One way to practice this is to go wild with your current stuff in your fridge. So long as you have starch, protein, veg and salt, you can make up pretty good meal
That’s why I love this series! The 4 levels as well is great because for some dishes I feel I’m only better than the amateur, but others I feel im better than the “pro” home cook. Each spot you’re at you can learn from the person above!
@@forteandblues some of the previous videos (from 6ish months ago when they were filming at home), because they were in their home kitchen some pro chefs would go through their own pantry and sub stuff in or completely ignore other ingredients because they didn't fit with their "vision"
Esther is the perfect chef for these swap episodes because you know she’s really gonna maximize the usual basic ingredients and elevate them, which could be a very educational experience for us viewers. I can’t appreciate as much the other chefs who bring in a couple more ingredients just so they could do their own interpretation. I find it cheating in a way. Imo, what Esther does in this swap series stays true to the challenge and that for me shows how skilled, talented, and knowledgeable she really is as a chef. Edit: forgot some words
I love how the pro chef is so confident and clearly knows what she's doing, and still backs away from the hot oil. Makes me feel like less of a coward for doing it myself.
Bravery and stupidity can often be easily exchanged, sadly. If you know something is dangerous, take proper precautions like Esther does. If you add water to acid, it's going to boil. Chemists will instead add acid to the water so the heat dissipates quickly. It is not cowardice, it's having the knowledge to know something bad could possibly happen and avoiding the bad result.
I mean, hot oil doesn't care if you're a pro chef or home cook. It will gladly burn you. I have a large striped scar across my stomach to prove that. So it's best to be careful.
Watching Chef Esther cook was like attending a high end culinary school...this was a learning experience like no other....if she can do that with such humble ingredients in such a short amount of time...i can not even begin to imagine her creative prowess... am a FAN!
poor gabby. she didnt even know that was your standard king crab or likely couldnt afford it. the colossal king crab is way more expensive. one of the best and tastiest crabs you can get. money not well spent though. better to get a chicken lobster at $13 each. you'll get nice big pieces from the tail and claws. i always bought the regular king crab at stop and shop when they used to have it. well worth it!
I love that Esther was impressed by how cheap the ingredients were and on the other end we’ve got Gabby freaking out, not wanting to waste the expensive food
This is the one time I've actually been genuinely impressed by a pro chef's use of the home cook's ingredients to make a dish. She remixed everything provided, didn't add any outside ingredients and utilized several of them more than once. Her expertise and instinct for flavor is crazy, she is bomb 🔥🔥👏🏾👏🏾. Super dope, awesome video 👌🏾
Dang, Esther killed that recipe. Simple ingredients yet infused complex flavors to them without adding other stuff not given to her. Simply brilliant technique and food knowledge.
These ladies were absolutely fabulous!!! I learned soooooo much from this video! 1) making garlic chips 2) making trash paste 3) properly making rice dry & not mushy 4) making oils to cook with. So great.
It really is, it is something I started doing a few years ago, and ever since people ask me to cook for special occassions, such as the Holidays. Do not waste, and maximize flavors, and it elevates every single thing you cook. Of course the better the ingredients, the better the dish comes out, but you can make really really amazing dishes with cheap ingredients using that ideology. And in turn, you can really mess up really good ingredients, if you do not attempt to maximize their flavor and or things go to waste.. But if you use that ideology with amazing ingredients, it simply... well everything turns out breathtaking.
The zero waste philosophy was integral to pretty much every culture until last century when commercial food processes ended up with a surplus of food to everyone middle class and above in income. Sad to say it, but losing that eliminated a lot of food that would just go to waste that was actually better than what was considered above what wasn't just something you could pick up pre-packaged. Adopting a limited waste philosophy has helped out my cooking a lot. Even when I buy a pre-cooked chicken from my local supermarket, the bones and other leftover bits go to a broth to be used later. Same with the ends of green onions, leeks, lettuce, carrots, etc. And the broth can be used for months afterward with proper freezer storage, not that it lasts any more than 3 weeks for me.
@@falsenames so so true. A lot of traditional ‘peasant’ dishes make use of all the ingredients and have great flavours, much heartier and more satisfying in many ways than what rich people at the time would have been eating. Paella is a good example.
When the home chef said that she was having fun doing this, it made my day. You don’t have to be a pro chef to enjoy cooking. Cooking can be really fun! I’m glad that they’re enjoying themselves while doing this :)
Usually I’m way more interested in the more expensive dish than the cheaper one but, in this case, what Esther Choi did with the $13-ingredient fried rice was really fascinating.
Yes, her Channel should be called, "Stop! don't throw that away." Her creativity in using parts of food we'd throw away. Use everything or compost. I like it😏
@Y123 E984 fried rice is my favorite dish by far. Been eating it as a kid. You can even modify it to match your taste. Have it golden like yang chao brown like chao fan. It's so versatile and delicious. I can't rave enough!
@@sachyriel Rose isn’t a chef (she might well be a great cook). Her job is as food scientist, the described in terms of chemistry, properties of the ingredients, reactions, temperatures etc. Not to demonstrate her own level of cooking expertise, “Cooking is an art, baking is a science.”- an unknown chef.
Not so much for myself with that shrimp paste (adding that to my list of options), but I once had to complain to my Irish-American father when he threw out the shrimp heads and shells after I prepped them for dinner for my mom's Italian-American side of the family. I was going to make stock out of that... Our family missed out on a lovely bisque.
@J Cooking really is common sense. Figuring out what works good together and understanding each step and why its being done, if you understand those things you can cook anything well.
