie explore what do vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, and pasta sauce have in common: Each relies on the wondrous process of emulsification.
So get ready to gasp as they literally watch vinaigrettes separate! Marvel as they lick freshly made mayo straight off our fingers! Swoon in awe as Kenji's shifty eyes rapidly track from camera to camera, because he wasn't sure where to look! It's time to learn about emulsions.
FULL STORY: www.seriouseats.com/2019/10/f...
Kenji's channel: / @jkenjilopezalt
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Kenji's Kimchi Fried Chicken: • Kenji's Kimchi-Brined ...
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Serious Eats is a leading resource for all things food and drink: meticulously tested recipes that really work; in-depth, science-based explanations of cooking techniques; detailed reviews of cooking equipment; and guides to ingredients, dishes, and cuisines. We bring a democratic yet scientific approach to cooking the best dishes, busting food myths, and delivering strong opinions on what you should eat next, where, when, and why.

[@Jimt0n]

This is exactly why the science side of cooking cannot be underestimated! This is the only place I've seen an immersion blender suggested, and it creates the fastest and easiest mayo you can make almost one handed. Thank you for this!

[@arthursandomine5464]

The other side of that coin is that maybe not everyone has a blender and then would be happy to know how and that you can do it with a good old whisk. I mean everyone has a whisk!

[@erichenderson6515]

Quit it guys, you're playing with my "emulsions". 😂😂😂

[@PrincessOfTheYew]

OMG THAT'S SO CUTE

[@gabrieltoledano5560]

I bet they secretly hate each other

[@AreebIrshadSimplifies]

This was fun to watch (and informative as well) !!! :D

[@EatWeed]

This is actually very helpful for my projects!

[@aliziyan6647]

Now this was exciting to watch and easy to understand 👏🏽👏🏽😄

[@lgaburad]

You guys are amazing!

[@rontressler647]

Amazing. Thanks for the video.

[@harolds.5140]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this format!!

[@ropehead]

This is incredibly helpful!

[@marioszlatinis7520]

Incredible video thank you!

[@aaronmurray5952]

What a nicely done video..bravo!!

[@restlesssheep7156]

loved this

[@Ben_Basso]

I always knew pasta sauce was an emotion.

[@deadfr0g]

MOOD: Mom’s spaghetti

[@ropro9817]

Kenji in the thumbnail, automatic like. :D

[@ilsunnylo3562]

If you add in the egg whites you would need more oil to make it creamy. The yolks alone are good enough and more stable when using a whisk.

[@redhousepress]

this is the best way to make mayo. I recently tried Namis recipe at just one cookbook website using a stick blender and its outstanding. 2 egg yolks instead of a whole egg. also lemon AND vinegar, a bit of sugar and of course the mustard. Outstanding way to make a great mayo. I use avocado oil.

[@Jdudette1andonly]

No way!!! 😲 I need an immersion blender now!!!

[@conan_der_barbar]

looking forward to the other episodes as well! :)

[@GohTakeshita]

It's funny seeing nerdy baby Clark Kent Kenji, or should I say Clark Kenji?

[@JAZZTONRODRIGUEZ]

this was lovely

[@heathero6715]

Great video - Can you make an emulsion video for basic buttercream with fruit juice ?

[@arthursandomine5464]

Would be nice to know how to save a sauce that has split.

[@jorianx2197]

These two are definitely boning

[@Flatunello]

Hey, Kenji. I have been cooking since I gave up meat for Lent three-years ago to begin a campaign to improve the health of this 66-year-old sack of potatoes, i.e., me. My sweetheart of 40 years works and I work from home so K cook. I have studied intensely. Being an engineer and physicist, I dig the engineering approach in the kitchen. But before I try mechanized approaches to sauces, I turn them out manually a few times. My first Hollandaise was perfect! Thanks for the books, the shows, and the smashburgers!

[@48956l]

this fucking intro lmao you guys are having too much fun with it

[@mramandeeps1]

sexual tension in this video was above 10000

[@elephantgrass631]

Please keep this series going.

