[0 - 2] - Iceberg lettuce might be the most divisive piece
[2 - 3] of produce you can buy.
[3 - 5] The haters call it "the polyester of lettuce,"
[5 - 8] and says it lacks flavor, nutrients, seasonality,
[8 - 10] and in my best food snob voice, terroir.
[10 - 11] Then there are the enthusiasts
[12 - 14] who argue that iceberg is not only misunderstood,
[14 - 16] but is actually the best lettuce out there,
[16 - 18] and that the naysayers don't know what they're missing.
[18 - 21] Me? I'm a proud card-carrying iceberg evangelist.
[21 - 23] And today I'm gonna show all the skeptics
[23 - 26] that the problem with iceberg, isn't iceberg.
[26 - 27] It's the way you've been thinking about it.
[27 - 30] In fact, I'd argue the iceberg is the most glorious
[30 - 31] and useful lettuce you can buy.
[31 - 34] And I've got a towering wedge salad, a mile-high tuna melt,
[34 - 36] a gooey grilled cheese,
[36 - 40] and a platter of crispy tacos to prove it. (bright music)
[42 - 44] Okay, so let's start with a basic question.
[44 - 46] What even is iceberg lettuce?
[46 - 48] Iceberg is a variety of crisp head lettuce
[48 - 50] that was introduced by the Pennsylvania-based
[50 - 53] W Atlee Burpee Seed Company in the late 19th century.
[53 - 56] And its sturdy texture and incredibly refreshing crunch,
[56 - 58] pretty much revolutionized the lettuce industry.
[58 - 61] For one thing, it held up remarkably well to shipping.
[61 - 64] Producers could pack the heads into refrigerated railcars
[64 - 66] for cross-country transport that took weeks.
[66 - 68] And the lettuce came out on the other side
[68 - 70] as crisp and juicy as ever.
[70 - 72] That resiliency made iceberg a symbol
[72 - 74] of the country's expanding industrial agriculture system
[74 - 76] during the 20th century.
[76 - 78] And here is where iceberg is wholly unique.
[78 - 81] It's the only veggie I can think of that is better
[81 - 83] because it can stand up to shipping.
[83 - 85] Normally, veg designed to travel thousands of miles
[85 - 88] is more like these supermarket cherry tomatoes.
[88 - 90] They're hard as marbles, and not much more flavorful.
[90 - 93] They sure can bounce though. Iceberg is not about flavor.
[93 - 94] It was never bred for that.
[94 - 97] It was all about juicy, crunchy texture.
[97 - 98] There's simply nothing like its booming,
[98 - 100] rigid, refreshing crunch.
[100 - 105] Just take a listen. (iceberg crunching) Thunderous.
[105 - 109] You know, I'm just gonna bite into it. (iceberg crunching)
[109 - 112] Mmm mm mm. So crisp and juicy.
[112 - 113] I could honestly eat this all day.
[113 - 116] That texture boils down to two intrinsic iceberg traits.
[116 - 118] First, there's the way it grows.
[118 - 120] Crisp head lettuces like this
[120 - 123] start out with a small, rosette-shaped growth of leaves.
[123 - 124] Then more leaves grow around it,
[124 - 126] overlapping one another and expanding,
[126 - 128] so that they eventually trap the original growth
[128 - 130] in a dense, compact sphere.
[130 - 131] This type of growth is called heading.
[132 - 133] And it pertains to iceberg,
[133 - 134] as well as to other head lettuces,
[134 - 136] like butterhead, Boston and Bibb.
[136 - 138] While we're talking lettuce classifications,
[138 - 139] I should mention that head lettuces
[139 - 142] are not the same as loose leaf lettuces,
[142 - 144] which have leaves that branch out from a single stock
[144 - 145] into a loose bunch.
[145 - 147] Loose leaf includes types like oak leaf, red leaf,
[147 - 150] and green leaf, but notably does not include Romaine,
[150 - 152] which is a separate cultivar called cos.
[152 - 155] And that features elongated leaves with a coarse texture
[155 - 157] and crunchy, well-defined mid vein.
[157 - 158] Cos lettuces grow upright.
[159 - 160] And while the leaves do overlap somewhat,
[160 - 162] they don't technically form a head.