@J If you never cook yourself it is going to be hard at the beginning, because you've gotta learn the basics, like how to chop your veggies, how to create different flavor profiles and how to layer the flavors slowly to build a dish. If you already have some experience you kind of know what works together and it's going to be easier to follow more and more complex recipes step by step. @Bilqees Siddiqui Everyone has to start somewhere. You'll get there eventually, practice makes perfekt! :)
Hahaha the Gaby she’s extremely funny I find myself laughing anytime she talks, the pro chef has made me rethink my cheap kitchen budget a lot. I love this content
Holy moly just tried this recipe today following the $13 ingredients (lol!).. except I added bok choy, pineapple, and carrots as well. And the store didn’t have head-on shrimp, so after boiling the shrimp shells for the stock, I took those same shells and fried them in oil and used them instead of shrimp heads for the shrimp paste… this was the most incredible fried rice I’ve had at home and it truly felt restaurant quality… maximizing flavor and using every part of every ingredient made such a huge difference…. Thank you!!! Mind blown, life changed! Quick edit: I did happen to have the same koshihikari sushi rice that was used in the $242 version, so that’s what I used. I personally love short grain sushi rice for just about anything!
I went 😳 when Esther started crushing the fried shrimp heads! I didn’t know you make shrimp paste out of those shrimp heads! Learnt something today! Thanks Esther!!
@@mscorinamaria one thing I love about Asian food, you can explore and learn more on how to enhance flavors naturally, like this one shown here with the shrimp paste. I’ll make sure I don’t throw away shrimp heads next time! Lol
They were so kind to each other and the professional cook was wonderful and accepting of how good the amateur did with her book and no instructions. So nice and refreshing to watch 2 come together like that. I could watch it all day if you are gonna play nice together and be kind when it is epic or a failure. You can still be kind if it all goes south. Kindness and correction is well received. Criticism is not.
"I can indeed confirm they have spots on them, so... we're gonna rip their heads off" I laughed so hard! Gabby's having so much fun and it's contagious
@@kinga6606 The prawns she used are named Spotted Prawns, so she was referring to their name and jokingly confirming they were spotted, and the “rip off their heads” part wasn’t really related but it was funny to see her admiring them and then say she was going to cook them. It’s like saying “Oh what a pretty flower! Pick it (therefore destroying the thing)”
@@garbageenthusiasm4588 The point is, she has a great personality and also happens to be beautiful at the same time. I have no idea why that's "weird" to you.
Honestly, that's more about being a good, passionate, and creative chef than saving money as a business owner. Utilization of everything adds to the flavors as well as lets those creative juice just flow into other dishes! I'm not a restaurateur, bit a good cook, and I use everything for both the fun and creativity, and sure, cost effectiveness, but FAR more the creativity! 😁
This is such a Feel Good video. Gabi looks like she's having such a wonderful time cooking and her smile is energy is contagious. Esther's cooking is so informational and efficient while her charisma really shine through. And the part where they just have a great time tasting and complementing each other's dish at the end is a fitting end to this video. Such a wonderful experience this was.
Oh! I'm curious, too! Are you a genuine Priest? Catholic Priest? I have a super funny joke for you: In class one day, Mother Superior asked her students what they want 2b when they grow up. Johnny said, "An astronaut!" MOTHER Superior: "Excellent Johnny. That's a FINE profession. And Stuart, what would YOU like to be when you grow up?" Stuart: "A doctor" Mother Superior: "Oh that's a wonderful choice, as well, Stuart. And now Jane...how 'bout you? What would YOU like to be when you're a grown-up? JANE: "I want to be a PROSTITUTE!" MOTHER SUPERIOR nearly had a coronary: "😳😳 WHAT!??!! What did you say, miss Jane??!!" Jane. "A PROSTITUTE! When I'm a grown-up, I'm going to be a PROSTITUTE." Mother Superior throws her hands up I'm the air, let's out a HUGE sigh!! "OHHH. Oh thank you, Lord Jesus! THANK YOU MERCIFUL GOD!. The entire classroom: 😯😲😲😲😲. Mother Superior: "Oh what a relief!..I thought you said, "PROTESTANT!!.
I love chef Esther because instead of substituting all the ingredients given (like some people 👀) she takes what she’s given and makes it a pro recipe. Not only does it show how awesome of a chef she is but makes it easier for the viewer to maximize the simpler ingredients. #teamEsther
I am really impressed by Esther - pro-chef and yet very much focussed on maximising the value from each ingredients. To me, that's one of the biggest virtues of a great chef.
I wish I could have seen someone like Esther in the Masterchef...wow, just wow...simply blown away by her tricks with the shrimps or utilizing even basic ingredients like eggs to enhance flavor. A mark of a true chef. This just shows food in not about how fancy your ingredients are but what one's skill level, expertise, and knowledge can elevate it to. Mind blown.
yeahh but masterchef is only for home cooks while she's a professional, so it wouldn't make sense for her to be in that show. Still i also want to watch her in a cooking competition thing
I can appreciate people who don't say "can we appreciate..." Sounds like a bot making comments, or specifically saying certain phrases in comments to elicit a 👍 it makes the comment seem fake and not "wholesome" Know what I mean, Botterbean?
Please bring Chef Ester again! The way she uses 'products waste' are amazing and creative. While zero waste is trendy again, most tips I find is making stock or save it for later. I need more tips in using 'product waste'!
Esther is so cool, don't think I've seen her much but she was very entertaining in this, and you can tell why she's a chef, she's so good Gabi is always pretty entertaining so that's not a shock lol
I feel like Gabi's energy of "smiling on the outside, panicking on the inside" is really infectious... as for Esther, she's all enthusiasm when at the planning stage, cool and businesslike when actually working the food. Epicurious does a great job of finding likeable people to be in their videos.
This is one of the best episodes of this series. So much cool gems in here that I've never heard before. Definitely going to try that $13 rice at some point
Super impressed with Esther's skill and strong instructional ability to pass on her knowledge. Those little nuances that come from experience and philosophy of zero waste and repurposing ingredients were a joy. Gabi was fun too.
i love how ester was so proud of her shrimp oil! she even called it “our beautiful shrimp oil” the entire time. i love it when people - especially professionals - are proud of their work
My whole life I thought of fried rice as a simple dish you make with left over rice when you don't feel like cooking and this video give fried rice a whole new meaning.. 242 dollars for ingredients is mind blowing
It is what seafood restaurants do to maximize the value out of your king crab dinner, ate plenty of those in Vancouver's dim sum joints and I am just scratching the surface of cuisine. Then you have things like how Esther got the A game condiments from an imported grocer, the shrimp and crab are the main ingredients. You are not paying $242 just for fried rice, you are paying for steamed crab and soup if you plan to have a set menu
Versatility is the name of the game with most dishes, honestly. _Most_ of the time, you can find cheaper alternatives- or choose to splurge and make something more expensive. Both ways have their own value.
