Thanks again to Bright Cellars for sponsoring this video and for the limited-time offer! Click here bit.ly/BrightCellarsChlebowski5 to get up to $100 off your first 4 boxes Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what deep dives you want me to do next ⤵
You mentioned there's not much you can do with a whole chicken. You can actually. Spatchcock the chicken to make it more even before roasting in the oven.
bro i love your videos and i get that most of your viewers are from the USA but please also add Celsius, like over 90% of the world uses Celcius...please
Hi ethan I love your videos but to take these results into account you should at least double your experimental data. Basically, if you do just 1 breast at 155 and then one at 165 and then try to draw a conclusion from that, you don't know if something weird happened to change one of the breasts to give you wonky data. At the very least do 2 breasts at 155 and 2 breasts at 165 (for example, but this applies to any experiment, such as quality of tomatos from different brands). The idea is if both the 155 breasts have basically the same results, you can be a lot more confident than just doing a single one that you have a good representation of a typical 155 breast. Or if you make two sauces with 2 cans of Cento tomatos, and they taste the same, you can be much more confident that it is the typical taste of a cento tomato sauce. This is a pet peev I have with most of the cooking channels that are always doing experiments. You could really elevate the quality of your results and the confidence over the community if you did this!
Over my past year or so of diving into cooking YT, I've mainly gravitated towards Ethan and Kenji's channels because their approach feels the most creative and fun to me. Both teach you that "why" about each of the ingredients/pieces of equipment/techniques (Kenji's channel by talking through the various tests he did to initially create the recipe and then how he's changing it/how you could change it/why that works, Ethan's channel + Kenji's first book for deeper dives and serious testing on ingredients and more), and both have completely changed how I look at recipes - with that added knowledge, it becomes much easier to see "Ah yes, this base recipe would fit into this category, which means it'll probably include these base ingredients in roughly these amounts, lets see what they changed/added/removed and if I want to do the same or go off book here." Like I said above, approaching cooking with that more foundational understanding rather than just rote memorization and acceptance of recipes ends up being a much more creative and enjoyable process!
Tell someone WHAT to do and they'll probably forget it. Tell them WHY it's done that way and they're far more likely to remember. Excellent video. Love your channel.
I really love these food science videos. Its far more interesting and informational than most cooking videos and provides clear reasoning behind methodology.
Unfortunately he doesn't get enough credit for them, cause of the stupid tiktok videos era. People would rather watch one hundred 20-second-videos with colorful recipes they will never make than watch the whole process with explanation, to be able to actually cook by yourself instead of blindly following the recipe all the time
These types of videos are where Ethan shines (the most). And really he's just gotten better since I started watching 2-3 years ago. Awesome video, Ethan.
I appreciate the facts and professionalism, but there's no overlooking the fact he spent 22 minutes to tell us "flatten out your chicken breast". Just another unfortunate side-effect of the monetization of YT. In the good ole days a cooking Joe WOULD make a 2 minute vid that delivers the same info you need.
@@nahor88 At the 2 minute mark, he gives the summary of what his conclusion is, step 1 is thin the breast. You could have ended it right there and had your 2 minute cooking Joe video.
I am a cooking noob, always been intimidated by cooking chicken due to potential illness, and absolutely hate it when overcooked. This vid gave me the confidence to attempt chicken for the first time, and it turned out amazing! Thank you for explaining the science behind it so well!
I like this man so much. He doesn’t waste time. He doesn’t just dole out recipes. He helps you understand the why. Thank you. I’ve been the home cook for 15 years. And I’ll be honest. I can nail so many things. But chicken still gets me sometimes!!
THANK YOU. I'm an engineer, I love science and understanding why we do things the way we do. I've never been into cooking, I always thought mindlessly following recipes had nothing exciting. But with these explanations, I'm actually getting passionate about it and excited to learn more! Please keep making these videos, they are awesome!
I'm a food scientist who specialized in chicken cooking and processing at a manufacturing level. I've been trying to tell people time and holding temperature for years to control micros!!!
As an engineer by education, food science makes cooking so much more fun and interesting... and with better results! This channel has been consistently so good to promote these ideas, really well done sir!
Can you go over flattening methods and compare them? I usually smack it with a hammer until flattened, but I would love to see how exactly you cut them flat and compare it to hammering it, butterflying, etc.
i was thinking the same thing. i usually just cover the breasts with some wax paper and slam them with my open palm on a cutting board. works pretty well and is super quick and easy
Best method I have found is sticking them in a plastic bag with a tiny bit of oil, then pounding with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until the thickness is even (ensuring an even cook).
This was by far the best chicken breast video I’ve seen and I’ve been watching videos for making chicken breasts for a while because I suck at it. It was so good my 2 year old was stealing pieces of chicken from my plate! Thank you Ethan! I put some salt on the breasts and then used a rub of equal parts Italian, paprika, onion and garlic powder.
Your quality of script writing and delivery has improved SO MUCH. This video obviously took a lot of thought and effort, and it was so worth it. I'll be referencing this video for ages to come.
This video hit me in all the right ways that the Project Farm channel hits me. Answers the questions that I couldn't bring into words when cooking stuff and it not turning out the way it was shown. I was thinking to myself that I think there's a nation-wide shortage on home economics classes. So many people I know are scared to cook or its too much effort. The amount of times I spent 2-4 hours just cooking and cleaning from cooking rice and chicken cause I didn't want anything to be contaminated and was lost in analysis paralysis. This is it. This style of videos will help countless people make healthier choices with more confidence. Thank you so much!
