America's Test Kitchen - General Discussion

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/12/2018 at 5:09 PM, Iguessnot said:

People didn't have to carry canteens around everywhere. Water fountains were common.

They still are, but I bet a lot of people don't even notice them because they carry their own water.  Even movie theaters have water fountains, and you KNOW they don't want you drinking anything but what you buy from them.

Somehow back in the day, people out and about, doing their downtown shopping on Saturdays or walking to school, weren't all carrying water on them.  And that was even though if they got thirsty they had only water fountains, and not a huge selection of various bottled waters at every store. 

[biakbiak]

I think I will try the cauliflower bites for my Oscar party, since I don't have any vegans coming only vegetarians and carnivores so I will probably just make a blue cheese dip with a vegetarian blue cheese.

[Tress]

biakbiak, can I come to your party?  I am vegan.

I think that I am the only person on this board (or in the world) who likes Chris and misses him!  BLAH  ARGHH

[MerBearHou]

3 hours ago, Tress said:

biakbiak, can I come to your party?  I am vegan.

I think that I am the only person on this board (or in the world) who likes Chris and misses him!  BLAH  ARGHH

I like Chris too! Always have.  I just get a kick out of him.  Miss him very much on this show. 

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, Tress said:

biakbiak, can I come to your party?  I am vegan.

I think that I am the only person on this board (or in the world) who likes Chris and misses him!  BLAH  ARGHH

If you come I will make the vegan ranch dip even though I hate ranch.

[MorganSte]

9 hours ago, Tress said:

I think that I am the only person on this board (or in the world) who likes Chris and misses him!  BLAH  ARGHH

I miss Chris, too. But I do get to see him on his new show.

[Kohola3]

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I like Chris too! Always have.  I just get a kick out of him.  Miss him very much on this show. 

There is always Milk Street.

[roughing it]

14 hours ago, Tress said:

I think that I am the only person on this board (or in the world) who likes Chris and misses him! 

I disagree.  I always thought Chris was a pompous ass hiding behind an "aw shucks" persona.  Then when I read all about his resigning/dismissal from the show and how that all went down, it confirmed my initial thoughts about him.

But yes, you can watch him on Milk Street.  It's a show that looks an awful lot like like America's Test Kitchen.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, roughing it said:

It's a show that looks an awful lot like like America's Test Kitchen.

But, in my opinion, without the fun and charm.  The set is very sterile, the cooks not at all interesting, and there are some wacky recipes.  But Christopher fans might like it.  Personally I do not nor did I ever like him.

[Tress]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

4 hours ago, roughing it said:

It's a show that looks an awful lot like like America's Test Kitchen.

But, in my opinion, without the fun and charm.  The set is very sterile, the cooks not at all interesting, and there are some wacky recipes.  But Christopher fans might like it.  Personally I do not nor did I ever like him.

I've watched Milk Street and I agree with Kohola3 wrote.  I just don't care for it.

[Iguessnot]

The set is a bit sterile and the chefs aren't mature enough to give Chris the push back he needs. Actually the Indian chef gives Chris a verbal beat down every once in a while, but the show is a bit awkward right now. The voice of one chef is so high, it nearly sends me out of the room.

[Kohola3]

Quote

The set is a bit sterile and the chefs aren't mature enough to give Chris the push back he needs.

Plus they are are all so, well, dull.  No one even cracks a smile.  And I have always enjoyed the gadget recommendations and taste testings on ATK.  Guess I'm skipping Milk Street from now on.

[dubbel zout]

I wonder if that seriousness is to help set it apart from the goofiness of ATK and CC? Though I don't think everyone being po-faced is the answer.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Bridget really brought it on the vegan mayo taste test.  She said the taste of one of them was acid reflux, and the texture was mucilaginous!

But she does the same think Kimball used to--he'd be talking about one of them and in the middle of his comment about that one, he'd stop talking to take another taste of it and then continue talking about it.  Don't know why it bugs me so much.  That extra mid-comment taste never seemed to change his mind.

[Bastet]

I laughed pretty hard at her reactions to the nastiest vegan mayo options.  Jack told her, "At least I didn't give you fish sauce," but I think she had less of a reaction in that taste test (which was also great; she downed straight fish sauce like a champ). 

I love mayo, but am so particular about it - Best Foods (Hellman's) is just the start; I only like the regular version, so no light, no olive oil, no whatever (the canola version was great, but they changed it and now it tastes like vinegar, which I loathe) - that I'd have probably made the face she made at the first one at all of them.