Chef Esther makes me nostalgic for all my passive aggressive Korean aunts and female cousins 😂 "this rice is tricky to cook so I gifted you this already cooked"...Korean translation..." I'm doing this for you bc you're just going to F it up!!" 😂😂😂☠☠☠
I really love that Chef Ester used absolutely everything (aside of the shrimp veins obviously) and that she also didn’t add anything like a lot of the other chefs do. She just used what she was given and showed us at home how we can make something delicious with less expensive ingredients
Gabi is great, she got a really hard task, I wouldn't know how to deal with that crab. Esther is awesome, appreciate the knowledge she dropped. Nice video.
Oh my God, seeing Esther and Gabrielle together at the end made me cry. Just the reactions to each other's dishes... it was beautiful. I don't know why this is making me so emotional. Two amazingly talented women
@@jaxx6967 probably because i grew up in a society that taught me to envy and hate women, and see them as competition rather than inspiration… it’s still new to see women support each other the way we do nowadays. you’re probably a kid who doesn’t get it though so it’s okay, you’ll learn :)
what i love ab ester is that instead of ‘adding’ or changing the recipe, she keeps all of the ingredients and maximizes the taste of the meal while also keeping it simple. she also manages to use the ingredients for more than one use. which is so fun to see 😏
I love Esther, not only does she eat fried rice like a Korean, but she is absolutely one of the most talented chefs I've seen. She can make so much with so little.
Esther has done it again. I was impressed with her interpretation on chicken sandwich and ramen then now fried rice. It’s so fun to watch too because I learn a lot from watching her
I think the most common is to just put oil then wipe it while its in the heat still, get it to smoke the oil, never heard of this cold water shock, which I guess would not be good for the longevity of the wok? its usually not recommended for any pan or pot, but I guess if the metal shrinks in the cold it absorbs the oil inside quicker? idk
That's because it's not a thing. Seasoning a wok is done by polymerizing oil so it bonds with the metal. You do this by heating the oil. I'm not sure what thermo-shocking the metal would accomplish...other than potentially distorting the cooking surface
Chef Esther is my favorite when it comes to these ingredients swap episodes. She teaches how to elevate dishes with simple ingredients with technique. And she does not have many additions to the recipe, she makes do with what was given.
Not gonna lie, I love Esther's style, especially the way she utilizes everything and is always surprised by her own cooking haha! I also love Gabi, she is super fun so this was an awesome duo honestly.
I love how chef Esther does not waste anything. Where in prior chefs would use personal ingredients, she uses what is provided and does not waste anything. Everything can be used as soup stock to add back to the flavor.
I just love Esther! Instead of adding too much to the home cooks version, she utilized her skills to bring out every bit of flavor she could, and just presented it better.
As a Chinese, my egg friend rice is like 3 dollars. Cha siu, shrimp, rice, egg, spring onions and some veg. Cooked overnight rice in with very little oil, shrimp in till halfway cooked, add egg and stir till half cooked while coating the rice, diced cha siu for a quick toss (the sauce will burn), chopped veg in, heat off, chopped spring onions, viola.
I love how this video is made. It shows us that you can have basic ingredients and accessories, but if you have some skills and knowledge, you can still make awesome food. On the other hand it shows also that even if you're not a professional cook, but you get quality, interesting ingredients, some more professional tools and a few pro tips, you can create something really impressive.
I really can see how Chef Esther improved her communication and looking much more welcoming and relaxed on this episode than the August 2021. Congrats! And wow, what a way to fully utilize the ingredients. So inspiring!
Why not? She's using techniques most people here have never even thought or heard of, meanwhile the other girl is using the most straightforward and simple ways that have nothing to teach us@@michaelbacqalen1109
I have watched Esther competed on Iron Chef! Her dishes are amazing and she was really tough to beat against celebrity chefs who are already established for years
esther: literally perfecting and utilizing the simple ingredients to not waste them gabby: *just freaking out because she doesnt want any of the expensive ingredients go to waste* 😰 (i also love how esther helps out gabby
This is exactly how these recipe changes should go! The chef elevates the cheap ingredients and explains the processes and the expensive recipe is still executed according to the recipe. I believe uncle roger will be impressed.
I love when the pro chefs use the home cook's ingredients, cause it shows me what i can do on a budget to get the most out of what is available to me.
One way to practice this is to go wild with your current stuff in your fridge. So long as you have starch, protein, veg and salt, you can make up pretty good meal
That’s why I love this series! The 4 levels as well is great because for some dishes I feel I’m only better than the amateur, but others I feel im better than the “pro” home cook. Each spot you’re at you can learn from the person above!
Not trying to be mean, but isn’t that half the point of these videos?
@@forteandblues some of the previous videos (from 6ish months ago when they were filming at home), because they were in their home kitchen some pro chefs would go through their own pantry and sub stuff in or completely ignore other ingredients because they didn't fit with their "vision"
@@alexashton6501 good point! I stand corrected. I just felt like “what?”
I would watch a series of Esther just teaching us how to utilize most of the ingredients we have at home
Yes!! Please!!!
Same here! that would be amazing
Me too! I found her channel. ua-cam.com/channels/EfPHqcy3YcsvSMaBl1UhCQ.html
YES. I want to watch Esther specifically, I really like her and the way she presents information! I would watch every single episode!
Me too.
Esther is the perfect chef for these swap episodes because you know she’s really gonna maximize the usual basic ingredients and elevate them, which could be a very educational experience for us viewers. I can’t appreciate as much the other chefs who bring in a couple more ingredients just so they could do their own interpretation. I find it cheating in a way. Imo, what Esther does in this swap series stays true to the challenge and that for me shows how skilled, talented, and knowledgeable she really is as a chef.
