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America's Test Kitchen 2001 Season 26 Episode 26
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00:37Today on America's Test Kitchen,
00:39Joe makes Bridget grilled flank steak.
00:42Dan explains why cooking some meat to medium makes them more tender.
00:47Adam reviews aluminum foil.
00:49And Maggie makes Julia chili crisp noodles.
00:53It's all coming up right here on America's Test Kitchen.
01:03A perfectly grilled flank steak is kind of like the unicorn of the cooking world.
01:09Pretty to look at, but it doesn't exist.
01:11Until today, Joe is here and he's going to show us how to master this steak on the grill.
01:16That's right.
01:17A thin steak like a flank steak is much more at risk of overcooking before the outside gets nice and
01:22charred.
01:22So there are a few tricks that we need to use so that the exterior can be beautifully browned and
01:27the interior is still pink and juicy.
01:29Okay.
01:30So I've got a beautiful one and a half pound flank steak here.
01:33So not only is it thin, but it's unevenly thin.
01:36Right.
01:37We're going to cut them into four individual steaks so that we can give each one the care that they
01:42need so that they can each be cooked as well as they possibly can.
01:45Okay.
01:46I love this cut.
01:47It's great for weeknight cooking.
01:48It's got great flavor.
01:50And it's a little bit cheaper than other prime cuts.
01:52I like that it has a little bit of chew to it as well.
01:55Exactly.
01:56All right.
01:56I'm just going to pat these steaks dry.
01:58I'm going to transfer it to a baking dish.
02:01And we're going to give it a dry brine.
02:05But first, I'm going to wash my hands.
02:07So I've got two and a half teaspoons here of kosher salt.
02:11Now, this is diamond crystal, which has got beautiful big crystals.
02:14You know, if you're using another brand like Morton's or an own supermarket brand, they're a little bit denser and
02:19you'll only use two teaspoons of salt.
02:20Now, to this, I'm going to add two and a half teaspoons of sugar.
02:23And it's not to add sweetness, but really to help with that browning because it's a thin steak.
02:27It's not going to spend as much time on the grill.
02:29Got it.
02:30We want quick caramelization.
02:31We want quick caramelization.
02:32So I'm just going to mix it together.
02:34And we're going to reserve a teaspoon of this for later.
02:37Now, this has been my meat hand.
02:39This has been my dry hand.
02:40Okay.
02:41So I'm going to season four steaks on one side with half of our mixture.
02:45And the other thing I like to do is I want to season from up high.
02:47That really helps get me an even distribution.
02:49So the two rules you want to follow, high and dry.
02:52So now I'm going to flip the steaks using my meat hand and then I can season them with the
02:57rest.
02:57I really want to make sure I have even amount of seasoning on both sides of the steak.
03:01Okay.
03:01This looks like a lot of salt at the moment, but it will really be absorbed into our steak.
03:05And that's why we're using our baking dish so that it can really capture any of the excess bits.
03:09Great.
03:10So now we're going to cover up our steaks and we're going to let it sit for an hour at
03:14room temperature
03:15so that the salt has enough time to diffuse into the center of the meat.
03:18So while it's resting, we can make a little steak rub.
03:21Very nice.
03:21So this is based off a Montreal steak rub.
03:23I've got a tablespoon here of minced fresh dill.
03:26And to that we're going to add half a teaspoon of paprika, half a teaspoon of pepper, half a teaspoon
03:33of that kosher salt,
03:35half a teaspoon of garlic powder, a quarter teaspoon of ground coriander, a quarter teaspoon of onion powder,
03:43and a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
03:45So we're actually going to make it a little bit better with some butter.
03:49Oh, it makes everything better.
03:49Exactly.
03:50The great thing about steak rub is that it's very quick.
03:53But the problem is, is that it can fall off the steak.
03:56So you end up losing a lot of that flavor.
03:58You can also find that the spices can burn.
04:00So here I'm just going to mash six tablespoons of unsalted butter into our spice mix.
04:05And we're going to really mash it together.
04:07And this is going to be a beautiful compound butter for serving our steaks with at the end.
04:12Lovely.
04:12And it looks like the butter was softened just a little bit, make it easier on you.
04:15Exactly.
