America's Test Kitchen

-Today, on "America's Test Kitchen," Joe makes Bridget grilled flank steak, Dan explains why cooking some meat to medium makes them more tender, Adam reviews aluminum foil, and Maggie makes Julia chili crisp noodles.

It's all coming up right here on "America's Test Kitchen."

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-A perfectly-grilled flank steak is kind of like the unicorn of the cooking world -- pretty to look at, but it doesn't exist... until today.

Joe's here, and he's going to show us how to master this steak on the grill.

-That's right.

A thin steak like a flank steak is much more at risk of overcooking before the outside gets nice and charred.

So, there are a few tricks that we need to use so that the exterior can be beautifully browned and the interior still pink and juicy.

-Okay.

-So I've got a beautiful 1.5 pound flank steak here.

So, not only is it thin, but it's unevenly thin.

-Right.

-We're going to cut them into four individual steaks so that we can give each one the care that they need, so that they can each be cooked as well as they possibly can.

-Okay.

-I love this cut.

It's great for weeknight cooking, it's got great flavor, and it's a little bit cheaper than other prime cuts.

-I like that it has a little bit of a chew to it, as well.

-Exactly.

Alright, I'm just going to pat these steaks dry.

I'm going to transfer it to a baking dish, and we're going to give it a dry brine.

But first, I'm going to wash my hands.

So, I've got 2 1/2 teaspoons here of kosher salt.

Now, this is diamond crystal which has got beautiful, big crystals.

If you're using another brand, like Morton's or an own supermarket brand, they're a little bit denser and you'll only use 2 teaspoons of salt.

-Okay.

-Now, to this, I'm going to add 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.

It's not to add sweetness, but really to help with that browning.

Because it's a thin steak, it's not going to spend as much time on the grill.

-Got it.

We want quick caramelization.

-We want quick caramelization.

So, I'm just going to mix it together, and we're going to reserve a teaspoon of this for later.

Now, this has been my meat hand, this has been my dry hand.

-Okay.

-So, I'm going to season four steaks on one side with half of our mixture, and the other thing I like to do is I want to season from up high.

That really helps get me an even distribution.

So, the two rules you want to follow -- high and dry.

So, now, I'm going to flip the steaks using my meat hand.

And then, I can season them with the rest.

I really want to make sure I have even amount of seasoning on both sides of the steak.

-Okay.

-This looks like a lot of salt at the moment, but it will really be absorbed into our steak.

And that's why we're using our baking dish, so that it can really capture any of the excess bits.

-Great.

-So, now, we're going to cover up our steaks and we're going to let it sit for an hour at room temperature so that the salt has enough time to diffuse into the center of the meat.

So, while that's resting, we can make a little steak rub.

-Very nice.

-So, this is based off a Montreal steak rub.

I've got a tablespoon here of minced fresh dill, and to that, we're going to add 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of that kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

So, we're actually going to make it a little bit better with some butter.

-Oh, it makes everything better.

-Exactly.

The great thing about a steak rub is that it's very quick.

But the problem is, is that it can fall off the steak.

So, you end up losing a lot of that flavor.

You can also find that the spices can burn.

So, here, I'm just going to mash 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter into our spice mix, and we're going to really mash it together.

And this is going to be a beautiful compound butter for serving our steaks with at the end.

-Lovely.

And it looks like the butter was softened just a little bit.

Make it easier on you?

-Exactly.

You really don't want to try this with butter straight from the fridge.

-No.

-Because otherwise, that would be too much work.

-Compound butter is one of the easiest ways to dress up a plain, old steak.

You can keep them on hand.

You can roll it up in a little tube, keep it in your freezer, do slices, whatever you want.

Having that on hand is a great idea.

-Alright, we just need to wait for our steaks to finish and we can head on out to the grill.

-Joe, I think you picked the perfect day for grilling.

-It's a beautiful day.

Are you ready to grill?

-I sure am.

-Let's do it.

So, it's been an hour.

And if you have a look, a little bit of the surface moisture has actually come to the top, a little glossy.

And I normally would tell people to pat their steaks dry.

We're not going to do that today.

-Okay.

-So, it's actually going to help our salt-sugar mixture adhere to the steaks really nicely.

And the sugar is going to give us that extra browning that we were worried about.

-Right.

Because usually, you have to pat it dry in order to ensure that it gets nice and browned on the outside, but the sugar is going to do the work for us.