Edit: forgot some words
Perfect pro chef can make any dish perfect with everything in her/his hands (only), right? 😛😛
It's been a while since any chefs adeed ingredients. They seem to have stopped letting them do that and it was mostly for the home videos.
My daughter’s name is Zola! :)
And shows her flexibility in the kitchen
Agreed! I really didn't like when some other pro chefs swapped pretty much half of all ingredients. This is not a challenge then
"how much do you want to flavour the oil ?"
esther: Yes
Asian cooking in a nutshell. (or Shimpshell I guess?)
😂
@@FinlayDaG33k crab shell?
I love that Esther uses EVERYTHING. It's so creative how she repurposes things most people would discard.
She’s a different level of creative
She's not inventing anything new...
@@deckleberry repurposes not inventing lol
@@firefly690 is English your first language?
@@deckleberry
That’s not what the original comment said
I love how the pro chef is so confident and clearly knows what she's doing, and still backs away from the hot oil. Makes me feel like less of a coward for doing it myself.
Bravery and stupidity can often be easily exchanged, sadly. If you know something is dangerous, take proper precautions like Esther does. If you add water to acid, it's going to boil. Chemists will instead add acid to the water so the heat dissipates quickly. It is not cowardice, it's having the knowledge to know something bad could possibly happen and avoiding the bad result.
Exactly. Someone who very clearly Knows Things is backing away, and that's why I now don't feel like a coward for following her example.
I mean, hot oil doesn't care if you're a pro chef or home cook. It will gladly burn you. I have a large striped scar across my stomach to prove that. So it's best to be careful.
@@falsenames Always do what you ought ta, put the acid in the water. If life’s too placid, add the water to the acid.
@@falsenames The original comment says that he does the same thing as Esther. Read it properly.
A professional chef is not someone who makes all fancy dishes. Its the one who uses her ingredients efficiently
by definition of the word profession, a professional chef is someone who gets paid for it
Why not both?
@@louise4152 exactly
it's someone who gets paid to be a chef
@@ryane5281 well in terms of skill tho
Home chef deserves props. That came out a lot better than I was expecting
Still didn't contribute anything USEFUL to the video
@@en2336basment dweller
@@en2336she contributed a contrast and refreshing relatability
@@en2336Why you hating 😂
@@prods5hnishe tried her best .. she’s not a professional cook like esther, she’s just a regular person
Watching Chef Esther cook was like attending a high end culinary school...this was a learning experience like no other....if she can do that with such humble ingredients in such a short amount of time...i can not even begin to imagine her creative prowess... am a FAN!
I started taking notes, i don’t think I’ll ever use them but info like that couldn’t go to waste. I’m obsessed it’s her now 😭
poor gabby. she didnt even know that was your standard king crab or likely couldnt afford it. the colossal king crab is way more expensive. one of the best and tastiest crabs you can get. money not well spent though. better to get a chicken lobster at $13 each. you'll get nice big pieces from the tail and claws. i always bought the regular king crab at stop and shop when they used to have it. well worth it!
Iron Chef Ester
U got this!!! Good luck in your career, I truly hope you make it to be one of the greats. Cheers ☺☺🔥 👏🏼
watch her in iron chef! pure badassery.
I have a HUGE respect to chef Esther's responsibility and no-waste cooking ethics.
Me too!
ethics don't always bring the taste though
@@EatSmartLife ...ok?
me too!!!
@@EatSmartLifeblud she literally maximized the ingredients to add more flavour use your eyes and ears
I love that Esther was impressed by how cheap the ingredients were and on the other end we’ve got Gabby freaking out, not wanting to waste the expensive food
Uhh explain that one better
@@christophergregory1313 That’s kinda creepy man
@@christophergregory1313 I permit you to kindly stop commenting that
@@christophergregory1313 no
maybe if i have that, i try my best not to waste it hahah
Chef Esther gives me the “Just because I’m professional, that doesn’t mean I waste ingredients” vibes
She gives me the “grandma used to beat tf out of me when i didn’t finish my plate as a kid” vibe
Auntie Esther
most professionals don't waste food
yeah but she didnt take the time to serve it up so very arrogant and un humble
It feels like she would really be a perfect fit for one of those budget series because she wouldn't cheat by being like "oh I already had this!"
This is the one time I've actually been genuinely impressed by a pro chef's use of the home cook's ingredients to make a dish. She remixed everything provided, didn't add any outside ingredients and utilized several of them more than once. Her expertise and instinct for flavor is crazy, she is bomb 🔥🔥👏🏾👏🏾. Super dope, awesome video 👌🏾
Absolutely! Incorporating the flavors in every step possible just elevates everything, although I think I would have made garlic a larger priority.
Dang, Esther killed that recipe. Simple ingredients yet infused complex flavors to them without adding other stuff not given to her. Simply brilliant technique and food knowledge.
Yeah, most other chefs add ingrédients of their own, I feel like it kinda defeats the purpose
yeah she murdered it. Awful
well that was the best use of shrimps I could find. I'm really going to do this sometime.
she was extremely professional here - a lot of skill, resourcefulness, and knowledge at display here
first thing my wife said in the beginning, "you know what's missing? sesame oil." but there it was at the end.
Gabi is hilarious, she seems fun to hang out with
Chef Esther is amazing at what she does, the way she maximises ingredients in amazing
why i didn't think so, Gabi seems..
@@reniwirohardjo7922 don’t say it out loud we don’t want to start an argument.
@@reniwirohardjo7922 hold up-
@@reniwirohardjo7922 what
@@reniwirohardjo7922 wait i wanna know what does she seem like??? 😳
These ladies were absolutely fabulous!!! I learned soooooo much from this video! 1) making garlic chips 2) making trash paste 3) properly making rice dry & not mushy 4) making oils to cook with. So great.
Esther’s 0 waste philosophy is amazing in practice!
It really is, it is something I started doing a few years ago, and ever since people ask me to cook for special occassions, such as the Holidays.
Do not waste, and maximize flavors, and it elevates every single thing you cook.
