What (our) Cooking Videos don't show you

In this video, we wanted to cover eight cooking habits that - for one reason or another - we don't show on camera.
0:00 - Why not show everything?
0:29 - Wok washing
1:42 - Washing dishes as you go
3:10 - Vegetable washing
4:30 - Meat hand washing
5:27 - Aromatics prep
7:35 - Frying oil handling
9:11 - Turning the flame off
10:00 - Ventilation
No recipe for this one (obviously), but we did go a bit further in depth in the Substack post :)
chinesecookingdemystified.sub...
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Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel): • Live Stream: Favourite...

[@Morghena]

The way Babish handled the meat and then immediately touched the casserole dish with the dirty gloves is the perfect example why a lot of people should not be wearing gloves. You forget the gloves are dirty because you don't feel it as much as if you had dirty hands!

[@molochfrolics8443]

or you could just take them off when done with that task lol

[@Ultracity6060]

Babish does a _lot_ of things wrong.

[@272arshan]

now, was this *before* the casserole dish went into the oven or after?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

In fairness, it's entirely possible that he swapped gloves in between shots. Often we'll wash our hands in between cuts (instead of going one-handed like we'd do off camera), because sometimes you want that smooth motion.

[@sassafras_smith]

Also if the dish goes in the oven, there isn’t a problem with touching it wearing the gloves you were wearing while prepping meat.

[@bjones9942]

I don't understand the people who don't clean the bottom of their dishes! Dishes get stacked - whatever is on the bottom of the top dish is going to transfer to the top of the bottom dish! Ewww! LoL. Great video, thanks!

[@pinkeangst]

PREACH!

[@paulcalderon4517]

real

[@tastyneck]

THIIIIIIIIIIIIS. Even if they're not stacked in the sink after use and getting gross, you're setting your plate down on a surface that most likely isn't food safe. Like, your table may not be visibly dirty but it's not so clean that you're willing to just plop food directly on it to eat off. So, not cleaning the bottoms of dishes and then stacking them onto clean dishes means you're just transferring whatever was on your eating surface onto the eating surface of the dish underneath. I'm not a clean freak or anything but that idea grosses me out.

[@ChronoZero]

i learned this the hard way, if you really never wash the bottoms eventually you'll see the gunk, yuck! Since then i've been always washing both sides every single time lol. it's really something that people dont think about "oh i didnt use the bottom so it's clean". No it's not clean, and grease does get stuck given enough time

[@DawsJosh]

One quick comment as a Western home cook, I think the glove thing with is a 2 fold problem. The first is the irrational fear many non cooks have with meat. Sanitize your cooking area and hands after handling raw meat, but they act like you have to burn your kitchen down and rebuild it after breaking down a chicken. 2 is an American bbq thing where at really good spots they wear those black gloves when slicing meat. Which is ironic because it's not a food safety thing, it's a "this food is really hot and a rubber glove can help me cut it without burning my hand" thing.

[@BobBobson]

I generally wear gloves for the same but opposite reason as 2. I have shitty circulation and my hand gets too cold when I'm doing something like mixing meatloaf so I put a glove on to keep my hand warmer.

[@CalebCalixFernandez]

For those saying that not using gloves when cooking is gross, do you actually wear gloves when cooking for yourselves in your own home? Do you cook in a completely sterile environment? Note that clean and sterile are two completely different things.

[@90Gunni]

Plus a glove is only clean when it comes out of the box. The number of recipe videos I've seen with people using gloves, only to touch their spice containers or kitchen utensils with their gloves after touching the raw meat... Personally I prefer to wash my hands 10 times during cooking than to use gloves and swap them between steps

[@infin1ty850]

I use gloves when I'm doing things like breading meat or doing something like making meatballs. It has nothing to do with food safety, it's just easier for me to clean my hands.

[@rbsz6202]

People wear gloves when they cook?

[@cdub42]

​@@90Gunnithis has actually been studied academically, and it is much cleaner overall to have kitchen staff work bare handed because they will actually wash their hands when needed, whereas people will just see the glove as a perfect barrier and change them far too infrequently for safe practices.

