Pro Chefs Debate 11 Cooking Tips & Tricks

Agree or disagree?

If you throw your pasta at the wall

and it sticks, it's done.

Does it ever stick?

[whip sound]

Ahh.

It also wasn't hot.

Today we're in the test kitchen

and were gonna be talking about common cooking tips.

There are mandatory cooking tips

that you should definitely follow.

Other cooking tips, probably safe to say you can ignore.

[laughing]

Hundred percent disagree.

Disagree.

And we're gonna put a few to the test.

That's like your pro move.

Yeah.

But like, is it everybody's pro move?

Maybe not.

I mean, cooking tips are like advice.

I mean, it's not always good.

[laughing]

Word.

I think whatever works for you, you should go with that.

Oh and Devon disagree.

[laughing]

Agree or disagree?

Fruits ripen faster if placed in a paper bag

with apples or bananas

I've done it a lot of times.

Yes.

Yeah. That's just true.

The fruit ripening faster is real.

The saying of like you are who you hang around hey.

[laughing]

Like if something's like

if one thing is ripe already and then the other one's not.

Fruits, like they actually like release like ethylene gas.

Oh wow.

Which like speeds up the ripening process

And it helps change the atmosphere

and allow the fruit that you have in there.

That's under ripe

to think that it's in an atmosphere perfect for ripening.

You might wanna fact check all that, but it sounded good.

Agree.

Totally agree.

Yes. Disagree.

Agree. Agree? Agree.

I agree with that.

I agree.

Put it in the paper bag.

Agree or disagree?

Marinating for 30 minutes achieves the same goal

as marinating for 24 hours.

Ooh.

Come on.

What are we talking about?

Who put this in there?

What's the marinade?

Like give a case study.

Situation marination. It's definitely.

Exactly.

Yeah.

And I think it depends on the on the piece of meat

and what the marinade is.

Right?

True.

Especially if it's a high salt content.

Right?

Right.

You don't wanna marinate for 24 hours, you know?

Some time is better than no time

You know, pineapple juice or vinegar

in a little bitty thing

like a quick kind of thing like that.

You leave that in there for 24 hours

things start to get a little weird.

The way ceviche gets, you know

fish gets cooked by lemon juice.

It starts to kind of

Turn a little

Yeah things start to happen.

So it really depends on the marinade.

So now it looks like we got two types of

we got two pork tender loins.

Yes.

One's marinated for half an hour

and one's marinated for 24 hours.

Nice.

Let's see if we can tell the

The difference.

Yeah. A little difference.

And we can go ahead and call it a blind tasting.

You know pork Tenderloin in general, underrated.

I like the color meat.

Getting a little [inaudible]

I'm gonna guess the second one is the shorter marinade

and the other one was the longer.

The outside texture.

Yep.

This one's a little tighter.

That's correct.

Oh, hands down.

I don't even get the vinegar.

Yeah.

Way less flavor.

Uh huh. I think this one also

the bite is nicer too.

Like it melts almost in your mouth, right?

Like you said earlier it's about leaner cuts of meat.

Right.

You need to really marinate a pork tenderloin.

Let it permeate inside the piece of meat.

I think that's great.

I would say that's the one.

Certainly. Yep that's the one. Yep.

The time matters.

And if you're using aromatics

and ingredients that are like fully broken down,

massively flavorful, like yeah.

If you're doing like, you know, fully grated

like lemon grass, ginger, garlic

with like some fish sauce and some soy sauce, like okay.

30 minutes is gonna be

you're going notice a difference.

[Inaudible crosstalk]

It's gonna, something's gonna happen.

But like you can't say it's the same as 24 hours.

No way.

That's out.

Not on our watch.

So I think that the question is flawed

and I disagree.

Agree or disagree?

Adding oil to pasta water prevents pasta from sticking.

Crush em' more?

I don't know.

I have no idea.

I don't be cooking pasta like that to be honest.

I've never done it.

But not in the pasta water.