[StatisticalOutlier]

She said she liked the winner, and Jack said they couldn't tell the difference in chicken salad or something like that, so I'm intrigued.

I'm regular Hellman's all the way, and have been able to taste the difference if I use Kraft mayonnaise when I'm just making fry sauce for french fries with ketchup and mayonnaise. which surprised me.

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Jack said they couldn't tell the difference in chicken salad or something like that, so I'm intrigued.

I thought that was weird because I can totally tell the difference, its not bad and I always keep some on hand to use for when my vegan friends and two friends who are allergic to eggs come for dinner but it is noticeable. I think its probably because if you taste the mayo in chicken salad your using too much mayo. 

[Jalyn]

Why would you ever use vegan mayo in chicken salad? Egg allergy? 

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, Jalyn said:

Why would you ever use vegan mayo in chicken salad? Egg allergy? 

I think it was mainly just for the test taking a common dish that the tasting panel would be familiar with the flavor profile.

[AllAboutMBTV]

Gotta say, ATK's One Pot Mac 'n' Cheese is pretty fantastic. And it only takes about 20 minutes and is easily halved. Rather than wrestle with ATK's website, I rewatched the episode and wrote down the recipe as Julia and Bridget demonstrated it (it's only six or so ingredients).

[Kohola3]

23 hours ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

Rather than wrestle with ATK's website, I rewatched the episode and wrote down the recipe as Julia and Bridget demonstrated it...

Glad to see I am not the only one that does this.  Their website is so frustrating!

[dubbel zout]

ATK recipes sometimes show up on other websites.

On 3/2/2018 at 4:47 PM, AllAboutMBTV said:

Gotta say, ATK's One Pot Mac 'n' Cheese is pretty fantastic.

I'm curious, @AllAboutMBTV, did you get a smooth sauce? I made it with cheddar and fontina (instead of the American cheese), and I had some graininess. It was delicious nonetheless.

[AllAboutMBTV]

I did get a smooth sauce, DUBBEL ZOUT. Per their recommendation, I used American cheese, something I would not normally look twice at, even in a chunk from the deli counter. It was quite smooth and made that glurpy, sucking sound when I stirred it. Other than it tastes great, the clean up is minimal -- no second pot or a colander to wash, just the box grater.

[dubbel zout]

7 minutes ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

that glurpy, sucking sound

This is a PERFECT description for a luscious sound.

I'll use American cheese next time. I have nothing against it (I adore Velveeta), but it wasn't convenient when I was buying for this recipe. 

[Barb1959]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 3:03 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I enjoyed that.  It took away some of the irritation from Bridget's "go ahead"s - the count this time was 11.  Ten "I'm going to go ahead and..." and one "I've gone ahead and..."  I just have to believe she never watches her own segments.

ETA: I just watched the one with the red lentil soup.  Am I the only one who's bothered by people eating with big spoons?  I don't like to do it myself, and when Erin put the big spoon in her mouth, you could hear it clack against her teeth and I hate that sound.

I had to laugh at this.  One day I counted 25 times in one short segment.   Go ahead and stop it!!

[Kohola3]

I confess I eat soup with a big spoon.  To eat with a little teaspoon would mean the soup would be cold before I got to the bottom of the bowl.  Who knew it was offensive!

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I confess I eat soup with a big spoon.  To eat with a little teaspoon would mean the soup would be cold before I got to the bottom of the bowl. 

I would suggest that you use a small spoon, but double-time, but the whooshing of the spoon back and forth would probably cool the soup even faster.

 

Quote

Who knew it was offensive!

I'm sure pretty much everything is offensive to someone.  It's just that now we have the internet to tell everyone.

If you can keep the spoon from clacking on your teeth, I'm fine with it.  Or if I'm not around when you eat with your big spoon, that's okay, too.

 

On 2/28/2018 at 7:43 PM, biakbiak said:

On 2/28/2018 at 3:15 PM, Jalyn said:

Why would you ever use vegan mayo in chicken salad? Egg allergy? 

I think it was mainly just for the test taking a common dish that the tasting panel would be familiar with the flavor profile.

Good point.  But he did say that 7-Eleven has switched to vegan mayo, and Bridget said that's so they don't have to keep two kinds of mayonnaise on hand.

I never eat at 7-Eleven, but Mr. Outlier likes some sort of rolling hamburgers they have, the thought of which makes me gag, but that's my only experience so it doesn't sound to me like they'd need to have a vegan mayo.  Maybe their other culinary offerings are of a different nature? 

