What Techniquely Has Taught Me
A few years ago, Dan Souza pulled me aside and said, “Hey, can you pitch some ideas for a YouTube show?” The thought of it was equal parts exciting and terrifying. From the jump, I knew that I wanted to make a show about cooking, not a cooking show.
I’ve always been a bit of a process nerd, and one of the unique joys of working at ATK is that I get to figure out exactly how a recipe works, often in conversation with other cooks. I was certain that some of you would want to know what was going on in our minds as we’re chopping, simmering, kneading, and tasting.
We landed on
Techniquely. In some senses, it’s a love letter to recipe developers. Each episode delves into the cooking techniques and science behind some of ATK’s most innovative recipes. (And I’m not using the royal “we” here; Techniquely is a group effort.)
Techniquely has
50 episodes on YouTube as of this weekend, and many are also now
streaming on Netflix. The first video we made was about
how to sear a steak. I laid out the pros and cons of different techniques so that you can make the best choice for yourself.
My preferred method—starting the steaks in a cold, nonstick skillet—was developed by former Cook’s Illustrated test cook Andrew Janjigian. Just like sous vide or starting in a low-heat oven before searing (aka reverse searing), it minimizes gray band. Unlike those methods, it’s much faster. And the sear is just as great as if you used a hot skillet, but this method reduces the smoke and splatter. It’s so brilliant that my colleagues have adapted it for
pork chops and
chicken breasts.
Since then I’ve made
turkey burgers to demonstrate how baking soda can improve your ground meat recipes. I’ve shared tips for how to
scramble eggs, make
fried rice, and use shio koji to give an everyday
flank steak the flavor of a premium dry-aged steak. There’s science, but it’s fun and tasty science, leavened with practical tips that leave you empowered to cook your best.
My little team puts tons of effort into every episode, and we’re proud of each one. Still, it’s been the best surprise to have this work embraced. Techniquely has been nominated for a James Beard Award, and it won an IACP for Best Culinary Video Series. We have new episodes dropping each month. Thanks for your attention and support, and happy cooking.
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