I stopped doing that like six years ago

Pasta tends to stick when you take it

out of the water after it's cooked.

Right.

If it's like sitting outside of the water

Yeah.

For like more than a couple minutes,

Than it'll stick.

Then it's gonna start to stick.

And at that point you could put a little bit of oil on it.

Like if you're making a pasta salad,

definitely oil.

Sure.

That's false.

I think there's been a bunch

of studies that says you don't have to do that.

Right.

Yeah.

What I was told that has to do with it

is keeping the water from foaming over.

It creates a skim on top.

[laughing]

Disagree.

You don't need to do all that.

Don't waste your oil that way.

Save your oil for another day.

I think disagree.

It's giving disagree.

Adding citrus to guacamole will stop it

from oxidizing, agree or disagree?

I mean, agree.

But what kind of citrus are we talking about?

I always add citrus to guacamole.

I think it helps, yeah.

It's gotta.

I mean it certainly does.

The same way you know, when you put it on an apple slice

it prevents it from browning, right?

I've seen like people do like vitamin C

because it's like very powerful

but you're not gonna like taste it the same way.

Citrus lime definitely helps from oxidizing.

The lime is there for flavor though too.

The question, is how quickly should you eat guacamole?

And then I think the answer is very fast.

Almost as fast as you can.

[laughing]

As fast as you can.

It also gives a nice flavor too 'cause it's super fatty.

I'm gonna go ahead and say agree.

Agree.

Agree

Agree.

Agree.

Agree or disagree?

You should wash your mushrooms before cooking.

Overall I don't wash my mushrooms.

I brush 'em off.

It's usually not dirt.

It's usually forest duff.

Mushrooms are sponges.

Water. Doesn't actually clean them.

That's the thing about it too.

It's just like,

it's not like running berries under the faucet.

If you wash your mushrooms

that even furthers you down the path of like

waterlogged, steaming, gooby mushroom in the pan.

Rather than that like

delightful, meaty, crispy, savory

thing you're aiming for.

I mean, it's like an oyster, you know,

it's a product of its environment

and you know, really, if you're going

and picking, 'em out of a pile of [beep] maybe,

[laughing]

Ah [beep].

But like, you know if it's just like

a really nice forest, you know

you give 'em a little brush brush.

If you like soggy mushrooms

You love soggy soggy mushrooms.

Soak your mushrooms.

For sure.

Just like bathe them.

Yeah.

Big disagree.

Yeah.

Two thumbs down.

Don't wash your mushrooms.

Disagree.

Boo.

Agree or disagree?

Silpat baking mats are better for even baking

versus parchment versus foil.

Like I don't really necessarily have like a

hard and fast answer on this.

I think Silpats,

That is like a professional, like silicone baking mat,

Like most home cooks, like frankly don't have them.

Sometimes I feel like Silpats might inhibit

a touch of browning.

And like [beep] with your spreading,

like on cookies a little bit maybe.

Okay.

I have a Silpat they get so greasy

and you can't wash them.

Like you wash them and it just doesn't clean them

the way that you wanna clean them.

Evenness.

Is that what we're talking about?

For even baking.

Probably.

I mean it's more expensive with Silpat though,

cause those are expensive.

Yeah.

I don't wanna bake on foil.

Ever.

The reason you do parchment or a Silpat

is because it's non-stick.

That's the whole point of either of those surfaces.

You have parchment.

No parchment.

No foil.

No Silpat.

Silpat.

Foil.

I feel like Silpats like contribute even heat.

Really interesting.

I'm an advocate for them.

I've had them for years.

They last for a really long time.

This is maybe turning me into a convert.

The thing that like existed in my mind

but possibly not in reality

is just because this surface is relatively smooth

Ya know?

That like you might get a little bit more spreading with it.

Yeah.

Relative to like others.

But what's weird is like the foil spread most of all.

Oh you know what?

I hope the foil doesn't stick to this.