[@alyssasabrae7943]

I was working in fast food when the gloves became a requirement. I noted personally that I always knew, from feeling it on my skin, when something was on my hands so I could wash them. I had to see it on gloves to know so that I should change them. Edit: word choice

[@babbychat]

one other thing with dishes i always try to tell people, squeaky clean is not just a figure of speech! if you drag your thumb or fingertip over the dishes after rinsing it should make an audible squeak and you’ll feel some traction on the dish. if there’s no squeak or your thumb slides across it is probably still greasy

[@keeskoppen5303]

When reprimanded on hygiene, I like to quote Ken Hom: 'Anything that survives the heat of the wok deserves to live'

[@cdub42]

This is a good quote, but only for things that touch the heat of the wok. So fine for throwing meat and veggies in the same bowl before stir frying, but not fine for cutting veggies to be eaten raw on a cutting board used for raw meat, nor for handling raw meat and then touching stuff in your kitchen without washing.

[@klabauterbaer]

So instead of washing your hands, you might just pass them trough oil is what you're saying?

[@molochfrolics8443]

@@cdub42 ez just place hands in wok

[@keeskoppen5303]

@@cdub42 I used to be a professional chef, so I know exactly what I'm doing. Being immune to pretty much anything myself (due to being a pig all my life), I would never risk my reputation when cooking for other people!

[@keeskoppen5303]

@@klabauterbaer If that works for you, be my guest. What I'm actually saying is that Chinese cooking does not necessarily need to impair your sense of humor.

[@jomercer21113]

Lack of ventilation is my biggest US kitchen peeve. Every house I've owned had a lame recirculated air "exhaust fan" which I promptly tore out to install a proper outside-vented hood. I hate the whole house smelling like yesterday's meals.

[@LeilahT]

Yeah, I was so confused when I moved and ended up with a fan that blew air out the front. Like... what is this for, it's supposed to pull air *out*. 😂

[@METC500]

most of the vent hoods i’ve seen in boston apartments and homes actually vent back into the kitchen - they’re more fans than vents. it’s not ideal

[@IzzyTheEditor]

Most American apartments are like this. At least that's been my experience for the last 30 years.

[@tommihommi1]

same in Germany. You're only getting a proper setup if you're a homeowner and have it installed. Any rental flat will have the cheapest option, which is the recirculating, extremely loud, and badly filtering kind that is almost useless, the only thing it usually does is keep steam off your face.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Yeah it's quite frustrating, back in university by apartment in Boston had the same issue. Opening a window and turning on a fan can do a lot of good. I know it's not ideal in winter, but 5-10 minutes when stir-frying isn't the end of the world :)

[@devilsmedyk1]

I keep newspapers to use as makeshift holding solution in my kitchen. One page folded has two layers which is sturdy enough to hold all your peelings during prep. Then once finished after day or rwo I roll everything into the newspaper and just dump it into my revolving composter spin twice and comeback in one or two days.

[@chrysanthemum8233]

I was taught that all ingredients & foods are either "safe right now" or "not safe" in terms of "can you eat this right now with no further prep?" Whenever I have to switch categories, I wash my hands, the knife, and the cutting board. During prep I group things by category so I don't have to do as much washing. And also yes, the dirty hand/clean hand practice for handling "not safe" foods.

[@sleepyzeph]

regarding the "clean hand + dirty hand" thing, my bf is western and it blows my mind whever i ask him to handle wet ingredients and he just dives right in with both hands. it especially hurts when we're making something breaded + fried... both hands in the wet dredge and then surprised pikachu face when all the breadcrumbs get stuck on his hand

[@thishtns]

I'm American and I stick to only one dirty hand unless it's something difficult to do in that way, and I'm not the only person I know who does this... But I don't know any men who do it this way!

[@Pepperboy555]

I peel ginger with a common dining spoon. Works quite well and it’s quick. An older Chinese chef taught me that when I first started working in a Chinese restaurant 40 years ago.

[@VocalMabiMaple]

My mom taught me that one when I first learned to cook! I have spent many afternoons peeling and cutting ginger for dumpling wraps...

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Yes, spoon is definitely another common choice for peeling ginger, potato, etc., spoon's probably safer especially when you need to peel a lot.

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

I've always just used a Y peeler - slightly more wastage than scraping with a spoon/knife/etc, but the speed + ease more than make up for it

[@pinkmonkeybird2644]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified I have to admit I do your lazy way of cutting the skin off the ginger instead of peeling - unless I have very young ginger with extremely thin peel. Then I scrape it with my knife.