Oh, he's aware of Ethan, and makes mention of him and his channel frequently. This is the first I've heard Ethan mention Kenji, but more likely, I've just missed it.....
@@kathya739 I probably just have missed it in Kanji's videos, he's always mentioning channels and I have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to names.
I can’t believe how much of a difference this technique made. I cooked a chicken breast for my daughter (just salt because she is fussy), it was amazing.
I've said this before and hopefully Ethan takes it as a high compliment. He is Alton Brown 2.0. I really learn a lot from his channel. I wish him all the same success and know I'll be a better home cook from his content. Now I have to run out and get some chicken breast. I've been taking the easy path with chicken thighs. 😁
Between Ethan, Adam, and Kenji, there are so many great informational food science/ home cooking videos on youtube. Alton would be proud. It's better than Food Network at this point.
Dude u nailed it. This is a wealth of knowledge and very plain to see and understand. Anyone should be able to apply this to cooking. You make the other youtubers look like amateurs.
I naturally gravitate to the "yum-yum" tasty-looking cooking videos on youtube, yet I can't help landing on Ethan's food science type videos. Massively useful and educational. Low GI video's! Love 'em
This might be one of the best pieces of cooking content that I've watched in my life. All of that information actually stuck with me and I implemented it immediately. I know this will stay with me for the rest of my life so thanks again Ethan.
This is so accurate and I love it. I never cook my chicken to 165, I, too, pull at 155 because of the safety with time holding. Many people think I'm crazy for doing it, but it truly is safe. Thank you for sharing this!
This is it. Finally a video that confirms or resolves all my doubts and questions. This has to be stored as one of the best cooking videos of all time.
That 7-Log reduction table with the times and temperatures was incredibly helpful and eye opening! I've been doing chicken sous vide to 150° F based on recommendations of others, but never really understood why that was still safe - now it all makes sense! Can really do some more experimenting from here and hone in on my own perfect chicken breast. Thanks Ethan!
The easiest way to think of it is like a hot tub, right? We get in a hot tub at 104 degrees (which is the max recommended temperature by all manufacturers), that's almost a full six degrees above our internal body temperature. The longer we sit in that hot tub, the more discomfort we feel. In fact, sitting in it long enough will make us sick, dehydrate us, or even kill us (in super extreme cases). Organisms are very sensitive to temperature. Another prime example is asian bees vs the asian giant hornet (murder hornet). They fend off the hornets by swarming them and flapping their wings to increase the temperature. By doing this they increase the temperature to 115 degrees, thus killing the hornet, because they can survive temperatures up to a few degrees higher.
Thanks for the science on cooking a perfect chicken breast! For YEARS i've avoided grilling chicken because it's always been dry, but I never realized why. Today I bought a meat thermometer and eager to grill this weekend! 😎
In your follow up video with salt, would be interested to see you tackle baking soda too! In the latest "What's Eating Dan" from America's Test Kitchen he talks about the way it raises the pH of the meat's surface so that it doesn't squeeze out so much moisture.
Absolutely loving your food science videos! Everything is so well explained, despite being so detailed/in-depth. You still keep it entertaining, but even more importantly, I learn things that I can immediately apply to improve my home cooking. Fantastic job!
Ethan! Thanks for subjecting yourself to so much chicken breast! I can get people not being into the deep dives but I'm a big fan - the TLDR early in seems like a good compromise to me, with food science buffs able to keep going for the variable breakdowns. Thank you!
@@Dad_Lyon Nah, despite the manager-demanding name I prefer to let people know what they do well, someone else will be plenty mean and point out flaws. Attract more flues with sugar than spice, after all :P
I would watch this on the Discovery Channel or Food Network. Who else can imagine Ethan on TV hosting a show like this? 💁🏻♀️ I appreciate the effort in this video!!
The video we've all been waiting for! It didn't disappoint. I've seen recommendations for years to cook to 155 and never did out of fear. Your explanation in this video has changed that for me. I'm excited to go to the store and buy some breasts to practice on!
Your use of visual aids is unmatched. This channel is like that old school foodtv show my mama used to watch where the smart guy with the glasses would pop up and give you all kinds of great info. This channel might be better
Impeccable timing! Just last night I was making chicken and was sick of dousing it in BBQ for moisture. So glad I found this video and really look forward to making good quality chicken in the future. Thank you millions!
This video could not come at a better time for me. I'm planning on making gourmet grilled chicken sandwiches tonight, and definitely going to use the learnings here!
absolutely loving this video. i love how you explain cooking because there are a lot of parallels to my own work. "okay, here is the problem we want to solve, and here are the variables we can manipulate, now-what do we want to do?"
Thank you once again Ethan! Making videos on home cooking basic is so helpful. I cook chicken 4-5 times a week and I have been experimenting on acheive the "perfect" chicken.
This helps explain why I generally dislike roast chicken! It tends to come out dry, because people cook it too hot and fast, instead of low and slow. Thanks for a great vid!
Velveting (bicarb soda), salt, and sous vide seperately and also combined in different ways would be an awesome comparison too beyond just simple cooking to see the difference in moisture retention 😅
It’s pretty much a lost cause to point this out these days, but using baking soda is not “velveting”. Velveting is a technique that has nothing to do with baking soda. It’s not an intrinsic part of velveting. The use of baking soda has taken off the last few years, but velveting as a technique is far older than that.