Of course the better the ingredients, the better the dish comes out, but you can make really really amazing dishes with cheap ingredients using that ideology. And in turn, you can really mess up really good ingredients, if you do not attempt to maximize their flavor and or things go to waste..
But if you use that ideology with amazing ingredients, it simply... well everything turns out breathtaking.
@Ben Song I believe his name was Yuji and Rose was frothing over his nil wastage.
The zero waste philosophy was integral to pretty much every culture until last century when commercial food processes ended up with a surplus of food to everyone middle class and above in income. Sad to say it, but losing that eliminated a lot of food that would just go to waste that was actually better than what was considered above what wasn't just something you could pick up pre-packaged. Adopting a limited waste philosophy has helped out my cooking a lot. Even when I buy a pre-cooked chicken from my local supermarket, the bones and other leftover bits go to a broth to be used later. Same with the ends of green onions, leeks, lettuce, carrots, etc. And the broth can be used for months afterward with proper freezer storage, not that it lasts any more than 3 weeks for me.
@@falsenames so so true. A lot of traditional ‘peasant’ dishes make use of all the ingredients and have great flavours, much heartier and more satisfying in many ways than what rich people at the time would have been eating. Paella is a good example.
she didnt have much to not waste anyway
Esther is confident yet humble and Gabi is a ray of sunshine
When the home chef said that she was having fun doing this, it made my day. You don’t have to be a pro chef to enjoy cooking. Cooking can be really fun! I’m glad that they’re enjoying themselves while doing this :)
So easy to "make your day".
Yes but the home chef made me cry
@@buddysep689 ?
Until you have to clean up
**drops egg on a hot oil**
**summons Hades**
Gabby and Esther are such a vibe! Esther is pro but doesn't flaunt or show off and Gabby is funny and open to new ideas.
I just love how in-depth the coverage is on the pro chef cooking with the $13 ingredients. Affordable inspiration for me - the consumer.
funny thing is, I never had at home food, that was 13$. Hell I probably even didn't have more expensive as 5$. :D
where do you find shrimp like that for $13?? a bag of mini shrimp in ohio is like $15-21 itself 😅
Probably live near the coast@@PlanetHimOfficial
Usually I’m way more interested in the more expensive dish than the cheaper one but, in this case, what Esther Choi did with the $13-ingredient fried rice was really fascinating.
I agree but those jumbo shrimp she used were more than the 13$ meal itself lol😂
Esther definitely need her own UA-cam channel!! She amazing at what she does and explains everything well! She’d be great on UA-cam
She has her own UA-cam channel. It's called "Choibites"
Yessss
@Y123 E984 never say it’s only fried rice
Yes, her Channel should be called, "Stop! don't throw that away." Her creativity in using parts of food we'd throw away. Use everything or compost. I like it😏
@Y123 E984 fried rice is my favorite dish by far. Been eating it as a kid. You can even modify it to match your taste. Have it golden like yang chao brown like chao fan. It's so versatile and delicious. I can't rave enough!
I would watch a series of esther just teaching us how to advance our cooking with basic stuff.
Can we have two pro chefs together making same dish in their own unique way? I think that would be cool
Isn't that the other series, 3 cooks level 1, 2 and 3? And then Rose is level 4? Like such a show already exists, doesn't it?
@@sachyriel …they do have several series.
@@sachyriel no, it does not. they want two chefs which are "level 3" making the same dish
Level 3 vs level 3 would be awesome
@@sachyriel Rose isn’t a chef (she might well be a great cook). Her job is as food scientist, the described in terms of chemistry, properties of the ingredients, reactions, temperatures etc. Not to demonstrate her own level of cooking expertise,
“Cooking is an art, baking is a science.”- an unknown chef.
Chef Esther Choi showing us how to MAXIMIZE flavors is the best part of this video. Who would've known that I can do those things with shrimp heads?
Asians know that very well.
All of us asian people lol
Not so much for myself with that shrimp paste (adding that to my list of options), but I once had to complain to my Irish-American father when he threw out the shrimp heads and shells after I prepped them for dinner for my mom's Italian-American side of the family. I was going to make stock out of that... Our family missed out on a lovely bisque.
Asians
I made the likes of ur comment 999 😁
Esther is explaining everything step by step so professionally like we’re actually gonna understand anything she’s saying 😭
I understood everything and said, it's easy.
@J Cooking really is common sense. Figuring out what works good together and understanding each step and why its being done, if you understand those things you can cook anything well.
@J If you never cook yourself it is going to be hard at the beginning, because you've gotta learn the basics, like how to chop your veggies, how to create different flavor profiles and how to layer the flavors slowly to build a dish.
If you already have some experience you kind of know what works together and it's going to be easier to follow more and more complex recipes step by step.
@Bilqees Siddiqui
Everyone has to start somewhere. You'll get there eventually, practice makes perfekt! :)
@@PoTATOMenschki
Friendly response! 👍
You’re just not smart
I love how in depth Chef Ester gets! She really takes the time to teach! Her love of food and her craft is apparent! More Chef Ester please!!
Hahaha the Gaby she’s extremely funny I find myself laughing anytime she talks, the pro chef has made me rethink my cheap kitchen budget a lot. I love this content
Same, lol, especially the onions on steroids, that was so unexpected. XD
@@a.j_lifetimea.j6494 yes that one I also didn’t expect it guess I have a new term of describing my onions 🤣🤣
،🇩🇿🇩🇿🇩🇿
She was barely on the screen
@@Iamthelaw. and?
I made chef esther’s version today and it was unbelievably good. Completely elevated my fried rice and it’s amazing
Is the shrimp paste good?
@@bsgenius22 really good. It turned out super salty
@@Jane-bq3qv Super salty doesnt sound good hahah
@@JT-um9vu hahaha whoops. I meant to say ‘it turned out super salty though’ 😂
@@Jane-bq3qv use some sweet sauce and some little of sugar to the paste
Holy moly just tried this recipe today following the $13 ingredients (lol!).. except I added bok choy, pineapple, and carrots as well. And the store didn’t have head-on shrimp, so after boiling the shrimp shells for the stock, I took those same shells and fried them in oil and used them instead of shrimp heads for the shrimp paste… this was the most incredible fried rice I’ve had at home and it truly felt restaurant quality… maximizing flavor and using every part of every ingredient made such a huge difference…. Thank you!!! Mind blown, life changed!