[@brookechang4942]

PSA: Don't use the recycled oil in the oil pot to make homemade mayonnaise. It will not turn out the way you want.

[@maplebacon2724]

I hate that it's completely understandable that this needed to be said

[@kenm.2793]

raw egg and used oil do not make for an appetizing dressing lol

[@cielgi]

In Finland, it's common to have two basins in the kitchen sink by default. And a dish drying cabinet over the sinks. Makes washing, rinsing and drying a breezy process.

[@swedneck]

isn't it also common to just have a dishwasher? certainly what we do here in sweden lol

[@cielgi]

For mid-cooking washing up, nah. Otherwise, sure :p

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

my Finnish friend was definitely amused by my awe when I saw her over-sink drying cupboard

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

I love that dish drying cabinet design! So brilliant! Wish we have those here too. What we have now is just sticking some hooks at the bottom of the cabinet over the sink to hang dry some strainers and other random stuff.

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

I once spent a year in a tiny studio flat where the only bit of counter space available for drying was also the only bit available for a chopping board

[@roecocoa]

When I lived in an apartment without a dishwasher, I would wash all of the day's dishes at the same time after dinner. That let me concentrate on cooking, saved water overall, and gave my scrubber sponge a chance to dry out completely. Every other place I've lived has had a dishwasher, which, counterintuitively, uses less water than hand-washing dishes.

[@devinodonnell]

RE: Tip #6; I would caution the additional layer of making sure you get a good scent baseline right after it's been placed into the storage vessel for the first time. Not everyone knows what the *initial* stages of oil putrefaction smell like, and it's far easier to track that progress when you know exactly where you started from, along with what's suddenly missing from the scent profile when that process first starts, since the putrefacted stage is quite apparent in aromatic bouquet.

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

The point about ventilation reminded me of uni accommodation where the kitchen facilities were so bad that I got myself an illicit hotplate for my room. The first thing I did with it was make dal, not stopping to think about the effect that would have in an unventilated room, cooking right next to the curtains. It took at least a week for the smell to dissipate, and I always made sure to open the window after that, no matter the weather!

[@nurlagrande]

You guys are the best. I started following when you had like 3k subs and specifically because of how thorough you explained recipes that were hard to find on the western internet in general let alone in video format. It’s like you were already experts at teaching and you knew which parts you were supposed to go into more detail and you didn’t give for granted that one would know. As well as explain the reasons behind the techniques. Also loved the digging for the most authentic versions of the recipes which is another big reason I was so happy to find your channel. Thank you so much!! I’m so happy you can do this full time you guys truly deserve it and more.

[@dyong836]

Growing up in Malaysia, many houses had an indoor and outdoor kitchen. Obviously the indoor kitchen comes as part of the house but many folks will add on some patio-like shelter in the back yard and install a high powered wok burner. Solves the ventilation problem. Now living in Australia, my BBQ comes with a slightly higher powered burner which I can use for wok cooking - old habits as they say.

[@cebo494]

8:50 "The Nose Knows" is one of my signature phrases in the kitchen

[@panqueque445]

Washing dishes as you cook is a great tip. I do that all the time. As soon as you get "down time", like waiting for something to boil or simmer, start washing whatever you used up to that point. Far easier than washing everything at once at the end.

[@ElSuperNova23]

Loved the point about ventilation. My range hood is probably the most expensive thing in my kitchen because I do a decent amount of wok cooking and I need that powah to not stink up the house.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

It sort of makes me sad though that 'safe ventilation' is a luxury for obsessive cooking nerds. It needs to be the default

[@kenm.2793]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Not to mention to prevent spread of airborne pathogens in shared living and public spaces! It really should be the bare minimum

[@obsoquasi]

Our approach to washing oily dishes. Use a paper towel to remove most of the oil residue, so it doesn't clog up the pipes.

[@kenm.2793]

i had never thought to let the lathered soap sit on the oil! makes my life so much easier. usually i will soak in soapy water but the oil just separates and it doesn't work well

[@noone1929]

We get straight from the farm lettuce (no prepping before being boxed) for guests to feed our giraffes. I have found bugs, dirt, and even bird feathers and poop! I don't know how people can stand not cleaning their produce. Still even as a kid my parents insisted we wash fruits and veggies before eating.

