America's Test Kitchen (2000–…): Season 22, Episode 2 - Plant-Based Perfection - full transcript

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-Today on
"America's Test Kitchen,"

Becky makes Bridget

a hearty
cauliflower and bean paella,

Jack challenges Julia

to a taste test
of meat-free burgers,

Lisa reviews
cutting-board stabilizers,



and Elle makes Julia vegan
Baja-style cauliflower tacos.

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

♪♪

-Today we are making
paella de verduras,

which is
a vegetable-centric paella

that comes from Valencia, Spain.

And as Becky
is going to show us,

it really is all about
pulling those vegetables

to the front of the recipe,
right?

-That's right.

We're going to really showcase
those vegetables.

Instead of using them
to just flavor the rice,

they're going
to take center stage,

and we'll come up with something
that is just as satisfying,



just as eye-catching
as a protein version.

-Love it.
-You can make this

with a whole lot of vegetables,

but we're going to start
with cauliflower.

-Mmm.
-Has a really nice, nutty taste

and sort of a crisp,
creamy density when it's cooked.

-Right.
-It's really satisfying to eat.

We're going to start by
heating up the skillet here.

I have 1 1/2 tablespoons

of extra virgin olive oil,

and I'm going to do
some medium heat.

And paella's traditionally
cooked over a live fire

on a paellera...
-Mm-hmm.

-...which is a wide,
shallow skillet,

but it's also very common
to see stovetop versions.

-Perfect.

-So we need
2 1/2-inch-to-2-inch pieces.

I like to just kind of dive
in there with my fingers.

-Stalks and florets?

-Yeah, just a little bit
of the stalk.

We're going to leave most
of the stalk behind here

for this recipe 'cause we're
really going for something

that's superattractive.

And if they're hard to pull off,

you can just use
a little paring knife here.

-Yeah, sometimes they just
don't want to leave that stalk.

-That's right. They don't want
to go in my paella.

I don't know why.
-[ Laughs ]

-Going to be delicious in there.

So we're going
for 2 1/2 cups here,

and the pieces can be 2 inches

to 2 1/2 inches, like that.

-Wow.
So they really are quite large.

Yeah.
-Nice and chunky here.

So we'll call that 1 cup.
We'll get these in.

We need one more cup.
-Okay.

[ Sizzling ]

-1/4 teaspoon of salt

just to flavor those guys up
a little bit.

-Alright.

-And now we want the cauliflower
to get spotty brown.

That's going to take
three to five minutes.

-Okay.

-Alright.
So it's been five minutes.

-Beautiful.
-I know.

Isn't it gorgeous already?
-It is gorgeous already.

-Really nice browning.
-That's the whole paella.

-[ Laughs ] Ta-da!
-[ Laughs ]

-Bon appétit.

Alright. Now we're going to be
adding some beans,

and Valencians
would typically add

two types of beans
to this recipe.

They would add the bajoqueta,

which is a flat,
fresh green bean

kind of like a Romano bean.
-Okay. Yeah.

-And they would add a garrofón,
which is a fresh shell bean.

Now, those are
hyperregional varieties,

and we can't find them
around here,

so we found
some nice substitutes...

-Alright.
-...starting with

good old conventional
green beans.

-Runner beans. Can't go wrong.
-[ Chuckles ]

In they go.
That's 6 ounces,

and they're cut
in 2-to-2 1/2-inch pieces.

-Okay.
-And add 1/4 teaspoon of salt

to season those guys up
a little bit.

And we're going to let this go
for another two to four minutes,

just until the green beans
start to turn dark green.

-Really developing flavor here.
-That's right.

So, it's been like
three minutes.

The green beans have started
to do their thing.

They're getting darker
and a little bit of browning.

Let's transfer them
to a bowl here.

They can hang out
till the next phase.

Alright.

Now I have another
1 1/2 tablespoons

of extra virgin olive oil.

Now we're going
to build a sofrito.

This is where we really start
to get in

all that layered flavor
that makes it so good.

And we're going to start
with one red bell pepper.

-That is finely chopped.

-Yeah, it's nice and chopped.

[ Sizzling ]

Still medium heat here.

Alright. I'm also going to add
1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Season that up.