-Exactly.

The sugar is doing all of that work, and it's really not going to taste very sweet at all.

And then, I've got a teaspoon of pepper here, and we're going to sprinkle it on both sides of the steak.

And I'll flip them.

And I'm going to add the salt and the pepper to the other side.

-And you're just doing this at the last second so it stays on the surface.

-Exactly.

-Got it.

-Okay.

-Perfect.

-So, we've had the grill preheating on high for 15 minutes.

We want the grill as hot as possible.

-Okay.

-Now, we're going to clean the grill first.

The best time to clean the grill is when it's hot.

Any residual food burned onto the grates is going to come off so easily now that it's essentially just been turned to charcoal.

-Right.

-And now, we just need to oil the grates.

I'm just going to take my wad of paper towels, dip it in some vegetable oil, and we just run it over the grill grates, and you see it smoking immediately.

It's going to season the grates so that they're extra slick and clean.

Like a beloved cast iron skillet, it's just going to get better and better as it ages.

Okay, now, when I like my steaks on the grill, I really love a beautiful crosshatch on it.

You know, it really tells you something that it's going to be a tasty steak.

-[ Chuckles ] -And in order to get that, you really need to think about the orientation of the steak as it goes on the grill grates.

-Okay.

-So, if this is 12:00, I position the steaks at 10:00.

And keeping track of where the steaks are means you can have really consistent, even grill marks.

Now, we're going to cook this, covered, for 2 minutes.

And what we're going to do is we're going to keep on flipping the steak every 2 minutes until it's done.

This will ensure that this exterior can get nice and brown before the interior overcooks.

-Got it.

-And we're cooking the steaks until they reach 125 to 130 degrees.

So, it's been 2 minutes and we're going to flip the steaks.

Again, I'm going to keep the steaks at the 10:00 position.

So, we've already got that first line of crosshatch there.

-That is good color.

-But we know that we're not really close to being cooked yet, so we're going to cover up the grill and cook them for another 2 minutes.

-Okay.

-It's been another 2 minutes and now, we're going to flip, but we're actually going to turn now.

So, I flip them over there, turn them to 2:00.

Flip.

Turn.

Flip.

Turn.

Flip.

Turn.

-Nice.

-I'm gonna cook them for another 2 minutes.

It's time for our next flip.

-Gorgeous!

-Do we see the crosshatch?

-Oh, yeah!

-Oh, look at that!

Beautiful.

-Whoo!

Alright, so this is about the time that you want to start checking the steak for their level of doneness.

Oh, 128, we're pretty much there already.

-That's great.

-So, let's take it off quickly and let's check this one.

128, as well.

Wow.

Amazing.

This one's a little lower because this was the thickest steak.

So, we're going to let this cook for a little bit longer.

And that one needs a few more degrees, as well.

-Okay.

-We're going to cover it and let it go for another minute or so.

Alright, let's see how they're doing.

There we go.

128, as well.

Perfect.

And the last steak.

125.

-Oh, gorgeous.

-Lovely.

Let's take that off.

-That's mine.

-[ Laughs ] Now, we're going to go back in, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then we can tuck in.

-Alright.

Are we close to eating?

-We are ready to eat.

Our steaks are fully rested now.

-Great.

-So, I'm going to cut these against the grain.

Here, you can really see those long strands of sinew.

And you really want to cut them against it.

-Right, so you don't get a stringy piece of chewy beef.

[ Gasps ] -Really beautiful pieces here.

-Beautiful medium.

-And I'm going to cut it on the bias, which means I'm using my knife at an angle here.

And this will help give us much longer pieces.

We've got this really juicy steak that we're ready to eat, I think.

-Yes.

-Let me serve you some.

-Thank you.

-I always like to finish my steaks off with a little bit of flaked sea salt.

You get a little bit of extra seasoning and a little bit of crunch, as well.

And some of our Montreal steak butter?

-Yes, please.

-Okay.

You really just want to rub it on top of the steak, and that way, it'll start to really melt.

-Okay.

-I love seeing a glistening bit of freshly-cooked steak.

-Gorgeous.

-It's just so appealing.

-It's got that beautiful crust on the outside.

It cut beautifully because you went across the grain.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

And that's really good pudding.

-[ Laughs ] What I really love about this butter here is that you can just taste that dill.

So, it just tastes super fresh as well as deeply flavorful.

-Look how evenly-cooked that steak is.