[@duriancacaoboy964]

I'm in USA but study all things Chinese. U guys are great source of knowledge and encouragement.

[@lucasotis9525]

Thinly cut ginger peel is actually really nice when you let it dry and add it to your tea, so heads up that you don't have to waste it. It has its' own flavor, so if texture isn't an issue, I'll usually wash it and just move forward

[@markust8904]

Same here, just lazy, no time to peel ginger. it all goes in to the stir fry.

[@gretahardin1392]

As someone who has read through the development of "instruction in cookbooks" I think this balance of what we don't show w/ what most people know vs. hey look here for the missing bits is great! 18th C cookbooks were notes between professional cooks. And you can see the transition early 19th C to Late 19th C to 20th C for the expertise expected. Less as time goes on. a study of 20th C cookbooks will likely reveal the same.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Haha, I love digging through old cook books and the ones that're from 11th C is like a "note". It's basically like here's a note on this whole thing I wrote down and now you go figure the rest out.

[@nyanuwu4209]

0:12 I'm gonna call for four cloves minced - or two cloves _grated_ because two cloves _minced_ are not gonna give up enough flavor. Alternatively, I'll call for two cloves minced but make it elephant garlic so it's just more clove. Recipes are weirdly afraid of garlic is my point. They always call for too little or processed in a way that doesn't release enough flavor.

[@SanthoshThani6534]

I often use a cornflour slurry mixture to clean the frying oil and it removes most odors and small particles.

[@clarkay3049]

I've started filtering my used oil through muslin, works great.

[@escaloz]

I've used the hot basin system in two ways. - With two sinks, soak in one and use the other - With one sink, I used a plastic basin that I put near the sink

[@ClarionMumbler]

I felt a bit chagrined when seeing you keep the original frying oil bottle for disposal. I don't know how that has never occurred to me.

[@sharpphilip]

The NileRed thing made me choke on my coffee. Well done. :)

[@XDarkxSteel]

The point on cool bro kitchen/chemistry gloves is spot on hahaha

[@TheSiodmy]

if you have a cheap frying pan and it doesn't heat up well, just boil some water in it to preheat. The water will keep parts that heat up faster from overheating

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

[@ellerikke3948]

The gloves thig depends on you have open wounds on your hands, but most of the time is just false security, it does not replace a proper washing before, under, or after cooking.

[@jedb9677]

I'm a pretty good cook. The frying oil handling and turning the flame off sections were very helpful.

[@denys-p]

“Wash as you go” not always goes well with dishwasher. It sometimes could be replaced with “put dishes to dishwasher” though. Also, sometimes you don’t have time to wash something, because there is an active phase of cooking. But idea is good, wouldn’t argue

[@VocalMabiMaple]

My big tip i discovered by accident recently. Keep a spray bottle filled with water-diluted dish detergent. A hearty squeeze of detergent into a filled bottle works well. I end up using way less detergent and you use way less water during the rinse. Just rinse to remove large particles and spray then scrub. Rinse and feel for oil and repeat spray scrub rinse as needed. You get instant full coverage of whatever you are washing and it's so fast.

[@VocalMabiMaple]

As an addendum: i discovered it when I had a bottle leftover after checking for gas leaks with it. I decided to try washing with the water detergent solution and it worked incredibly well. Only warning is that the backspray can be irritating to the lungs sometimes, so hold the spray away and dont breath the droplets in xD.

[@brookechang4942]

If you add a bit of rubbing alcohol to the spray bottle, it'll help with both cutting grease and killing bugs. The pre-mixed sprays that certain major Western brands offer are just a 16oz spray bottle with 13oz of water, 2oz of soap, and 1oz of rubbing alcohol.

[@bm_the_vln]

By diluting it you disrupt the microbiological stability of the product. Not a good idea. Never mess with formulations, they're supposed to be as they are. That said, if you go through it quickly it should be fine. Just be aware it's not good practice.

[@kjh23gk]

@@bm_the_vln Exactly. I diluted some hand-wash once (trying to be frugal) and all sorts of disgusting organisms started growing in it.