And we'll just let this
sizzle here

for about seven minutes.

-And we're looking
for a little color?

-Little bit of browning
on the pepper.

-Okay.
-Yep.

Smells good!

-Ah. The flavors
just keep adding up in here.

-It's been about seven minutes.

You can see
they're nicely browned here.

So let's start by adding
a tablespoon of tomato paste,

and we're going to cook that
for about a minute.

We just want the pepper pieces
to get nicely coated here,

and that adds really
nice umami depth.

to the sofrito.

Okay. So here is three
garlic cloves minced up...

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika.

-Another magic ingredient.
-Yes. Love that.

And 1/4 teaspoon of saffron.

-Mmm.

-And that just adds
that beautiful golden color.

-And that's the whole paycheck.
-[ Laughs ]

It's worth it. [ Laughs ]
-[ Laughs ]

-My treat. [ Laughs ]

So just for 30 seconds here,

until we start to smell
that aroma, which I do.

That smell is our cue that
it's time to keep moving here.

This is 1/4 cup of dry sherry.

[ Sizzling ]

Just want to cook that until all
the excess moisture evaporates.

Alright. All of our moisture
is just about evaporating,

so now it's finally time
for the rice.

So, a cup of rice.

You can use Calasparra or bomba.

Both are really nice
Spanish rices.

-Okay.
-If you can't find those,

it's also okay to use Arborio.

-Alright.

-Now we're just going to stir
this for one or two minutes.

We want all those grains of rice
to get nicely coated

in that beautiful sofrito.

-Mmm.
-Ooh, yeah.

So now we're going to smooth out
that rice in a nice, even layer.

And now we have butter beans
that are going to go on top.

This is our second bean.
Remember I mentioned

we had the green beans?
-Yes.

-And now this is one can
of butter beans

that's been drained.

You really want to seek out
these butter beans.

Their size is perfect for this.

You don't want to use
small white beans here.

-You're going
for another ingredient,

like the cauliflower,
that is toothsome and meaty.

-We want some decent-sized
pieces here.

We're not fooling around.
This is, like, the real deal.

[ Both chuckle]

Alright.
So, there's our butter beans,

and now here's the cauliflower
and the green beans

that we prepared.

Use my hands 'cause I want these
to be nicely scattered.

-Well, it's really interesting
how you're layering

everything on top of each other.
-That's right.

So now I have 3 1/2 cups
of chicken broth.

Just going to gently
pour that in.

If you want to make
this purely vegetarian,

it's fine to use
a vegetable broth here, too.

Alright. So, we want the rice
to be completely submerged here.

I'm going to turn up the heat,
bring this up to a boil,

and then I'll lower the heat
and we'll let this simmer

until the liquid is just below
the top of the rice.

So it's been about 15 minutes,

and you can see we're starting
to see the rice here

kind of poke
through that liquid.

-That's right.
-Smells amazing.

So we're just going to pop
a lid on for five minutes,

and we're going to finish
cooking that rice

all the way through.

-This is
a very fast-cooking paella.

-It is!
-Yeah!

-Alright.
It's been five minutes,

and you can see our rice
is cooked through,

-Mmm. So, that steaming

also cooked the vegetables
through, right?

-That's right. Everything is
going to be just perfecto here.

Now we're going to let it go for
another five to seven minutes.

We want all of the moisture
to evaporate,

and we want to start to hear
some popping and sizzling.

That's going to indicate
that the rice

on the bottom of the skillet is
starting to brown a little bit.

-That is the best part.
-Yeah, I agree.

Alright.
We are just about done here now.

We're just going to make
that socarrat,

which is the crispy layer
of browned rice

and the browned proteins
and sugars

from the cooking liquid that
forms on the bottom of skillet.

-It is one of the most
important parts of a paella.

-Yes, absolutely. Alright.

So, I finished up that socarrat
by rotating the pan

1/4 turn for every 20 seconds
for about five minutes,

till it got
nice and crusty on the bottom.

-Mmm!
-Then I slid it off the heat

to let it cool down
just for five minutes.

That's important
because the starches in the rice

are flexible when they're hot,

so when they cool down,
they crystallize.

They become a little bit
more rigid,

and that makes the rice
nice and crisp

and easy to release
from the pan.

