i like how kenji rises from the void at the start of every vid

@nathant2309

9 ай бұрын

Lol

@PandaPotPies

9 ай бұрын

i like how he puts us on his head it makes me feel like ratatouille

@Schnuppi67

9 ай бұрын

😂

@harrisonraycroft6531

9 ай бұрын

ill never be able to unsee this nnow

@georgewalford7027

9 ай бұрын

DM: Its your turn, what do you do? Mage: I SUMMON KENJI!

A local place makes their meatball subs by cutting the meatballs in half and adding a nice crust to the flat cut side. It turns out great and it feels like the meatballs are less prone to slipping out since they aren't round.

@Jonpoo1

9 ай бұрын

This works with sausages too.

@_CoasterNinja

9 ай бұрын

This is what I do at home. If the meatballs are bigger, I go quarters or slice into rounds.

I feel like Kenji has been experimenting with more editing techniques lately. No longer just the finger snap time jump. Now we get delicious timelapse of cheese melting.

@samuelbrown9665

9 ай бұрын

i like that it’s not too over-produced though… it’s so real and personal in a way, unlike the direction that much of cooking youtube has taken (much as i love those guys too)

@leesagrrl

9 ай бұрын

It's magic.

@pBlackcoat

9 ай бұрын

With music!

@boitaho

9 ай бұрын

It would've been criminal to not see that mouth watering timelapse!

I really love the through-line of these videos where we see something being made for a fresh dinner and then also as leftovers.

"The best cheese is the cheese you have." I *really appreciate you saying this. Sometimes the best cheese I can afford is something not so great.

feels great to regularly see your videos again

People say they want a meatball sandwich, but what they really want is a meatLOAF sandwich with the same marinara and cheese ingredients. I started making my meatballs into a loaf that I then slice and brown before putting it on a sandwich. A thick slice of meatloaf holds together in the sandwich, and you don't get any empty bites of sandwich "between balls." I do this for other "meatball" based sandwiches as well like bahn mi and it works great. If you've got leftover meatballs like Kenji, do what you gotta do to make that sandwich, but otherwise start with a loaf! (BTW, the garlic butter on the bread is a great trick - kind of like an inside-out grilled cheese.)

@paulsmith5826

9 ай бұрын

I think the same thing can be achieved by just slicing the large meatballs in half. My favorite meatball sub is one I get from my local Italian family of beefcake tanks' shop, save the second half for later, and then edit the hell out of it before reheating. More cheese, giardiniera, black olives, re-toasted, and I cut the meatballs in half and re-position them for coverage. Perfection on the second go-around.

I love to learn about the science behind the techniques it really helps you improvise when necessary

Those garlic smashes were very satisfying, felt therapeutic even through the screen.

What a gorgeous time-lapse cheese melt! With music fitting the mood. Thanks, Kenji.

Big Fan of the timelapse of stuff cooking away in the oven. Something so satisfyign about watching that cheese melt

kenji, your garlic crushes are more like garlic explosions into pancakes. amazing.

@unethical_land7482

9 ай бұрын

literally 😺

Holy crap that looks delicious 🤤😋

Just sat down to lunch - perfectly timed upload!

Great video, this is fantastic

just made meatball flavored meatloaf using my family's meatball recipe. used fresh parsley and basil from the plants and fresh garlic; may or may not make MP sandwich because the meatloaf is so good on it's own with seasoning and seasoned Italian bread crumbs and PR cheese

so glad ur back buddy. keep it up!

so as it turns out i've been pronouncing the pasta sauce wrong for the past 10 years???? its ray-o and not raj but with an o instead of a j??????? truly the highlight of this video, thank you so much kenji for enlightening me

One of your best, without doubt. Fairly simple ingredients that I wouldn't think of adding. Thank you.

I have the same relationship with garlic powder 😂 that nostalgic taste from childhood pizzeria days

@stevekoutros9358

9 ай бұрын

NYC slice with garlic powder and red chili flakes...

I appreciate the mouth noises disclaimer 😂 but damn does that look good. I’m appreciating the food through you today Kenji!