[@rita7070]

don't do that, pure product prevent microbial growth, diluted can't. only do that if your using it right away and then discard any leftover

[@jocelynleung7480]

The sarcasm in this video is top notch

[@lindawisner3525]

Great piece. On the "soak basin" idea, I do use it especially for whisks and other items that would be hard to clean if they sat for a bit. This way when I'm ready to wash, everything doesn't need scrubbing. Especially at camp, with no running water.

[@stuntmonkey00]

After seeing that wok, i realize I'm over-obsessing about evening out my seasoning layer lol.

[@adonnjohn]

I would love a video about effective use of limited space - I always feel like my counter space is too small for the amount of stuff going on

[@SeanQuinn4]

Only difference in our dish approach is that we keep our full strength detergent under the sink, we keep a squeezer bottle of 1:3(ish) diluted dish detergent for washing. This has led us to return back to blue Dawn brand detergent, others require stronger dilution ratios to be as effective. This stems from mostly using brushes/cleaning brushes that didn't retain detergent like a sponge. It's very hard to dose a small enough amount of full strength dish detergent straight from the bottle IMO.

[@SeanQuinn4]

And fwiw, the ratio with blue Dawn is closer to 1:10. Bargain stuff was as bad as 1:3

[@d.lawrencemiller5755]

2:55 I don't use the "hot basin" but I do wash my dishes in the sink. I have a standalone laundry sink that isn't hooked up to anything. No water and no drain. It's basically just a giant bucket on legs. That's where the dirty dishes get piled until I'm ready to wash some. This keeps the sink free to use during cooking.

[@AntoniusTyas]

About peeling ginger... I feel you, Steph. Tedious job. Same thing with turmeric and galangal. Especially a real pain in the backside whenever I cook rendang and making my own spice blend. I usually end up roasting them rhizomes on open fire for a while and scrape the surface with spoon.

[@oscarpasta6670]

This video is so useful. So nice to share that with us!

[@xpatsteve]

I only use gloves is when working with extremely hot peppers (habanero, scotch bonnet, etc.). Definitely a fan of the one clean hand technique and clean as you go. And of course, hand washing as needed. Everything you've shown here makes perfect sense and, in my opinion, essential for a safe, clean, home cooking environment.

[@jamesblhollands]

Such a great episode! And really funnyatpoints, thanks guy, love you

[@leannsmarie]

The ventilation tip is important. I see so many homes with a microwave over the stove nowadays and the built-in vent under the microwave is always insufficient. It only recirculates the dirty air and is usually too close to the cooking surface. I bought a home three years ago with that very issue. I removed that piece of junk microwave as soon as I could. Stove vents should always be vented to outside. Before buying my current house, I looked into building a house and the builder I spoke with thought that a gas cooktop would be fine without a vent at all even though the plans called for it. I insisted that it be properly vented and he complained that it would be SO much more work and be very expensive to implement. I know now that he was just being lazy.

[@toddellner5283]

For garlic and ginger there's thr Chinese ceramic plate with little spikes my wife got from her mother

[@MegaKemper]

Biggest problem I have with any sort of frying is the oil getting into the air and then covering all surfaces in my kitchen and even my house.

[@markust8904]

Same here. i don't have a venting fan. So only once in a while a fry takes place.

[@leam1978]

especially wooden cabinets

[@angelad.8944]

@@leam1978 I lined mine with clear tac tye or whatever ones calls it where they come from. Nice soapy wash down and you are done.

[@tillsito6022]

one technique of washing dishes I really like is to have a medium sized plastic container filled with hot soapy water. It Leads to using less soap and also makes the process quicker Edit: but you should use enough soap so it actually makes things clean

[@__nobody__]

On "clean as you go": I either make neat / compact stacks of dirty dishes in the drying area, or I put stuff into the dishwasher if there is one. I don't stop to clean until most of the work's done and e.g. something's still cooking but I have nothing else to do. Context switches are slow / costly, so going from "cooking" to "cleaning" and back is a nope.

[@LeilahT]

It only works for me if there's a long phase in between - like, things have to bake, or a soup or sauce has to cook. Then the dishes keep me in the kitchen so I don't space out and forget that I'm cooking. 😂😅

[@fedesartorio]

Love the video! Super helpful, no-nonsense practicality

[@-beee-]

Thanks for this! We’ve been lucky to have an outdoor space available to us (now it’s a backyard!) for our smellier cooking, so we use an electric fryer to deep fry outside. We also have a little butane stove as well as a portable/mini induction cooktop that we can use outside.