@@annchovy6 I mean it's the difference of what is meant when the term "velveting" is used I guess because it's changed over the years and both uses are "correct". Nowadays it's usually referencing the chemical interaction between baking soda and the proteins to "soften" the meat which is a really potent and easy thing. The traditional egg white / starch is dropping off because it also creates a very specific slippery texture outside the meat which is usually only okay for stir fry
@@tomrowe2181 it isn’t though. Velveting as a technique still has nothing to do with baking soda. The definition hasn’t changed just because people unfamiliar with Chinese cooking keep using the term incorrectly. People like Kenji aren’t calling use of baking soda “velveting” btw, because it’s not. I personally despise the baking soda because it’s clearly discernible and unpleasant. Baking soda is fine on shrimp to make them snappier, and at best a very tiny amount is ok on beef (smaller than what most people acting like it’s an essential cooking technique are calling for), but it’s definitely noticeable. The reason Americans are unwilling to use egg white has more to do with not wanting to call for people to use only part of the egg and be left with a yolk. That and usually use of egg white is followed by passing through the oil, which people refuse to do. But even the egg white isn’t necessary to produce tender meat for stir-fries.
A lot of work has gone into this video and it clearly shows! Thank you Ethan for taking the time to explain all this. It really helps! I wish I could like the video twice
Finally someone that explains the FDA guidelines about cooking meat. I first learned about this many years ago in a cooking science book and looked up the table. I can't believe I haven't seen more people cover/explain this.
There's a lot of very good information here, thank you! Only thing to add is that cooking meats does a third thing, it increases it's digestibility letting us extract more calories from the food.
Hello Ethan! Great video. Although this made me question how exactly would pounding the chicken breast affect water retention, as you are damaging the muscle fibers and structure, compared to shallow cuts? Would love to see a video exploring that.
Once again Ethan nails it, similar to what I've done for years for chicken. The back science of your vids though is what makes this channel so f,n cool and good!
Brilliant layout of the science, the cause and effects from base principles, and then examples of what this all means practically in the kitchen. Absolutely phenomenal work Ethan! Keep it up!
I'm loving these videos. I've been binging all of them since I subscribed a few days ago. This is one of the best food science channels on UA-cam. It's been a joy to watch.
Dude. As a chef in real life and someone considering starting a UA-cam channel this video is incredibly well thought out. I watched your teaser and couldn't wait for this. Thanks for adding to my own knowledge especially about 7 log reduction.
How about showing the best way (or just different ways) of thinning out the breast? Is it better to pound them flat or slicing them? And for slicing, what's the best way?
Good video describing the causality. If you are not in a rush and got a sous vide at home then set your sous vide to 145-165 depends on your preference. Crust your chicken at the highest temperature you can do (I grill it over hot charcoal) then let it cool and move them to sous vide bag and cook it sous vide for 1hour for breast to 4-6 hours for tigh and leg for a falling of the bone consistency. If you have an air tight dish then you can do it in your oven too. I use oven when we have guests. Huli Huli chicken becomes irresistibly good with this technique.
I like that one side-effect of thinning is quicker cooking times, and for someone who really enjoys making single pan dishes with veggies and meat, this makes so much of a difference to me.
This truly was very helpful. But for future videos, I would love to know, not only about brining, but what about marinating in buttermilk or yogurt? I use buttermilk or yogurt with spices every time, and even with the chicken thicker, it comes out incredibly moist and juicy.
Wow! This video got me hooked all the way till the end! Such elaborate, well organized and sound cooking experiments! You're a Food Scientist Ethan! Thank you for putting the results of your kitchen experiments out for us to learn from!
Love your content. Love that you explain why and how vs “here is a recipe”. The technique and science info is helpful because I apply it when I am experimenting and improvising in the kitchen. My food tastes better already. Thanks a lot!!
Ethan, thank you so much for the effort you put into this! I have always prided myself on my ability to cook delicious chicken breast, but after watching this video, I just made the best serving ever. Simple and fast. You have earned a sub and you definitely deserve more attention for this!
This is great. I have been doing a lot of chicken breast recently. I pound it flat, dry brine, pan sear, make a pan sauce and poach it to 155 with the lid on. Pull the chicken and let it rest while the sauce reduces. My favourite sauce has been just some orange juice, grated ginger and honey
These science deep dives are some of my favorite content of yours. Can't wait to see what you do next! If I can make a request, I'd love to see your take on fish filets - skin on/off, different kinds, keeping them moist.
You answer so many questions I and so many others have about cooking. Thank you for doing this. I know there's a financial side to it all but you could do other things with your time for money. There was a lot of hard work involved in this channel and we certainly appreciate the hell out of you for doing it.
That was awesome, thanks for sharing! Under the "worth it" video category, I'd love to see homemade vs. certain convenience items - for example, should the home cook make their own curry paste, or just go out and buy one? Is it really worthwhile to make your own tortillas?
Thank you for this Ethan! This was always racking my brain. I hope the salt portion comes soon. The whole time I was watching this video, salt was running through my mind.
I love these episodes. They remind me a bit of Alton Browns old tv show, and I absolutely loved the science based cooking aspect. Keep ‘em coming, and I’ll keep watching, liking and commenting!
I confess, I’m usually reluctant to leave likes and comments to UA-camrs because I know they’re monetizing their videos and rely on these responses from viewers. With you though, not only is the the quality and effort in not only your camera work, video editing, and overall knowledge MORE than deserving of paid services, but you are INCREDIBLE as an instructor. Some people can be knowledgeable, those same people don’t necessarily know how to teach in a way that is concise, effective, INTERESTING, and simplifying. Everyone has been subjected to intelligent, but terrible teachers. I hope you know you are greatly appreciated!