04:15You really don't want to try this with butter straight from the fridge.
04:18No.
04:18Because otherwise that would be too much work.
04:19Compound butter is one of the easiest ways to dress up a plain old steak.
04:24You can keep them on hand.
04:25You can roll it up in a little tube, keep it in your freezer, do slices, whatever you want.
04:29Having that on hand is a great idea.
04:31All right.
04:31And we need to wait for our steaks to finish and we can head on out to the grill.
04:34Joe, I think you picked the perfect day for grilling.
04:36It's a beautiful day.
04:38You ready to grill?
04:38I sure am.
04:39Let's do it.
04:40So it's been an hour.
04:40And if you have a look, a little bit of the surface moisture has actually come to the top.
04:44A little glossy.
04:45Now normally we tell people to pat their steaks dry.
04:47We're not going to do that today.
04:49Okay.
04:49So it's actually going to help our salt-sugar mixture adhere to the steaks really nicely.
04:54And the sugar is going to give us that extra browning that we were worried about.
04:57Right.
04:57Because usually you have to pat it dry in order to ensure that it gets nice and browned on the
05:00outside.
05:01But the sugar is going to do the work for us.
05:02Exactly.
05:03The sugar is doing all of that work.
05:04And it's really not going to taste very sweet at all.
05:06And then I've got a teaspoon of pepper here and we're going to sprinkle it on both sides of the
05:10steak.
05:11And I'll flip them.
05:16And I'm going to add the salt and the pepper to the other side.
05:20And you're just doing this at the last second so it stays on the surface.
05:23Exactly.
05:23Yeah.
05:25Okay.
05:25Perfect.
05:26So we've had the grill preheating on high for 15 minutes.
05:30We want the grill as hot as possible.
05:32Okay.
05:32Now we're going to clean the grill first.
05:33The best time to clean the grill is when it's hot.
05:36Any residual food spurred onto the grates is it will come off so easily now that it's essentially just been
05:41turned to charcoal.
05:42Right.
05:43And now we just need to oil the grates.
05:46I'm just going to take my water paper towels, dip it in some vegetable oil, and we just run it
05:49over the grill grates.
05:51And you see it smoking immediately.
05:52It's going to season the grates so that they're extra slick and clean.
05:56Like a beloved cast iron skillet, it's just going to get better and better as it ages.
06:00Okay, now when I like my steaks on the grill, I really love a beautiful crosshatch on it.
06:05You know, it really tells you something that it's going to be a tasty steak.
06:09And in order to get that, you really need to think about the orientation of the steak as it goes
06:13on the grill grates.
06:15So if this is 12 o'clock, I position the steaks at 10 o'clock.
06:22And keeping track of where the steaks are means you can have really consistent, even grill marks.
06:29Now we're going to cook this covered for two minutes.
06:34And what we're going to do is we're going to keep on flipping the steak every two minutes until it's
06:38done.
06:38This will ensure that this exterior can get nice and brown before the interior overcooks.
06:43Got it.
06:43And we're cooking the steaks until they reach 125 to 130 degrees.
06:47So it's been two minutes, and we're going to flip the steaks.
06:51Again, I'm going to keep the steaks at the 10 o'clock position.
06:54We've already got that first line of crosshatch there.
06:58That is good color.
07:00But we know that we're not really close to being cooked yet, so we're going to cover up the grill
07:05and cook them for another two minutes.
07:06Okay.
07:07It's been another two minutes, and now we're going to flip, but we're actually going to turn now.
07:12So flip them over there, turn them to two o'clock.
07:16Flip, turn.
07:20Flip, turn.
07:22Flip, turn.
07:24Nice.
07:25We're going to cook them for another two minutes.
07:28Time for our next flip.
07:29Gorgeous.
07:30Can you see the crosshatch?
07:31Oh, yeah.
07:32Oh, look at that.
07:33Beautiful.
07:34All right.
07:34So this is about the time that you want to start checking the steak for their level of doneness.
07:38Oh, 128.
07:39We're pretty much there already.
07:41That's great.
07:41So let's take it off quickly.
07:43And let's check this one.
07:45128 as well.
07:46Wow, amazing.
07:50This one's a little lower because this was a thicker steak, so we're going to let this cook for a
07:53little bit longer.