-Perfect!
Let's just hang on a second.

-Yeah.
-This is so vibrant

and beautiful.
This is a centerpiece.

-It really is. It really is
a nice-looking dish.

-It's gorgeous
-Yeah.

It's going to taste
just as good as it looks.

Beans.

-Ah, you can see
that little bit --

the browning of the rice there.
-See that?

-Yep.
-That's our socarrat.

That's what we're talking about.

You want some of that
beautiful cauliflower?

-Well, first things first.
-Getting that socarrat?

-Getting a little bit
of that socarrat.

-Yeah.

-Mmm!

-This is truly
one of my all-time favorite

vegetarian recipes --
I mean, so much depth of flavor,

so much complexity.

-And you know
you're talking to me.

-Yeah.
I know who I'm talking to.

[ Laughs ]
-And I got to say,

yes, it happens to be
vegetarian,

but it's so, so --

I mean, just so filling
and satisfying.

-Mm-hmm.
With the chunky vegetables --

-They're not falling apart.
The vegetables are not mush.

I mean, you look
at this bean here inside,

and it looks meaty and --
but tender.

-Mm-hmm.
-Mmm.

-The rice is beautifully cooked.
-Mm-hmm.

-Full of flavor
from that sofrito.

-Well, thank you, Becky.
-My pleasure.

-So, if you want to make
this beautiful, vibrant,

delicious paella at home,

it starts with building flavor
right in the skillet.

Sauté cauliflower
and green beans

until they're well-browned.

Use tomato paste
to make a savory cooking broth

and top the rice
with butter beans

and the sautéed vegetables.

So, from
"America's Test Kitchen,"

a truly stupendous
and satisfying

cauliflower and bean paella.

It's gorgeous.
-Thank you.

-Where's the sangria?
-Mmm.

Now you're talking.
[ Chuckles]

♪♪

-I am all-in
when it comes to bean burgers

and all the veggie patties
you can find at the supermarket,

but I am more than
a little skeptical

of these meatless burgers
that pretend to be meat.

But today Jack's going to walk
me through all these options.

-My goal today

is to change your mind.
-Okay.

-And I know how difficult
that's going to be

because you're not somebody
easily swayed.

-I'm not.
-Alright.

So, there are four
meatless burger patties.

Some of these came as patties,
and we cooked them that way.

Some of them came as basically
a block of ground product

that we shaped.
-[ Laughs ]

You almost need a new dictionary
for this kind of food.

-Yeah. I mean, you know,
ground plant-based meat --

I mean, it's an odd terminology,
but I'm going to tell you

there's something good
on the table.

So, you dig in.
-Alright.

-You can tell a lot
by looking at them raw.

-[ Laughs ] Yes, you can.
-So, no surprise --

the one that looks
like a beef burger...

-Mm-hmm.
-...ended up cooking up

a lot more like a beef burger,

and the one that looks like
an old frozen mushroom

was further away
from the real deal.

There are four components that
I want you to be thinking about.

-Okay.
-The first is what's the base?

And so it's either soy
or pea protein...

-Mm-hmm.
-...wheat gluten,

mycoprotein,
which is from fungus.

The pea and the soy
probably do a better job.

The second thing is flavors.

So, there's all kinds
of flavors.

I think the ones that are trying
to replicate the flavor of beef

are better than the ones

where you can taste
carrot or garlic or onion.

I mean, I like garlic
and onion and carrot,

but it doesn't really
taste like meat.

-Okay, come on. Like, this --

How does -- How -- What?

This is supposed to be a burger?

-It is a burger.
-It is --

[ Laughs ] Ohh.

-Is your mind still open here?

You didn't say anything
about the middle sample.

-You know what?
This has a texture

that is very similar to burger.
The flavor was fine.

It doesn't taste like meat
by any stretch,

but I love all sorts of
bean burgers and veggie patties,

and this tastes
like a veggie patty,

but it has the texture
of a burger, and it --

so it's -- I like it.
-Okay.

-I would eat this happily.
-Alright.

Well, a lot of the texture
is how they process it,

how they take
all these ingredients

and then turn them into a patty.

So, the best ones
have coconut oil...

-Oh, that makes sense.

