America's Test Kitchen

-Today on "America's Test Kitchen," Lan makes Julia her favorite egg, kimchi, and avocado sandwiches, Adam reviews gooseneck kettles, Lisa shares some gadgets to keep coffee hot, and Elle makes Bridget Spanish migas.

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

-When making egg sandwiches, how you cook the egg makes all the difference.

And, Lan, I consider you an expert when it comes to egg sandwiches.

You've always got one in hand.

-I adore the egg sandwiches made by a bakery just a few doors down from here.

And it's not a fried egg sandwich.

The eggs are baked.

They're custardy, creamy, and they're delicious.

-Mmm.

-So, we're going to start with the eggs.

I've got eight large eggs here, and I'm just going to add 1/4 teaspoon of table salt.

-Okay.

Eight eggs makes how many sandwiches?

Four?

-Four.

And we'll just give this a quick whisk.

Great.

Last ingredient.

So easy, right?

Three ingredients.

2/3 cup of water.

The water is there to tenderize the eggs, and you could use milk or cream.

They would do the same thing, because any liquid is going to tenderize the eggs.

The richer the dairy, the more muted the flavor of the eggs, and I think water's easier.

I always have water on hand.

So, these are done.

Now, we are going to bake these eggs in an 8x8 metal pan, and metal is really important here.

I tried this in glass and ceramic, and what I found was the glass takes a long time to heat up and a long time to cool down, and that just makes this all take a lot longer than it needs to.

I've sprayed this really well with vegetable oil spray, and that just helps with the release.

-Makes sense.

This is definitely new to me -- adding all that water, and now we're going into a cake pan.

-Sure are.

And we're not done with the water, actually.

I've got another cup and a half of water here.

This isn't for the eggs, it's for the pan.

-Interesting.

So it's like a water bath.

-Yeah, it's a little mini water bath.

It'll just temper the temperature of the oven so any peaks and valleys in there won't affect the bake.

-Okay, so a nice, even cooking for these eggs in the oven?

-Yeah, so let's put this into a 300-degree oven on the middle rack.

It'll bake until the eggs are fully set.

That takes 35 to 40 minutes, and halfway through, I'll go in and give this a quick spin.

-Lan just whisked a whopping 2/3 cup of water into the eggs before cooking.

Here's why.

Eggs mostly consist of protein dissolved in water.

When eggs are cooked, heat makes the proteins uncoil, then link together.

As they link up, they form a network that traps moisture and gives the cooked egg structure.

When we whisk water into the eggs before cooking, it dilutes the egg mixture so that the proteins are more distant from each other.

Then, when this diluted egg mixture is cooked, the proteins form a more delicate network, which translates into very tender eggs, perfect for a sandwich.

Alright, let's check out these eggs.

-Awesome.

So, you can see these eggs are fully set.

-Mm-hmm.

-No souffling.

It's nice and even, starting to pull away from the sides.

They look great.

-Great.

-I'm going to give these about 10 minutes to cool so that that pan isn't ripping hot when I try to invert it.

In the meantime, we can work on the sandwiches.

-Okay.

-What I love about this egg is that you can top it with anything and build any kind of sandwich.

I'm going to make a kimchi and avocado sandwich today.

-Mmm.

-So, step one is to blot the kimchi.

So, I've got 3/4 cup of kimchi here, and I'm just going to throw it on top of some paper towels, give it a quick blot.

Now that this is nice and dry, I'm just going to run a knife through it.

I'm just looking for a coarse chop so that when you take a bite, you're not pulling a bunch of kimchi out of there.

So, this is 3/4 cup of kimchi just blotted, chopped.

Next up, I've got our avocado.

And I really like to have a creamy element or two in my egg sandwiches.

I think avocados are great, but, you know, something like cheese would be lovely or maybe some Greek yogurt, mayo, whatever you've got in the fridge.

Just run a knife through this.

And one trick I have for slicing avocado is, instead of pushing straight down, if you pull the knife through, the pieces don't stick to your knife, and it's just a lot easier to fan out.

-Ah.

Oh, look at that.

-Next up, I have 1/4 cup of cilantro, and I'm just going to coarsely chop this.

Could also use fruit, jams, jellies, pickles -- again, whatever you've got around that is a nice, complementary flavor.

And just a coarse chop will do.

And that's it.

-Easy enough for a morning.

-Yeah.

