America's Test Kitchen

-Today on "America's Test Kitchen," Nik makes Julia tandoori salmon, Hannah and Lisa talk about the best kitchen gear for under $15, Jack talks all about yogurt, and Lan makes Bridget broiled smashed zucchini with garlicky yogurt.

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

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-Clay ovens called tandoor ovens date back at least 5,000 years, and tandoori cooking refers to food that's been marinated in yogurt and spices and then cooked in a tandoor oven.

But today, Nik's got something special up his sleeve, 'cause he's going to show us his recipe for tandoori salmon.

But you're not using a clay oven.

-Absolutely no, because it's so difficult to cook with a tandoor oven inside the house.

So I've developed a method where you can cook it at home in your oven, and it's Indian barbecuing at its best.

-Ah.

-So let's start with the salmon and bring this dish to life.

-Okay.

-First I'm going to prepare a brine using baking soda.

-That's different from our usual brines that have salt.

Now, why baking soda?

-Baking soda is a magical ingredient when it comes to brining.

What it'll do is that it'll provide the same electric charges on the surface of the fish protein, which helps it hold moisture, and you get this beautiful, juicy, flaky texture once it's cooked.

First, I'm going to take 1 quart of water and dissolve 2 tablespoons of baking soda to make our brine.

And now I'm going to completely submerge four 6-to-8 ounce salmon fillets with their skin on.

-Okay.

-And leave this in the brine for about 15 minutes at room temperature.

While the fish is brining, I'm going to start preparing the marinade for our tandoori salmon.

To do this, the first thing that I'm going to do is take a red beet.

To get that bright red color that comes in tandoori dishes... -Yes.

-...we're going to use this as a secret ingredient.

-I love that, because tandoori food really has that pink tinge, both from the spices, but also from the smoke of the tandoor oven.

-And the beet contains a pigment called betalain, which is water soluble.

So to prevent my hands from getting stained, I'm going to rub them with a little bit of oil and then start working on it.

-Okay.

-I'm first going to peel the beet, and then I'm going to trim the ends.

Now I'm going to grate the beet on a fine rasp grater.

-Okay.

-And I'm going to collect about 3 tablespoons of pulp.

-Mm-hmm.

-Now I'm going to squeeze out 2 tablespoons of beet juice.

And then what's left behind, I'm just going to discard it.

-Okay.

-I'm going to go wash my hands before we move on to the next step of this recipe.

-Sounds good.

-Now I'm going to heat an 8-inch fry skillet over medium heat.

And I'm going to toast 2 teaspoons of garam masala... -Mm-hmm.

-...until it turns fragrant, about one minute.

Now I'm going to add it straight directly into the bowl with our beet juice.

-Okay.

-The next step is to prep the ginger.

I'm going to start by peeling our ginger.

Now I'm going to grate the ginger till I get about 2 teaspoons and then add that directly to the bowl to prepare our marinade.

Now I want you to smell one key ingredient that goes into this marinade.

-Okay.

-It's an ingredient that's used in a lot of tandoori dishes... -Is it?

-...and a lot of North Indian dishes like butter chicken.

-Oh, that smells good.

[ Sniffs ] -What does it remind you of?

-Something familiar.

I can't quite put my finger on it.

A little bit sweet.

-Uh-huh.

You're on the right track.

-Yeah.

What is that scent?

-So, these are the leaves, the dried leaves, from the fenugreek plant.

-Mm-hmm.

-And it smells of maple syrup.

-It does.

That was it.

-And that's because it shares the same chemical, sotolon.

Sotolon gives it that sweet aroma, and that's what you smell in a lot of these North Indian dishes, especially tandoori.

I'm going to crush it into a fine powder and then add it to the marinade.

Now, if you can't find kasoori methi, just leave it out in the recipe.

-Okay.

-Don't use fenugreek seeds, because that'll destroy your dish.

-Gotcha.

-That's too potent.

I'm adding 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice right now for brightness and balance.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Two minced garlic cloves.

2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder.

That's what's going to give it that lovely, smoky flavor.

Now I'm going to add 1 teaspoon of table salt.

And then finally 1/4 teaspoon of ground green cardamom.

-Mmm.

That's a lot of spice in there.

-It's going to be so good.

The fish has been brining for 15 minutes.

