How to Make Lasagna | Kenji's Cooking Show
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- čas přidán 1. 09. 2020
- In this video I show you how to assemble and bake an Italian-American lasagna similar to this one: www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...
I'm using a meat ragù made with Italian sausage and beef, homemade ricotta, and a besciamella. You can find the ragù recipe here: • Easy Weeknight Sausage...
And you can get the stoneware Le Creuset lasagna pan I used in this video here: www.amazon.com/Creuset-Herita... - Jak na to + styl
Jamon is my ultimate arbiter. When he's up and waiting, you know the smell in that kitchen is righteous. Let's face it, Shabu is basic, but when the big lad is bobbing and weaving to get close, that's basically 3 Michelin stars.
Haha that is so true.
Shabu is like my dog Mousse. Everything is food and food is life. 😂 not a discerning palette on that one
@@clamsmontecito9574
❤️ Thank you so much!
I don't know which was more cute, the yogurt on the snout or the attempt at swallowing a whole slice of pizza without chewing :)
@@JKenjiLopezAlt Have you ever had lasagna with cottage cheese instead of ricotta? That's how my mother used to make it when I was growing up.
We make spinach lasagna after a favorite restaurant, now closed. Spinach and parmesan mixed in with the ricotta, layered with fresh mozzarella and bechamel, also with parmesan or pecorino.
"some measurement of butter to some measurement of flour to a different measurement of milk"
The good old some-tric system.
35 grams butter, 35 grams flour, 5 dl milk, is my go-to ratio (1 ounce, 1 ounce, 2 cups, roughly). And for the milk part I usually use some mixture of milk and cream with a final fat content of 5-10 %, because fat is tasty (also a good way to use up small quantities of leftover heavy cream, half-and-half, crème fraîche etc before they go bad on you).
In US measures I do about 1 TB of butter, 1 TB of flour, and 1 cup of milk. Basically the same ratio as yours.
I am now going to remember 2TB is 35gms.
Tablespoons not terabyte, I guess
that depends on the density of the ingredient. A tablespoon is a volume measure, grams are mass.
@@JKenjiLopezAlt Ah, béchamel, the universal mother glue that binds all cooks together.
In my experience, doing equal parts by volume often leads to too little flour. That is to say, I've messed up a few béchamels this way, which is why I now always go equal by weight. But I feel like this is one of those things where there's a few different ways to get to the same result, so it's best to find a method that works for you and stick with it until it's really reliable and intuitive, right?
Back in December 2019, I did at rotation at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) with Purdue University. Our commander, an Italian research scientist, wanted to make a pasta dish for Christmas with a béchamel (our rotation covered Christmas and New Years). However, we ran out of milk! There was a moment of sadness, and I said, "I'll make the Béchamel, you take care of everything else."
Powdered Milk, Powdered Butter, Flour, Water, and a loooooooooooot of elbow grease. I'm talking like 20-30 min of vigorous stirring over low heat, but you can do it! Took forever for it to emulsify, but ended up in a delicious dish. :D
more or less what you get if you buy powdered bechamel sauce, just without seasonings in yours
I'm jealous of whatever you do for a living.
If you just ran out of milk wouldn’t the powderd
Milk be good enough? lol like you said you only ran out of milk
You're a real hero.
powdered butter??? never heard of that.
First time I’ve seen Jamón go to the food instead of waiting for Kenji to bring it! Must be a lasagna fan
Jamón confirmed Garfield, what a twist.
Im one myself😌
Ohhhh, I wonder if it’s the tomato! Kenji mentioned once how much Jamón likes tomatoes.
VC CB
Kenji: "I made a ragu, I made my own ricotta, I'll probably make a bechamel."
Also Kenji: "These are just regular store-bought noodles."
A truly relatable king.
I immediately remembered Chef John's advice when Kenji was adding the milk straight from the fridge:
"Hot roux, cold milk, no lumps".
I always thought that was a nod to Martin Yan, "Hot wok, cold oil, food won't stick."
With cold milk you can actually add it all at once, or in two batches if you're cautious. I don't know the physics behind it but it won't make lumps as long as you whisk thoroughly. The way Kenji is adding the milk here is even safer, and also let's you gauge the consistency better for small batches, (and is the only way of adding WARM milk to roux) but if you have your ratios down you can basically add cold milk as quickly as you want. (source: used to work in a school kitchen)
I always add my milk cold the way kenji does. I didnt have the time to waste heating milk. Glad to know its actually perfectly fine it never failed me.
@@elleboman8465 At the culinary school I attended you'd have to start again if you used a whisk. Of course, after being smacked round the head with the wooden spoon you were supposed to use
@@russyJ20 Thanks for the reminder to never go to culinary school :^P
Real authentic cooking anywhere is using up what one has on hand at the time.