-...which is solid
at room temperature...

-Mm-hmm.
-...and melts when it's heated

and gives you
that sort of lusciousness

that you get from a beef burger.
-Mm-hmm.

-The last thing is how they
replicate looking like meat.

-Mm-hmm.
-And so some of them use

pomegranate juice, beet juice,

hemoprotein.

So they basically extracted
from soybean plant roots

something that is very similar
to the hemoglobin

that's in beef...
-Hmm.

-...and really is giving you
this appearance

not only when it's raw
but when it's cooked.

If you cook it too rare,
it's pink in the middle.

-Now, can you undercook these

and, like, cook them
"medium rare,"

or do you really have to
cook them all the way through?

-You want to get a crispy
exterior, 'cause I think --

You want them browned.
-Mm-hmm.

-But if you want a well-done
burger, make it well-done.

I think they're better cooked
to somewhere around the 130.

So...
-Alright.

Well, these are very different

right off the bat.
-Yeah.

-These two definitely
tastes like veggie patties.

I mean, the texture
is of a veggie patty.

The flavor is a veggie patty.

This one is just
really unappealing --

I mean, the texture, the flavor,
the size, the thickness.

This one
I could easily make fun of,

but there's something about it
I like.

It tastes like a veggie patty,

but there's a nice flavor
in there.

I love the browning
and the crisp on the outside.

It would be a lovely --
It'd be a lovely dinner,

but it doesn't taste like meat.
-Okay.

-So, these two
are really approaching meat.

They're not there,

but, you know,
enough ketchup and mustard

and pickles and tomatoes
and a good brioche bun --

I don't think I'd be fooled,
but I'd be happy.

-And I will tell you,
with the better ones --

and I've done a lot of cooking
with these recently --

-tacos...
-Mmm!

-...and other things where you
start using bigger flavors.

Honestly, it gets really
difficult to tell the difference

because the texture is so close

and there's no flavor
that screams, "Not beef!"

-This one, I like
the texture a bit better.

-Okay.
-It's a bit more like beef.

But there's something about
this one I really appreciate.

It doesn't have a strong flavor
one way or the other.

It almost tastes a little
on the sausage side,

but I like that.

I think if you're looking

for a really good replacement
for beef,

this is the closest,
I would think.

This is not far behind, though,
in terms of flavor.

-Let's start
with what you liked best.

You can flip over the cards.

So, you chose the runner-up,

which we recommended...
-Mm.

-...the Beyond Meat
Beyond Burger.

So, they have two products.

This is the one that's sold
already in a patty form,

so they call it burger.

The other one that has beef
at the end of the name

is sold in a brick...
-Gotcha.

-...like a ground meat.

So, the winner's
down on the end.

So, this is the Impossible.
This is the one with the heme.

It's pretty close.

And when you start
putting any seasoning in this

other than salt and pepper,
which is really all you've got,

you really get
pretty close to beef.

So, let's take a look
at the things

you were
less enthusiastic about.

-This one.
-Yeah.

So, this is MorningStar Farms.
-Mm-hmm.

-This was not recommended.

It was better than some of
the other "not recommended."

I mean, you found a little bit
to like about it...

-Mm-hmm.
-...but it's not that close

to beef.
-Mnh-mnh.

-And at the very end,
this is the Gardein.

Bottom of the rankings.
It's too thin. It's too wispy.

It's not really beefy.
-[ Laughs ]

-It's not that close to meat.
-No. Thanks, Jack.

-You're welcome, Julia.
-So, there you go.

If you're ready to enter
the world of meat-free burgers,

check out Impossible Foods'
Impossible Burger,

which costs about $10
for a 12-ounce package.

♪♪

-Even the best cutting boards
slip around sometimes,

and that's why we tested
cutting-board stabilizers.

Now, you can always use
a wet paper towel

or dish towel under the boards,

but these gadgets
could be easier,

and they could let us skip
the soggy countertop.

We tried five models --

a set of these clip-on feet
and four mats.

They're priced from about $3
to around $41,

and we used them to stabilize
wood and plastic boards

on all different types
of counters.

The bad news --

these silly little feet,
called the Dreamfarm Chobs --

they're supertight
and hard to put on.

