J. Kenji López-Alt

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@harrystebbings I don't have many thoughts on Soylent other than that for people who only see food as fuel, I suppose it's a good thing. We're still a long way off from making it work. Currently the internet has had the biggest impact on food trends, both good and bad. Back when I was learning how to cook, if I wanted to make a Sichuan dish, I had to go find a book written by an author who writes in English. Now I can literally hop on any social media channel and see people cooking food in Sichuan RIGHT AS WE SPEAK. The exchange of ideas and techniques is amazing!

Margot Mazur

@margotcodes · Partnership Co-ordinator, Wistia

@thefoodlab Hi Kenji! Thanks for being here. I'm working on writing my own vegan cookbook right now and it's proving to be quite the challenge! What advice would you give to a newbie cookbook author? What helped you during your first book?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@margotcodes Oof. Don't give up, try and write every day even if you aren't feeling inspired. Also never stop reading. Whenever I had mental blocks, I'd pull some of my old favorite books off the shelf and just spend a couple days reading. It's amazing how it can inspire ideas!

Yoshi

@dnxx28 · Student

Hi Kenji! I'm Japanese Yoshi! What kind of app or media do you watch about food and drink ?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@dnxx28 I honestly don't watch too much new media these days. Too much reality TV! I love old school Pepin on Youtube, older Cook's Illustrated episodes, early seasons of Top Chef.

@tdwi2000

Hi Kenji! 2.5 questions: I'm making your reverse seer beef tenderloin for Xmas with a 5.5 lb roast. What's the approx. cooking time at 225 to get it to the 125-130 degree mark? Would I be better off using my sous vide? Also, I've been tasked with making slow cooker mashed potatoes. Any hints/suggestions? Love your book!

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@tdwi2000 It'll take around 3 hours or so, but always trust your thermometer, not your timer! I prefer reverse-sear to sous vide for roasts like that. Much easier to brown beef that's been roasted as opposed to cooked in a bag. Use a ricer and rinse those potatoes to keep them extra light and fluffy!

@tdwi2000

@thefoodlab @tdwi2000 thanks, Kenji! I don't have a ricer, but sounds like I should go get one.

Will Imholte

@willimholte · Designer, Prime

Is your next book going to be a continuation of The Food Lab? If so, are you concerned with how to balance between a book that is approachable for people who haven't read TFL and a book that doesn't repeat the science you've already covered?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@willimholte It is a continuation and will include lots of new material, lots of new science. Some of the basic lessons will obviously be referenced, but don't worry, there are plenty of rabbit holes to fall into :)

Daniel Lee

@dleesta · Product Manager

What are the core culinary skills that you think people need to know?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@dleesta Knife skills are the most important. I've seen people trying to tackle recipes out of the French Laundry cookbook before they even know how to slice an onion properly. You simply can't do it. Learn how to cut vegetables, learn how to hold a knife properly, learn how to slice things into regular shapes. After you get good at that you can REALLY start cooking.

Emily Hodgins

@ems_hodge · Community and Marketing, Product Hunt

@thefoodlab how did you first getting into cooking?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@ems_hodge Accidentally! I was actually looking to spend a summer away from academic work and poked around Boston looking for a job as a waiter. A restaurant I walked into said they had no waitstaff jobs but were in need of a cook who could start THAT DAY. I said OK, took the job, and that was it. I'd never really cooked before in my life, but I fell in love with kitchens the moment I stepped into one.

Richard Gingerich

@richard_gingerich

Have you got your hands on the Chefsteps Joule yet and/or what is your initial reaction?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@richard_gingerich I haven't had a chance to try it. It looks small and sleek and those guys are really smart. I have a meeting planned with Chefsteps founder Chris Young after the new year for a demo and will hopefully be getting a unit to test myself soon after that.

Artifex Prime

@artifex_prime

Will Vegan Month 2016 feature a special focus? I wasn't able to faithfully follow your example last time, but I hope to next time. I'm interested to learn more about specialty ingredients like seitan and tempeh. How difficult is it to maintain vegan practice while developing omnivorous recipes? Or do you restrict yourself professionally as well?

@thefoodlab · Managing Culinary Director, SeriousEats

@artifex_prime During vegan month I am 100% fully vegan, both personally and professionally. I halt all development on non-vegan foods. It's a really fun month each year with lots of new challenges (and delicious food). This year I'm actually doing vegan month in March, and may shift it one month at a time in future years as well so that I get a chance to do it in the summer, fall, etc. I'm not sure what the focus will be this year, but I would like to explore some more everyday staples and figure out foods that I can make on the fly without really having to sit down and plan for it. I think that's one of the difficulties many new vegans face.