Thanks for doing these videos out of your home kitchen (full trash bags and all). Hopefully they will help the people who are so worried about "doing it right" relax and enjoy exploring food.
excuse me SIR but you simply canNOT throw a cheesy, crispy, saucy pasta dish at me at 11:00 at night. the audacity to make me hungry and crave lasagna at this atrocious hour is inconceivable. how dare you.
I saw this video right as I was going to bed, guess that's waiting 24 minutes.
Preach bother!
Same here lol
Watching these videos before bed is always a bad idea lol
Big mood
Facts brother
I've been waiting for 10 years for this video
Today is a good day
Not first but pinned, so first.
EDIT:
Re: the Garfield comment:
Garfield notoriously was never intended to be funny! He was created as a marketable character, which Jim Davis, his creator, readily admits. Humor wasn't his goal, the goal of the strip was to offer some comfort in the exact same punchlines over and over, which in turn could then be marketed. Garfield hates mondays. Garfield is fat. Garfield is mean to Odie. Garfield loves lasagna... and that's about it.
And it worked! www.quora.com/Garfield-comic-strip/Is-Garfield-supposed-to-be-funny?__pmsg__=+d3R4dkhwTUJUR1J3Ykc2M1VXQzU6YS5hcHAudmlldy5wbXNnLmFsbC5Mb2dnZWRJbkZyb21MaW5rOltbMzI1MzE4MF0sIHt9XQ**
dang he got pinned lucky guy
I love you, Kenji!!
me too kenji
!!
this guy so lucky to be first and pinned!
Seriously kenji.. I am stopping in the middle of watching this video just to say thank you for giving us your youtube channel.. I am certainly a big fan and all this knowledge that you share is absolutely worth coming to see you cook things!
It’s free too🙏🏽
that first bit when he can’t fit his face in the screen always makes me laugh
It's the charming signature of a Kenji video 😊
It screams dad energy 😂 I love it
When you mentioned hard-boiled eggs in lasagna from Southern Italy, that is the only time I've ever heard anyone else mention eggs in lasagna. Many years ago when I was a teenager my parents and I went to the house of a family (members of my mother's Bridge Club) for dinner, and they served lasagna. The lady of the house was of Italian descent and she had put a layer of fried eggs in the lasagna. It was beyond incredible.
One of my favorite things about these videos is learning how to make use of what you got. Too often I get too caught up worrying that I don't have the right this or that, and then I see Kenji throw some queso oaxaca in his bechamal and remember that many (most?) ingredients exist on a spectrum.
Talking about your different experiences with lasagna made me realize that the lasagna I make is completely untraditional, but I love it! I do a meat sauce with sausage and chuck and lamb. Then I add onions, carrots, garlic and 3 big cans of SM DOP whole peeled tomatoes and basil. Some red pepper flakes and whatever Parmesan or pecorino rinds I have lying around.
I make my cheese layer with ricotta and low moisture mozzarella and a ton of pecorino with an egg yolk beaten into with tons more basil.
Thanks Kenji for inspiring me to just do what I like and what tastes good!
That sounds delicious!
It doesn’t sound untraditional except for the lamb. It’s pretty much what I make but not usually w/ “tons of basil.” I often use provolone layered in with the mozz layer, and actually I generally make it roughly by a certain framework, but it’s different every time depending on what I want to use up, what I have on hand. Probably you do the same. I’ve never made it w/ bechamel though, like Kenji does here.
Suspicious absence of angry Italians in the comments...
I like how you pronounced Barilla as if it was a Spanish word :) Grazie per la ricetta, Kenji.
It's becuse he clearly acknowledges how a lasagna bolognese is made. So we know he knows it and then can decide whether we stick around for his version or go back to pasta grannies lol.
@@gabrielepumo9784 both Bolognese and Neapolitan! Mad respect from me! (Born and raised Napoletano here!) - Kenji did a very good job imho!
Daje rega bella pe er sor kenji
LOL!
That grams conversion was hilarious 😂😂😂
You can hear Shabu tap dancing in excitement 😂
Milk about to go sour.
Me: Drink the whole milk.
Kenji: Make a cooking show in the middle of the night.
i just want to curl up into my blanket on a cold winter night and have Kenji say Ricotta to me over and over again
The best tip I got from this video was using the whisk to grab the flour. Save a spoon and it looks like just enough!
Kenji's out here making me a happy camper pronouncing where my family is from so perfect. ❤️
"this week on 'Kenji burns himself eating', we have lasagna"
I would take "Kenji's dog" but if the position of "Kenji's neighbour" opens up, please let me know.