07:56And that one needs a few more degrees as well.
07:57Okay.
07:58We're going to cover it, and let it go for another minute or so.
08:00All right, let's see how they're doing.
08:05There we go.
08:05128 as well.
08:07Perfect.
08:09And the last steak.
08:12125.
08:13Oh, gorgeous.
08:13Lovely.
08:14Let's take that off.
08:15That's mine.
08:16Now we're going to go back in, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then we can tuck in.
08:20All right.
08:21Are we close to eating?
08:22We are ready to eat.
08:23Our steaks are fully rested now.
08:25Great.
08:25So I'm going to cut these against the grain.
08:27Here you can really see there's long strands of sinew, and you really want to cut them against it.
08:32Right, so you don't get a stringy piece of chewy beef.
08:35Really beautiful pieces.
08:37Beautiful medium.
08:38And I'm going to cut it on the bias, which means I'm using my knife at an angle here.
08:42And this will help us give us much longer pieces.
08:45We've got this really juicy steak that we're ready to eat, I think.
08:48Let me serve you some.
08:50I always like to finish my steaks off with a little bit of flake sea salt.
08:54You get a little bit extra seasoning, and a little bit of crunch as well.
08:57And some of our Montreal steak butter.
08:59Yes, please.
09:00Okay.
09:01You really just want to rub it on top of the steak, and that way it'll start to really melt.
09:33Okay.
09:34Every two minutes.
09:36Joe's Steakhouse.
09:36I can see it right now.
09:37We could do it.
09:38You could definitely do it.
09:39So thank you so much for showing us this easy recipe.
09:42Really appreciate it.
09:43If you'd like to make this great steak at home, it starts by cutting a flank steak into four
09:48pieces and seasoning with salt and a little sugar.
09:51Make a flavorful butter seasoned with dill, paprika, and other spices.
09:55And flip the steaks on the grill every two minutes to build a crust and cook them evenly.
10:00So from America's Test Kitchen, grilled flank steak with Montreal steak butter.
10:08Gorgeous.
10:12Gorgeous.
10:15We recently did a blind tasting of flank steak cooked to both medium-rare and medium.
10:20We had a unanimous winner.
10:22But the results may surprise you.
10:24The flank steak cooked to medium ranked as more tender.
10:27Why would a more cooked flank steak be more tender?
10:30I'll show you with spaghetti and gelatin.
10:32We've created a model of those steaks using spaghetti as the muscle fibers and gelatin
10:37as the fluid surrounding those fibers.
10:40When steaks are raw, liquid surrounds the muscle fibers.
10:43But during cooking, that liquid gels and firms up, holding the muscle fibers more firmly in place.
10:48This one represents medium-rare, and it is softer to the touch.
10:52This one represents medium, and it's firmer.
10:55Watch what happens when I drag a butter knife through both.
10:59We see that in the medium-rare sample, the fibers simply bend and flow.
11:03This translates to chewy meat.
11:06But in the medium sample, the firmer gel holds the fibers in place so that the knife can cut right
11:11through.
11:12And that is tenderness.
11:14The butter knife represents not only your knife at the table, but more importantly, your teeth.
11:18And that's why we cook certain cuts of meat, like flank, skirt, and hanger, to a higher temperature than others.
11:29Aluminum foil is essential in the kitchen.
11:32And today, Adam's here to tell us if brand and style really matter.
11:35We use aluminum foil for so many different tasks in the kitchen, Julia.
11:39Not the least of which is one of our favorite baking techniques,
11:41which is the foil sling for brownies, blondies, bar cookies.
11:46Let's lift them right out of the pan.
11:48You know, we went into this testing of foils with two basic questions.
11:51Number one, does the brand matter?
11:53Number two, does regular foil versus heavy-duty foil matter?
11:58We tested nine different foils.
12:00The prices were between $0.04 and $0.29 a square foot.
12:05We've learned the type of cutter makes a big difference.
12:08I want you to try cutting a piece from the Reynolds Wrap there.
12:12Okay.
12:13Nice, easy, neat.
12:15That's because the Reynolds Wrap has a metal serrated cutter,
12:19which just allows for nice, even tears in one fell swoop.