So, it's been about ten minutes.

Let's un-mold these guys.

Sometimes, if it doesn't -- Oh.

-Ooh!

-Perfect.

Every so often, the eggs don't slip right out, and then just a nice rap on the bottom of the pan will do it.

I'm going to cut this into quarters.

Nice, generous serving.

-I like how easy that is to portion onto an egg sandwich.

-Yeah.

One of the other great things about this is they're really easy to reheat.

You can just pop this sucker in the microwave for a minute.

You're done.

-Really?

How long do they hold in the refrigerator for?

-Three, four days.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-I like that.

-So, you ready to build sandwiches?

-Yes.

-Let's do this.

So, I'm going to add about a tablespoon of mayo per sandwich.

I like to sprinkle the herbs on that, and that's about a tablespoon of cilantro per sandwich.

Next up, our egg.

-So cool.

-Yeah, and it's nice and sturdy, but it's not tough.

-Yeah.

I mean, a fried egg sandwich sounds good in theory until you bite into it, and the yolk goes all over.

This is much tidier.

-It is.

Just a little avocado for each of us.

-This is the most beautiful egg sandwich I've ever seen.

-Oh, stop it.

-It really is.

It's so organized and tidy.

-It's a good way to get breakfast onto the table without making a mess on a weekday.

And then, finally, the kimchi.

-Mm-hmm.

Load her up.

-Yeah.

-Mm-hmm.

[ Chuckles ] -What do you think?

-I like how easy it is to pick up and eat.

That egg is just not going anywhere.

-Nope.

-Mmm!

That's delicious.

-Mm-hmm.

-That egg is so tender but so flavorful.

-Mm-hmm.

-Rarely do you get them in the same bite, an egg that tastes like an egg, but also tender.

-Yeah.

-And that's the beauty of using water.

-You get such a nice combination of textures.

The bread is lightly toasted.

-Mm-hmm.

-But it's pillowy and tender on the inside.

Get a little crunch from the kimchi.

-Mm-hmm.

-Creamy avocado.

It's great.

The other thing I love about this sandwich is it's so easy to riff on.

You can pick any savory ingredient as the key, whether it's ham, bacon, kimchi, and then just riff with the other additions.

-That's right.

Once you know how to cook the eggs, variations are easy, and you can find those variations on our website.

Lan, this is the best egg sandwich I've ever had.

-Oh.

-This is magnificent.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-So, if you want to make Lan's incredible egg sandwich, whisk water into the eggs.

Bake the eggs in a metal pan with a water bath, and assemble the sandwiches with a variety of flavorful toppings.

From "America's Test Kitchen," an egg-cellent recipe for egg, kimchi, and avocado sandwiches.

Had to throw the dad joke in there.

-You showed so much restraint through this whole thing.

-If you require precision when preparing your morning brew, then perhaps an electric gooseneck kettle is the right purchase for you.

Adam's here, and he's going to tell us more about these great kettles.

They are something else.

-Not until you tell me another rhyme.

I love that, Bridget.

-Alright.

-You know, I am a pour-over guy.

I love pour-over coffee in the morning.

It's my moment of Zen.

But in order to moisten the coffee grounds a little bit before you douse them with the water, which is what you should do to make it taste its very best, you need a gooseneck kettle, which is what we have before us.

And I am going to demonstrate.

It's got this long, narrow spout that pours really gently and really slowly with a ton of precision, so you can moisten every last granule of coffee.

-Precision and patience.

-Precision and patience.

So, we tested eight different gooseneck kettles.

They're all electric.

The four in front of me are just boil only.

The four in front of you have adjustable temperature because sometimes you want to brew different teas at different temperatures.

Coffee, you don't want to do at a full boil.

It should be between 195, 205.

The prices that we paid ranged from $39 to $150.

-Okay.

-Testers boiled full kettles of water, 3 cups of water and timed it.

They checked the temperature accuracy.

They also assessed the handles and the spouts and all kinds of stuff.

They did find, actually, that the boil-only kettles were a little slower to bring things to the boil.

The slowest one took just about 5 1/2 minutes for a full kettle, whereas the fastest of the adjustable temperatures took less than three minutes.

-Wow.

Okay.

-In terms of temperature accuracy for the adjustables, they were all usually within 2 to 5 degrees under the set temperature, except for this one right here, which did better.

It was either right at set temperature or just a degree below.