Unless it's a bad channel or video, why wouldn't you help people who's content you are enjoying for free? Do you work for free? Imagine someone telling you they won't pay you for your time.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Uniform 155F is target. Thick breast will not heat uniformly. 1. thin out breast by cutting (add salt) 2. preheat and oil pan to 300- 330F 3. 2 minutes on first side, flip 4. 6 minutes on second side, flip again 5. heat center to 155F, about 45 seconds, remove.
Ethan - can you please make sure to always add centigrade whenever you say temperature. It is better one person adds it than many converting back and forth.
Most of the burger patties I make are composed of plain 80 20 ground beef, salt and pepper. Yesterday my friend cooked for me and he made some juicy burger patties that just had a superior taste and texture in my opinion, with a thick crust (of course I'm talking about 3/4inch-thick burgers, not smash burgers). When I asked him what else did he put into those other than what I already use, he told me that he added some sugar and a little starch. I was truly shocked and it would be really interesting to see what different ingredients like sugar or starch affect a burger patty.
That’s how stir fried meats stay juicy despite being way overcooked in terms of temperature. Bit of starch to protect the meat from overcooking and locking in moisture, and a bit of sugar to increase the browning.
Sugar would allow for better browning but likely doesnt contribute much unless theres a decent amount of sugar. Starch mixed into the meat would absorb and retain moisture though leading to a juicier burger. Same as adding bread crumbs in meatballs or oats in meatloaf, its not just filler unless its overused.
This video did change my fitness journey! I used to avoid chicken breast but now I’m actually able to properly enjoy chicken breast to the extent that people ask me for instructions. Thanks boss!
For years, I just used the flat side of a meat tenderizer to even out the thickness of the chicken breasts, then seasoned with seasoning salt and black pepper, then grilled. Came out great nearly every time. Recently I started doing an overnight salted water brine and then flatten/season (with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper since the brine provides plenty of salt) and grill. This new (to me) method has proved to make what was already great chicken even better. In both situations, I always do 2 big packs (from Sam's Club/Costco/Safeway) at a time so I can make a bunch all at once, slice them into strips, and freeze in 1lb increments. So even with the longer method, it is worth the time and effort for a bunch of excellent chicken ready to go.
I'd really like to see this experiment done with sous vide -- using the equilibrium method (setting the water to the desired IT). It'll take the whole gradient thing out of the equation. Plus sous viding a chicken breast with salt can have some really interesting effects -- I did chicken breast with slightly too much salt at a low temperature for a long time and the result was almost like deli ham or recombined meat. Not dry but not great, still super neat stuff though. I bet it would be ideal sliced for cold sandwiches
The most important thing is that with cooking we improve digestibility... Cooking/heat breaks down complex carbohydrates etc. Thanks for the interesting video!
Thanks again to Bright Cellars for sponsoring this video and for the limited-time offer! Click here bit.ly/BrightCellarsChlebowski5 to get up to $100 off your first 4 boxes
Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what deep dives you want me to do next ⤵
I love when Ethan breaks it down... 🧐
You mentioned there's not much you can do with a whole chicken. You can actually. Spatchcock the chicken to make it more even before roasting in the oven.
bro i love your videos and i get that most of your viewers are from the USA but please also add Celsius, like over 90% of the world uses Celcius...please
How about a dive into how to get the optimal mallard crust
Hi ethan I love your videos but to take these results into account you should at least double your experimental data. Basically, if you do just 1 breast at 155 and then one at 165 and then try to draw a conclusion from that, you don't know if something weird happened to change one of the breasts to give you wonky data. At the very least do 2 breasts at 155 and 2 breasts at 165 (for example, but this applies to any experiment, such as quality of tomatos from different brands). The idea is if both the 155 breasts have basically the same results, you can be a lot more confident than just doing a single one that you have a good representation of a typical 155 breast. Or if you make two sauces with 2 cans of Cento tomatos, and they taste the same, you can be much more confident that it is the typical taste of a cento tomato sauce. This is a pet peev I have with most of the cooking channels that are always doing experiments. You could really elevate the quality of your results and the confidence over the community if you did this!
This channel is a gem for all the home cooks. Teaching the “why” instead of just recipe videos.
Over my past year or so of diving into cooking YT, I've mainly gravitated towards Ethan and Kenji's channels because their approach feels the most creative and fun to me. Both teach you that "why" about each of the ingredients/pieces of equipment/techniques (Kenji's channel by talking through the various tests he did to initially create the recipe and then how he's changing it/how you could change it/why that works, Ethan's channel + Kenji's first book for deeper dives and serious testing on ingredients and more), and both have completely changed how I look at recipes - with that added knowledge, it becomes much easier to see "Ah yes, this base recipe would fit into this category, which means it'll probably include these base ingredients in roughly these amounts, lets see what they changed/added/removed and if I want to do the same or go off book here."
Like I said above, approaching cooking with that more foundational understanding rather than just rote memorization and acceptance of recipes ends up being a much more creative and enjoyable process!
He’s the modern Alton Brown
Ethan's style is great. Would love if he said Celsius too though 🤣
@@pinkLeopard580 Nailed it!
Agreed!
Tell someone WHAT to do and they'll probably forget it. Tell them WHY it's done that way and they're far more likely to remember. Excellent video. Love your channel.
I really love these food science videos. Its far more interesting and informational than most cooking videos and provides clear reasoning behind methodology.