Then even once you get them on,
it's a problem.

They raise the board up
too high,

so it's like a trampoline
when you're chopping.

Look at this. Forget it.

Now, some of these mats
were too thick or too narrow.

So, we had a board
that rocked back and forth,

and cleaning some of these --
totally annoying.

This one is like
a grippy Lego surface,

and we were picking parsley
off it forever,

even after it went
through the dishwasher.

Our favorite was
the Architec Smartmat.

This did a great job of keeping
cutting boards of all materials

from sliding around
on all types of counters.

And because it's made up
of these little rings,

it was pretty easy to clean.

It's thin, it's flexible,

so it's simple to store.

And if you've never used

a cutting-board stabilizer,
you should.

It feels great and so secure.

And they're just under $16.

It's a relatively
small price to pay

to never have to worry about
your cutting board slipping

ever again.

♪♪

-Cauliflower is having its day
and being used

as the main ingredient
in all sorts of recipes,

from pizza,
Buffalo bites, to tacos,

which is what Elle's going
to show us how to make today.

-Yep, and we're going to start
with a bed of crunchy slaw.

-Mmm.
-And it is store-bought.

But before we get started,

I'm going to do some prep.
-Okay.

-So, this slaw calls
for half a mango.

I'm only going to peel half

'cause I'm only
going to use half.

-Well, that's clever.
It keeps the other half...

-Yeah. That's right.
-...for something else

with the peel on
so it doesn't brown.

-I'm always
a little careful here

so I don't cut into the core...

-Mm-hmm.
-...too much.

Oh, I hit it. That's okay.

I'm going to go around.
-Mm-hmm.

-So I'm going to go around
and get this meat off, okay?

-Nicely done.
-Yeah. Alright.

And I'm just going to cut this
into 1/4-inch pieces.

Alright.

I'm going to go straight
into the bowl with this.

So now we need about
a tablespoon of jalapeño pepper.

I'm going to cut it
down the middle.

I like to quarter it.

It makes taking the ribs
and seeds out...

-Oh, that's clever.
-...a lot easier. Yeah.

So once I take
the ribs and seeds out,

I'm going to dice it,

but if you like it spicy,
like I know you do,

you can keep the ribs
and the seeds.

So I'm going to cut it into
just some matchstick pieces

'cause I want to mince it.

The smaller you get it to start,
the easier the mince is.

So I need about a tablespoon
of that.

There we go.

I'm going to now add
3 tablespoons of lime juice,

a tablespoon of cilantro,
chopped,

some salt, and some pepper.

The mango and the jalapeño
are going to give it

an amazing
sweet-heat combination.

-I love that combo.

I like that it starts
with a store-bought base

but then you gussy it up,
and it doesn't take much.

It just saves you so much work.

-And look what we got.

It's giving summer vibes.
-[ Laughs ]

-It's giving
all the summer vibes.

-Well, and it's going to taste
good in a taco.

-Oh, yeah. Alright.

So, that's all set.
I'm going to put it aside.

Now we're going to make

our cilantro sauce.
-Okay.

-Okay? So we're starting
with 1/4 cup

of vegan mayo vegan.
-Vegan?

So, these are vegan tacos?
-Yes. I think you'll like it.

We have 1/4 cup
of dairy-free sour cream,

and vegan sour creams --

textures vary
depending on the brand.

-Oh, interesting.
-Yeah.

So we have some water here

so that we can create
the texture that we want.

I'm going to add 3 tablespoons.
-Okay.

-Okay? And to that,
I'm going to add, also,

3 tablespoons
of minced cilantro,

'cause it is a cilantro sauce.

-[ Laughs ]

-And 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

And we're just
going to whisk it.

Supersimple sauce.

This is the texture
that you want.

-Mm-hmm.
-Right? This is the thickness.

Now, if you had some other
sour cream, it may be thicker

and you can just add
a tablespoon of water at a time

till you reach
the consistency you like.

Okay. So, the sauce is done.

Just a couple of more steps
before we start cooking tacos.

-Okay.
-Alright.

-Sauce, slaw, check.
-Yes.

Batter...
-Uh-huh.

-...most important.
-Okay.

-Okay?
-And this is the batter

that's going
to coat the cauliflower.