[@culinarycaravan]

Thank you for such an informative video. Happy to see that I do these practices, especially now that I have an exhaust fan that actually works.

[@markm734]

As far as dishes, I like having my sink ready to just throw dirties into. My prep is usually already done, so I know I won't need it cleared once I start actually cooking.

[@venicawood3894]

Have to say it again: love your outro music.

[@camerons.7164]

It seems obvious but when I first started cooking it didn't occur to me to prep everything beforehand- I just did everything on the fly as the steps in the recipe called for it!

[@ellenspn]

4:12 good point on mud. Leeks and bok choy are particularly good at hanging on to dirt.

[@GarrettDore]

I wash a bowl, pot, or large cup first, and fill it with hot soapy water. Each dish, my sponge gets rinsed, squeezed, and dipped into the soapy water container. I end up using less soap and water, and my dishes end up very clean. It can also sit on the edge of the sink or inside the sink off to the side while I clean.

[@brago.gameplays]

Lovely

[@ReadThisOnly]

real. gotta be my favorite cooking channel on this website. please don't stay making content 🙌

[@aeropb]

This was great. You should do more videos like this.

[@l3cubed]

The basin washing is a derivative of the three compartment sink method used in most commercial kitchens in the US. First sink is filled with soapy water, next clear rinse water, and finally water with a food safe sanitizing solution. Any of the sinks that have an excess of debris, soap, or grease in them should be changed asap. It does work really well for cleaning as you go because you don’t have to turn on the taps, fiddle with the water temp or soap bottle and then after a dunk in the sanitizer it sits out to dry on its own.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Ha, what I wouldn't give for a kitchen with four sink basins :P

[@l3cubed]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Right? 🤣

[@bea3558]

I use the hot basin method, and I just wash all my dishes at the end. I'm used to it because its what I grew up with.

[@LorenzoMontagna]

Thanks for the video, really insightful! I would like however to share a couple of clarifications: - "how fine" you chop the garlic has a non negligible effect: the pungent garlic flavour comes from the oxidation of a molecule of the garlic, a reaction that is produced when the garlic is cut. The more you cut/break it apart, the more pungent it will become. - at least in Europe, it is not needed to wash the veggies so accurately. It is indeed a good practice and the right thing to do, especially to get rid of the soil, but all supermarket-sold vegetables need to fulfil some requirements related to the amount of foreign substances and pesticides. Those limits are usually extremely conservative, so that even if somebody would eat every day the maximum allowed quantity in every dish, there will be no effect on its health.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Cheers! >"how fine" you chop the garlic has a non negligible effect: the pungent garlic flavour comes from the oxidation of a molecule of the garlic, a reaction that is produced when the garlic is cut. The more you cut/break it apart, the more pungent it will become. Totally, which is why I personally up the garlic quantity a bit when smashing :) If I'm doing something that's 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, I might go with 4-5 crushed. The other important variable is time. If you go on a lower flame and slowly let the garlic fry in the oil for like ~60 seconds, a lot more of the flavor'll infuse into the oil (what we want for a stir fry). Of course, this would be sort of an unorthodox in Chinese cooking (outside of stuff like aromatics-infused chili oil), so we won't call for the move in a recipe. But it's also an option >at least in Europe, it is not needed to wash the veggies so accurately. It is indeed a good practice and the right thing to do, especially to get rid of the soil, but all supermarket-sold vegetables need to fulfil some requirements related to the amount of foreign substances and pesticides. Those limits are usually extremely conservative, so that even if somebody would eat every day the maximum allowed quantity in every dish, there will be no effect on its health. This is another reason why we don't call for the move, haha. Different localities and different produce have different requirements. That said, I do think it's something that people should at least be *cognizant* of... because sometimes you might be shopping at a farmer's market, or a wet market, or, I dunno, just getting your vegetables from the ground :)

[@LeilahT]

Ooh, that's a good idea on increasing the amount of the smashed garlic. Thank you!

[@stephanno1855]

I really like your videos 😊

[@sassafras_smith]

Having worked in professional kitchens gloves become useful when handling a lot of meat prep, as you can wear the gloves on clean hands but if you need to handle a non meat item, you can take the gloves off and do so without having to wash your hands every time you need to touch something that would be contaminated - other kitchen equipment, your knife kit, other items on your work station. It’s a short cut. Also some people just have sensory issues with touching meat.