Quick edit: I did happen to have the same koshihikari sushi rice that was used in the $242 version, so that’s what I used. I personally love short grain sushi rice for just about anything!
why tf u use pineapple
@@sanjithrajeshgreendaless1368 If you're asking the question, you're too young to know the answer!
@@Coolarj10 nah but fr why'd you use pineapples
@@gonekiii because pineapple fried rice
@@gonekiii cause nice taste
Esther is confident yet humble and Gabi is a ray of sunshine. "how much do you want to flavour the oil ?"esther: Yes.
I went 😳 when Esther started crushing the fried shrimp heads! I didn’t know you make shrimp paste out of those shrimp heads! Learnt something today! Thanks Esther!!
Secret recipe for most Asian dishes :3
I’m Asian too but never did it. I didn’t really go to the kitchen until I got married. So, I’m gonna try this technique!
Yh when my dad makes shrimp paste, he just dumps the shrimps shells and heads in the food processor. Was pretty shocked the first time
Filipino does that too...
@@mscorinamaria one thing I love about Asian food, you can explore and learn more on how to enhance flavors naturally, like this one shown here with the shrimp paste. I’ll make sure I don’t throw away shrimp heads next time! Lol
They were so kind to each other and the professional cook was wonderful and accepting of how good the amateur did with her book and no instructions. So nice and refreshing to watch 2 come together like that. I could watch it all day if you are gonna play nice together and be kind when it is epic or a failure. You can still be kind if it all goes south. Kindness and correction is well received. Criticism is not.
I live in Karachi Pakistan and I like your comment send 10 month ago
It's actually good to have criticism, so you know what to do better next. But it depends.
And how do you expect to improve without criticism?
i think what they meant by 'correction' was constructive criticism, and what they meant by 'criticism' was plain up rude critique
@@just.another.person.771 They should've added that with their comment then.
"I can indeed confirm they have spots on them, so... we're gonna rip their heads off"
I laughed so hard! Gabby's having so much fun and it's contagious
“Onions on steroids”
I would never thought I would hear that but I love it
I dont understand :/ What do spots on the body have to do with heads? Please someone explain :)
@@kinga6606 The prawns she used are named Spotted Prawns, so she was referring to their name and jokingly confirming they were spotted, and the “rip off their heads” part wasn’t really related but it was funny to see her admiring them and then say she was going to cook them. It’s like saying “Oh what a pretty flower! Pick it (therefore destroying the thing)”
@@kikimcneil4695 oh okay :D Thank you you took time to explain ❤️
@@kinga6606 of course! Have a good day! 😊
I love watching Gabby, she seems like a delight to be around
It also doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous
@@Dead1yCoolKinda weird bro
@@garbageenthusiasm4588 Complimenting a beautiful person is weird to you? Seems like you haven't figured out how life works.
@@Dead1yCool Someone was complimenting her personality and you immediately went hubba hubba amirite
@@garbageenthusiasm4588 The point is, she has a great personality and also happens to be beautiful at the same time. I have no idea why that's "weird" to you.
you can tell Esther is a restaurant owner, she really maximises what she gets out of her ingredients
Yup
Honestly, that's more about being a good, passionate, and creative chef than saving money as a business owner. Utilization of everything adds to the flavors as well as lets those creative juice just flow into other dishes! I'm not a restaurateur, bit a good cook, and I use everything for both the fun and creativity, and sure, cost effectiveness, but FAR more the creativity! 😁
12:15
This is the right attitude to reduce food waste.
You can tell they are one of the ones that adds in stupid ingredients just to drive up the price
This is such a Feel Good video. Gabi looks like she's having such a wonderful time cooking and her smile is energy is contagious. Esther's cooking is so informational and efficient while her charisma really shine through. And the part where they just have a great time tasting and complementing each other's dish at the end is a fitting end to this video. Such a wonderful experience this was.
This!! 👏👏👏
O
Can we all appreciate the fact that Esther and Gabrielle never disappoint us with their skills 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾
👏🏾
Great duo! I love these girls! ❤️🥺
ru an actual priest
👏👏👏👏❣❣❣👏👏😍👍!!
Oh! I'm curious, too! Are you a genuine Priest? Catholic Priest? I have a super funny joke for you:
In class one day, Mother Superior asked her students what they want 2b when they grow up.
Johnny said, "An astronaut!"
MOTHER Superior: "Excellent Johnny. That's a FINE profession. And Stuart, what would YOU like to be when you grow up?"
Stuart: "A doctor"
Mother Superior: "Oh that's a wonderful choice, as well, Stuart. And now Jane...how 'bout you? What would YOU like to be when you're a grown-up?
JANE: "I want to be a PROSTITUTE!"
MOTHER SUPERIOR nearly had a coronary: "😳😳 WHAT!??!! What did you say, miss Jane??!!"
Jane. "A PROSTITUTE! When I'm a grown-up, I'm going to be a PROSTITUTE."
Mother Superior throws her hands up I'm the air, let's out a HUGE sigh!! "OHHH.
Oh thank you, Lord Jesus! THANK YOU MERCIFUL GOD!.
The entire classroom: 😯😲😲😲😲.
Mother Superior: "Oh what a relief!..I thought you said, "PROTESTANT!!.
Esther using every bit of her ingredients is amazing. Sanji would approve
Who is sanji
@@EyramAnanieThe One Piece chef
One piece
❤❤❤
I love chef Esther because instead of substituting all the ingredients given (like some people 👀) she takes what she’s given and makes it a pro recipe. Not only does it show how awesome of a chef she is but makes it easier for the viewer to maximize the simpler ingredients. #teamEsther
you can really see how passionated Esther is about food and cooking. i love watching her
I am really impressed by Esther - pro-chef and yet very much focussed on maximising the value from each ingredients. To me, that's one of the biggest virtues of a great chef.