Unfortunately he doesn't get enough credit for them, cause of the stupid tiktok videos era. People would rather watch one hundred 20-second-videos with colorful recipes they will never make than watch the whole process with explanation, to be able to actually cook by yourself instead of blindly following the recipe all the time
@@bryleciel 🙌👏🙌
These types of videos are where Ethan shines (the most). And really he's just gotten better since I started watching 2-3 years ago. Awesome video, Ethan.
I appreciate the facts and professionalism, but there's no overlooking the fact he spent 22 minutes to tell us "flatten out your chicken breast".
Just another unfortunate side-effect of the monetization of YT. In the good ole days a cooking Joe WOULD make a 2 minute vid that delivers the same info you need.
@@nahor88 It's true. But I also often watch videos at 1.5-2x speed.
@@nahor88 I mean that's kind of the whole point of the video - not just giving the advice but explaining why.
@@nahor88 At the 2 minute mark, he gives the summary of what his conclusion is, step 1 is thin the breast. You could have ended it right there and had your 2 minute cooking Joe video.
@@nahor88he said it at 2m
I am a cooking noob, always been intimidated by cooking chicken due to potential illness, and absolutely hate it when overcooked. This vid gave me the confidence to attempt chicken for the first time, and it turned out amazing! Thank you for explaining the science behind it so well!
You waited a year ago and after watching a UA-cam video to try chicken for the first time??
I like this man so much. He doesn’t waste time. He doesn’t just dole out recipes. He helps you understand the why. Thank you. I’ve been the home cook for 15 years. And I’ll be honest. I can nail so many things. But chicken still gets me sometimes!!
THANK YOU. I'm an engineer, I love science and understanding why we do things the way we do. I've never been into cooking, I always thought mindlessly following recipes had nothing exciting. But with these explanations, I'm actually getting passionate about it and excited to learn more! Please keep making these videos, they are awesome!
I'm a food scientist who specialized in chicken cooking and processing at a manufacturing level. I've been trying to tell people time and holding temperature for years to control micros!!!
As an engineer by education, food science makes cooking so much more fun and interesting... and with better results! This channel has been consistently so good to promote these ideas, really well done sir!
You're like the second or third engineer comment on this video. Interesting how brains work, and gravitate toward something.
Can you go over flattening methods and compare them? I usually smack it with a hammer until flattened, but I would love to see how exactly you cut them flat and compare it to hammering it, butterflying, etc.
i was thinking the same thing. i usually just cover the breasts with some wax paper and slam them with my open palm on a cutting board. works pretty well and is super quick and easy
Best method I have found is sticking them in a plastic bag with a tiny bit of oil, then pounding with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until the thickness is even (ensuring an even cook).
Does anyone else feel like hitting it flat gives their chicken a more dense feeling?
Butterfly it, marinate 1-3 hours before frying medium heat...100% Best.
punch it until it yields
As someone who always questions why things are done the way they are, your videos on the science have been nothing but amazing! Thank you!
Me too. He’s amazing
This was by far the best chicken breast video I’ve seen and I’ve been watching videos for making chicken breasts for a while because I suck at it. It was so good my 2 year old was stealing pieces of chicken from my plate! Thank you Ethan!
I put some salt on the breasts and then used a rub of equal parts Italian, paprika, onion and garlic powder.
Your quality of script writing and delivery has improved SO MUCH. This video obviously took a lot of thought and effort, and it was so worth it. I'll be referencing this video for ages to come.
This video hit me in all the right ways that the Project Farm channel hits me. Answers the questions that I couldn't bring into words when cooking stuff and it not turning out the way it was shown. I was thinking to myself that I think there's a nation-wide shortage on home economics classes. So many people I know are scared to cook or its too much effort. The amount of times I spent 2-4 hours just cooking and cleaning from cooking rice and chicken cause I didn't want anything to be contaminated and was lost in analysis paralysis.
This is it. This style of videos will help countless people make healthier choices with more confidence. Thank you so much!
This video is awesome. I feel like if Kenji ever stumbles upon it, it'll make him smile. Well freakin' done, Ethan. 10/10.
I can almost guarantee that Kenji is aware of this channel. If not, if you send him this video on some form of social media, he will likely see it.
Oh, he's aware of Ethan, and makes mention of him and his channel frequently. This is the first I've heard Ethan mention Kenji, but more likely, I've just missed it.....
@@kathya739 I probably just have missed it in Kanji's videos, he's always mentioning channels and I have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to names.
Kenji has commented before
@@kathya739 I'm pretty sure Ethan mentions Kenji's cook book quite after. Unless Alt Kenji Lopez is someone else
I can’t believe how much of a difference this technique made. I cooked a chicken breast for my daughter (just salt because she is fussy), it was amazing.
I've said this before and hopefully Ethan takes it as a high compliment. He is Alton Brown 2.0. I really learn a lot from his channel. I wish him all the same success and know I'll be a better home cook from his content. Now I have to run out and get some chicken breast. I've been taking the easy path with chicken thighs. 😁
Between Ethan, Adam, and Kenji, there are so many great informational food science/ home cooking videos on youtube. Alton would be proud. It's better than Food Network at this point.
Dude u nailed it. This is a wealth of knowledge and very plain to see and understand. Anyone should be able to apply this to cooking. You make the other youtubers look like amateurs.
I naturally gravitate to the "yum-yum" tasty-looking cooking videos on youtube, yet I can't help landing on Ethan's food science type videos. Massively useful and educational. Low GI video's! Love 'em
This might be one of the best pieces of cooking content that I've watched in my life. All of that information actually stuck with me and I implemented it immediately. I know this will stay with me for the rest of my life so thanks again Ethan.