Who wouldn't?
There would be a lot of applicants for that position.
Your cooking videos are just so jam-packed with information for the every day person, the food looks absolutely delicious, but always at the end, you throw some of the food to your dogs. That just completes the awesomeness. Keep up the great work, Kenji!
The best thing about your cooking is that you care enough to not only know the true recipes, but to also know the variants among the different offshoots of the culture. This is true "authenticity".: knowing that there is more than one way, but to actually know the ways.
I was going to make a good-natured joke at Chicago's expense, but I just can't be mad at baked ziti with lasagna ingredients. That sounds amazing.
How can you not love this guy, hes so relaxing when he cooks
I was waiting for a Kenji lasagna
Cheers from Montreal 🇨🇦
🍻 from Ottawa
Cannibalism much
Love the tip about soaking the oven-ready sheets!
Can I just say how much I appreciate you being REAL about whats in your fridge and how you are making it?
Ah, American lasagna is what I grew up with. No bechamel, regular wavy-edged lasagna noodles, special meat sauce, plus lots of ricotta, provolone and mozzarella cheeses. Final topping of Parmesan. Many layers! Much deliciousness!
I'm so happy I stumbled across this video because I've used those Barilla "oven ready" noodles about a half dozen times and they've always left something to be desired. The non-soaked noodles tend to dry out and become tough and I now know that soaking them is the key to getting them to cook properly. The fact that the noodles can be soaked in the lasagna pan is just a win for convenience. I have some turkey meatballs and fire-roasted tomatoes that might just wind up in some lasagna very soon...
Thanks Kenji!
It’s funny, when Kenji is being quiet I feel the need to lower the volume because I think I need to be quiet
As someone who used to teach young kids, this also works in the classroom! Well, most of the time :)
@@DHGroove What happens there is mainly the kids getting quieter because otherwise they can't hear you. But yeah, works with people in generel who have some respect :D
I do the same on the phone - my best friend has a baby & if the baby's asleep and she's whispering, I'll whisper back.
Even though we're on opposite ends of the country. The baby can not hear me. But just in case, I guess 🤷♀️
Your videos during this pandemic have been a godsend. I look forward to each new video, thanks Kenji.
I love how you teach us little tips along the way!
My Firsties LOVE “Every Night is Pizza Night” especially the French Onion P…. bit!
Funnily enough, one of my friends just challenged me to a lasagna cook off. He’s gonna learn I just got the kenji secrets haha
Did you win?
Kenji your content is incredible, every video I'm learning new things. And your format of using a gopro, to me, is much more humble and real than other typical studio-produced instruction videos. I'm obsessed with your channel, keep it up!
I love the transitions, so smooth
Made this lasagne yesterday and it was bangin. I love not having to look at a recipe/exact measurements and it still comes out amazing. Thanks Kenji!
Best lasagna I ever had was in Rome cooked in a wood burning oven. I've tried to recreate it and I think it's a sausage ragù pretty similar to the one you made, besciamella, and scamorza cheese. The scamorza is a really nice touch.
Corner pieces on lasagna is always the best part
so basically you have a lot of things that will go bad and then you turn all of those things into delicious lasagna? so awesome
Thanks, Kenji. I learn a lot from your cooking tutorials.
Love the doggo's get their taste. Got a wrinkly boi/grl/alt + a spud. I also love that Babish's channel is basically "let me show you what I learned from Kenji".
I love your channel, you got a vibe I can really relate too! Great cook and person.
Glad to see even great chefs just dig in right away and burn their mouth lol and that it's not just me
Lasagna was the first proper meal that I learned how to cook, and it's still my go to when I'm trying to impress someone (mainly in the pursuit of romance).
Romance ain't dead, rawdog.
Not a bad date night meal
Romance and hopefully rawdog afterwards, amirite? k, I’ll see myself out
This guy fucks. Appropriate username
Recommend learning Caldo de Pollo, it's a super easy Mexican chicken and rice soup that is very comforting and light because of the veggies and homemade stock always impresses
Thanks for sharing your cooking moments with all of us...
Using the milk to make the ricotta is absolutely brilliant. I would have NEVER thought of that. How you use ingredients is truly incredible, I would love a whole series of tips just like that.
It makes sense what he said about odds and ends- lasagna is a casserole and casseroles are all about using up what you already have lying around.
Chef John would appreciate the freakishly small spoon
I'm sure he'd also mention "hot roux, cold milk, no lumps!"
And some FRESHly ground nutmeg
Chef John would lamtent the absence of cayenne and the lack of a tap-a-tap-a before it went into the oven. Kenji's ability to pick up the correct amount of flour with a whisk is impressive. I could never bee that bold to even try it.