[@Brosemon]

The house im at in chicago burbs doesnt have a proper vent setup. Theres a fan above the range, but its not hooked up to a pipe to actually vent it outside. Its just a fan above the range. Biggest scam ever.

[@ellenspn]

Mine in the Chicago burbs does vent outside but it’s only a 4” vent pipe!

[@smhan280]

Love the NileRed shoutout! 2 of my fav channels officially have a Venn diagram intersection :’)

[@schrodingersduck]

On knives, I'd also add a couple of safety tips that my ex-butcher dad drilled into me (hopefully commonsense, although a lot of people still ignore them): Keep them sharp and honed (a blunt knife is often more dangerous because it needs more force and moves unpredictably), control the blade with your thumb and angle it away from your other hand, and if you're using a cleaver (say, to cut bone-in chicken) then for the love of god keep your other hand well clear when you bring it down!

[@shigemorif1066]

I don't use gloves when handling meat although ive seen it on KZbin too. I just don't get the point since i wash my hands after. I also feel like you wouldn't get the same control with gloved hands. My one tip is to buy pre-peeled garlic and stick it in the freezer. You get convenience with hardly any loss of flavor. Much better than the horrible jarred stuff. Also bonus, when it thaws it gets soft since i think freezing collapses the cell walls and its really easy to smash.

[@benjiman7259]

Im sure someone else mentioned it, but a 2 basin kitchen sink is fairly ubiquitous in the US so there aren’t really logistical problems with basin washing per se

[@DiiNovensiles]

I keep one side of the sink hot and soapy and clean stuff as I cook. Just coarsely scrub debris off with a dirty sponge, put in mildly soapy water, and then when I need it I grab the thing out and scrub (as you do) + rinse. As for gloves, as a lab worker it's convenient to borrow work's nitrile gloves haha, but I mostly do bare hand. A lot of people around me (in the US) have odd ideas about food pathogens. My parents insist on washing their raw chicken to get rid of the salmonella, no matter how many times I tell them they're just spraying salmonella around their sink and to let the cooking heat take care of it.

[@tktyga77]

The stuff covered in it is common sense, really, not too be taken for granted in any form

[@ixfalia]

I like gloves because they're easier to wash than my hands, especially if I'm handling something particularly garlicky, i can wash with dish detergent to get off oils quickly. I don't always wear them but if I'm marinating or mixing meat with a lot of aromatics and oil I'll sometimes wear gloves because i know I'll be washing my hands frequently. Not saying it's the best habit, just that i have reasons.

[@anthonyalles1833]

Holy cow, using detergent to wash the wok! 😮 Let the battle begin!

[@delhatton]

very interesting

[@kennethgray545]

I always peel ginger with a spoon edge. Much easier and it comes right off.

[@elisaninis]

I hate cleaning dishes (main reason why I quit being a full time cake baker), can't really explain why, it just makes me feel bad. Like, mentally bad. Thanks for sharing so many tips! I also feel like my flame is either to hot or to cold, so...guess I'll wait longer than watch my food burn lol 😅

[@ellenspn]

I always either cut my vegetables before my meat or use a fresh cutting board and knife to cut each separately. Usually the oops I thought that package of meat was already in slices….

[@zalibecquerel3463]

Those large white plastic colanders with bowls you have in your sink? Gamechanger! Especially large ones. I started processing my bokchoy as soon as I get it home, washing and separating it into "leaflets", and keeping it in a plastic bag with a paper towel in my fridge. Easily lasts for a week.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Oh interesting. Maybe it's our fridge, or maybe it's the produce we get... but I find that pre-washed veg tends to get marginal faster

[@zalibecquerel3463]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified I got the idea from Daddy Lau, from Made with Lau, who also suggests eating the large outer leaves first.

[@qcsupport2594]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified The paper towel is key - any humidity from washing (or even condensation from leaving cold stuff on the counter) will speed up the self-composting. Been doing that for years, and whenever I forget it the leafy or cruciate veg reminds me.

[@cloud_and_proud]

I'm told you can actually just use ginger with the skin on, or more specifically if you just remove the skin that looks bad. Maybe it only works if it's being used in some way where it's cooked through Idk.