Oh. But look it, the Silpat, it's wrinkly.

It's gooey in the middle.

It's even all the way through on the bottom.

I just love like, I love that structure.

I love how kind of crisp along the bottom.

Yeah.

But it's a little bit, you know,

kind of gooey on the top.

Yeah.

I'm wildly impressed by the Silpat.

I also think taking the time to do this kind

of exercise always teaches you something

Like not agree or disagree.

Just sideways.

I'm gonna say agree.

Agree also.

Agree or disagree?

Beans need to be soaked overnight before cooking.

If you're in a pinch yeah.

If you want to be super traditional, soak it overnight.

But you know, I don't think you need to.

People say they're like more tender

if you soak them first.

But I find that that's not true and it's always fine.

I

Oh, Devon disagrees.

[laughing]

So I'm like, that's funny

but I've got bean feelings.

Soaking is a good practice.

And trying to do some prep the day before is nice.

I don't think you don't need so, man,

if you have a nice, it's the pot, you gonna cook the beans

for an hour and a half and it'll be good.

And it really comes down to like not all beans are equal.

If you got some beans that's been sitting

on a shelf for 35 years.

I think it might not ever really get tender.

If you wanna soak your beans, soak those beans.

But I don't think it's like mandatory.

So I'm gonna have to disagree.

Yeah. Disagree.

Agree or disagree?

The best way to get crispy bacon

is to start with a cold pan.

I do not cook bacon in a pan.

Same.

I cook bacon on a wire rack in the oven.

Yes. Thank you exactly.

Because of like circulation and letting the fat drip.

If you want like the ultimate in like crispiness

like you're better off baking it on a rack.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

So essentially you're starting out with the cold pan.

Which like, is that a cold pan?

I don't know.

Or are we cheating?

You know, you bake the bacon.

Yeah.

It's even. It's crispy.

It's the best.

I'm just so curious about the cold pan now.

Does that prevent it from quick shrinkage?

It does get small if it's a hot pan, right?

You ready to test this?

Let's try it.

I want to be disproved.

Let's do some science.

This is our cold pan.

This is our hot pan

Bacon.

Do we try it out?

See what happens?

Yeah.

Put a few strips in.

You can see it happening in the pan.

You know that it's hot.

It's nice actually, to be able to see the color change.

Now I'm gonna put the bacon in the cold pan.

All right.

Turning that on.

Okay. We'll see.

Our pan is going.

Starting.

It feels like it's in a sauna.

It's like, Ooh.

So you can see it bubbling out.

But even in this amount of time

it's like a fraction of the amount

of rendered out fat has happened in our hot pan.

Wait for this to crisp up, fully cook

and then we'll try them.

All right.

Wow. That is

Some difference.

It's been through some things.

I think the hot pan is crispier,

but to it's detriment.

But that just might also be

because we let it go for a long time.

I think it, yeah.

I feel sad.

Hot pan.

It happens really quickly.

So if you're not paying attention, your bacon will go

from perfect to charred in like the blink of an eye.

The cold pan, they stay flatter,

but they're not as crisp.

This is a good piece of bacon

but it's not crispier than that.

Don't waste your time in a cold pan.

If you want crispiness fast.

I think hot pan.

For my mental health, I'm gonna pick the hot pan.

The goal is eat bacon sooner.

Yeah.

So the hot pan is the move.

Yeah. I don't put bacon on like a hot skillet.

Agree

With some caveats.

I don't know if this is factual, but I'm gonna say agree.

[beep] do it [beep]

[laughing]

Agree or disagree?

The reverse-sear method is the best way

to cook a perfect medium rare steak.

There's like the flipping every 10 seconds technique.

There's cooking on one side for this amount of minutes

then flipping it over and then resting it.

I think reverse searing it kind of just

I don't wanna say it complicates things

but it takes extra steps.

The fact that it's like for a steak

that's kind of tripping me up

For like a larger roast.

I've done that sometimes.