12:23Now, why don't you try that cardboard box there?
12:31Well, no.
12:32This one has a cardboard cutter.
12:35Comparatively, kind of useless.
12:37Doesn't tear evenly.
12:38Makes it harder to get the size that you want.
12:40So, we definitely prefer the boxes that have the metal serrated cutters.
12:43They can be sharp.
12:44If you just chuck it into a kitchen drawer and leave the teeth exposed,
12:48they could be a little dangerous.
12:50So, testers preferred boxes that had a nice, thick cardboard lid
12:54that you could tuck over the cutter, get it out of the way,
12:58and keep your hands safe.
12:59So, all of these brands make a heavy-duty foil in addition to their standard foil.
13:05We measured the thickness with a micrometer at MIT of the ones that were in our lineup.
13:11They're about 38% thicker than standard foil on average.
13:15They're also 30% to 50% more expensive.
13:18Oh, wow.
13:19And in our most basic test, lining the sheet pan, covering vegetables,
13:24heavy-duty really didn't make much of a difference.
13:26The only test where it did prove helpful was making the pouches of the wood chips
13:31because they're jagged, they're pointy, they can poke right through.
13:35However, testers also found that they could just use a double sheet of regular foil
13:39and mimic the strength of the heavy-duty foil.
13:42And, in fact, we used a texture analyzer to evaluate the strength of that single sheet of heavy-duty
13:48versus the double sheet of standard foil.
13:50And the double sheet of standard foil ended up being a little stronger.
13:54Interesting.
13:55So, the conclusion there is the heavy-duty is more expensive.
13:58You're not going to use it all the time because it doesn't make a difference all the time.
14:01For those occasional times where you need a little extra strength,
14:05you might as well just double up on the regular stuff and save that money in the long run.
14:09It was a fairly similar conclusion with brands.
14:12Across the lineup, all the brands performed pretty equitably.
14:16So, what we're going for are the least expensive options.
14:20Okay.
14:21One of them is Reynolds Wrap.
14:23This one is Reynolds Wrap Standard Aluminum Foil.
14:25It's about $0.07 per square foot.
14:27The other one is $3.65 by Whole Foods Aluminum Foil.
14:31This one is about $0.06 per square foot.
14:34Then we have this guy here.
14:35This is the Kirkland Signature Reynolds Food Service Foil.
14:38It was $0.04 per square foot.
14:40You can see that the box is not small.
14:43It's a workout.
14:45Actually, I don't even think this would fit in the drawer where I keep all my wraps.
14:49That's a heavy box.
14:50It's a heavy box and it's a big box.
14:51And you're absolutely right.
14:52You're not going to chuck that into any old kitchen drawer.
14:55So, it's the best bulk option at $0.04 a square foot if you have space on a counter or
15:00a shelf or in a pantry or something like that.
15:02Okay.
15:03Wow.
15:03So, there you have it.
15:04Don't waste money on heavy-duty foil, but be sure to look for a box that has a metal cutter.
15:08Don't waste money on heavy-duty foil, but be sure to check it out.
15:14Chili Crisp is everywhere these days, and with good reason.
15:19It has a rich, deep, spicy flavor that pairs with any number of things.
15:23And today, Maggie's going to show us her recipe for Chili Crisp Noodles.
15:26So, today, we're going to make Chili Crisp Noodles, which is inspired from Sichuan Dan Dan Mian, or Dan Dan
15:32Noodles, but with a much simplified process.
15:34So, we're going to start with half a teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn.
15:37I'm going to grind them in a mortar and pestle.
15:42Sichuan peppercorns not only add flavor, but they add a little bit of tingle to the tongue.
15:46Yes.
15:47Tingling, zesty, a little bit citrusy, too.
15:49Mm-hmm.
15:49When you're shopping for Sichuan peppercorn, look for this red, red-colored ones, which are much fresher with a better
15:56taste.
15:56Okay.
15:57So, I'm going to transfer these into a large mixing bowl.
16:03So, here, we're going to add a third of a cup unsweetened natural peanut butter.
16:08Okay.
16:09One-third of a cup of soy sauce, three tablespoon of Chinese black vinegar, a little bit similar to malt
16:15vinegar, but it's, like, stronger.