[162 - 165] Man, lettuce's kinda complicated.
[165 - 166] Anyway, back to iceberg's texture.
[166 - 169] Heading is what makes it grow into a compact round.
[169 - 172] And iceberg happens to grow especially tight and dense,
[172 - 173] compared to other head lettuces.
[173 - 175] But the other big factor that makes iceberg
[175 - 178] so darn crunchy is turgor pressure.
[178 - 180] I love talking about turgor pressure.
[180 - 182] I love saying turgor pressure.
[182 - 185] Turgor pressure is what makes veggies snappy and refreshing.
[185 - 187] Plant cells absorb water, swell,
[187 - 189] and push against the cell walls,
[189 - 190] which makes the vegetables firm up.
[190 - 193] Think about the crunch and snappy bite of items like celery,
[193 - 195] cucumbers, carrots, and radishes.
[195 - 196] That's turgor pressure.
[196 - 197] And it's easy to visualize,
[197 - 199] if you think of blowing air into a balloon
[199 - 201] that then becomes taut.
[201 - 203] Check out this experiment. I have two carrots.
[203 - 206] The one I'm holding in this hand is super fresh.
[206 - 208] And it's rigid because its turgor pressure is high.
[208 - 210] Meaning it's got lots of water in those cells.
[210 - 213] This sad-looking one in my other hand is limp,
[213 - 215] because it's turgor pressure is low.
[215 - 216] You'll see the same thing if you compare fresh,
[216 - 218] and not so fresh celery.
[218 - 220] Plants lose water as they age.
[220 - 222] And when that happens, their turgor pressure drops.
[222 - 225] Picture a balloon losing air, and its walls going slack.
[225 - 226] Okay, so now that we've covered
[226 - 228] what accounts for iceberg's unique texture,
[228 - 231] I wanna show it off in a few real world situations,
[231 - 233] along with other common lettuces.
[233 - 235] Real world, like dropping a Dutch oven on them.
[235 - 238] I've got heads of iceberg, red leaf, and green leaf.
[238 - 241] I'm gonna drop a full-sized Dutch oven on each. Whoa!
[241 - 243] I actually had to catch the Dutch oven
[243 - 245] after it bounced off the iceberg.
[245 - 248] As you can see, the other lettuces are destroyed
[248 - 249] to varying degrees.
[249 - 252] Okay, here's an actual real world lettuce scenario.
[252 - 253] Let's see how these samples of iceberg
[253 - 256] and Bibb stand up to thick, creamy dressings,
[256 - 257] like blue cheese and ranch.
[257 - 259] See how it clings beautifully to the iceberg,
[259 - 260] but doesn't soften it?
[260 - 262] Now look at what the dressing does to the Bibb.
[262 - 264] Totally smothers it. It's sad.
[264 - 266] Sorry about that, Bibb.
[266 - 267] I still love you for other applications.
[267 - 269] Okay, so those are the inherent qualities
[269 - 272] that make iceberg singular and incredibly appealing.
[272 - 273] Now, let's go into the kitchen,
[273 - 275] and I'll show you how to prep and cook with it.
[275 - 277] Did you grow up coring iceberg the way I did?
[277 - 279] I pick up a whole head with both hands,
[279 - 281] and slam it down on the counter like this,
[282 - 284] with the core facing down. Bam!
[284 - 285] Now all you do is turn it over,
[285 - 287] and twist out the core like this.
[287 - 289] It's easy to do because the impact of the head
[289 - 290] hitting the work surface
[290 - 292] severs the core from the attached leaves.
[292 - 295] It pops right out. But here's what I didn't know as a kid.
[295 - 298] The core is one of the best parts of the whole head.
[298 - 299] It's super sweet and juicy.
[299 - 301] Just give it a little trim like this,
[301 - 303] and you've got a cook's treat.
[303 - 305] I'm telling you, the perks of iceberg are endless.
[305 - 306] Okay, it's time to eat.
[306 - 309] Now, all of these recipes are available in the link below,
[309 - 311] or in the ATK app.
[311 - 313] Obviously I had to make a wedge salad,
[313 - 315] the crown jewel of iceberg cookery.
[315 - 317] This is our take on the steakhouse classic.