@cupfulofeathers

9 ай бұрын

I appreciated it, too, since I have mild misophonia. But the mouth sounds weren't too bad, actually!

@LindsayDaly

9 ай бұрын

As do I, haha

"Mouth noises incoming" is, like, the best warning signal.

Good to see Jamon is doing well.

Looks good. Bunk Sandwiches in Portland used to have my favorite meatball sub by a long shot, but feel like they lost a step when they had to close all locations except one. I also loved the concept of Sam's meatball sandwich in Burlingame, but the flavors weren't there. They would take a loaf, cut off the tip, hollow out the inside, and stuff it. This way there was no where for the messiness of a meatball sub to escape and you had to eat it top down like a burrito.

@Electric.Spaghetti.Neon.Studio

9 ай бұрын

There are a few edible meatball parms around Portland, but after I had one in NJ I realized that the ones in PDX are all lacking something. Usually the bread is all wrong, but sometimes they’re also inexplicably bland, or there’s way too much sauce, or they’re dry as hell. There’s a new one I just tried at the Lucky Horseshoe that was good, but tiny - about half the size of Kenji’s. The one from Bridge City Pizza is usually very good; they get almost everything right! But the bread is too soft for my taste… I like a nice crispy crust on mine.

man that looks amazing

kenji! don't forget the bas-oh. he's got it.

Bread is everything for me. If I'm making subs or some other specialty sandwich, I just pop into Panera and get couple loaves of French bread. Cant go wrong with their bread which I love. I'm in the south so that's as good as it gets since I'm from Northern New Jersey and won't settle for crappy bread. That looks delicious kenji

@lacrossefire9

9 ай бұрын

As a former Panera baker their bread quality has gone way way down hill in the last decade

Thanks for the food noise warning. I really appreciated that!

Nice to see the old school china bristle brush in the kitchen. The only thing I use those silicone versions for is spreading glue.

Lol when you we’re making the meatballs and eating them just plain with the sauce the other day I was screaming meatball sub!!! Hahah.

I loved the music interlude. It was hilarious. Thank you.

@Corybander

9 ай бұрын

I was really worried you would forget the basil

find it mildly entertaining how Kenji notices immediately there is a half-eaten meatball in the pot. and also how someone eats half the meatball and leaves the remainder in the pot (maybe they believed the sauce would cover it up). lol... enjoy the italian american dishes...Rao's sauce is very good, I only tried it for my first time in my life this year but the flavor is way better than what I've bought traditionally (although it is 3x the cost of my regular brand too)...

I have the same fridge. I feel like they intentionally designed it to be as difficult to close the doors as possible. Every door has a chance to just barely not fully close causing the inside to slowly warm up. You're lucky if the alarm sounds quickly. Sometimes it will just be barely cracked and you'll wake up to a partially defrosted freezer.

God damn beatiful. Also, the day i avoid mouth noises from Kenji is the day i gently go into the good night.

@JustAnotherBuckyLover

9 ай бұрын

Unfortunately for some of us, those mouth sounds are akin to the metaphorical nails on a chalkboard or worse. Misophonia FTL. So it's genuinely appreciated by those of us with auditory sensory issues that he was kind enough to warn us about the extended negative stimuli. Now, if only I could get one for when people are creaming butter and sugar, or softening cream cheese...! 🤦

RIP the italian bakery on Rainier ave and College in South Seattle. It was one of the best places to get sandwich rolls.

Nice!

i was not expecting such a profound smash on that garlic. thats amazing

Kenji rules!

40 seconds of mouth sounds. Now that’s a good meatball sub

Me and my best friend used to go to our favorite bar and get black out drunk then stumble next door to this pizzeria that would be open till 2 am for some reason and get a meatball sub every time… man good times.. this reminded me of that.. that bread looked amazing

DAMN that looks good kenji

Looked amazing as always. Curious your thoughts on wrapping a sandwich like this in wax/foil and letting it sit for a few minutes before enjoying? I've started doing this with my homemade cheesesteaks and being from Philly I find it really adds to the experience letting the steam mingle all the textures together. I feel like it's maybe a tad similar to your bagel trick of toasting them whole instead of sliced which let's thst steam inside the bagel add a whole different texture. Anyways, thanks as always, stay excellent!