[@elephantgrass631]

@Daveyboy Daveyboy Looks like punctuation and capitalization died with you.

[@treeguy98]

Kenji + Katie have great chemistry! 👍👍👍

[@Smellyfoot71]

Are they married

[@erichenderson6515]

@@Smellyfoot71 nope, J Kenji Lopez Alt is married to Adriana and Katie Quinn is married to Connor.

[@Smellyfoot71]

@@erichenderson6515 ah, odd

[@erichenderson6515]

@@Smellyfoot71 but yeah, they would've made a great culinary, scientific couple.

[@SuperHonkus]

Love these videos. Katie is the best. More videos!!! I waited too long for this one ☹️

[@haroldhenderson2824]

I like these two presenting the "science of cooking". Someday do a show about "types of leavening". Mechanical (egg whites/whipping), chemical (baking powder/soda), biological (yeast)

[@FrankGutowski-ls8jt]

Could you please explain sandwiches next? Why does bread go on the outside?

[@bill1usmc]

Aerosmith's sweet emulsion is the best

[@steffangrace2353]

Yo is nobody gonna talk about i'd rub that on my sandwich because that aged like fine wine

[@amorecalzavacca8592]

Nice video... can you tell me what should I do to make that soft butter the we usually find in a steakhouse along with bread?

[@wingedcoyote]

Leave your butter out of the fridge until it gets soft. You can also mix stuff in if you want other flavors, a little honey might be a good start.

[@profile_01]

How can I emulsify a small amt of oil w/ large amt of water? Even w/ standard emulsifiers (lecithin,mustard,honey) I cannot make a stable emulsion even in a blender

[@arthursandomine5464]

The cringe is strong with this one but I learned a great deal! Pros and cons you know.

[@GBBWAR]

they stand way too close to eachother

[@JohnDoe-jp5py]

ok puritan

[@rc-1983]

So what?

[@Pipster-oe6om]

Actually I so appreciate Kenji's scientific approach and OCD attention to detail I have learned so much. 👍👍

[@allstarsandre]

Kenji definitely emulsified her

[@RG-pc6jc]

I would like to make the salad dressing. What can I use instead of mustard? I really don't like the taste of mustard.

[@matthew-m]

R Greenberger An egg yolk, honey, anything kinda thick

[@KarthN]

randomly starts talking about surfactants without defining

[@onlyflans7535]

Kenji is definitely better on his own just being himself without a script

[@BombedNevada]

T H I C C as thieves

[@achapa799]

Can you make toum like you did Mayo?

[@jamesgraham6492]

1:39 that's a bit dark

[@homumu]

vinaigrette is water-in-oil emulsion, which means oil is covering every droplet of vinegar. Since oil coats vinegar, oil is directly attached to salad green so it is supposed to be same when it comes to wilting green. From my own experiment emulsified one also wilted green at the same speed. So far your opinion is pseudo-science, just to promote your theory. What's ur opinion about it?

[@epiccollision]

The micelles should be water on the outside due to the polarity of the surfactant there’s just so much oil that some of it it free floating, that sticks to the leaves also trapping the micelles in the oil

[@homumu]

@@epiccollision do u have a reference? Harold Mcgee wrote Vinaigrette is basically water in oil emulsion

[@Gracebeliever077]

6:41 What kind of oil??

[@DaMorg3]

Gracebeliever077 Kenji suggests neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola in his previous video on this topic

[@Gracebeliever077]

@@DaMorg3 Ughhh. Shoulda watched that first.

[@monocore]

I need a tee with kenji's face on it

[@ajahmed2643]

"what ISN'T an emulsion?" proceeds to list emulsions......... nice

[@BenNeedsATheme4aDream]

what do u mean

[@yorkaturr]

Jacques Pepin says that a vinaigrette should never be like a light mayonnaise that could be considered an emulsion, because if you drop that on your salad bowl, it will just be a big bunch of gloop that you will never be able to mix in with your vegetables. So, the oil and vinegar should be able to separate.

[@JakeLovesSteak]

Even Jacques Pepin can be wrong once in a while.