[chessiegal]

Soup spoons are bigger than teaspoons for a reason. ;-}

[Kohola3]

38 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I would suggest that you use a small spoon, but double-time, but the whooshing of the spoon back and forth would probably cool the soup even faster.

But then that whooshing sound might annoy those with noise sensitivity.  Sigh, guess I will have to go to a straw although it will have to be big enough to handle things like meat or veggies unless I puree everything.  Pureed chicken noodle soup?  Well, no.

[jjj]

I like the ATK recipes and show, but I had forgotten what a pain it is to use their website. They say there is "free" access, but it is only for 14 days, then you pay.  Some of the video episodes are there, and I don't mind listening again and writing down the ingredient amounts, but please don't tell us that the recipes can be accessed for "free" on the website. 

[Kohola3]

7 minutes ago, jjj said:

I like the ATK recipes and show, but I had forgotten what a pain it is to use their website. They say there is "free" access, but it is only for 14 days, then you pay.  Some of the video episodes are there, and I don't mind listening again and writing down the ingredient amounts, but please don't tell us that the recipes can be accessed for "free" on the website. 

Ditto. I signed up and then couldn't get the recipe I wanted during the free period unless I paid.  Luckily there are occasionally other sites that post their recipes;  otherwise I try and DVR it until I can write it down which is a pain.

[chessiegal]

6 minutes ago, jjj said:

I like the ATK recipes and show, but I had forgotten what a pain it is to use their website. They say there is "free" access, but it is only for 14 days, then you pay.  Some of the video episodes are there, and I don't mind listening again and writing down the ingredient amounts, but please don't tell us that the recipes can be accessed for "free" on the website. 

Yeah, that is very deceptive. I learned many years ago how hard it was to stop getting their paper magazines. And never order a cookbook from them, because they will send you books you didn't order and bug you about paying for them. To return them without paying for postage, you have to not open them and refuse delivery. I want access to their recipes and equipment reviews, so I subscribe to their on-line content. No building up of paper in my house, and a much better option for me.

[jjj]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

Yeah, that is very deceptive. I learned many years ago how hard it was to stop getting their paper magazines. And never order a cookbook from them, because they will send you books you didn't order and bug you about paying for them. To return them without paying for postage, you have to not open them and refuse delivery. I want access to their recipes and equipment reviews, so I subscribe to their on-line content. No building up of paper in my house, and a much better option for me.

Thanks, it might have been you who warned us about this a long time ago!  I bleached my mind of this quirk ("Free!"  "Except not really!"), and went back full of hope, and even registered to enter the site.  Painless, I thought.  Then I hit the big 14-day free access paywall.  Nope.  I don't mind paying for resources I use online, but I wanted one recipe without entering my credit card information.  And they keep saying "free" on the program.  Thanks for confirming your experience! 

[Mondrianyone]

You can almost always find the recipes on someone else's site by Googling, especially if you add "ATK" to the name of the recipe.  I made the mistake of signing up recently to get access to something I couldn't find any other way, and I've been getting phone calls from a number that says "Cook's Country" every day for the past week.  Thanks be to caller ID, but it's annoying nonetheless.

[jjj]

8 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Ditto. I signed up and then couldn't get the recipe I wanted during the free period unless I paid.  Luckily there are occasionally other sites that post their recipes;  otherwise I try and DVR it until I can write it down which is a pain.

Thanks, wow, it is great to hear from others immediately who had the same reaction!

2 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

You can almost always find the recipes on someone else's site by Googling, especially if you add "ATK" to the name of the recipe.  I made the mistake of signing up recently to get access to something I couldn't find any other way, and I've been getting phone calls from a number that says "Cook's Country" every day for the past week.  Thanks be to caller ID, but it's annoying nonetheless.

Wow, another level of annoying!  This is all very helpful to hear!

[chessiegal]

For a company that wants to do their best at producing a quality product, their business department is like the Mafia.

[jjj]

But meanwhile, I managed to transcript the "pasta e ceci" from the broadcast, so am looking forward to making it!   Seriously, I am very impressed with everyone who is tuned into this thread!  I thought I would post and no one would see it for months...last message had been in January! 

4 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

For a company that wants to do their best at producing a quality product, their business department is like the Mafia.

They made me an offer I had to refuse. 

[Kohola3]

All recipes aside I have to chime in that my favorite episode was the one where they made sticky buns and Julia got the giggles right at the end. It made me laugh right along.

