- Have you ever looked at a
Great Dane and a Chihuahua and marveled at the fact that
they're both the same species? And more than that, they're
both descendants of wolves. The variety of the species is incredible, and it's a true testament
to humans' ability to shape nature into
whatever we want it to be. Well, if you think that's cool, wait 'til you hear that
the vegetable world has its own wolf-dog situation or whatever you wanna call it. (playful classical music continues) Every brassica that
you love or hate to eat is the same species. The original Brassica
oleracea is a wild plant that looks like this and goes by the common name wild cabbage. From that one single plant, which is native to parts of Europe, we get broccoli,
cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, gai lan, kale, broccolini, kalette, and more. "How?" you ask. The simple, patient process
of artificial selection. Farmers selected wild cabbage plants with attributes that they wanted, and here's how that went. By selecting for terminal buds, they wended up with cabbage, which is obviously the English
bulldog of the brassicas. By selecting for lateral buds, they created brussels sprouts. These guys, they're the French
bulldogs of the species. Selecting for stem led to the creation of apple head Chihuahuas,
I mean, kohlrabi. Selecting for stems and
flowers led to broccoli, which is our verdant poodle. And selecting for flower
clusters gave us cauliflower, which is obviously a bichon frise. Finally, selecting for
leaves gave us collards, AKA basset hounds, and kale,
the Portuguese water dog of the group. Gai lan is clearly an Afghan hound. And then, of course, you
can take two of these and make a hybrid. Imagine what would
happen if you mixed kale, Portuguese water dog,
and brussels sprouts, French bulldog, and
now, check out kalette. Am I crazy or does that look a little bit like a Portuguese bulldog? This stuff just works, people. I could honestly do this all day. Broccolini, a hybrid of
broccoli and gai lan, is a tall lean greyhound. But I really need to move on. Now, if you haven't seen my cauliflower and brussels sprouts
episodes, you're missing out. There's a link below to watch them, so you can do a classic
brassica back to back to back, bang, bang, bang. There are many varieties of
kale, from curly to colorful, and they all feature a characteristic
bittersweet, pungent flavor. How, how that flavor comes
to be is pretty interesting. Like onions and garlic, it is only formed when
the veggie is sliced, chopped, massaged, or chewed. Here's how that works. When cells in a leaf of kale are intact, an enzyme called myrosinase and a sulfur-containing
compound, glucosinolate, are separated from one another. Only when cells are damaged
are they able to interact and create isothiocyanates, the compounds responsible
for kale's pungency. Now look, we can cook and
season kale any way we want, but some seasonings happen
directly in the field before the kale is harvested. Kale grown in sulfur-rich soil will have a more intense flavor, while kale that has survived
a frost will taste sweeter. How is that possible? Nature's antifreeze. When a kale plant feels
the change in temperature in late summer and fall, it starts converting starch to sugar. As we learned when we
talked about ice cream, sugar lowers the freezing point of water. Kale floods its fluids with sugar to lower the temperature
at which it will freeze. This prevents ice crystal formation that would otherwise
cut through cell walls and cause massive damage. The kale survives the frost and we get a sweeter green. The three most common types of kale you're likely to find at the
market are green curly leaf, red kale, and lacinato. Lacinato kale, also
known as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, and by its
Italian name, cavelo nero, features thicker, deep green-blue leaves and a earthier flavor. It was first cultivated in
Italy over 300 years ago. And it's my top kale choice at the market, especially for braising. But it's pricier than its curly friend, also known as its curl friend. Okay, let's talk kale prep. Kale stems are a lot harder
than say Swiss chard stems, so they are normally separated
from the leaf and discarded. I find the easiest way to do
this is to strip off the leaves with my hands. But you don't need to toss them. You can pickle 'em. These stems were quickly blanched and then combined with a
hot brine and left to cool. They're crispy, pickley, and delicious. Okay, so you wanna make kale,
a truly hearty tough green, into a salad? Well, you've got a lotta
options for turning kale tender. Let's take a visit to the kale spa. The technique that has
gotten the most attention and definitely suffered the most teasing and ridicule is massaging. Here, we grab handfuls of kale leaves and physically break
down the leaf structure. Think of pre-chewing, but with your hands. It absolutely works and
