4 Levels of Pesto Pasta: Amateur to Food Scientist | Epicurious

We challenged chefs of three different skill levels - amateur Billy, home cook Joe, and professional chef Fatima Khawaja - to make us their preferred pesto. Once each level of chef had presented their creations, we asked expert food scientist Rose to explain the choices each made along the way. Which pesto looks better than the rest-o?

Director: Lisa Paradise
Director of Photography: Jeremy Harris
Editor: Manolo Moreno
Director of Culinary Production: Kelly Jenke
Producer: Tyre Nobles
Culinary Producer: Jessica Do
Culinary Associate Producer: Katrina Zito
Line Producer: Jennifer McGinity
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Assistant Camera: Lucas Young
Audio Engineer: Rachel Suffian
Production Assistant: Amanda Broll ; Sahara Pagan
Culinary Assistant: Leslie Raney
Researcher: Vivian Jao
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araújo
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell



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[kieran]

I really like this episode, it feels like you've got a level 1 chef who's actually cooking, and the level 3 chef is making something that I as a normal person look at and think "yeah I could do that"

[MGD]

I took a pesto making class in Italy last year. The chef told us that the traditional way to use the mortar and pestle was to scream “Die die die die die” while grinding. Still not sure if he was messing with us, but I yell it out to this day.

[nayonaese]

i love that the level 3 chefs recipe is finally achievable

[eivind]

I find it ironic that level 2 "smack-talked" (that's an exaggeration, but still) level 1's choice of adding spinach to his pesto, only to add sun-dried tomatoes himself, which is a far more dominant, overpowering flavor. Don't get me wrong, I thought they both looked good - it's just ironic.

[willcookmakeup]

People forget that pesto in general does not necessarily have to be made with basil to be a pesto. That's specifically pesto alla Genova. So the one guy using almonds and spinach is not as taboo as they made it seem

[MossyMozart]

At the risk of sounding mean, this episodes had TWO level 1 cooks and one chef. Her pesto had my mouth watering.

[serisothikos]

1:58 - It's harder than you thought because you have the lemon in backwards. The right way to use that juicer is to put the cut side facing into the cup so the curved press inverts the skin and gets maximum juice out. If you do that, it works great with little effort.

[alimakes]

I'm so glad you brought Fatima out! She has a lot of wisdom to share and just a fresh approach to the dishes she's made so far!

[lucaskobain]

"Why crowd the party with spinach?" proceeds to use dried tomatoes. I can't even...

[pablob.m.]

Joe may not be a pro and probably has lots of stuff to learn but I really appreciate the attention he puts to detail and how he applies common sense

[Alorty]

Joe had me like, "Woah, that's little heavy on the salt... that's actually a lot of salt... TOO MUCH SALT"

[bakouninjutsu]

I love it that levels have a real meaning this time : cooking efficiently for yourself ("why the f would you have pine nuts at home"), cooking something sexy for friends - or foes with weak kidneys, and the ultimate afternoon activity for mortar enthusiasts.

[MirkoC]

Playing my usual "just look at the three plates and decide which to pick" game: congratulations Billy.

[Boembafication]

I follow The Pasta Queen and she always says the water should be salted like a ‘well seasoned soup’. Really upped my pasta game, my sauces come out perfectly now!

[Which-Craft]

Billy Level 1 wins this round! The subs he made and techniques he used made this look the most appetizing, and while I love pine nuts in my pesto, I'm totally willing to try almonds.

[carl-oscarkallstrom]

Good example illustrating that chefs aren''t food scientists. "Not adding lemon juice because it's going to oxidise", that doesn't make any sense. There are other reasons as why most people don't add lemon juice to their pesto but it litterally stops vegetable matter from oxidising, , ,

[stvnnrrs]

The winner of this recipe round is... Rose's 10/10 Pink leather jacket. 😍

[Hastings]

I know he's a level 1 chef but we can't be having those extended fingers out while he's chopping with the knife. Otherwise he did amazing as did the other chefs!

[briannawalker]

Between the "zhuzzher" and those blue-ass eyes, Billy is a strong contender for my new fave Lvl 1 chef 😳

[kafuuchinon]

I love level 3 chef. Idk why but seeing her use pestle and mortar is so nice. I really like simple thing and I think it requires many skills to perfect the basic and fundamental.
Edit: she made her own pasta . Now that’s real professional.