I love that chef Esther gave us home cook lessons on technique to elevate our cooking! She’s awesome!
I’m genuinely allergic to over 90% of the ingredients in this video, but I still watch with rapt attention because Esther is such a joy. 😊😊
Agreed.
I'm vegan. Same. She's such a good chef!
Yep. I’m allergic to a lot of this stuff too!
You're allergic to rice?
How you guys are alive?
I wish I could have seen someone like Esther in the Masterchef...wow, just wow...simply blown away by her tricks with the shrimps or utilizing even basic ingredients like eggs to enhance flavor. A mark of a true chef. This just shows food in not about how fancy your ingredients are but what one's skill level, expertise, and knowledge can elevate it to. Mind blown.
yeahh but masterchef is only for home cooks while she's a professional, so it wouldn't make sense for her to be in that show. Still i also want to watch her in a cooking competition thing
@@orangecat9559 there is a masterchef professional series, at least in the uk anyway
Can we appreciate Gabi too for how well she made that dish! I would’ve been overwhelmed
Yeah ,the cooking with oil always scares me lol
I think it helped that the crab was already cooked. 🦀
I can appreciate people who don't say "can we appreciate..." Sounds like a bot making comments, or specifically saying certain phrases in comments to elicit a 👍 it makes the comment seem fake and not "wholesome"
Know what I mean, Botterbean?
@@ooflord702 it makes sense in this context since Esther is responsible for the 2 recipes
Lol Gabi is in culinary school, she isn't really a home cook lol, I know her
esther is a talented chef! she managed to maximize each of gabi's ingredients and make something beautiful.
Please bring Chef Ester again! The way she uses 'products waste' are amazing and creative. While zero waste is trendy again, most tips I find is making stock or save it for later. I need more tips in using 'product waste'!
Esther is one of my favorite chefs. I like how carefully and inspirational she is with the smallest details.
Esther is so cool, don't think I've seen her much but she was very entertaining in this, and you can tell why she's a chef, she's so good
Gabi is always pretty entertaining so that's not a shock lol
I feel like Gabi's energy of "smiling on the outside, panicking on the inside" is really infectious... as for Esther, she's all enthusiasm when at the planning stage, cool and businesslike when actually working the food. Epicurious does a great job of finding likeable people to be in their videos.
Gabi is always pretty. Yeah
I loved the chemistry these two had when they met each other at the end. I'd love to see some videos of Esther and Gabi cooking together some day.
@@H0lyMoley that frase actually fits gabi's personality so well
Wasn't she also in the ramen video?
This is one of the best episodes of this series. So much cool gems in here that I've never heard before. Definitely going to try that $13 rice at some point
making shrimp paste with the cheap ingredients was genius. bravo!
Agreed
Super impressed with Esther's skill and strong instructional ability to pass on her knowledge. Those little nuances that come from experience and philosophy of zero waste and repurposing ingredients were a joy.
Gabi was fun too.
i love how ester was so proud of her shrimp oil! she even called it “our beautiful shrimp oil” the entire time. i love it when people - especially professionals - are proud of their work
My whole life I thought of fried rice as a simple dish you make with left over rice when you don't feel like cooking and this video give fried rice a whole new meaning.. 242 dollars for ingredients is mind blowing
It is what seafood restaurants do to maximize the value out of your king crab dinner, ate plenty of those in Vancouver's dim sum joints and I am just scratching the surface of cuisine. Then you have things like how Esther got the A game condiments from an imported grocer, the shrimp and crab are the main ingredients. You are not paying $242 just for fried rice, you are paying for steamed crab and soup if you plan to have a set menu
That’s because it is a really easy “Quick leftover rice” dish that you make when you don’t feel like cooking (or when you’re hungover).
Versatility is the name of the game with most dishes, honestly. _Most_ of the time, you can find cheaper alternatives- or choose to splurge and make something more expensive.
Both ways have their own value.
i love how this really shows that good food doesn't need to break the bank
I wanna see what esther can do with that expensive ingredient thou…hahaha! 🤤
I really love how Gabi brought an element of fun into the video. She joked, had fun, and was relatable. I hope we see her again!
I cant believe how far Gaby has been now that she’s a Next Level Chef! So proud of you, girl ❤❤❤
I love how Esther is organized and clean when working. I love how she doesn't waste a thing and makes the most of everything.
Hello Good Morning! Permit me to talk to you privately?
I feel like Esther has serious talent. The way she explained everything was amazing and of course her cooking was pro too!!! 😀
Chef Esther makes me nostalgic for all my passive aggressive Korean aunts and female cousins 😂 "this rice is tricky to cook so I gifted you this already cooked"...Korean translation..." I'm doing this for you bc you're just going to F it up!!" 😂😂😂☠☠☠
Gabi and Esther have such nice personalities, based off what is portrayed here!
I really love that Chef Ester used absolutely everything (aside of the shrimp veins obviously) and that she also didn’t add anything like a lot of the other chefs do. She just used what she was given and showed us at home how we can make something delicious with less expensive ingredients
Those aren't shrimp veins, they are more like shrimp colon filled with poop.
Gabi is great, she got a really hard task, I wouldn't know how to deal with that crab. Esther is awesome, appreciate the knowledge she dropped. Nice video.
Esther is amazing at utilization, Gabby is energetic and super positive! They are both a joy to watch!
so, i guess this is now a pro chef & pro chef swap! congratulations Gabi!!!
Oh my God, seeing Esther and Gabrielle together at the end made me cry. Just the reactions to each other's dishes... it was beautiful. I don't know why this is making me so emotional. Two amazingly talented women
its just 2 chefs liking each others dishes why cry about that XDDDDDDD
Lol you probably pregnant
@@jaxx6967 geez.