16:18Quarter cup of chili crisp, the star of the show.
16:21You can buy it in the supermarket.
16:23Do you have something you look for when you're buying chili crisp?
16:25Yes.
16:25I like to buy the ones with garlic, onion, to add the crunch, but with salt, fermented black beans, because
16:31that will make the sauce pretty salty.
16:33Okay.
16:33Yeah.
16:34We also have a recipe for chili crisp on our website.
16:36Oh, I love that one.
16:37Yeah.
16:37And then, we're going to add two tablespoons of sugar into the bowl.
16:41Check the sauce consistency.
16:42It should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, but not too thick.
16:46You can always dilute it with water, maybe one to two tablespoons at a time, to thin it up.
16:52Looks good.
16:53So, now we're going to move everything here to add some aromatics.
16:58Okay.
16:58So, I'm going to grate two cloves of garlic.
17:01Mm-hmm.
17:01In Chinese cooking, there's really a lot of fresh aromatics, ginger, scallion, and garlic.
17:07We always use those to add really nice umami to the dish.
17:10Two cloves of garlic, and then let's grate some ginger.
17:13Mm-hmm.
17:14So, we're grating one teaspoon of ginger into the sauce.
17:18Okay.
17:20That was easy.
17:21So, I'm going to mix this again, and we're done.
17:25Okay.
17:25So, that's the sauce.
17:26Yep.
17:27So, now I'm going to cut two scallions, and here I'm going to divide the white and greens.
17:33Mm-hmm.
17:34The green parts are almost like a delicate herb, and you add them towards the end, whereas
17:38the white parts, I think of them more like an onion, and you can cook them a little bit.
17:41Yep.
17:42So, we're slicing the white and green parts separately into thin slices, and keeping them separately.
17:48Gotcha.
17:49So, we're going to use one pound of baby bok choy.
17:52I like to cut the white part and the green part slightly different, so they cook more evenly.
17:57So, I want to slice the white part thinly.
18:01Mm-hmm.
18:04And then, because the green cooks really fast, and they shrink a lot, so I keep them in slightly
18:09bigger pieces.
18:10Gotcha.
18:11So, now we've cut one pound of baby bok choy, we are going to wash them separately.
18:17Here, let me put this in the sink for you.
18:20It's got a lot of grit in the white part.
18:22Yes.
18:23And it's always better to wash it after you prep it, because that water really can get in
18:27there and get rid of the grit.
18:28Yeah.
18:28I like to use my fingers to just gently rub it, because sometimes they actually kind
18:33of stick to it.
18:34Yep.
18:34Kind of like...
18:35That's exactly what I do.
18:39Let's get rid of as much liquid as you can, because we're going to stir fry it so it doesn't
18:44end up with a soggy dish.
18:45Gotcha.
18:47So, now we've got this bok choy dried.
18:50We're going to transfer them into the bowl.
18:52So, now we're going to repeat what we have done with the green part.
18:56Makes sense.
18:57Yep.
18:58So, now we're going to cook the noodles.
19:01We have four quart of hot water boiling here.
19:04I'm going to add one pound of fresh wheat noodles that are one-eighth inch thick.
19:09This is our preferred noodles for the chewy texture.
19:11But if you kind of find the fresh ones, any dried noodles, spaghetti, you know, almost any
19:16type of noodles will work in this dish.
19:18I see you're pulling apart the noodles as you add them.
19:20Yeah.
19:20So, they are sticky.
19:21Okay.
19:21Just want to really separate them.
19:25So, now let's stir this up a little bit.
19:28And these noodles cook pretty quickly.
19:30Yeah.
19:30It's like about three to five minutes.
19:32Okay.
19:32So, now we're going to reduce the heat so it keeps a gentle simmer.
19:36So, you want to cook until the noodles are tender, but they have like a kind of like chewy inside.
19:42Yep.
19:42So, it's almost like opaque with a little dot inside.
19:45So, how do you test for donuts yourself?
19:47I think the best way is just you taste it.
19:48Yeah, I agree.
19:49Yeah.
19:49So, let's taste some noodles and be careful it's hot.
19:53Mm-hmm.
19:57Perfect.
19:58All right.