I'm now going to rinse it under running tap water to get rid of the baking soda on the surface.

And I'll transfer it to this baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Now I'm going to pat the fish dry.

-I have to feel the fish to feel if it's changed in texture.

Oh, it's silky feeling on the outside.

-It's very soft.

-Yeah.

-It feels almost like soft butter.

-Yeah.

-The next step, I will transfer the fish to this sheet lined with aluminum foil.

And then we'll prep the whole fish on here.

-Gotcha.

-Now I'm going to brush the surface of the fish well with 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice and let it drip over the sides.

What this lemon juice will do, it'll neutralize any baking soda that's on the surface... -Aha.

-...and it'll prevent the discoloration of that beautiful red color from our beets.

-Gotcha.

-Now it's time to apply the marinade onto the fish.

I'm going to spoon it over and even it out on the surface.

-What a gorgeous color that is.

-I can already smell the spices, and it's not even cooked.

-Mm-hmm.

-And I'm going to also apply the spice mix onto the sides of the fish so we get it completely coated.

-Boy, that little offset spatula is really helpful here.

-It's like making a cake, right, like frosting a cake?

Same thing.

Now it's time to cook the fish.

And to do this, I'm going to cook it on the upper rack in the oven, about 8 inches away from the broiler element, so the fish will broil.

And I will cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating halfway through... -Mm-hmm.

-...until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Gotcha.

So the hot heat of the broiler is mimicking that hot heat of a tandoor oven.

-Oh, yeah, and we're going to get that char on top.

-Oh, Nik, that smells incredible.

-Look at that char.

Now I'm going to check the fish for doneness.

-Mm-hmm.

-And to do this, I am going to check the temperature and see if it reaches 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Perfectly cooked.

And 125 is what you're aiming for for farm-raised salmon.

if you're using wild salmon, which should also work here, you want to aim for a slightly lower temperature, around 120.

-And there's another way to check it.

You can check the texture by taking the tip of a paring knife... -Mm-hmm.

-...and pressing it against the fish, and you want that buttery, flaky texture.

-Oh, yeah.

-Now that our fish is cooked, it's time to eat.

-Love it.

-Are you ready?

-It's my favorite time.

Gorgeous.

It looks like it came right out of a tandoor oven, which run really hot.

That's how you get this nice char.

-We're going to eat the tandoori salmon with cilantro rice and a lime pickle.

-Lime pickles.

And lime pickles are a really great accompaniment.

You can find them in supermarkets, but also, you could make your own, and that recipe's on our website.

Oh, look how tender and perfectly cooked that fish is.

-It's like butter, right?

Like a slice of butter falling off.

-Mmm.

The texture of the brined fish is so silky.

I don't think I've had a silkier piece of salmon.

And the flavor on the outside, it's just enough.

It doesn't overpower the salmon at all.

But you taste the spices.

You get a little bit of that texture.

-And the smokiness.

-Mm-hmm.

Ooh, that lime pickle adds a nice, little -- a citrusy punch that goes perfectly with the richness of the salmon.

-And it's a great way, instead of just serving the fish with a fresh lemon or a lime, you've got the lime pickle on the side, which adds so much more flavor.

-Nik, this is fabulous.

Thank you for showing me how to make it.

-Absolutely.

-If you'd like to make this wonderful recipe for an indoor tandoori salmon, start by soaking the fish in a baking soda brine.

Make a marinade using beet juice and a handful of spices, then broil the salmon just until it registers 125 degrees.

From "America's Test Kitchen," Nik's fabulous recipe for tandoori salmon.

I love all the flavors.

-Want a bigger bang for your buck?

Here are some of the most useful, affordable pieces of kitchen equipment you can buy.

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-I have to share this quirky little gadget that always comes through for me.

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And this thing is terrific.

I don't have to ask anybody to help me open jars anymore.

You just adjust it to the size of the jar, squeeze it, and turn.

Effortless.

-Let's talk about one of my favorite things, the Nordic Ware Quarter Sheet Pan.

This is probably the most used pan in my kitchen right now.

I cook 95% of the time in the toaster oven.

This fits right in there.

It's a lot easier to wash and handle than a big, rimmed baking sheet.

But it is the smaller sibling of our big winner, so it has the same sturdy construction, rolled rim.

This is a commercial pan.

You can get a little tailored cooling rack right for it.