And that's from flipping, what, every 2 minutes?

-Every 2 minutes.

-Joe's Steakhouse.

I can see it right now.

-We could do it.

-You could definitely do it.

Joe, thank you so much for showing us this easy recipe.

Really appreciate it.

-Thank you, Bridget.

-If you'd like to make this great steak at home, it starts by cutting a flank steak into four pieces and seasoning with salt and a little sugar, make a flavorful butter seasoned with dill, paprika, and other spices, and flip the steaks on the grill every 2 minutes to build a crust and cook them evenly.

So, from "America's Test Kitchen," grilled flank steak with Montreal steak butter.

Gorgeous.

-We recently did a blind tasting of flank steak cooked to both medium rare and medium.

We had a unanimous winner, but the results may surprise you.

The flank steak cooked to medium ranked as more tender.

Why would a more-cooked flank steak be more tender?

I'll show you with spaghetti and gelatin.

We've created a model of those steaks using spaghetti as the muscle fibers and gelatin as the fluid surrounding those fibers.

When steaks are raw, liquid surrounds the muscle fibers.

But during cooking, that liquid gels and firms up, holding the muscle fibers more firmly in place.

This one represents medium rare, and it is softer to the touch.

This one represents medium, and it's firmer.

Watch what happens when I drag a butter knife through both.

We see that, in the medium rare sample, the fibers simply bend and flow.

This translates to chewy meat.

But in the medium sample, the firmer gel holds the fibers in place so that the knife can cut right through.

And that is tenderness.

The butter knife represents not only your knife at the table, but more importantly, your teeth.

And that's why we cook certain cuts of meat, like flank, skirt, and hanger, to a higher temperature than others.

-Aluminum foil is essential in the kitchen, and today, Adam is here to tell us if brand and style really matter.

-We use aluminum foil for so many different tasks in the kitchen, Julia, not the least of which is one of our favorite baking techniques, which is the foil sling for brownies, blondies, bar cookies.

-Mmm, yes!

-Lets you lift them right out of the pan.

You know, we went into this testing of foils with two basic questions.

Number one, does the brand matter?

Number two, does regular foil versus heavy-duty foil matter?

We tested nine different foils.

The prices were between $0.04 and $0.29 a square foot.

We've learned the type of cutter makes a big difference.

I want you to try cutting a piece from the Reynolds Wrap there.

-Okay.

-Nice.

Easy.

Neat.

-Pretty straightforward.

-That's because the Reynolds Wrap has a metal serrated cutter, which just allows for nice, even tears in one fell swoop.

Now, why don't you try that cardboard box there?

[ Laughs ] -Well... -This one has a cardboard cutter.

Comparatively, kind of useless.

-Yeah.

-Doesn't tear evenly, makes it harder to get the size that you want.

So, we definitely prefer the boxes that have the metal serrated cutters.

They can be sharp, if you just chuck it into a kitchen drawer and leave the teeth exposed, they could be a little dangerous.

So, testers preferred boxes that had a nice, thick cardboard lid that you could tuck over the cutter, get it out of the way, and keep your hands safe.

So, all of these brands make a heavy-duty foil in addition to their standard foil.

We measured the thickness with a micrometer at MIT.

Of the ones that were in our lineup, they're are about 38% thicker than standard foil on average.

They're also 30% to 50% more expensive.

-Oh, wow.

-And in our most basic tests, lining the sheet pan, covering vegetables, heavy-duty really didn't make much of a difference.

The only test where it did prove helpful was making the pouches of the wood chips.

Because they're jagged, they're pointy, they can poke right through.

However, testers also found that they could just use a double sheet of regular foil and mimic the strength of the heavy-duty foil.

And in fact, we used a texture analyzer to evaluate the strength of that single sheet of heavy-duty versus the double sheet of standard foil, and the double sheet of standard foil ended up being a little stronger.

-Interesting.

-So, the conclusion there is the heavy-duty is more expensive.

You're not going to use it all the time because it doesn't make a difference all the time.

For those occasional times where you need a little extra strength, you might as well just double up on the regular stuff and save that money in the long run.

It was a fairly similar conclusion with brands.

Across the lineup, all the brands performed pretty equitably.

So, what we're going for are the least expensive options.

-Okay.

-One of them is Reynolds Wrap.

This one is Reynolds Wrap standard aluminum foil.

It's about $0.07 per square foot.