19:59So, now we're going to turn off the heat and I'm going to drain and rinse the noodles.
20:06So, now you want to use cold runny tap water to stop cooking.
20:10Okay.
20:11Yeah.
20:12Just rinse off the starch.
20:14Otherwise, your noodle will really stick together when you're mixing with the sauce.
20:18All right.
20:18All right.
20:19Rinsing to stop the cooking and help prevent them from sticking together a little bit.
20:24So, now we've finished cooking the noodles, we're going to cook the pork topping.
20:28Okay.
20:29Yeah.
20:29So, here I have one tablespoon of vegetable oil.
20:33We're going to turn on medium high heat to heat up the oil until it's shimmering.
20:37The oil is shimmering.
20:38We're going to add eight ounces of ground pork.
20:40Chopping the pork into smaller pieces and brown them until they're fully cooked and into small pieces.
20:46The pork cooked for about five to seven minutes.
20:49You can see that it's nicely browned.
20:50Mm-hmm.
20:51So, let's add the bok chui white part and then the scallion white.
20:56Okay.
20:57I want to cook them for one minute.
20:59They kind of just steam everything and cook really, really fast.
21:03So, you don't want to overcook the vegetables so they become, like, really soggy.
21:06So, now we're going to add two tablespoons of xiaoxing wine.
21:10Okay.
21:12And two tablespoons of soda sauce.
21:15And half a teaspoon of sugar.
21:18So, we're going to mix everything together.
21:21Now, we're going to add the bok chui greens.
21:26We're going to cook for another minute because the grain cooks really, really fast.
21:30Mm-hmm.
21:30Yeah.
21:31You want to maintain your heat.
21:33You want to keep the vegetable crispy.
21:35Gotcha.
21:35Yeah.
21:36It's really pretty.
21:37It is really pretty.
21:38Yeah.
21:39So, now I'm going to turn off the heat, stop cooking, and transfer everything into a big bowl.
21:43So, now we have cooked the topping.
21:45Let's go check on the noodles.
21:46Okay.
21:47Now, we can see that the noodle has been sitting for a while.
21:50It's going to be very hard to toss.
21:52We're going to rinse with water again.
21:53Mm-hmm.
21:54But this time, we can actually rinse with warm water.
21:57Let's just rinse it real quick and just a little quick rinse.
22:03Drain it really well.
22:04And then I'm going to transfer this noodles into the mixing bowl.
22:10So, here is the three-quarter cup of the sauce we just made.
22:13Okay.
22:14So, we're going to add the sauce here.
22:16Toss everything together.
22:19So, now we're going to put them into each individual serving bowl.
22:23Add some toppings.
22:24Yum.
22:25I really love the color.
22:26Yeah.
22:27And here we have the reserved scallion green part.
22:30So, I'm adding some extra sauce.
22:32Mm-hmm.
22:33Yes, please.
22:33To the plate.
22:33And then we'll have some chili crisp.
22:36Mm-hmm.
22:37That is a really beautiful bowl of noodles.
22:39I think so.
22:41Mm.
22:48Mm.
22:48Mm-hmm.
22:51Maggie, that sauce is delicious.
22:53Spicy, but it's rich and it's round.
22:56Not too spicy.
22:57You have the depth of flavor from the vinegar.
22:59It's nutty.
23:01Yeah.
23:01Savory.
23:02But, you know, there is also enough, like, sweetness and tanginess to balance out the spicy and the salt.
23:08And the pork and bok choy topping has such a clean flavor.
23:12Maggie, this is fantastic.
23:14Thank you for showing me how to make it.
23:15I'm so glad you like it.
23:16You want to make Maggie's really simple but flavorful recipe.
23:20Grind Szechuan peppercorns and combine with peanut butter, Chinese black vinegar, and chili crisp to make a sauce.
23:27Saute pork, bok choy, and scallions together in a skillet.
23:31Then reheat the cooked noodles with warm water before tossing it all together.
23:34From America's Test Kitchen, Maggie's fabulous recipe for chili crisp noodles.
23:40You can find this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with our product reviews and select episodes
23:46at our website, americastestkitchen.com slash TV.
23:52I love how quick this was.
23:54This is less than half an hour, and it has so much flavor.
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