Add a lid on top, and the whole thing's a storage container.

-We have tested a lot of paring knives over the years, and some of them cost upward of $100.

But not this little guy from Victorinox, which is about 7 bucks.

It is so easy to use.

It's slim.

It's light.

It's nimble.

It really becomes an extension of your hand.

-Now let's talk about kitchen scales.

Weighing your ingredients is one way to accuracy.

This is really important for baking in particular, and a great kitchen scale can actually be pretty expensive.

This little one right here from Ozeri only costs about 11 bucks.

It was very easy to use.

Great, clear, bright digital display.

It reads in grams or ounces, whatever your preference is, and it was really easy to wipe clean.

We love this little thing.

-So with all these ideas for great gear under $15, we hope you'll enjoy upgrading your kitchen without breaking the bank.

-For full testing and more information, head to our website.

-Yogurt is a very old ingredient that dates back to at least 6000 BCE.

Fast forward, and today you'll find a wide variety of types and brands of yogurt on the supermarket shelves, and Jack's here to tell us more.

-This is going to be super fun... -It is.

-...because we tasted 18 different brands from all around the world, and they're tremendously different.

So, these are all plain, whole-milk yogurts.

-Mm-hmm.

-But we found that they're really different.

I want you to start at the far end here.

-Okay.

-There are four ways that these are going to be different from each other.

First, tartness.

Some of them are much tarter than others, and that's really about the cultures they're using, the temperature that they're incubating those cultures in, and so it's all about the bacteria.

-Gotcha.

Okay.

Not about the milk, more about the bacteria.

-It is about the bacteria.

The second factor we noticed is some of them were significantly sweeter.

Now, that's a little different than less tart.

-Mm-hmm.

-They actually were sweeter, and we found that that's from adding nonfat milk solids.

-Oh.

-So they have more milk sugars in them.

-Okay.

-And you look at the sugar content, there's no added sugar to these, but they have more natural sugar 'cause there's more milk in them, basically.

-Okay.

-So we've got tartness level... -Mm-hmm.

-...sweetness level.

Next up, we've got richness.

Now, some of these -- These are all whole milk... -Okay.

-...so they're all a minimum of 3% fat level.

-Mm-hmm.

-But some of them are closer to 5%, and they're getting there with cream.

-Interesting.

-So, you add cream to whole milk yogurt, and it's very, very rich.

-Ohh.

-And lastly, thickness.

And, so, there are two ways to control the thickness.

The first, you can strain the yogurt.

-Mm-hmm.

-Greek yogurt, Icelandic yogurt, they're strained, and the whey is removed, and so they are much thicker.

The other way is you can add pectin, and so you get a sort of firmer texture.

It's a little bit different.

The way you can tell whether it's been strained or pectin is, one, do you see pectin in the ingredient list?

The other is the strained yogurts have a much higher protein content, because all of that whey is sort of upping up the overall sort of -- You're getting rid of the water, and so you're getting more protein in every spoonful.

-Gotcha.

-So, I've been talking.

You've been tasting.

-Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

-So first of all, they are different from each other?

-They're very different.

I mean, this one starts out as the loosest of the bunch, and this one has the texture of sour cream.

I can imagine this making incredible desserts, because it is so rich.

It is so creamy.

And it's delicious, but I don't think I could eat that as my breakfast yogurt.

I think it would be too over-the-top.

-Well, I think that's one of the things why these are different is, based on the culture they're coming from and the way they're being used in that culture, they want something different, right?

-Yeah.

-And so -- And that might impact, as you're saying, you know, is this something you're going to sit down with a bowl of granola, or are you drizzling this over a soup?

-Yeah.

This would be a great drizzler.

It is acidic.

I could see pairing it with lime juice, cilantro, making it into sort of a crema of sorts.

Again, I don't know that I'd sit down to granola and berries with this, although that would be good, but it's delicious.

-Okay.

-This one tastes milkier than the others.

It almost has a watery finish, but it doesn't look watery.

It's just milder in flavor.

-Okay.

-I think it would be great with berries... -Alright.

-'cause it's just really mild.

This one, let's see.

Mmm.

That one's good.

This one has a sour cream -- It's a bit more sour, not tart, but just sour, and I like that.

-Okay.

Alright.

And -- -Yeah.

-This one's just straight-up dessert.