honestly doesn't take that much time and effort, but it's not your only option. We can also let it hang
out in the hot tub. Soaking kale in a bath of hot tap water, about 110 to 115 degrees,
helps them wilt slightly, creating a tender, yet
still crunchy texture. Think of the hot water as a
very mild form of blanching. The elevated temperature speeds up enzymes that break down cell walls. The enzyme in question, polygalacturonase, also breaks down cell walls
in fruits like tomatoes as they ripen. Todd strikes again. It's dead simple. Just soak stemmed and cut
leaves in hot tap water for 10 minutes. Your third option is to let the kale rest. Dressing kale leaves
with some of the dressing and refrigerating them
for at least 20 minutes or up to overnight has a softening effect. The oil in the dressing wets the waxy, water-repelling surface
of the kale leaves, which causes them to soften. This treatment also unlocks
make-ahead kale salads. It's one of the few salads
that actually improve with age. But no need to stop at
just one spa treatment. Treat yourself. You can combine and mix and match. For instance, you can massage the leaves before dressing and resting
for even more tender results. Okay, so now we have to talk
about order of operations. I'm gonna guess that when you prep kale, you rinse the leaves
to get rid of any dirt, cut them to the desired size,
massage them, et cetera. Well, I'm here today to tell you that you should rinse after prepping too. We just talked about
how damaging cells leads to the creation of
pungent isothiocyanates. All of your prep creates more pungency. By rinsing after prepping, you can remove some of
it for milder kale leaves that needs less dressing to taste good. Now, if you think you might forget this simple additional step, have no fear. Because I've created an
easy to remember jingle. ♪ So you want your kale
to taste really great ♪ ♪ You gotta rinse away
those isothiocyanates ♪ ♪ For kale that's nice
you gotta rinse it twice ♪ Okay, we've got our prepped kale, our brand new kale jingle. It's time to go to the kitchen. First up, that salad
we've been talking about. This recipe by "Cook's Illustrated" associate editor Erica Turner is perfect for dinner parties
and holiday gatherings because it feels special
and is made entirely ahead. It's also perfect for meal prep. Make it, stash it in the
fridge, and eat it for days. This recipe combines two spa treatments, massaging and resting. For our dressing, we'll
whisk together oil, vinegar, pepper, cardamom, and salt. Then we'll pop our double-washed kale in a large bowl with oil
and work it into the leaves. Next, we add grapefruit
segments, radishes, parsley, and our vinaigrette and toss to combine. You can let this salad
hang at room temperature for three hours or refrigerate
for up to two days. When it's time to serve, we'll add candied pepitas
for sweet, savory crunch. Mm mm mm, now that is a good salad. This salad is ideal for a party. Party of one. (playful music continues) That salad is great, but my top kale recipe is
Annie Petito's roasted kale with garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon. Roasting is a surprisingly
great way to cook these leafy greens. We simply combine oil, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in a small bowl and then drizzle it over our kale. We'll gently knead and squeeze the kale until the leaves are evenly
coated in the mixture and they've started to soften, which only takes about a minute. Now, quick sidebar,
while we are massaging, I'm not worried about doing a post-rinse, because the kale is being cooked. That pungency mellows
significantly with cooking. Now, we just roast the kale
until the leaves are tender and some edges of leaves
are crisp and brown. It takes 10 minutes. What makes this dish so special is that it features a huge
variety of kale textures in one easy preparation. Leaves closer to the
middle of the baking sheet are lusciously soft and tender, while at the edges, we have a
mix of delicately crispy bites and sturdier crunchy bites. If you have never cooked kale this way, you have to give it a shot. It's a true crowd pleaser, as there is something for everyone. And honestly, it's great
for a crowd of one. And that is why this is how to eat kale. (playful music continues) ♪ For kale that's nice
you gotta rinse it twice ♪ Oh, hey. Thank you all so much for
watching and listening. I hope that song is stuck in your head for the next 15 years. I know it will be in mine. Now, so here's what I
wanna know from all of you. What is your dog's name and breed and which brassica does it look like? Now, I have a cat, so
I'm not allowed to play. But I can enjoy this song. ♪ So you want your kale
to taste really great ♪ ♪ You gotta rinse away
those isothiocyanates ♪ ♪ For kale that's nice
you gotta rinse it twice ♪