[chessiegal]

I have a lot of their cookbooks, but stopped buying from them because of the "send you a book you didn't order scam". I either go to Barnes & Noble with a 20% off coupon, or get it on Amazon. Their on-line subscription is worth it to me. I can easily get any recipe I want. 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, jjj said:

"pasta e ceci"

I've made that. It's really good.

[Mittengirl]

Check your local library for the books - mine has the yearly compilations and the special focus ones (baking, cakes,cookies, cast iron, etc.). 

[Spunkygal]

On March 15, 2018 at 8:54 PM, chessiegal said:

I have a lot of their cookbooks, but stopped buying from them because of the "send you a book you didn't order scam". I either go to Barnes & Noble with a 20% off coupon, or get it on Amazon. Their on-line subscription is worth it to me. I can easily get any recipe I want. 

I get their cookbooks at Half Price Books. And if it's a "particularly loved" book, it's often on the clearance section. That's my relaxation.  Going to HPB and spending a ridiculous amount of time browsing the clearance section and the food section. Ahhhhh......

[Florinaldo]

I was reminded of this thread's funny title when making the Sausage Ragu sauce from Cook's Country. The recipe says to first process the vegetables and put them in a bowl, then process the tomatoes and put them in another bowl; and finally process the sausage, which is the first item that gets sautéed.

I decided to start with the sausage, then processing the vegetables while the meat was sautéing and puréing the tomatoes last while cooking the vegetables. Two less bowls to wash!

Perhaps they were wary of cross-contamination because of the traces of sausages left in the food processor, but whatever bits that are scraped up with the vegetables and the tomatoes will get thoroughly cooked in the sauce which simmers for 45 minutes in total. Unless of course you let things stand on the counter for hours after first breaking down the sausage.

I understand the need for the broadcast version to prep ingredients in advance in numerous bowls because the viewer could get impatient with watching them measuring out every bit of herb, spice, garlic, tomato paste, corn starch, etc. But for the home version of the recipe, they might want to consider that not all of us have people on staff to wash the loads of dirty dishes often generated by the procedure they describe.

That being said, the recipe was excellent, especially if you love fennel like I do.

[o-gal]

We just got the baklava episode and it was pretty good. I wonder if Bridget was taking her joke from Blazing Saddles - she's cool enough that I think she was :-)

(In case you missed it, Julia mentioned how steady her hand was and Bridget said yeah, but I shoot with this hand)

[biakbiak]

I tried their hollandaise where you use softened butter and hot water and didn’t like it. It didn’t break and it was light but it was so light it didn’t taste like hollandaise.    

[Florinaldo]

I also tried the hollandaise and found the results to very good, perhaps needing a touch more lemon; I made a small batch and divided the amounts accordingly, so perhaps I rounded down the lemon. But you do have to stir it for several minutes before it reaches the correct thick consistency. I have used softened butter for a long time in hollandaise, but this was the first time I added hot water to it; usually, one does it only if the sauce breaks.

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, Florinaldo said:

But you do have to stir it for several minutes before it reaches the correct thick consistency

The consistency was there, I just found the flavor lacking the richness I want from a hollandaise and it wasn’t lack of lemon.

Edited May 17, 2018 by biakbiak

[Florinaldo]

54 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

The consistency was there, I just found the flavor lacking the richness I want from a hollandaise and it wasn’t lack of lemon.

If the proportions were correct, you should have gotten good results. Strange. I found it rich enough and we people of French extraction do like our hollandaise rich, thick and silky.

[biakbiak]

On 5/17/2018 at 3:35 PM, Florinaldo said:

If the proportions were correct, you should have gotten good results. Strange. I found it rich enough and we people of French extraction do like our hollandaise rich, thick and silky.

The portions were correct we just apparently like different things about hollandaise sauce. I have never had a problem maling it the traditional way so I will just stick to that.

[Yeah No]

On 5/17/2018 at 5:38 PM, biakbiak said:

The consistency was there, I just found the flavor lacking the richness I want from a hollandaise and it wasn’t lack of lemon.

Someone said in the comments on the website that they think the recipe asked for too much water and thought it should be 1/3 of a cup instead of 1/2 but they never posted back to say they tried it.

I like Julia Child's easy blender hollandaise sauce, myself.  I also thought this one looked interesting but haven't tried it:

Sunny's 1-2-3 Hollandaise Sauce

I've also tried adding a little dijon mustard and like that a lot for flavor even if it isn't traditional.  I have seen a few recipes online calling for it, though.