The other one is 365 by Whole Foods aluminum foil.

This one is about $0.06 per square foot.

Then, we have this guy here.

This is the Kirkland Signature Reynolds foodservice foil.

It was $0.04 per square foot.

-Hm!

-You can see that the box is not small.

-It's a workout.

[ Both laugh ] Actually, I don't even think this would fit in the drawer where I keep all my wraps.

That's a heavy box.

-It's a heavy box, and it's a big box.

And you're absolutely right.

You're not going to chuck that into any old kitchen drawer.

So, it's the best bulk option at $0.04 a square foot, if you have space on a counter, or a shelf, or in a pantry, or something like that.

-Okay.

Wow.

So, there you have it.

Don't waste money on heavy-duty foil, but be sure to look for a box that has a metal cutter.

Chili crisp is everywhere these days, and with good reason.

It has a rich, deep, spicy flavor that pairs with any number of things.

And today, Maggie's going to show us her recipe for chili crisp noodles.

-So, today, we're going to make chili crisp noodles, which is inspired from Sichuan dndnmin or Dan Dan noodles, but with a much simplified process.

So, we're going to start with 1/2 a teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn.

I'm going to grate them in a mortar and pestle.

-Sichuan peppercorns not only add flavor, but they add a little bit of tingle to the tongue.

-Yes.

Tingling, zesty, a little bit citrusy, too.

-Mm-hmm.

-When you're shopping for Sichuan peppercorn, look for these red colored ones, which are much fresher with a better taste.

-Okay.

-So, I'm going to transfer these into a large mixing bowl.

So, here, we're going to add 1/3 cup unsweetened, natural peanut butter... -Okay.

-...1/3 cup of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of Chinese black vinegar, a little bit similar to malt vinegar, but it's, like, stronger.

1/4 cup of chili crisp.

-The star of the show.

You can buy it in the supermarket.

Do you have something you look for when you're buying chili crisp?

-Yes.

I like to buy the ones with garlic or onion to add the crunch, but without fermented black beans because that will make the sauce pretty salty.

-Okay.

We also have a recipe for chili crisp on our website.

-Oh, I love that one.

-Yeah.

-And then, we're going to add 2 tablespoons of sugar into the bowl.

Check the sauce consistency.

It should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, but not too thick.

You can always dilute it with water, maybe 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, to thin it out.

Looks good.

So, now, we're going to move everything here to add some aromatics.

-Okay.

-So, I'm going to grate two cloves of garlic.

In Chinese cooking, there's really a lot of fresh aromatics.

Ginger, scallion, and garlic.

We always use those to add really nice umami to the dish.

Two cloves garlic, and then let's grate some ginger.

So, we're grating one teaspoon of ginger into the sauce.

-Okay.

That was easy.

-So, I'm going to mix this again.

And we're done.

-Okay.

So, that's the sauce.

-Yeah.

So, now, I'm going to cut two scallions.

And here, I'm going to divide the white and greens.

-Mm-hmm.

The green parts are almost like a delicate herb, and you add them towards the end.

Whereas the white parts, I think of them more like an onion, and you can cook them a little bit.

-Yep.

So, we're slicing the white and green part separately into thin slices and keeping them separately.

-Gotcha.

-So, we're going to use 1 pound of baby bok choy.

I like to cut the white part and the green part slightly different so they cook more evenly.

So, I want to slice the white part thinly.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then, because the green cooks really fast and they shrink a lot, so I keep them in slightly bigger pieces.

-Gotcha.

-So, now, we've cut 1 pound of baby bok choy.

We are going to wash them separately.

-Here, let me put this in the sink for you.

I saw a lot of grit in the white part.

-Yes.

-It's always better to wash it after you prep it because that water really can get in there and get rid of the grit.

-Exactly.

Yeah.

I like to use my fingers to just gently rub it because sometimes, they actually kind of stick to it.

-Yep.

-Kind of like... -That's exactly what I do.

-Let's get rid of as much liquid as you can because we're going to stir fry it so it doesn't end up with a soggy dish.

-Gotcha.

-So, now, we've got this bok choy dried.

We're going to transfer them into the bowl.

So, now, we're going to repeat what we have done with the green part.

-Makes sense.

-Yep.

So, now, we're going to cook the noodles.

We have 4 quarts of hot water boiling here.

I'm going to add 1 pound of fresh wheat noodles that are 1/8 inch thick.