There were a couple of design factors that made a difference to testers.

Capacity and weight were two of them.

The capacity ranged from 27 ounces up to 34 ounces.

They liked the bigger ones, 'cause you can boil more water.

-Right.

-They also liked them to be light so they were easier to handle.

The two favorites were about a pound and a half empty.

The handle made a real difference, and this is a terrific one because it's nice and smooth and wide, and it's got that rubbery coating that's easy to grip.

-It feels secure.

-Feels secure.

That's what you want.

And last thing, the measurement marks made a real difference, where they were located.

If they were by the handle, there were a little hard to see when you're holding it under a faucet, filling it up.

If they were opposite the handle, a lot easier to read.

So, there was a winner in each category.

If you're me, and you need the precision, you want to get the OXO Brew Adjustable Temperature Pour-Over Kettle for $100 -- money well spent, as far as I'm concerned.

-Absolutely.

-If you don't care about adjustability and just want boil-only, the Bodum Bistro Electric Gooseneck Kettle is $60, and that should be your go-to.

-But that takes a little bit longer to boil, right?

-It does, a little bit longer.

-And seconds count.

-Time is money.

-That's exactly right.

So, our top winner is the OXO Brew Adjustable Temperature Pour-Over Kettle, and it retails for $100.

I'll be taking this home.

-Not if I get it first.

[ Laughs ] -We all want our hot coffee or tea to stay hot.

Today, I've got some gadgets that promise solutions.

First up, smart mugs.

These look like regular cups, but their bases hold heating components, a high-capacity battery, microprocessors, and temperature sensors.

Now, usually, they work with a smartphone app where you set the temperature, and it's supposed to hold it.

It can even notify you when your drink hits the goal temperature.

We tested these three, and they're priced from about $79 to $165.

This one -- total disappointment.

No better than a regular mug.

This one was better, but it took twice as long to charge.

It was less accurate than our top pick, which was the Ember 2.

This Ember holds 14 ounces, and it was simple to set up.

It was easy to use, and it kept coffee right at our set temperature for about 70 minutes and within our ideal drinking range of about 130 to 160 degrees for about 90 minutes.

Now, that said, a smart mug is not for everyone.

It takes some care and attention.

It needs to be kept charged.

You can't put it in the microwave.

It has to be hand-washed.

So we also have a lower-tech solution.

That's our favorite insulated travel mug.

It's the Zojirushi stainless mug for about $25.

I personally love this thing.

It's slim, and it's lightweight, even when it's full.

It holds 16 ounces, and the top locks, so it won't ever drip in your bag.

And it pops open for drinking, and it's easy to clean.

Now, the only downside is that this thing works so well that hot drinks stay steamy hot for more than 10 hours.

Sometimes it can actually be too hot to drink from, so I might pour some out into a separate cup.

But I'm going to take that over letting my hot tea or coffee get lukewarm any day.

-French toast, ribollita, Thanksgiving stuffing.

These are all dishes that breathe new life into day-old bread.

Now, Elle's here, and she's going to show us another option, which is one of my favorites, Spanish migas.

-That's right, and migas literally translates to "crumbs."

And this makes all the sense, because the key to the Spanish and Portuguese dish is getting the bread right.

I have here 9 ounces of rustic crusty bread.

If you have stale bread sitting around the house, that works just as well.

But this recipe works with bread at any degree of freshness.

-That is good news, 'cause I don't have to wait a day.

-That's right.

We're going to start by making a little bit of a bath for the bread.

This is going to help us get that chewy but crunchy texture that we want.

So, this is 1/3 cup of water.

-Okay.

-To it, I'm going to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika.

I'm going to just whisk this until the salt dissolves.

Alright.

So now we can prep the bread.

We're going to cut the bottom off, crust bottom.

-Yeah, that's always just a little too hard to absorb anything.

-Too chewy from me.

And then I'm going to slice it about 3/4 inch.

And then I'm going to cut them into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch cubes.

-That is good bread, though.

It's fighting back.

-Yeah, it is.

-That's a good sign.

-Alright.

These are looking good.

That looks great, so I'm going to put them inside of our little bread bath of salt and paprika, which is going to impart so much more smokiness to this already smoky, delicious dish.

And we have to knead it.

You need to knead it.

-You need to knead it?

-You need to knead it.

-Are you creating the migas, the crumbs?

-I am.