[@DaMorg3]

Yeah seriously. I have made many many salad dressings using this technique and the results are (a) excellent, (b) consistent and (c) not gloopy at all.

[@Ghonosyphlaids]

The vinaigrette here is certainly not as thick as mayonnaise. I'm not sure how you've conflated a stable emulsion with being so thick it cannot be drizzled.

[@SRDuly2010]

Ghonosyphlaids Exactly. Milk, for example, is an emulsion (as mentioned in the video)

[@mugensamurai]

Ahh back when Kenji had better hair and didn't know how to use a whisk.

[@RickWeberEcon]

Hey wait, you didn't compare the salads with un-emulsified oil and vinegar.

[@charlesfitzpatrick2680]

I think the point was that if you put non-emulsified oil and vinegar on the same bed of lettuce, the oil will stick while the vinegar will sink to the bottom. So there will be a flavor imbalance when you take a bite.

[@princessnikkifernandez3320]

Why are you guys flirting I'm watching this with my parents

[@craeg_]

idk how i ended up here but damn shes attractive lol

[@MarcoAce13]

Totally

[@adrianfletcher8963]

7:10

[@mrgoodman7837]

Dijon mustard? I am confusion and not teacher. But person big hair says maybe yes or no

[@mrgoodman7837]

or long hair hello

[@daniel1c]

Is it me or do these two have a thing for each other🧐

[@johnadamczyk6213]

no she's totally creeped out by him i think

[@Ziegut]

Getting the same vibes too.

[@sushgarimella401]

I think emulsions are heterogeneous mixtures

[@tmarritt]

Calm the music guys, its a bit much.

[@luxlisbon7979]

who here after watching the menu lmao

[@stunny89]

just a note - a vinaigrette does not have to be a proper emulsion. Often, you just have vinegar and oil in a bottle and you shake it before dressing a salad.

[@Diogofrn]

I really love your videos. I just wish you were less cringe

[@omgitsjulian]

If anyone spoke to you like they are talking to each other and the audience, in person, you would immediately label them as unauthentic and fake. WHY IN THE WORLD is this acceptable when making a show!?

[@everythingsawesome]

Thank god someone said this. Seriously. Wtf

[@AlergicToSnow]

Yes, it’s scripted and a bit ‘goofy’. So what? The average person does respond to this type of teaching. Same style Alton Brown uses although he can be even more goofy. The point is they are conveying a lot of info that can get very dry if you don’t do it right. I’d rather this than a lecture style.

[@everythingsawesome]

@@AlergicToSnow I'd rather not be spoken to like a child in their videos. They're not marketers or babysitters. It's a false choice between dry and cartoonish. They can be lively and energetic without being falsely chipper.

[@AlergicToSnow]

everythingsawesome try not to take it personally. There’s a quarter million other people who they’re also trying to accommodate.

[@everythingsawesome]

@@AlergicToSnow I'm not taking it personally. I'm giving constructive feedback.

[@JD..........]

Can’t be the only one who skips through all the cringe until Kenji teaches me how to cook better...

[@DanRoxtar]

i swear they found the two people with the least chemistry possible and made a video series

[@Equinoxious342]

Is this for 8 year olds?

[@matthew-m]

Their faux sexual tension makes it so damn awkward, just present the emulsion and let us all get past the legos and finger traps

[@tawpgk]

A woman after my own heart...as she sticks her tongue out while shaking the vinaigrette. It must be a genetic thing

[@KarthN]

super long intro

[@Vera-xu3xw]

2 eggs or egg yolks? Room temperature or not? A lot of talking for a little info. What about other ways of making an emulsion besides using an egg for a Vegan mayo?

[@Ass4ssinX]

I'm really glad y'all are doing videos like this but I just gotta say I don't care for the vibe of them at all. It seems overly scripted and, I dunno, childish? It's all very inauthentic feeling. Still, very good info just not really digging the presentation. 👍

[@jean-mouledupuis5622]

That's quite cringey

[@FozIrenics]

was the role playing really necessary? so weird

[@Waffle_cones]

What a shallow shameful ripoff of "Good Eats"...