This is our preferred noodles for the chewy texture.

But if you cannot find the fresh ones, any dried noodles, spaghetti, you know, almost any type of noodles will work in this dish.

-I see you pulling apart the noodles as you add it.

-Yeah, so they aren't sticky.

-Okay.

-You just want to really separate them.

So, now, let's stir this up a little bit.

-And these noodles cook pretty quickly.

-Yes.

Like, about 3 to 5 minutes.

-Okay.

-So, now, we're going to reduce the heat so it keeps a gentle simmer.

So, you want to cook until the noodles are tender, but they have, like, a kind of, like, chewy inside.

So, it's almost, like, opaque with a little dot in the center.

-Okay.

So, how do you test for doneness yourself?

-I think the best way is just to taste it.

-Yeah, I agree.

-Yeah.

So, let's taste some noodles.

And be careful.

It's hot.

-Mm-hmm.

-Perfect.

-Alright!

-So, now, we're going to turn off the heat, and I'm going to drain and rinse the noodles.

So, now, you want to use cold running tap water to stop cooking.

-Okay.

-Yeah.

Just rinse off the starch.

Otherwise, your noodles will really stick together when you're mixing with the sauce.

Perfect.

-Alright, rinsing to stop the cooking and help prevent them from sticking together a little bit.

-So, now we've finished cooking the noodles, we're gonna cook the pork topping.

-Okay.

-Yeah.

So, here, I have 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

We're going to turn it on medium-high heat to heat up the oil until it's shimmering.

The oil is shimmering.

We're gonna add 8 ounces of ground pork, chopping the pork into smaller pieces, and brown them until they're fully cooked and into small pieces.

The pork cooked for about 5 to 7 minutes.

You can see that it's nicely browned.

-Mm-hmm.

-So, let's add the bok choy white part.

And then, the scallion whites.

-Okay.

-I want to cook them for 1 minute.

It kind of just steams everything and cook really, really fast.

So, you don't want to overcook your vegetables so they become, like, really soggy.

So, now, we are going to add 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine.

-Okay.

-And 2 tablespoons of soy sauce... and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

So, we're going to mix everything together.

Now, we're going to add the bok choy greens.

We're going to cook for another minute because the greens cook really, really fast.

-Mm-hmm.

-Yeah.

You want to maintain your heat.

You want to keep the vegetable crispy.

-Gotcha.

-Yeah.

It's really pretty.

-It is really pretty.

-Yeah.

So, now, I'm going to turn off the heat, stop cooking, and transfer everything into a big bowl.

So, now, we have cooked the topping.

Let's go check on the noodles.

-Okay.

-Now we can see that the noodle has been sitting for a while.

It's going to be very hard to toss.

We're going to rinse with water again, but this time, we can actually rinse with warm water.

Just rinse it real quick, just needs a quick rinse.

Drain it really well, and then I'm going to transfer these noodles into the mixing bowl.

So, here is the 3/4 cup of the sauce we just made.

-Okay, -So, we're going to add the sauce here.

Toss everything together.

So, now, we're going to put them into each individual serving bowl.

Add some toppings.

-Yum!

-I really love the color.

-Yeah.

-And here, we have the reserved scallion green part.

So, I'm adding some extra sauce to the plate.

-Mm-hmm.

Yes, please.

-And then, we have some chili crisp.

-Mm-hmm.

That is a really beautiful bowl of noodles.

-I think so.

-Mm.

Mmm!

Maggie, that sauce is delicious.

It's spicy, but it's rich, and it's round, not too spicy.

You have the depth of flavor from the vinegar.

-It's nutty... -Yeah!

-Savory, but you know, there's also enough, like, sweetness and tanginess to balance out the spicy and the salt.

-And the pork and bok choy topping has such a clean flavor.

Maggie, this is fantastic.

Thank you for showing me how to make it.

-I'm so glad you like it!

-If you want to make Maggie's really simple but flavorful recipe, grind Sichuan peppercorns and combine with peanut butter, Chinese black vinegar, and chili crisp to make a sauce, saut pork, bok choy, and scallions together in a skillet, then reheat the cooked noodles with warm water before tossing it all together.

From "America's Test Kitchen," Maggie's fabulous recipe for chili crisp noodles.

You can find this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with our product reviews and select episodes, at our website, AmericasTestKitchen.com/TV.

I love how quick this was!

This is less than half an hour.

And it has so much flavor.

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