Keep it up 💪

Hasn't had a meatball sub in 20 years, but can make one. They're really that easy, go make them!

Thank you for the "mouth noises" warning. Greatly appreciated.

i really enjoy when you speed up footage, quite cool to see processes happening in real time....or fake time... :)

We drive a 40 mile round trip down to Carpinito's produce stand in Kent several times a year, mostly to get their 20 lb boxes of field ripened tomatoes. Two dutch ovens on the stove making marinara sauce, into 32 oz containers for the freezer for sauce year round. Rao's is very good, not the least of which is no sugar added, but homemade is just better :D Going to school in Boston, there was a shop that did meatball grinders nearby, that I was addictede to. This looks like I will have to give it a try :D

@JKenjiLopezAlt

9 ай бұрын

Which shop did the grinders? I’m a Boston guy.

@thedracophile

9 ай бұрын

@@JKenjiLopezAlt It was in the 200 block of Massachusetts Ave, ground floor with our residence above in the old remodeled warehouse, right across the street from the Necco wafer plant. Using Google Maps, Cambridge Pizza is in the right location, but I dont remember if that was the name used back then.

Broken Kenji. I like the honesty. Just makin’ good on a promise.

What’s the best way to get garlic juice out of a cutting board next to full blown washing in the sink?

Hey Kenji! Have you tried Michaels of Brooklyn jarred tomato sauces? They are my personal fav

Wait bro, but I love the mouth noises. That's like almost the best part

As someone with misophonia I really appreciated the mouth noises warning!!

I’d love to know your recommendations for “minimal hardware” kitchen setups. With how small apartments are these days, what would you say are the absolute essential pieces of equipment to cook the widest range of food?

@cletushatfield8817

9 ай бұрын

A carbon steel wok, wok spatula, nice cutting board, nice clever. I cook steaks, make 1000s of variations of stir fries, Indian cuisine, anything is possible. I've even made a Philly cheesesteak, and could therefore make this meatball sub. Technique is everything. Add a dutch oven, paring knife, and maybe a small sauce pan if you want to get extra fancy.

Where can I get a knife like yours? This sandwich looks amazing!!!!!

To avoid mouth noises, skip to 8:06 for hiccup content.

Haha, I like that Kenji said almost exactly what I commented in the meatball video.

I made the meatballs today. I didn't find the gelatin made much of a difference personally. I saw the one recipe said to combine with chicken stock but I didn't do that. I really wanted to try the Raos sauce so I did. And while it was good I will probably go back to doctoring cheaper sauces. $16 for two jars here.

eating my Wawa sandwich (not a meatball) and I started the video thinking "I bet he'd never eat something like this) - glad you ended the video talking about a Wawa sub.

Great content sir! You have taught us all so much : ) I remember the OG Babish videos where he said that he was learning everything from your KZread vids. Don't be too PC my friend, some people, (myself included), don't really like mouth crunching noises but it doesn't make me skip ahead in the video. For me it's when my mom is just sitting next to me munching on almonds 3 ft from my ears for 20min, or when my dad is clomping away like a horse. It's ok to offend some people, look at the greatest comics of all time! Stay killin' it : ) I look forward to visiting your restaurant

Kenji unusually critical of his ingredients today, crummy baguette, worst motz you can buy lol. Sandwich looks killer.

i needed a way to incorporate my job at subway into my home life.

Kenji, what is this box grater? It looks perfect and ours is fully clapped out. I love that open top, full cross section design.

I’ve been wondering if it’s worth getting a chinese cleaver. It looks so fun to use and versitile. It would probably take a while to get used to though. Anyone have tips?

My man raw dogging that garlic butter cast iron, holy hell.

I expected him to talk about happy little trees while painting on that garlic butter.

When he was talking about reusing the bread and said "circle of..." I really thought "circle of loaf" was coming!

Hey Kenji! I just noticed we have the same (if not very similar) cleavers, I just got mine off of amazon for like $8 (it was massively reduced in price for some reason, yay!). Anyway, does the brushed part of your blade feel course, or is that a me thing?

this would be epic with bahn mi toppings

"Circle of life." Man, you really missed the _circle of loaf_ joke!