This is so accurate and I love it. I never cook my chicken to 165, I, too, pull at 155 because of the safety with time holding. Many people think I'm crazy for doing it, but it truly is safe. Thank you for sharing this!
This is it. Finally a video that confirms or resolves all my doubts and questions.
This has to be stored as one of the best cooking videos of all time.
That 7-Log reduction table with the times and temperatures was incredibly helpful and eye opening! I've been doing chicken sous vide to 150° F based on recommendations of others, but never really understood why that was still safe - now it all makes sense! Can really do some more experimenting from here and hone in on my own perfect chicken breast. Thanks Ethan!
The easiest way to think of it is like a hot tub, right? We get in a hot tub at 104 degrees (which is the max recommended temperature by all manufacturers), that's almost a full six degrees above our internal body temperature. The longer we sit in that hot tub, the more discomfort we feel. In fact, sitting in it long enough will make us sick, dehydrate us, or even kill us (in super extreme cases). Organisms are very sensitive to temperature.
Another prime example is asian bees vs the asian giant hornet (murder hornet). They fend off the hornets by swarming them and flapping their wings to increase the temperature. By doing this they increase the temperature to 115 degrees, thus killing the hornet, because they can survive temperatures up to a few degrees higher.
Thanks for the science on cooking a perfect chicken breast! For YEARS i've avoided grilling chicken because it's always been dry, but I never realized why. Today I bought a meat thermometer and eager to grill this weekend! 😎
Cooking _is_ Science. Love how this channel delves into all the techniques used and the chemistry going on behind the cooking process.
In your follow up video with salt, would be interested to see you tackle baking soda too! In the latest "What's Eating Dan" from America's Test Kitchen he talks about the way it raises the pH of the meat's surface so that it doesn't squeeze out so much moisture.
Absolutely loving your food science videos! Everything is so well explained, despite being so detailed/in-depth. You still keep it entertaining, but even more importantly, I learn things that I can immediately apply to improve my home cooking. Fantastic job!
I love all the graphics you have now, it's like watching a syndicated science TV show
Ethan! Thanks for subjecting yourself to so much chicken breast! I can get people not being into the deep dives but I'm a big fan - the TLDR early in seems like a good compromise to me, with food science buffs able to keep going for the variable breakdowns. Thank you!
Karen, you need to balance out the polite statement you made with a mean one.
@@Dad_Lyon Nah, despite the manager-demanding name I prefer to let people know what they do well, someone else will be plenty mean and point out flaws.
Attract more flues with sugar than spice, after all :P
These graphs, animations, and transitions could not be better. Just utterly smooth and clean and logical to look at.
Never have I clicked so fast! Chicken done right is always so hard to do. Thanks for putting in the time to make this thorough explanation
Hopefully this video gets the foundation in place for you!
But chicken done right is also just downright amazing!
Q
I would watch this on the Discovery Channel or Food Network. Who else can imagine Ethan on TV hosting a show like this? 💁🏻♀️ I appreciate the effort in this video!!
I’d like him to stay right here! But I do agree that his content is another level.
Gatekeeping his content behind American only television networks? No ty.
The Discovery Channel doesn’t air content this informative anymore
This is a tv channel. Why do you need it on those networks?
You are looking for a show call Good Eats with Alton Brown. It is very similar to this and decent to watch.
Using a thermometer and cooking chicken to 68 °C improved my chicken dishes a lot. Explanation was also excellent.
The video we've all been waiting for! It didn't disappoint. I've seen recommendations for years to cook to 155 and never did out of fear. Your explanation in this video has changed that for me. I'm excited to go to the store and buy some breasts to practice on!
I’ve cooked chicken to 150 degrees for 20 years it has never made me or my family sick
@@paulhoward2391 same. Not quite as long, but 150 with 3 minute rest is the way to go.
But is it pull it out of the oven at 155f or pull it out around 150f and carry over cook to 155f?
Your use of visual aids is unmatched. This channel is like that old school foodtv show my mama used to watch where the smart guy with the glasses would pop up and give you all kinds of great info. This channel might be better
I love your videos. I am not only learning how to cook the food, but also learning about the food itself. You rock.
Impeccable timing! Just last night I was making chicken and was sick of dousing it in BBQ for moisture. So glad I found this video and really look forward to making good quality chicken in the future. Thank you millions!
This video could not come at a better time for me. I'm planning on making gourmet grilled chicken sandwiches tonight, and definitely going to use the learnings here!
absolutely loving this video. i love how you explain cooking because there are a lot of parallels to my own work. "okay, here is the problem we want to solve, and here are the variables we can manipulate, now-what do we want to do?"
Thank you once again Ethan! Making videos on home cooking basic is so helpful. I cook chicken 4-5 times a week and I have been experimenting on acheive the "perfect" chicken.
This helps explain why I generally dislike roast chicken! It tends to come out dry, because people cook it too hot and fast, instead of low and slow. Thanks for a great vid!
Velveting (bicarb soda), salt, and sous vide seperately and also combined in different ways would be an awesome comparison too beyond just simple cooking to see the difference in moisture retention 😅
It’s pretty much a lost cause to point this out these days, but using baking soda is not “velveting”. Velveting is a technique that has nothing to do with baking soda. It’s not an intrinsic part of velveting. The use of baking soda has taken off the last few years, but velveting as a technique is far older than that.