And what you're looking for here is some big pieces, you want some small pieces, and you want a little bit of crumb in there.

And if by chance you're not getting that, and your water is absorbing pretty quickly, you can just add more water.

And fortunately, I have some here.

1 tablespoon at a time.

-And these aren't supposed to be, like, saturated.

-No.

-You couldn't squeeze out the water afterwards.

-Not at all.

-Gotcha.

-Not at all.

Alright.

-Looks crumby.

-It's very crumby.

So, now we're going to prep the chorizo and the bacon.

-Yes.

-I have 6 ounces of chorizo.

I know.

I know you want the sausage bits.

It's the best part.

I'm going to halve it lengthwise.

-Oh.

This is Spanish chorizo.

-Yes, it is.

-A cured, harder sausage.

Oh.

-Alright, so now that I've cut them lengthwise, I'm going to cut them into 1/4-inch slices.

-Okay.

-Okay?

-Little half-moons.

-Yeah.

Chorizo done.

This was 6 ounces.

-Okay.

-And I have two pieces of thick-cut bacon here.

I'm going to cut these into 1/2-inch pieces.

-Okay.

Oh, little batons.

-Yes.

This bacon is going to impart some smokiness.

-Now, I've had some versions where it's just chorizo, or there's a little bit of ham in there.

-Oh, yeah.

-Bacon's going to be great.

It's also going to pick up on that smoked paprika, that smoky background.

-Oh, yeah.

You can use almost any kind of ham in this dish.

There's no wrong answers here.

-I love the way you think.

-Okay, so, I'm done cutting the bacon.

We have our chorizo ready.

Let's start to cook.

-Let's cook.

-So, I have a 12-inch nonstick skillet here.

To it, I'm going to add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

And we're starting in a cold pan.

That's really important.

Starting in a cold pan allows the bacon actual time to render.

-Mm.

-If you start in a hot pan, the fat kind of, like, seizes inside of the bacon, and then it's chewy, and that's not what we want.

-Okay.

-Okay, I'm just going to add four cloves of garlic.

They need to be smashed.

The garlic's going to give us an extra boost of flavor.

I'm going to go in with the chorizo and the bacon.

Spread that out there.

-Look at the flavor that's already in this skillet.

-It's a migas in the making.

I'm just going to cook it over medium heat.

This is going to go for 6 to 8 minutes, and we're just looking for the bacon to crisp a little around the edges, but we have to stir it frequently to get that.

-Okay.

-Okay?

Alright, so, it's been 6 minutes.

The chorizo is brown.

The bacon has a nice, crispy edges.

I think it's time to get it out of here.

I'm going to use a slotted spoon, and I'm not going to keep the garlic.

It has done its job and given us this liquid gold.

I'm going to reserve 2 tablespoons of this fat.

Look how golden and beautiful that is.

And I'm going to pour the rest of this over the bread.

-Ohh.

-Amen.

-[ Laughs ] -So, now I'm going to just toss this bread a little bit, get that oil all over the place, and I'm going to put it in the skillet.

Can you turn that to medium-high for me?

-You bet.

-Thank you.

Alright, so, we're going to put this in our now-empty skillet and let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes.

I want all of these crumbs, all of them.

-They're going to fry in that fat.

-Oh, yeah.

-This is the best day ever, Elle.

-I know!

I love a dish where nothing gets wasted.

That is my whole bag.

Okay, so, you just want this browned and crisp throughout.

It takes about 12 to 15 minutes.

You want the larger pieces to have a little crisp on the outside and be moist on the inside.

-But no charring.

-No charring.

-Okay.

-Alright, so, while we let this cook and stir occasionally, I'm going to prep the peppers.

-I'll keep an eye on it for you.

-Please do.

So, we have two Cubanelle peppers and one red bell pepper.

The Cubanelle peppers are going to give us a little bit of tartness, and the red bell pepper is going to give us some sweet.

-I love Cubanelle peppers.

They're that little tart, little bitter, very refreshing flavor.

-Yeah.

Alright, I'm just going to take the tops off, cut it down the middle, take the ribs out, take the seeds out.

-That's where a lot of that bitterness is.

-Mm-hmm.

We're going to cut these into 1/2-inch pieces.

Alright.

So, now I'm going to cut the red peppers, and these also get cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

-Okay.

-I'm going to finish cutting all the peppers, and we'll just keep an eye on the bread.

-Okay.