[@suzaynnschick158]

Always ventilate! And a proper vent hood covers the entire stovetop and a bit more to the sides and front. The vent from below things catch less than 30% of the aerosols. No-vent filter hoods don't do very well either.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Yeah our current one in Thailand doesn't extend to the sides, it's really annoying. The thing's strong (and goes outside like a vent should), but we often find ourselves needing to open the door + turn on the fan as well

[@theKettleXBlack]

You can actually clean the cooking oil! It's called gelatin clarification :)

[@alvinzhang5485]

..........damn I needed this.

[@ghlscitel6714]

In principle same same here.

[@andersonomo597]

The glove thing drives me nuts! Use your bare hands FFS and wash them thoroughly before and after!! Less one-use plastic stuff in landfill forever and I think the gloves give a false sense of 'hygiene' - the 'pandemic' craziness with gloves was proof of that! With gloves on, you are not nearly aware of your hands. With bare hands, you are quickly aware they need washing in a kitchen environment. Maangachi always clearly shows this, which is her thing, but I think it's really good to keep educating people. Cheers from Oz!!

[@Madwonk]

Yeah, I've heard some restaurants actually recommend against gloves for this reason- there have apparently been cases of food poisoning in the past because people were less careful when wearing gloves!

[@lionelhutz4046]

My mom does the hot basin washing system after finishing preparing and eating, and does "normal" wash-as-she-cooks before that. So, hot basin for the dinnerware and any serving platters/bowls/cookware. No idea why.

[@angelad.8944]

Feel free to step it up and help her out. You will be leaving home eventually and it is never to early to hone your life skills and create good habits.

[@GothVampiress]

I feel like handwashing in the kitchen is instinctual; if your hands feel gross, wash them! Handling things that are sticky like dough or have a slimy texture like raw egg and meat with your bare hands makes you want to wash your hands afterwards just because they don't feel clean. Putting a barrier against your skin like gloves makes you lose that sense of touch. Feeling is hard to describe, so I understand why it would get lost, but the sense of touch is, to me, one of the most important in cooking.

[@ericbarnett6771]

My Chinese wife insists that I wash vegetables even if I am going to blanche them in boiling water before stir frying them. Seems to me to be overkill but I do it to preserve the peace.

[@Komatik_]

One thing I've been trying to find a video or an article for, is there any explanation for why Chinese food is so heavy on stir fries? The ubiquity of chopsticks is a part of it, surely, but the sheer dominance of a mess of bite-sized pieces as the standard format has bugged me for a while. It's like if Italian food was almost entirely pasta instead of really heavy on pasta dishes.

[@fernbedek6302]

I'm usually too busy cooking to wash dishes as I go...

[@quacky1874]

Segregating meat/fish prep is the main plan. Use a plastic chopping board, chop, marinate, set aside. Clean up the area, wash hands, board in the dishwasher etc... Then I can get on with vegetables and things that you could eat raw. The bowl of meat is all ready and prepared to add when its needed with no other mess to make.

[@honey-bagder3451]

Can anyone recommend a good cai dao? I swear there was a Serious Eats article recommending a few, but I can't find it.

[@gaudetjaja]

Do you wash your dishes with cold water? I have issues with my hygiene as a single (western) male. So this video seems silly but is actually super helpful to us less clean folks. Also, how do you sharpen your knives?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

We use room temp water because we're in Thailand right now and it's just hot all the time. But when we're in China we'll use hot water when weather is cold, it rinses off grease much better. As for knives, we use a knife stone. The aforementioned Wang Gang has a video on how to sharpen Chinese cleavers.

[@jakubhuslar1298]

i just wamt to sa that i think keepimg already used oil is a good budget idea, but health wise it ain’t good, it oxidizes and with consequent fryings becomes more and more toxic/carcinogenic.

[@angelad.8944]

This topic is a whole other can of worms. 😅 There's a lot of variables at play. Type of oil, temp range, quality, etc etc. I am sure there are many videos out there. Would be interesting to glean the best consistent options from them. 🤔

[@rbsz6202]

I'm even more paranoid with the veggies. I love the fresh produce we get at the wet market, but I've also seen them on the ground in the morning. I use white vinegar to wash them after the first soak and then, on my wife's advice, an alkaline soak to deal with the pesticides. Final rinse, then I'll eat.