The Recipe with Kenji and Deb
Deb Perelman & J. Kenji López-Alt
Overview
Episodes
Recent Episodes
JUN 9, 2025
Burgers
Deb has fifteen recipes for meatballs on Smitten Kitchen, and exactly one for a meat burger. That does not mean Deb lacks for opinions about burgers, oh no no — she goes head to head with Mr. Burger Lab himself, who has published dozens of burger recipes and guides. Kenji and Deb are in agreement about the one burger type that anyone can make at home just as well as a restaurant. Plus, a special announcement.
Recipes Mentioned:
Fake Shake Burger (Smitten Kitchen)
The Burger Lab: The World's Best Burger for a Single Man (or Woman) (Serious Eats)
Classic Smashed Burgers (Serious Eats)
Oklahoma-Style Onion Burgers Recipe (Serious Eats)
Mastering the Art of Burger Blending with Eight Cuts of Beef (Serious Eats)
39 MIN
MAY 12, 2025
Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict should really be called Eggs Benedict Arnold, because it will betray any shortcomings you have as a home cook. You should give it a go anyway. (Kenji: “You CAN and SHOULD make Eggs Benedict at home.”) Why? It’s a dish that all but the best restaurants get right, and you have all but three and a half minutes to shovel it in your mouth before the window closes for the perfect bite. So you may as well perfect it at home.
What does perfect look like? Each element is prepared to its ideal temperature at the exact same time. Yolks “a river of liquid gold” while whites are perfectly set (and shaped like a “chaos mop” if you’re like Deb). English muffins are fork split, not sliced. Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion, which means you are trying to mix two ingredients that don’t want to be mixed, so yeah, you are literally fighting nature. Who will break first, you or the sauce? A delicious showdown for the ages.
Recipes Mentioned:
Foolproof Eggs Benedict (Serious Eats)
Easy Poached Eggs (Serious Eats)
How to Make Eggs Benedict the Classic Way (Kenji’s Cooking Show)
How to Make Eggs Benedict for a Crowd (Kenji’s Cooking Show)
How to Poach an Egg, Smitten Kitchen-Style (Smitten Kitchen)
Spinach and Smashed Egg Toast (Smitten Kitchen
Old-Fashioned, No-Knead English Muffins Recipe (Serious Eats)
33 MIN