-Absolutely. So what we need
is something to make it crunchy,

and we have a cup of unsweetened
coconut flakes,

and I'm going to put it
in a shallow dish.

We have a cup of panko.
-Okay. Equal amounts.

-Yep, and I'm just going to
just use my hand

to kind of give this a good mix.

There we go.
I think that looks good.

Now, the second part
is a wet batter

because we need to make
the panko

actually stick
to the cauliflower.

So to do that, I have a cup
of coconut milk here

because we want to keep
the flavor profile consistent.

-Coconut milk also has
a really nice viscosity

that will coat the cauliflower
without running off.

-Yes. I got 1/4 teaspoon
of cayenne pepper,

a teaspoon of garlic powder,

a teaspoon of cumin,

and a teaspoon of salt.

Just give it a good whisk.

Alright.
We have everything we need.

We got a dry batter.
We have a wet batter.

Let's clean up
so we can make some tacos.

-Alright.

-Okay, Julia. So, we have
the star of the show --

le cauliflower.
-[ Laughs ]

-This is half a head
of cauliflower...

-Mm-hmm.
-...about 1 pound,

cut into 1-inch florets.

I'm going to add it
to our wet batter.

I love cauliflower, actually...
-Me, too.

-...because
it's so versatile, right?

-Mm-hmm.
-It takes on any flavor profile

you tell it to.

I'm just going to toss them
and make sure

that they all get coated
with our wet batter, right?

'Cause that's
the important part

of making our crunchy exterior.

Alright. So, that looks
pretty well-tossed.

So now this part takes
a little bit of time

'cause you have to do it,
like, one cauliflower

at a time, right?
-[ Laughs ]

But it will be worth it
in the end.

It will totally be worth it.

Alright. It's also important
to let any excess batter

drip back into the bowl.

-Well, it's pretty fast
to get up to this point.

-I think so,
and it's not a huge amount,

and I think it's worth the work.

So I have here
a rimmed baking sheet.

I sprayed it
with some cooking spray.

Very simple prep.

And I'm just going to put my
cauliflower there on the sheet.

We're going to do this
for each and every one.

So, I'm just going to, like,
take my tongs

and kind of cover some

and press it down.

-That'll get it all up
into the base...

-Yeah. That's right.

-...'cause it's crunch
and it's flavor.

-We are not playing around.

Okay, Julia.

So, we are finishing
our very last cauliflower.

I have the oven set
at 450 degrees,

and the rack
is in the middle position.

We're going to let it cook
for 20 to 25 minutes.

At 10 minutes,
we're going to check it,

and then we'll rotate the pan...
-Mm-hmm.

-...and then we'll have tacos.

♪♪

Okay. It's been like 20 minutes.

-Ohh!
That toasted coconut smell?

-It smells amazing.

-It does.
-Yeah.

-Here.
I'll get the door for you.

-Thank you.

Look at that.
-Ohh.

-They're golden...
-Mm-hmm.

-...crisp, ready to eat.

Okay. I'm going to start
with a little of our slaw.

-And I love that you toasted
the corn tortillas.

-Oh, man.
-That little bit of char on it.

-Mm-hmm. It's going to be
so great with this slaw we made.

Let's get you a couple of good,
crunchy pieces.

I'm going to sauce it up
for you.

-You know how to build a taco.

-Wow.
-Mmm. Gorgeous.

Mmm!

I am not vegan, but I
will happily this any time.

-The crunch. The sweet.
-Mm-hmm.

The little bit of kick
of fresh cilantro.

-Yes.
-And I love that coconut flavor.

It just adds a little bit
more oomph to the cauliflower.

Elle, these tacos
are fantastic.

Thank you.
-Thank you.

-If you want to make
these killer vegan tacos,

start by making a simple
lime-flavored slaw

and creamy cilantro sauce.

Coat the cauliflower
with a combination

of shredded coconut and panko,

then roast them in a hot oven

before assembling it all
into warm corn tortillas.

From "America's Test Kitchen,"

a brand-new recipe for vegan
Baja-style cauliflower tacos.

You can get this recipe and all
the recipes and product reviews

from this season,

-[ Laughs ]
-[ Laughs ]