@@jaxx6967 probably because i grew up in a society that taught me to envy and hate women, and see them as competition rather than inspiration… it’s still new to see women support each other the way we do nowadays. you’re probably a kid who doesn’t get it though so it’s okay, you’ll learn :)
@@jaxx6967 shutup
what i love ab ester is that instead of ‘adding’ or changing the recipe, she keeps all of the ingredients and maximizes the taste of the meal while also keeping it simple. she also manages to use the ingredients for more than one use. which is so fun to see 😏
Simppp jk lol
@@summa1749 UWU UWU
Esther is absolutely my FAVORITE in this series, please bring her back more!!
I want more with Esther! I could watch her cook all day long.
Ester needs her own series I would watch her do this all the time 😭👏
Ikr??
literally! I’d watch everyday like wow, the way she uses all her resources and in a creative manner too!
@@goofyrat2938 she has a channel lol
She has a channel
@@heathola7137 where can I find it?
What Esther did with those ingredients was just pure magic. A phenomenal cook, I'd kill for a chance to eat some of her dishes.
Esther: Only put half because we don't want it to be salty
Also Esther: We're gonna go ahead and put the whole thing in and add some salt
I laughed a bit
I guess this is why it’s important to taste before saying anything 😹❤️
Right, she added half first and then tasted it.
It’s easier to fix bland food than salty food
and added some more MSG after that too lol
I love Esther, not only does she eat fried rice like a Korean, but she is absolutely one of the most talented chefs I've seen. She can make so much with so little.
Gabi blushing from Esther compliments is wholesome.
Esther has done it again. I was impressed with her interpretation on chicken sandwich and ramen then now fried rice. It’s so fun to watch too because I learn a lot from watching her
Never heard of this trick for seasoning woks, makes it so so easy to just coat in oil and shock with cold water than baking them
I'm surprised there's no thermal shock issues for the metal.
The shock between extreme temperatures is how one ends up with dented, bent and uneven cookware.
that makes more sense ‼️ especially at home
I think the most common is to just put oil then wipe it while its in the heat still, get it to smoke the oil, never heard of this cold water shock, which I guess would not be good for the longevity of the wok? its usually not recommended for any pan or pot, but I guess if the metal shrinks in the cold it absorbs the oil inside quicker? idk
That's because it's not a thing. Seasoning a wok is done by polymerizing oil so it bonds with the metal. You do this by heating the oil. I'm not sure what thermo-shocking the metal would accomplish...other than potentially distorting the cooking surface
They both were awesome, i love their chemistry. I could watch them both cool for hours.
Chef Esther is my favorite when it comes to these ingredients swap episodes. She teaches how to elevate dishes with simple ingredients with technique. And she does not have many additions to the recipe, she makes do with what was given.
"We're going to lower this to medium" and all I'm hearing is "nothing bad happens on medium"
Also, this is one of the best pro chef takes I've seen.
Great reference to Emily’s “nothing bad happens on medium” 😁
Not gonna lie, I love Esther's style, especially the way she utilizes everything and is always surprised by her own cooking haha! I also love Gabi, she is super fun so this was an awesome duo honestly.
Chef Esther is amazing. She did SO much with so little. Goalsss
I love how chef Esther does not waste anything. Where in prior chefs would use personal ingredients, she uses what is provided and does not waste anything. Everything can be used as soup stock to add back to the flavor.
i love how esther uses everything given to her and creates literally no waste while creating a meal
I just love Esther! Instead of adding too much to the home cooks version, she utilized her skills to bring out every bit of flavor she could, and just presented it better.
As a Chinese, my egg friend rice is like 3 dollars. Cha siu, shrimp, rice, egg, spring onions and some veg. Cooked overnight rice in with very little oil, shrimp in till halfway cooked, add egg and stir till half cooked while coating the rice, diced cha siu for a quick toss (the sauce will burn), chopped veg in, heat off, chopped spring onions, viola.
I love this. Esther taught me a lot and Gabby is just adorable
I love that Gaby seems to be legitimately mindblown at her ingredients list.
Well, I was also mindblown. There is no way to see a Full King Crab in front of you and not be minblown, even if you do not know what it is.
@@farrex0 It is a spiky armoured water spider. It is as terrifying as it is delicious when soaked in butter.
I love how this video is made. It shows us that you can have basic ingredients and accessories, but if you have some skills and knowledge, you can still make awesome food.
On the other hand it shows also that even if you're not a professional cook, but you get quality, interesting ingredients, some more professional tools and a few pro tips, you can create something really impressive.
I need more Auntie Esther! And these two together was just adorable.
I really can see how Chef Esther improved her communication and looking much more welcoming and relaxed on this episode than the August 2021. Congrats! And wow, what a way to fully utilize the ingredients. So inspiring!
Who asked
@@Shreddderrr I'm sorry that it seems either free speech or expressing admiration is not a custom in wherever you live in.
@@OxyVille who asked
Really want to see more of Esther on this channel
I love how Esther makes something way more creative even though she has the cheap ingredients .
I wouldn't describe it as more creative
Why not? She's using techniques most people here have never even thought or heard of, meanwhile the other girl is using the most straightforward and simple ways that have nothing to teach us@@michaelbacqalen1109
so you're telling me, honest to god, that a SHRIMP fried this rice?
I love how resourceful Esther is even with very plain ingredients. She can make an amazing meal with just $13 dollar ingredients.
I have watched Esther competed on Iron Chef! Her dishes are amazing and she was really tough to beat against celebrity chefs who are already established for years
So disappointed no one understands how much the editing is killing our home girl gabby she’s incredibly talented
She got less screen time, but I thing it still shows she is talented.
deff talented with cooking but the presentation of the ripped eggs put me off a bit
I think she is talented but because she presents herself as more insecure it might be less interesting to listen to
If someone ripped eggs for fried rice i would give them less screen time too.
esther: literally perfecting and utilizing the simple ingredients to not waste them
gabby: *just freaking out because she doesnt want any of the expensive ingredients go to waste* 😰
(i also love how esther helps out gabby
This is exactly how these recipe changes should go! The chef elevates the cheap ingredients and explains the processes and the expensive recipe is still executed according to the recipe. I believe uncle roger will be impressed.