-[ Laughs ] -Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

-So, we're going to do things a little differently.

-Okay.

-It's a quiz.

-Uh-oh.

-Uh-oh.

Alright.

So, one of these I want you to say is the tart one.

-Mm-hmm.

-One is the sweet one.

One is the rich one, and one is the thick one.

Okay, rich, now, think about creaminess, okay?

-Yeah.

-And -- You know, so, let's start with the tart one.

-I'd say this one's tart.

-Yeah.

So, that is the Bulgarian yogurt.

It's from a company called Trimona, and it is 10 times tarter than the mildest yogurt.

And again, this is all about the type of culture and the way that they are sort of fermenting the milk.

-Yeah.

-So, the sweet one.

-That one's going to be harder for me to figure out, actually.

-Okay.

You want to do the richest one or the thickest one?

-I can't tell if this is the richest or the thickest.

-I know.

-'Cause it's kind of both.

-Well, they're similar to each other, but it's really about the amount of fat that's in there.

-It's definitely the thickest.

I don't know that it's the richest.

Now I'm changing my tune, 'cause I said it was really rich, but I think I was thinking about the texture... -Yeah.

-...not the richness.

Mmm.

Rich, thick, sweet.

-You are four for four.

-Really?

-I mean, like, alright, so, let's start down here.

So, this is the Icelandic yogurt.

This is Siggi's.

-Oh, okay.

-It's strained.

It's got the super-high protein content, and it's got a really thick texture.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's delicious.

-It's delicious.

-This is a Turkish yogurt... -Ooh.

-...from a company called Merve, and this has got cream in it.

-Mmm.

-It's almost 5% fat content, and it's just decadent.

-It is.

-Yeah.

-It just sits on the tongue so nicely.

-Yeah.

So, this is an Indian yogurt, a company called Desi.

And this has the nonfat milk solids.

-There we go.

I said it tasted milky.

Yeah.

-Yeah.

And so, which, if you look at this on a label perspective, has a higher sugar content.

Again, there's no added sugar, but it's the sugar from the nonfat milk solids.

And then, down here, we have the Bulgarian yogurt from a company called Trimona, and this is by far the most acidic yogurt that we tasted.

It's got that super pourable texture, and it's just -- it's a lot of personality.

-Yeah, it is.

But what fun.

And I could really picture all these yogurts being used in different recipes.

-Yeah, this was super fun.

And I think you see that even though plain, whole-milk yogurt seems like it should be the same, they're wildly different from each other.

-That's awesome.

Thank you, Jack.

-You're welcome, Julia.

-Anybody can take lemons and turn them into lemonade.

But can you turn zucchini into something spectacular?

I'm interested in this technique, because Lan's here.

She's got a method that's going to make a zucchini dish I'll never forget.

-Bridget, this is going to be the most interesting zucchini dish you've ever had.

We're going to do some smashed zucchini today.

-I've never heard of smashed zucchini.

-I hadn't, either, until I was assigned zucchini fritters, got frustrated, and started smashing zucchini.

-You're like, "I'm not going to grate.

I'm going to smash"?

-Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Okay.

-So, we're just going to take our 2 pounds of zucchini and give it a good smash.

Now, you can't go at it too hard, because then the zucchini goes flying all over the kitchen.

But I'm just looking to flatten it and kind of crack them open.

-Okay.

-You can see why this is nice when you're annoyed with your recipe, right?

-Oh, yeah.

-Next up, I'm just going to trim the ends.

This is going to make taking these apart a little bit easier.

And the goal here is to get pieces that are not uniform.

I just want to break them up, and I'll dump them into this bowl right here.

And really, I'm just looking for two to four pieces.

I'm not concerned about how even they are.

We're not looking for uniformity.

That's it.

That's the prep.

-This is kind of amazing.

-So, I'm going to dress this zucchini.

I've got 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

And then, I have 4 teaspoons of lemon juice, just right over the top, and we'll give this a nice, little toss.

-Okay.

-Next up, we're going to cook our zucchini, and I'm going to broil it on this baking sheet.

I've got it lined with foil to make clean-up a little bit easier.

And I just want to arrange these so that they're skin side down.

I found that if they went in kind of haphazardly and skin side up, the skin would get kind of tough and leathery, and it just wasn't all that pleasant to eat.

-Yeah.