@@annchovy6 I mean it's the difference of what is meant when the term "velveting" is used I guess because it's changed over the years and both uses are "correct".
Nowadays it's usually referencing the chemical interaction between baking soda and the proteins to "soften" the meat which is a really potent and easy thing.
The traditional egg white / starch is dropping off because it also creates a very specific slippery texture outside the meat which is usually only okay for stir fry
@@tomrowe2181 it isn’t though. Velveting as a technique still has nothing to do with baking soda. The definition hasn’t changed just because people unfamiliar with Chinese cooking keep using the term incorrectly. People like Kenji aren’t calling use of baking soda “velveting” btw, because it’s not.
I personally despise the baking soda because it’s clearly discernible and unpleasant. Baking soda is fine on shrimp to make them snappier, and at best a very tiny amount is ok on beef (smaller than what most people acting like it’s an essential cooking technique are calling for), but it’s definitely noticeable. The reason Americans are unwilling to use egg white has more to do with not wanting to call for people to use only part of the egg and be left with a yolk. That and usually use of egg white is followed by passing through the oil, which people refuse to do.
But even the egg white isn’t necessary to produce tender meat for stir-fries.
I’ve always thought velveting was with cornstarch. I did this a few times with chicken breast strips, like for stir fries. Very tender.
@@annchovy6 t’s clearly discernible and unpleasant.
Not really. You're using the wrong amounts
As a software engineer, I appreciate understanding the why way more than the how.
I can then run with the knowledge into all sort of my own creations
A lot of work has gone into this video and it clearly shows! Thank you Ethan for taking the time to explain all this. It really helps!
I wish I could like the video twice
Damn Ethan. I was following you since you had 10k subscribers. Just realized that you have 1.57M? Amazing!! Congrats man, what a journey.
I LOVE the science in these videos you do! Paying attention to the science of cooking is how we learn to be great cooks.
Thanks!
An absolute gem of a video, packed with useful info. I just really hope one day we get an Ethan x Kenji collab!
Finally someone that explains the FDA guidelines about cooking meat. I first learned about this many years ago in a cooking science book and looked up the table. I can't believe I haven't seen more people cover/explain this.
There's a lot of very good information here, thank you! Only thing to add is that cooking meats does a third thing, it increases it's digestibility letting us extract more calories from the food.
@EthanChlebowski Who's this?
This is one of the best cooking videos I’ve ever seen and answers a huge question I’ve had about why results with chicken breasts vary so much.
Hello Ethan! Great video. Although this made me question how exactly would pounding the chicken breast affect water retention, as you are damaging the muscle fibers and structure, compared to shallow cuts? Would love to see a video exploring that.
That was my question too. Hammer vs. Butterfly.
Once again Ethan nails it, similar to what I've done for years for chicken. The back science of your vids though is what makes this channel so f,n cool and good!
Brilliant layout of the science, the cause and effects from base principles, and then examples of what this all means practically in the kitchen.
Absolutely phenomenal work Ethan! Keep it up!
I'm loving these videos. I've been binging all of them since I subscribed a few days ago. This is one of the best food science channels on UA-cam. It's been a joy to watch.
Dude. As a chef in real life and someone considering starting a UA-cam channel this video is incredibly well thought out. I watched your teaser and couldn't wait for this. Thanks for adding to my own knowledge especially about 7 log reduction.
love the nerding out on something people don't put much thought into
Ethan, I love your meticulous enthusiasm. You are a perfectionist. Best of luck in every endeavor 🙏
I really love your videos, mostly these, where you deep dive in the "how and why" instead of just a few tips and tricks or basic recipes. Thanks a lot
How about showing the best way (or just different ways) of thinning out the breast? Is it better to pound them flat or slicing them? And for slicing, what's the best way?
Good video describing the causality.
If you are not in a rush and got a sous vide at home then set your sous vide to 145-165 depends on your preference. Crust your chicken at the highest temperature you can do (I grill it over hot charcoal) then let it cool and move them to sous vide bag and cook it sous vide for 1hour for breast to 4-6 hours for tigh and leg for a falling of the bone consistency. If you have an air tight dish then you can do it in your oven too. I use oven when we have guests. Huli Huli chicken becomes irresistibly good with this technique.
I like that one side-effect of thinning is quicker cooking times, and for someone who really enjoys making single pan dishes with veggies and meat, this makes so much of a difference to me.
This truly was very helpful. But for future videos, I would love to know, not only about brining, but what about marinating in buttermilk or yogurt? I use buttermilk or yogurt with spices every time, and even with the chicken thicker, it comes out incredibly moist and juicy.
Wow! This video got me hooked all the way till the end! Such elaborate, well organized and sound cooking experiments! You're a Food Scientist Ethan! Thank you for putting the results of your kitchen experiments out for us to learn from!
your quality is just astonishing
Love your content. Love that you explain why and how vs “here is a recipe”.
The technique and science info is helpful because I apply it when I am experimenting and improvising in the kitchen. My food tastes better already. Thanks a lot!!
I love these videos! Understanding the WHY things happen is much more helpful than just following a recipe. Keep it up!
Ethan, thank you so much for the effort you put into this! I have always prided myself on my ability to cook delicious chicken breast, but after watching this video, I just made the best serving ever. Simple and fast. You have earned a sub and you definitely deserve more attention for this!
This is great. I have been doing a lot of chicken breast recently. I pound it flat, dry brine, pan sear, make a pan sauce and poach it to 155 with the lid on. Pull the chicken and let it rest while the sauce reduces. My favourite sauce has been just some orange juice, grated ginger and honey
This channel is criminally underrated.
