Kenji Lopez-Alt and salmon

[Jenise]

Awhile back, because he moved to Seattle, I started following him on Instagram cuz I thought I'd learn somethings about this place that I didn't know. I certainly have done that. But moreover I've enjoyed watching as he tirelessly experiments with food. His thought processes and revelations are truly a joy to behold. So are his politics as he fearlessly beats back any Trumpian assholes who occasionally pops up to punish him for being inclusive and progressive. He's also a very involved father. Takes great loving care of his daughter and occaisionally posts photos of the elaborate little lunches he makes for her in a darling little bento box type lunch box that keeps everything safe and separate. Once a week or so, he and she have a date night in a restaurant. My respect grows every day.

Today he posted about salmon. Took two pieces from the same filet of sockeye, put one in cryovac and set the other, salted, on a plate overnight, skin side up. The following day he cooked them--on parchment in a skillet, a new technique for browning/frying he's getting great results with in the past two weeks. In short--we don't need teflon, we just need parchment.

Oh shucks, was going to upload a picture but what I copied from IG won't post. SO, a description:

Skin looks good on both, but looks wetter on the cryovacced piece. Albumin leaks out all over, flesh medium in color. The salted/dried piece? Clean, no albumin, bright red.

He literally salts and dries overnight all meat and fish that he cooks, he says. This is his first with salmon.

I am SO going to try both techniques.

Hi Jenise!

I like KLA also, but I'm a bit surprised that he's calling cooking on parchment in a skillet a "new technique". I was doing this years ago in restaurants, and I've since seen it also done on some cooking shows (latest example: "Great British Menu"). Any other ex/current chefs can back me up on this?

FWIW, I believe it was he who advocated steaming salmon rather than poaching it, as flavor compounds in salmon dissolve in water but not steam. The recipe called for laying the fish on a raft of carrots, and a court bouillon (or similar) poured in to just below the flesh. I've tried that and do think it's an improvement. (I'll have to see if I can find the source. I'm pretty sure it was him, but it might have been another either Cooks Illustrated or Serious Eats author.)

[Jenise]

He didn't claim that it was new, just new to him. Interesting to think you can just use parchment in your SS skillets--no need for teflon in some situations. But it was new to me, I'll admit. I have yet to try it.

Do you consider it a 'best' technique, or just an alternative?

He didn't claim that it was new, just new to him. Interesting to think you can just use parchment in your SS skillets--no need for teflon in some situations. But it was new to me, I'll admit. I have yet to try it.

Do you consider it a 'best' technique, or just an alternative?

Sorry for the delay responding. For some reason I'm not getting notifications. Or I'm just easily distracted. Take your pic.

Honestly, I think it's a best practice if you don't have a good non-stick surface to cook on. It does one thing particularly well: it keeps the fish from breaking up, particularly if it needs to be flipped. In restaurants of course, that equates to revenue loss potentially, so that's where I've seen it most used. One other advantage I saw, albeit somewhat more minor, was that the parchment acted as a bit of a barrier to keep the top from drying out (I always folded the paper over the fish, so it was enclosed like a clam shell). Kinda like a cloche. And you could butter the paper also, which was also a plus for flavor and texture.

Y'know, I think I should get back to doing that after reading all that, lol....

I like KLA also, but I'm a bit surprised that he's calling cooking on parchment in a skillet a "new technique". I was doing this years ago in restaurants, and I've since seen it also done on some cooking shows (latest example: "Great British Menu"). Any other ex/current chefs can back me up on this?

Here's backup: Jacques Pepin, 1992, about 9:20 in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnGOsXFA-28

[Jenise]

Jeff, in the video, Jacques puts a tiny piece of paper under the chicken to keep it from sticking. But notice when he takes the already-roasted duplicate chicken from the oven--it had no paper. He's not demonstrating the principal that Kenji talked about when he used it for browning a piece of salmon in a skillet.

What really struck me about that video is the size of the prep knife Jacques used in that and the soup recipe before it. Relatively small.

Tom, speaking of holding in moisture with it, the first cooking class I ever took, a Cordon Bleu course, we were urged to save the wrappers from butter cubes for exactly that purpose. We put one over the breast of a chicken we roasted.

Tom, speaking of holding in moisture with it, the first cooking class I ever took, a Cordon Bleu course, we were urged to save the wrappers from butter cubes for exactly that purpose. We put one over the breast of a chicken we roasted.

Gordon Ramsey recommends that same trick when roasting venison loin.

Tom, speaking of holding in moisture with it, the first cooking class I ever took, a Cordon Bleu course, we were urged to save the wrappers from butter cubes for exactly that purpose. We put one over the breast of a chicken during roasting.

Wow, learn something new every day. I used to just eat them!

I always have saved the butter wraps, thought it wasteful to toss. I use them to grease pans,and have used them to cover Cornish Game Hens when cooking.

Speaking of Kenji, does anyone have his over 900 page book, The Food Lab? Amazing book everything you ever wanted to know about cooking.

I thought that was Harold McGee? (I have neither.)

[Jenise]

No, Kenji was The Food Lab. Based on his blog and millions of posts--he's a natural scientist and cook, full of adventure. I don't have the book, though I've referenced his internet blog a number of times. I did buy his most recent work, though, The Wok, and I follow him on IG. Nothing but respect!

Yes, I know who wrote what. I was referring to Karen's statement: "everything you ever wanted to know about cooking".

Neer heard of Harold McGee

He wrote the book on the chemistry of cooking: https://tinyurl.com/mr45vfdh

You can read samples of the book on the Amazon site.

Thanks, wonder how I missed him...fun to read about the chefs.