-Last up before this goes in the oven is some salt.

I've got 2 teaspoons of kosher salt here.

And rather than seasoning in the bowl, I want to make sure that the big pieces get more salt than the little pieces, and the easiest way to do that is to use my fingers to just season.

So this is 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

Right, so now this is going to go under the broiler.

I've got the oven rack set about 5 inches from the element.

I just want the zucchini to get lightly charred in spots.

It's going to take 9 to 12 minutes, and I'm going to give them a spin halfway through.

Look at that.

-Oh, wow.

-Yeah, so just a nice bit of charring on there.

This is going to hang out till it cools, 'cause it's a little hot right now.

That's going to take maybe 15, 20 minutes.

While that's hanging out, we're going to make the dressing for this salad.

-Okay.

-Really simple.

I've just got four ingredients.

This is plain Greek yogurt, -1/2 cup of it.

-Mm-hmm.

-And to this, I'm adding 2 tablespoons of water.

I find that the water just kind of makes it silkier.

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Quick whisk.

So, that's it.

This needs 10 minutes to hang out.

That's going to give the garlic time to kind of permeate the dressing.

Alright, Bridget, our zucchini is cooled.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'm going to cut it up now, because this is a salad.

And you know how these pieces are non-uniform?

I actually like to do knife cuts that emphasize that, so that you just get something that's a little bit more interesting.

It feels, like, a little sad to have perfectly uniform, square pieces when this dish is all about irregularity.

-Irregularity, texture, interest.

-Yeah.

Yes.

So, our dressing has sat for 10 minutes.

And rather than dressing the zucchini, I'm going to dress the plate.

-Okay.

-I find that with something this thick and creamy, putting the dressing down on the plate lets everyone get a bite, but the flavor of the zucchini itself isn't obscured.

Your tongue isn't hitting dressing first.

-Yes.

-It's just a nice way to make the salad look as pretty as it tastes.

So, zucchini's going to go right on top.

You can just kind of make a nice, little pile.

I really like to use a nice, big platter for this.

Some of these pieces are lighter and fresher, and some of them have really cooked down and become more concentrated, and you're going to be able to taste that difference when you go to have this salad.

I've got a couple of garnishes here.

This is 1/4 cup of toasted, chopped hazelnuts.

-Mmm.

-They've been skinned.

I have some chopped fresh dill.

Now, you can use any fresh herbs you got.

You can use as much or as little as you have.

And then, last up, a little bit of Aleppo pepper... -Ooh.

-...just for a touch of heat, little bit of color.

And then, just for bonus richness, extra virgin olive oil.

You can use as much or as little as you want.

You ready to try this?

-Yeah.

That is beautiful.

Alright, I'm going to first go for this -- -Little charred piece?

-Yeah, little charred piece there.

How do you make zucchini interesting.

-Right?

It's so fun.

Like, as you're eating, pay attention to how the different pieces kind of have different flavors.

The little ones that get more cooked under the broiler, they're kind of sweet, almost butternut squash-y.

You can tell that they're related.

-That's definitely true.

-And then those bigger pieces that are just kind of warmed through, they have this kind of light, melon-y, cucumber-y vibe... -Mmm.

-...more summery flavors.

I love it.

I love that it's just -- it's not boring, and -- and it tastes like zucchini.

-The yogurt dressing.

The dill is fantastic.

-Mm-hmm.

-My favorite part is the little bit of char that I get from some of that zucchini.

Not all of it, but from some of the zucchini.

It's just a nice, little nod.

Almost tastes as if it's been on the grill.

It's got that little burnt flavor to it that's just absolutely perfect.

-Yeah.

-Thank you so much, Lan.

This is the most interesting zucchini dish I've ever seen, period.

Probably the most interesting salad I've ever seen.

And you're the most interesting person I've ever met.

-Oh.

[ Laughs ] -If you want to make this smashing recipe at home, it starts by using a meat pounder to crack and flatten zucchini.

Broil with lemon and olive oil until charred, and then serve with a garlic and yogurt sauce finished with hazelnuts, dill, and Aleppo pepper.

So, from "America's Test Kitchen," broiled smashed zucchini with garlicky yogurt.

You can get this fantastic recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with product reviews and select episodes, and you'll find them all on our website, AmericasTestKitchen.com/tv.

Alright, what are you smashing next?

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