-Alright, so, it's been 12 minutes.

This bread is nice and crusty.

-Croutons.

-Croutons.

It's browned but not charred.

Squeeze it, it's a little softness in there.

-It's still soft.

Okay.

-Yeah.

So let's get it out of this pan into the bowl.

-Oh, listen to that sound.

-That's the sound.

That's the sound.

-Raining crumbs.

[ Both chuckle ] -Alright.

So, now we're going to use 1 tablespoon of our 2 tablespoons reserved oil.

-That's that bacon chorizo oil.

-Yeah, it is.

Alright, so, it's on medium-high, and I'm going to add our peppers and let these cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

We just want them blistered.

I'm going to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, teaspoon of paprika, and just give it a stir.

And we only want to cook this for 3 to 5 minutes until the peppers are charred.

Alright.

It's been about 3 to 5 minutes.

We're getting a nice char there.

-Ooh, a little blistering there.

-Yeah, little blister.

-Smells great.

-Okay, that looks good.

Now I'm just going to add the chorizo back in the pan for about 30 seconds just to reheat it.

-Ah.

-It's been about 30 seconds.

-That's the longest 30 seconds I can ever remember.

-Okay, so, I'm going to add a teaspoon of chopped parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of sherry vinegar.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

Just for a little kick punch.

I love this part, the building of the flavors.

It's my favorite part of making this dish.

Okay, so, now I'm just going to add it to our bread crumbs.

Give it a toss.

Oh, my goodness.

That looks and smells divine.

Alright, we're just going to set this aside and start working on our eggs.

Okay, so we finally get to make the eggs that will go on top of this beautiful Spanish migas.

And we're going to start with some of the flavors that we began with, right -- this golden, beautiful chorizo and bacon fat.

-That's the remaining tablespoon.

-That's the end of it.

This is the last of the fat.

-No fat left behind.

-No.

Alright, I'm going to swirl it around the pan, and we'll know it's ready to cook when the oil is shimmering.

We had it on, so it's ready.

I have a quick cooking method.

I have broken six eggs up into two bowls, and I'm doing this so that all the eggs can cook at the same time.

-Love it.

-So I'm going to put the eggs on one side, three on one side, three on the other side.

We're going to cover it right away.

I like a runny egg, so I'm going to let it cook for a minute.

-Okay.

-And then I'm going to take it off the heat for 15 to 45 seconds.

-Alright.

-Okay.

So, this is ready.

-[ Sighs ] -Let's transfer it to the top of our migas.

Look at that, our beautiful, beautiful eggs for a beautiful migas.

And we're going to finally top it with a little bit of parsley for beauty and elegance.

It's 1 teaspoon of minced parsley.

-Alright.

That looks gorgeous.

-We're like eight blocks past gorgeous.

It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever, ever seen.

-And it's going to taste equally as delicious.

-Let's tuck in.

-Alright.

You want to eat?

-Yes, I do.

-Okay.

Okay.

-The crying and open weeping wasn't enough of a-a signal?

Ohh.

-I like to build anticipation.

-Well, it's working.

What a lovely thing to present.

-Mm-hmm.

Right?

If you love me, you'll feed me migas.

-[ Laughs ] -Alright.

Let's dig in.

Ohh, look at that!

-It's perfection.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Alright, I'm going to get some of this beautiful bread.

-Mm-hmm.

Little bread, little meat.

Mmm.

-Mmm.

This is just -- Wow.

It's better every time.

A little crunchy vegetable moment, and then you get that spicy kick of the chorizo.

-The flavors just build with every single bite.

-Mm-hmm.

Every bite.

-And that's because it's all infused with that beautiful chorizo and bacon fat.

It's gorgeous.

And the peppers, they've still got some texture, but I love that little bit of blistering, that char.

-Yeah.

-Mmm.

-The smokiness.

-Mm-hmm.

This is as good as it gets.

-Yes, it is.

-I enjoyed cooking with you.

-Likewise.

-Well, to make Spanish migas with fried eggs at home, knead cubes of rustic bread with seasoned water.

Then crisp the bread in rendered chorizo and bacon fat, blister peppers in the skillet, and then use that skillet to fry eggs.

So, from "America's Test Kitchen," you are going to want to make this Spanish migas with fried eggs.

And you can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with product reviews and select episodes, on our website.

That's americastestkitchen.com/tv.

-Oh, yeah.