@@epistte But, you are after all the Cat Power of whisk-measured flour.
But not the lack of cayenne! :P
I learn so much watching these video! Thanks!
your videos make me calm, thank you
I just recently started watching your videos and I love them you make everything simple for someone who does not have the information of a professional cook keep up the good work
this may be a dumb question; does cooking *almost* spoiled food extend its' life at all? or would you want to consume prepared dish in the same time frame you had planned to eat the individual ingredient?
Cooking absolutely extends life. It kills bacteria and drives off moisture, both of which will slow spoilage.
This was a good question!
I love how you ALWAYS end by giving your dogs samples! A man after my own heart!
For me the most helpful thing in this is when you make the bechamel. I've read how to do it and tried so many times but never have actually seen it come together by someone who knows how to do it. Thanks!
I made lasagna 2 days ago. Kenji's original advice about soaking regular lasagna was Perfect!
My first foray into lasagna making was from The Food Lab! Excellent recipe, the in-laws loved it. Thanks Kenji!
Dude you have the best cooking videos on CZcams. Your ability to communicate the process and thought behind cooking is top notch- even wordlessly such as in the recent late night nachos video. The simplicity and sincerity of these videos are so impressive to me. Not sure if that is valuable, but I said it anyway.
We're marvelling on its beauty
Looking great! I will try this with all our leftover pasta.
We're the same in that we eat the food steaming hot. Thanks for these videos Kenji
Thank you Chef Kenji
I’m making this right now because I had the stuff, more or less. Kenji just may be the most knowledgeable chef on the planet. Experienced technique coupled with just enough science to make you dangerous. Such an inspiration.
Loved watching it 👍
Your take on the metric measures is totally priceless!
Love the content, found you a few weeks ago. The late night recipes with a drink on the side as you prep is my kinda vibe. Cheers
One of my favourite cooking channels
Not the best editing but the content is 🔥 💯
Ive just started watching your videos. I really enjoy this.very entertaining and i love this
Like life....kitchens are sometimes a bit messy!! Thanks for sharing your creative talents!!
Looks fantastic... I use Ricotta as well, and I love that type of barilla noodles !!! Delicious 😋
Congrats on the launch of your new book Kenji! Been trying to get a copy of it for my little cousins
I’d totally stay up for this video. In which I did. ❤️
Even if it's not traditional, it's still looks very delicious! 😍🔔😊❤️
idk if is been said before but I really love the small edits you add with the different angles Kenji - much love!
Wow thanks for sharing. Lasagne I make takes 2 hours so hopefully I'll be able save some time with some of your tips/methods
I love the use of plain yogurt in the ricotta mixture. I frequently sub in full fat yogurt with cheese mixtures or any place I would use sour cream.
How awesome is this dude, I swear.
Love it
I hate parboiling lasagna sheets for lasagna so this way is so much more convenient! I LOVE lasagna, mmmm I could have it every day and not get sick of it! And so rich with ricotta AND bechamel sauce, yum yum yum!!!
It’s 1 am. I have school tomorrow. I have 2 tests and a quiz.
But kenji uploaded so it can wait
You gonna fail your tests and quiz.
Finally I understand my mother-in-law’s lasagne - she grew up in Napoli! Hence the addition of egg! My mother in law, Rocchi, also add ham instead of sausage 😁
Great tip with soaking the noodles.
Pulling out a backup whisk was awesome!!
this madman took a bite out of a lasagna straight from the oven. love it
I have been really digging the episodes. Would love to see you try some chicago classics and your take on mac and cheese.
my favorite version for something different:
italian sausage, cooked butternut squash, spinach, bechamel
I'd love to see a "what's in my fridge (and why?)" video 😋 I currently enjoy your book over the Holidays - greetings from Germany!
best roux tutorial I've seen, brill
Whisk Florentine!
I love the cook's illustrated method for soaking the no boil noodles and I've had Italians compliment my 'homemade noodles' lasagna.one tip I've picked up along the way is to alternate the directions of the noodles
0:42 i'm italian and i discovered thanks to this video that the traditional lasagna is made with spinach in the pasta, like i eat this dish almost every week and i have some friends from Bologna, i'm stunned
These videos are the best on CZcams I swear
DAWG that excessively long and tiny wooden spoon you tasted the sauce with needs more screen time.
Kenji way to 1 million, let's goooo!
Rather than soak the sheets, I just make my sauces thinner, the effect is the same & it saves me having to reduce or soak things.
Kenji,
You are the man that I want to be, and you lead the life that I want to lead. Thank you for reminding me that it's possible.
Looks good Mr Kenji