Made me blush when you mentioned Wawa :)

@jonathanslosser814

9 ай бұрын

Right?!?

A great meatball parm sammich is one you should probably eat with a knife and fork, but you power through and eat it with your hands.

As someone who suffers from misofonia the only complaint I had on your videos were the noises when you eat. Very considerate of you to now give a heads up hahaha. Now I can just skip that part instead of having to throw my headphones across the room in frustration or mute the video ;) Thanks for that!

Ayyy love me some Wawa!

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT! CHA!

0:58 this is what I’ve been saying. I love a good meatball sub or cheesesteak but I can’t find decent hoagie bread that is not sweet, not rock hard exterior, and not a huge French loaf. I swear it doesn’t exist in Seattle

Gotta love the Wawa reference IYKYK

Hey Kenji! I've got a special question for you if you know the answer it would be great, if anyone else has any suggestions I appreciate it. I've got 1kg of ELK meat which im gonna make elk patties of, do you think the result is better if I add some gelatin to it? Also gonna add some pork for fat n flavor.

@JKenjiLopezAlt

9 ай бұрын

Yes absolutely. Elk is very lean and can benefit from gelatin and more fat.

@heitildeg

9 ай бұрын

Thanks!!@@JKenjiLopezAlt

the mouth noises warning!!!! :) lol

@commenter6355

9 ай бұрын

Hilarious trigger warning!

This misophonia sufferer appreciates the mouth noises warning. Good GOD, that looked delicious. 😍

Kenji, curious what the machine is that is on top of your toaster oven?

@CrossXhunteR

9 ай бұрын

I believe it is a Breville Pizzaiolo pizza oven, that he has used previously in his heart-shaped pizza video.

@JKenjiLopezAlt

9 ай бұрын

It’s a Breville pizzaiolo electric pizza oven.

just ate and now im hungry again.

Meatball, (or chicken) parm subs need a nice crunchy bread. Can't use soft bread for this!

Hi kenji!

HECK YEAH KENJI!!

Daniel Gritzer does chicken stock jello - then chopped and added into the panade ...is that overkill and sprinkling powder the same?

@JKenjiLopezAlt

9 ай бұрын

Sprinkling works fine for me. No way I’m making a full on aspic for a weeknight meatball.

@FightingIrishFan91

9 ай бұрын

@@JKenjiLopezAlt Thanks! I've had great success with Daniel's recipe, I'm sure he got that from his restaurant days - so this at home hack sounds great!

I need to make some meatballs now...

the circle of meatballs :D

Jamon would like, nay, requires, nay, deserves a piece of meatball

Kenji, where did you get Enrique Tomas jamón in the USA? I'm from Spain and I've never seen it in California!

Thank you so much for the mouth noise warning.

🤤

Damn shots fired at Bel Gioioso. Did the Whale inspire this video? What'd you get up to while the cheese was melting?

This question is probably more appropriate for the meatball video, but here i go... do vietnamese restaurants use gelatin in their meatballs? They have a very specific texture (denser, smoother) than ones i have made.

@JKenjiLopezAlt

9 ай бұрын

Depends on the kind of meatball but they are stronger forcemeats typically. They are heavilynpureed and mixed to make them bouncy and springy. More like a sausage. Some styles of Vietnamese meatball (like the ones you get in banh mi) are made with glutinous rice.

"Oh boy ..." 😄

The hiccup was epic,

Lol good on you for including a mouth noises warning Can’t imagine why someone would watch this channel if they had an issue with it tho

Kenji, what kind of knife are you using at the start? Style or Brand.

@amuzaulo752

9 ай бұрын

Looks like a Shi Ba Zi F208. Chinese chef knife.

Kenji, whoever married you is probably the smartest person in the world

@JKenjiLopezAlt

9 ай бұрын

She is. I’m very lucky!

The bread scooping hurt me deep in the cockles of my heart, but everything else was pretty great.

Did anyone else get a weird flashback to the episode of That's So Raven where she got stuck in the HVAC ducts? 😂