Ooh. I wanna go ahead and say complicated question.

I don't think that it needs to be reverse cooked

to make it perfect.

Yeah.

You know I'm really classic, you know,

straight up, over the flame, pan.

Get it going.

Get it on fire.

T bones and all I wouldn't do a reverse-sear.

I would just go straight up with that.

Right.

Like flank steak, nah.

You know, but like big bigger massed item

or something super lean like a wild game.

You kind of can't go wrong.

Disagree on the superlative best.

'Cause I think that there's many ways to skin a cat.

So disagree.

I don't think it's the best way.

I think it's a way.

[laughing]

Agree or disagree?

You should rinse your meat before cooking.

A hundred percent disagree.

Especially if it comes from a reputable place.

I mean, you got those nice enzymes

in there that they, you know

they already work so hard to like care for this animal.

Like do all these things.

It actually starts

with knowing how to source your meat properly.

If you're able to source something

and buy it at the peak of its quality

and like you know that you're butcher or fish monger,

you know has your back

and is not trying to give you something that's like rancid

or like going off.

Like you should definitely trust

that it's been cleaned and processed the way that it is.

Some companies, chicken be yellow as [beep].

You know what I'm saying?

I worked in some places where

I'm not sure a little rinse

in some fresh water's gonna help that.

No it goes with lemon a lil' big

I'm just kidding.

[laughing]

He knows all the tricks.

No. If there's something wrong with the meat

that's gonna be like inherent to the meat

and like a rinse, a shower is not gonna fix that.

No it's not gonna do it.

Like if it's like coming out of a package from the grocery

It has like this slimy like layer and

I don't really wanna eat that.

So I rinse it off, dry it as much as possible.

But if I'm going to like a local butcher,

it's coming in like butcher paper,

I know that it hasn't been sitting inside something plastic

or weird for a long time, then I won't rinse it.

Yeah. I generally speaking

I can't really be bothered to like

even the grocery store stuff, like rinse it

Yeah.

But I mean, but I'm not like, opposed to that.

You need to know where your food comes from.

Yeah.

That is key.

I don't think it's necessary.

So I'm gonna say disagree

A hundred percent disagree.

Hard boiled eggs should be started in cold water.

I disagree with should.

Okay.

Hard boiled eggs can be started in cold water.

It just takes longer.

We're all trying to get to the same place.

It's just whatever method you're more comfortable with.

I love a six to eight minute egg.

And I feel like if I boiled it first

it's not gonna be the same amount of time

and I'm gonna have to take it out, check it.

And it's like, what if it's not right.

Cold in a lot of ways is better

but I think it's harder to time.

But if you are starting in cold water

when does it come to a boil?

It's nebulus time.

When do you start your count?

At what point is a boil a boil?

I start with boiling water

and then I add the egg only because it's faster.

You know, for me, I boil it first.

and then I

Hot water right in.

Yeah. Right in.

So I would say I disagree.

I agree because I feel like it helps me gauge the minutes.

Either way. You're gonna break some eggs.

I'm here for starting out with cold water

Take your cooking tips with a grain of salt.

Even two people who like, you know

arguably know how to cook, can like disagree.

Absolutely

About like the best way to do something.

But like, that's just part of the rich tapestry of life.

Right?

Be cognizant of where cooking tips are coming from

because potentially it could be a bad source.

They're like opinions, you know,

everyone's got 'em they're not all good.

You know?

[beep] that's really good man.

You know, you kind just take the ones at work,

you apply 'em and then if they're true

and they work then you tell your buddies,

and then you start the trend of your own tips.

Brush your shoulder off, you know what I'm saying?

[laughing]

Brush your shoulder off, they're learning.

Cooking tips with Brad and Harold, we agree.

I also think we should specify that Devon is literally

kneeling and like the same height as me

kneeling on the ground.

[laughing]

I was like, wait

why is it so easy to look into your eyeball

Like almost.

I'm quite low.

Quite down there.

[laughing]