5 Tips to Immediately Improve Your Cooking | America’s Test Kitchen
Ready to make better meals at home? We’re sharing five of our best cooking tips that will elevate your next meal immediately. Keep watching for tips on how to best use your instant pot and microwave, to the best method for achieving a tasty golden brown on your veggies. This video is packed with some of our best cooking advice and kitchen hacks you need to know.
00:00 How Microwaves Impact Your Food
10:32 Why You Shouldn’t Snap the Ends Off Asparagus
18:33 The Best Way to Use Your Instant Pot & Short Rib Recipe
33:09 How to Perfectly Brown Your Vegetables
45:20 Why You Can’t Overcook Mushrooms
Subscribe to America’s Test Kitchen:
Watch full episodes of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country for free on our new YouTube channel:
Buy our Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook here:
Get exclusive access to every recipe, review, and more via our homepage:
Sign up for our free newsletters to receive more delicious recipes, cooking tips, and exclusive content:
Subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated:
Watch More!
In The Test Kitchen:
The Taste Test:
Techniquely With Lan Lam:
Most Popular:
Follow America’s Test Kitchen:
Instagram:
Pinterest:
TikTok:
Facebook:
Twitter:
At America’s Test Kitchen, we investigate every aspect of cooking—recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques—with a goal to empower and inspire home cooks. Since 1992, our team of 50+ cooks, editors, and culinary creatives ask a lot of questions—and do a lot of testing—so that you get dependable, delicious recipes, comprehensive guidance, and thorough and unbiased equipment and ingredient reviews. You can find us in the pages of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, on our television shows America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country, in dozens of best-selling cookbooks, and via the 14,000+ recipes, reviews, and classes available on our website and app. Whether you’re in search of a great weeknight meal or an impressive dinner-party dish, we’ve done the testing to deliver reliable recipes and comprehensive cooking info to your home kitchen. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll make you a better cook.
#AmericasTestKitchen #CookingTutorial #FoodScience
When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission.
source
34:30 ngl, had to rewind three times to stop being confused about why Lan required assembly .-.
Is this video for children or ESL migrants ??
Set frozen stick of butter on end, in wrapper, full power 9-12 seconds, results in room temp butter with minimum softness variation, no melt. Has worked in every microwave I’ve tried.
Microwaves do nothing but excite hydrogen atoms. Since everything has some water, or hydrogen atoms and oxygen, it works. They are mini-radars.
Why did she omit this?
But….. “Inverter microwaves, on the other hand, can operate at 50% power (or another reduced level) throughout the whole cooking process, which results in faster and more even cooking. This technology is ideal for those who regularly use their microwave for defrosting, but it does tend to drive up the price of the appliance.”
I usually do my instant pot in 2 stages bc veg becomes too softened after 5-10 mins. So, meat and some veg, then add more veg for 5 -10 mins. Maybe not a great idea bc the reheating time. But before I do the veg I can opt to take the meat out or leave in.
My wife was in awe when I told her that 50% power doesn't mean the waves are only half as strong – 50% power is 100% power 50% of the time.
Suddenly the power options made sense.
SHE CAN HANDLE MY NOODLE ANY DAY!
Arguably a more useful taxonomy than Meyers/Briggs.
There's no space for a microwave in my kitchen, but you've made me regret not having one now….
i think 😅 these guys dont know whats inverter microwave. it actually fixes what microwave should have been.
Check out inverter microwaves, the moderate power, not the classic 20 second duty cycle.
You rule.
Thank you Lan,
Your videos are very informative. Delivered with grace and style. Thank you.
When will one smart manufacturer rise above the rest and give us a decent light in the unit so we can get a proper view of the food through that grating? Because as of now, they all SUCK and FAIL at this. I tried putting a bright led in but it wont stand the microwaves.
I agree that microwaves are for lazy people…just like me.
Nice shearing
This episode is really good thanks atk
I learned a lot for sure. Never thought about roasting fennel but it makes sense. Radishes are the same way, roasting them yields a nice buttery veggie that radish haters will enjoy.
Those plastic lids drip micro plastics into the food.
I thought I could cook, but the mushroom lesson… M – I – N – D – – – B – L – O – W – N!!!
I use mine daily to steam vegetables. Fresh corn on the cob, wrapped in parchment paper, 4 minutes on high, perfect every time.
If i microwaved butter for 45 seconds in my microwave, even at power level 1, it would be evaporated completely. At level 5, 10 seconds is slightly warm but still basically rock hard and unspreadable, 11 seconds is exactly like your full power example. 🤣
I absolutely love cooking and consider myself a pretty good cook. I subscribe to literally hundreds of YouTube channels, and this one is fast becoming one of my favorites.❤
0:37 You can toast nuts in the microwave?
oh it's a compilation, I thought I was getting an hour of Lan. Disappointed.
White asparagus is NASTY. Sorry, France.
Always enjoy your science "take"! Makes everything come together! You have no idea how refreshing it is!🤩 SUPER FAN!
i LIKE the crunchy ends of asparagus !
Lan tips are best tips
When we still had a farm our asparagus patch produced for over 100 years.
missed opportunity to say „reheat nachos“
wouldn't the reheat feature work just as well for heating up things at a lower level?
Petito's potatoes? Great video. I learned much.
Entire video was great! Can't wait to try more options for one of my favorites – asparagus!
0:51 She’s talkin bouta “magnetron”. The only reason chefs are using “magnetron” type radiation in for their stove’s bc thanks to minorities succumbing to “microwaves” of radiation, they figured-out howta regulate “magnetrons” just enough so that their stoves don’t give them cancer…
…the idea was Air fryer’s in the first place, what microwaves should/would be, had they not discovered radiation, & or had they not discovered ha microdoses of radiation could keep the population-control in check.
Outstanding!