This is my fave kind of info dump...food science
There is no better cooking channel around I assure you. This man is the king!
That thick vs thin heat map near the end was a great visual aid! Great way to illustrate the difference that the shape of the breast makes 👍
These science deep dives are some of my favorite content of yours. Can't wait to see what you do next!
If I can make a request, I'd love to see your take on fish filets - skin on/off, different kinds, keeping them moist.
What a freaking gem of a video, thanks Ethan. Your food science videos are excellent!
These food science videos are some of my favorite videos on UA-cam!
Huge kudos because you are always so thorough and really break it all down, food, science, and everything in between!
we don't deserve Ethan, he always gives the best cooking advice
I've studied chicken breast more than any of the subjects in my aerospace engineering program.
You answer so many questions I and so many others have about cooking. Thank you for doing this. I know there's a financial side to it all but you could do other things with your time for money. There was a lot of hard work involved in this channel and we certainly appreciate the hell out of you for doing it.
That was awesome, thanks for sharing! Under the "worth it" video category, I'd love to see homemade vs. certain convenience items - for example, should the home cook make their own curry paste, or just go out and buy one? Is it really worthwhile to make your own tortillas?
Thank you for this Ethan! This was always racking my brain. I hope the salt portion comes soon. The whole time I was watching this video, salt was running through my mind.
I love these episodes. They remind me a bit of Alton Browns old tv show, and I absolutely loved the science based cooking aspect. Keep ‘em coming, and I’ll keep watching, liking and commenting!
You're the real MVP. Honestly.
I confess, I’m usually reluctant to leave likes and comments to UA-camrs because I know they’re monetizing their videos and rely on these responses from viewers. With you though, not only is the the quality and effort in not only your camera work, video editing, and overall knowledge MORE than deserving of paid services, but you are INCREDIBLE as an instructor. Some people can be knowledgeable, those same people don’t necessarily know how to teach in a way that is concise, effective, INTERESTING, and simplifying. Everyone has been subjected to intelligent, but terrible teachers. I hope you know you are greatly appreciated!
Unless it's a bad channel or video, why wouldn't you help people who's content you are enjoying for free? Do you work for free? Imagine someone telling you they won't pay you for your time.
This channel is crash course for cooking.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Uniform 155F is target. Thick breast will not heat uniformly.
1. thin out breast by cutting (add salt)
2. preheat and oil pan to 300- 330F
3. 2 minutes on first side, flip
4. 6 minutes on second side, flip again
5. heat center to 155F, about 45 seconds, remove.
Ethan - can you please make sure to always add centigrade whenever you say temperature. It is better one person adds it than many converting back and forth.
Most of the burger patties I make are composed of plain 80 20 ground beef, salt and pepper.
Yesterday my friend cooked for me and he made some juicy burger patties that just had a superior taste and texture in my opinion, with a thick crust (of course I'm talking about 3/4inch-thick burgers, not smash burgers). When I asked him what else did he put into those other than what I already use, he told me that he added some sugar and a little starch.
I was truly shocked and it would be really interesting to see what different ingredients like sugar or starch affect a burger patty.
That’s how stir fried meats stay juicy despite being way overcooked in terms of temperature. Bit of starch to protect the meat from overcooking and locking in moisture, and a bit of sugar to increase the browning.
I think it’s just the same juiciness but the starch is letting him get a crust while still doing the same amount of juiciness
Sugar would allow for better browning but likely doesnt contribute much unless theres a decent amount of sugar. Starch mixed into the meat would absorb and retain moisture though leading to a juicier burger. Same as adding bread crumbs in meatballs or oats in meatloaf, its not just filler unless its overused.
So thorough, and the graphics and charts and science was so helpful. The A/B tests were very robust. I sub'd.
This video did change my fitness journey! I used to avoid chicken breast but now I’m actually able to properly enjoy chicken breast to the extent that people ask me for instructions.
Thanks boss!
Bruh how thoroughly this guy taught all elements that are involved is amazing. 10/10
i love the effort you put into these videos. learning so much that really makes a difference in elevating my cooking, thank you Ethan!!!!!
For years, I just used the flat side of a meat tenderizer to even out the thickness of the chicken breasts, then seasoned with seasoning salt and black pepper, then grilled. Came out great nearly every time.
Recently I started doing an overnight salted water brine and then flatten/season (with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper since the brine provides plenty of salt) and grill. This new (to me) method has proved to make what was already great chicken even better.
In both situations, I always do 2 big packs (from Sam's Club/Costco/Safeway) at a time so I can make a bunch all at once, slice them into strips, and freeze in 1lb increments. So even with the longer method, it is worth the time and effort for a bunch of excellent chicken ready to go.
I'd really like to see this experiment done with sous vide -- using the equilibrium method (setting the water to the desired IT). It'll take the whole gradient thing out of the equation. Plus sous viding a chicken breast with salt can have some really interesting effects -- I did chicken breast with slightly too much salt at a low temperature for a long time and the result was almost like deli ham or recombined meat. Not dry but not great, still super neat stuff though. I bet it would be ideal sliced for cold sandwiches
16:30 it turns into a Mark Rober video (lol the music). Great vid Ethan. Happy to be in your audience.
Cooking chicken correctly can be a real struggle! This was great information
Most excellent and informative as usual. You've been hitting a lot of home runs with these in depth videos that you make.
The most important thing is that with cooking we improve digestibility... Cooking/heat breaks down complex carbohydrates etc.
Thanks for the interesting video!