[317 - 319] And in addition to being absolutely delicious,
[319 - 320] it demonstrates why cutting iceberg
[320 - 323] into a mountainous wedge is very important.
[323 - 325] When sliced this way, the lettuce's core remains intact,
[325 - 327] and its leaves hold together in a tight stack.
[327 - 330] This maximizes the salad's dramatic height,
[330 - 331] as well as the refreshing crunch.
[331 - 334] And that's critical for breaking up the richness, salt,
[334 - 337] and funk of the bacon, tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing.
[337 - 339] First, chill the iceberg and your serving bowls
[339 - 340] until ready to serve,
[340 - 342] so that everything stays nice and cold.
[342 - 345] Then half the iceberg through its core like this,
[345 - 348] and cut each half into wedges, leaving the core intact.
[348 - 351] Arrange the wedges, rounded side down, in the chilled bowls,
[351 - 353] then drizzle a few spoonfuls of blue cheese dressing
[353 - 355] across the top of each wedge.
[355 - 356] Looks so impressive, right?
[356 - 358] Now, I'm gonna scatter some diced plum tomatoes,
[358 - 361] crumbled Roquefort and crispy chewy bacon lardons
[361 - 362] over the wedges,
[362 - 365] and garnish them with pickled shallots and chives.
[365 - 366] A double allium hit.
[366 - 370] A little salt and pepper, now this is a wedge salad.
[370 - 373] So rich, so refreshing, so dramatic. I just love it.
[373 - 375] Another way I love to use iceberg
[375 - 377] is to cut it into slabs for tuna melts.
[378 - 380] This is an idea we picked up from the killer version
[380 - 382] at the Palace Diner in Biddeford, Maine.
[382 - 383] And it's brilliant,
[383 - 385] because the inch-thick iceberg steak
[385 - 387] adds this incredibly refreshing crunch.
[387 - 390] That balances the rich creamy tuna salad
[390 - 391] and that gooey cheese.
[391 - 394] I like to cut one-inch thick, center cut slabs for this.
[394 - 397] Then you just stack a slab on a tuna melt like this.
[397 - 398] I love this sandwich for many reasons.
[399 - 403] But one big one is how it looks so special and different, almost architectural.
[403 - 405] It also looks like too much lettuce,
[405 - 407] but then you bite into it, and it's just perfect.
[407 - 409] Next up, shredded iceberg.
[409 - 411] It's great for adding airy fluff,
[411 - 413] and cool delicate crunch to all sorts of dishes,
[413 - 416] especially meat-heavy sandwiches like Italian subs,
[416 - 417] fried chicken and burgers.
[417 - 420] But one of my favorite uses is in tacos dorados.
[420 - 422] It's a perfect garnish against the crispy tortilla,
[422 - 424] the oily, spiced ground beef,
[424 - 427] and richer garnishes like sour cream and shredded cheese.
[427 - 430] When I shred my iceberg, I like to do really thin strips.
[430 - 432] Then I just pry open the taco a little bit,
[432 - 435] and pile the iceberg in there like confetti.
[435 - 437] Okay, so one last way I love to use iceberg
[437 - 438] is as a wrap for,
[438 - 441] you're not gonna believe this, a grilled cheese.
[441 - 443] So I got this idea from Jesse Jenkins,
[443 - 445] who some of you might know from his Instagram account,
[445 - 447] Another Day in Paradise.
[447 - 449] Jesse wraps half a grilled cheese in a leaf of lettuce,
[449 - 451] and dunks it in a creamy sauce.
[451 - 453] It sounds wild, but it's brilliant.
[453 - 455] The lettuce not only contains the gooey cheese,
[455 - 458] and protects your fingers from the piping hot sandwich,
[458 - 460] it adds really nice clean contrast
[460 - 462] to the toasty bread and the rich cheese.
[462 - 465] My little tweak is I like to cut the sandwich into batons,
[465 - 467] so that there's a really high ratio of lettuce,
[467 - 469] which means you get some of its refreshing crunch
[469 - 470] in every bite.
[470 - 472] Then of course, gotta dunk in a spicy mayo.
[472 - 475] This, this, this, and this,
[475 - 481] are most definitely how to eat iceberg lettuce. (bright music)