For Fast and Easy Meal Prep, Use This Restaurant Trick | Techniquely with Lan Lam
Meal prepping a nutritious meal can feel like a lot of work, especially when it involves cooking multiple sides. Lan Lam teaches you how line cooks prep vegetables and reheat them per order for a quick, healthy side to compliment whichever protein is the star of the plate.
Ginger-Soy Ahi Tuna Rice Bowls Recipe:
Pan-Steamed Broccolini with Shallot Recipe:
Mustard Beurre Monté Recipe:
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:26 What Do the Pros Do?
06:34 Pan Steaming Veggies
11:35 Blanching Vegetables In Bulk
11:54 Reheating Blanched Vegetables
Discover more techniques and rigorously tested recipes on the America’s Test Kitchen App:
Get exclusive access to every recipe, review, and more via our homepage:
Buy our cookbook 100 Techniques: Master a Lifetime of Cooking Skills, from Basic to Bucket List:
Discover the latest recipes, tips, and tricks from Cook’s Insider or keep up with the latest in our test kitchen from Notes from the Test Kitchen:
Subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated:
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 cookbook Kitchen Gear:
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
source
How long do the prepped veggies keep in the fridge? Could you prep a whole week’s worth of meal this way?
She forgot to line the deli cups with paper towels to catch the excess moisture that accumulates over time. Doing so will extend the shelf life of the blanched veg.
I’ve been finding that salting my ice water for blanching rather than the boiling water is a more effective way to season my veg.
What brand of knife is that? I want one! ❤it!
Love it!!
yas queeen
I so enjoy these videos and Lan is an incredible tutor. Getting the basics right is so important.
12:51 – 12:59 Can you double check that?
More Lan Lam!
Lan is such a pro! Thanks for the insights!
CC
I can't stop saying "the veg" now.
Her vids are so informative.
Sorry as it's unrelated. But I can’t stop unseeing chef Lam's stiff-jiggly body movements like she's doing a stop dance 🙈😅
How do you keep them in the fridge?
I've seen that same cabbage recipie with some added dashi for extra umame flavoring
What an excellent segment! The non-cooking method with salt abrasion is new to me, as is the beurre monté dressing, so I'll be trying both. Thanks, Lan. Happy 2026.👍🏾💙🤍❤️
The new restaurant trick is just reheated Sysco slop for 50% more cost to the customer
I live for Lan ❤
Lan is my favorite ATK rockstar.
Ms. Lam is the best cooking instructor today! She works so much better alone and doesn't need a sidekick. Please tell the makeup department you don't need a ton of makeup like the other women on ATK; you're in the kitchen and not on the red-carpet (where you deserve to be as well). I noticed that when you're on-screen alone, the makeup is so understated vs when you're with one of your sidekicks.
What a great lesson. Thanks Lan Lam!
I'd like to hear her voice on a loop.. it's so soothing.. ok wait this was a cooking show.. sheesh..
Lan, I love this series. Thanks so much. Your episode on microwave cooking chamged how I use my microwave.
Every working cook keeps a large pot of boiling water on the stove, with a big ladle, so he doesn't have to heat up water when he needs it. It's also good in emergencies, such as when one of your customers is suddenly giving birth.
Tried the massaged cabbage tonight. Shocked to learn my wife actually likes it. After dunking the cabbage in water to remove the excess salt I used a salad spinner to remove more of the leftover water.
I grew up in a time when veges weren't cooked until they were soft. Sadly, I still prefer them that way. It may be that grocery store veges are so bland anymore that tender crisp has barely any flavor & soft gets them down fast.
More meal prep videos please! Cooking once a week allows me so much more time and headspace to experiment.
Some mustard powder would add some available lecithin right?
Show us your veg
Would this work with Asian leafy greens like choy sum?
Did this this holiday season and it made cooking on the day such a breeze
I love how she gets excited when she tastes things. Makes me want to cook whatever she makes immediately. LOVE HER
What an abundance of information! Thank you!
If someone fed me raw garlic I would never speak to them again.
Blanched veggies will work perfectly for community meals.Thanks. Any tips on how best to prep meals for 100 is appreciated.
For those with kidney issues or hypertension, leave out all that salt. If you're watching your LDL cholesterol and ApoB levels, swap the butter for EVOO. Just as tasty and much healthier.
I would LOVE to see a collaboration series with both you and Dan.
I can see it now:
The Low-down with Lan Dan …
Very interesting and informative, thank you 😃👍
The best culinary instructor of our generation.
We're evaporating the water and concentrating the flavor with this one 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Excellent video, love these type videos of core technique videos, especially ones that focus on vegetarian food prep. Bravo ATK
Who doesn’t love this lady? ❤
Happy 2026 Lan 🌷
That's really cool. I'll never do it.
Can you throw the blanched veggies in the oven? And how long will blanched veggies keep in the refrigerator? Always love more cooking tips!
my favorite Lan Lam
Nice for summer, when you don’t want to use the stove – 😊
So glad the algo put this video on my home page today. This was just what I needed. Tired of ruining good veggies with guess work.
I have a little crush and my lady friend is okay with it. I think she has a crush too, but won’t admit it.