America's Test Kitchen - General Discussion

[dubbel zout]

I think chefs use towels because they're handy and multipurpose. Plus, pros seem to have asbestos hands, so they don't need padding.

[sempervivum]

I just tried the 'Roasted Side of Salmon' coated with honey- I think this is from last August. I specifically gave it a chance because they promised this method would eliminate that ooky white stuff that oozes out of cooked fish of all kinds. (They said it was albumen).

Anyway, it didn't work, in fact there was even more white stuff than usual. (I usually just sprinkle the fish with low sodium soy sauce and dill weed). The only change I made to their recipe was that I used table salt instead of kosher, which I refuse to believe makes any difference.

[Bastet]

I laughed at Julia's chunky peanut butter taste test, because I am the same way: I buy one that is just peanuts and salt, but what I really like is Skippy.

[Florinaldo]

On 5/8/2019 at 2:00 PM, sempervivum said:

The only change I made to their recipe was that I used table salt instead of kosher, which I refuse to believe makes any difference.

There are two major diffwrences. First, the same amount in volume of table salt will contain more salt in weight than coarse salt (less free space between the crystals). So a tablespoon of table salt is actually more salt than one of kosher salt. Also, the surface area of each crystal is larger in kosher salt and they are generally rougher. Not that I know for certain to what extent it might make a difference in this specific recipe.

I tried the recipe and had no albumen production at all. It may depend on the fish's provenance and the length of cooking; I found that my salmon was ready a few minutes before the time stated in the recipe; using the latter would have overcooked the fish. The honey glazing was a success and it is a quick and easy technique to glaze salmon. I was not as enthused by the salsa, but then again I am not a big fan of roquette.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Florinaldo

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

There are two major diffwrences. First, the same amount in volume of table salt will contain more salt in weight than coarse salt (less free space between the crystals). So a tablespoon of table salt is actually more salt than one of kosher salt. Also, the surface area of each crystal is larger in kosher salt and they are generally rougher. Not that I know for certain to what extent it might make a difference in this specific recipe.

I've known about this for a while now and understand the science behind it, but kosher salt tastes much saltier to me than table salt so I actually have to reverse that logic or else my recipes come out tasting way too salty.  I end up cutting down or even halving the amount of salt I put in a recipe when using kosher salt unless the recipe instructions specify using kosher salt.

[Florinaldo]

11 hours ago, Yeah No said:

but kosher salt tastes much saltier to me than table salt

Does that hold for all brands? I have seen on the Web that people have done comparison testing and found differences (especially for fleur de sel , Guérande, Maldon or other high-end salts, but also for the usual kosher type as I recall), both in taste and also in weight per volume.

The only reason I can see why kosher salt might work better in this recipe is that the higher surface area of each crystal might make the step of dry-curing and drawing out water more efficient. But that is just an untested hypothesis.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Does that hold for all brands? I have seen on the Web that people have done comparison testing and found differences (especially for fleur de sel , Guérande, Maldon or other high-end salts, but also for the usual kosher type as I recall), both in taste and also in weight per volume.

I've used both Morton's and David's kosher salt and had the same result.  Maybe it's just me.

[annzeepark914]

Once I tried Diamond Crystal kosher salt, I never looked back. IMO, it's milder.

[dubbel zout]

Morton kosher salt has a different shape than Diamond Crystal, which makes it measure more like fine sea salt. So a teaspoon of Morton contains more than a teaspoon of Diamond Crystal.

I use Diamond Crystal for everything except finishing (like avocado toast, steak, etc.), and for that I use Maldon. I love the crunch, and I also think it has a milder salt flavor.

[Terrafamilia]

I did a belated Memorial Day meal with Boogaloo Wonderland sandwiches and sour orange pie for desert. Both from Cook's Country (I don't know if the sandwiches have made it on to the tv show or not). Both were quite easy and pretty tasty.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On the new breakfast episode, they did a thing about cleaning the coffee stain in a cup, and said to use baking powder.  I'm kind of a stain removal aficionado, and I've always heard to use baking soda for all sorts of things and never baking powder. 

If it were anybody else, I'd think they just got the two confused (plenty of websites seem to), but it's ATK, so I'd be shocked if that's what happened.  It would have been great if they hadn't put it in a little bowl, because it would be obvious what it was if it was in the original packaging--even just the original shape.

I looked up what baking soda and baking powder actually are, but nothing made me believe baking powder would clearly be better than baking soda for that purpose, which again makes me wonder why ATK kind of went rogue on this.

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I looked up what baking soda and baking powder actually are, but nothing made me believe baking powder would clearly be better than baking soda for that purpose, which again makes me wonder why ATK kind of went rogue on this.

I haven't seen the episode yet but I wonder why they didn't explain why they decided that baking powder works better.  Usually they do stuff like that.  I use Magic Eraser to clean coffee stains from cups and it works like a charm.  It also works on flatware.

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Usually they do stuff like that. 

Exactly.

The other day, I watched Valerie Bertinelli make a Dutch Baby, and then saw the one ATK did, and everything Bertinelli made a point of was something ATK explicitly rebutted, as in, "The conventional wisdom is to use a super hot pan, but we found it's better to start with a cold pan because..."  Or whatever (I may have it reversed).  But they're really good about explaining when, and why, they depart from the usual.

And the "usual" when it comes to cleaning is definitely baking soda.  It's a hell of a lot cheaper than baking powder, and the extra money might be justified, but it needs to be justified, I think.

[Mondrianyone]

It sounds like they just screwed up.

I love those Magic Erasers, too.  I buy them as generic melamine sponges on eBay for a fraction of the branded price.  Not much they can't do.

[StatisticalOutlier]

40 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

I love those Magic Erasers, too.  I buy them as generic melamine sponges on eBay for a fraction of the branded price.  Not much they can't do.

Including taking the paint off a car.  Be careful out there.

[Bastet]

Yep.  Those Magic Erasers are one of my favorite things for how well they clean the bumpy texture of my (white) refrigerator.  I also love them for wiping gunk off painted surfaces, but I have to be judicious with that, because over time they will indeed take the paint right off.

[Mondrianyone]

Mine usually fall apart before they can do that kind of damage.  I'd never use them on my car anyway.  But I always use a light touch till I'm sure they're not exceeding their authority.

[Florinaldo]

Baking powder contains an acid (like cream of tartar) in addition to a carbonate and sodium bicarbonate; perhaps that is the more efficient cleaning agent. I haven't seen the episode yet, but I am disappointed in advance that they did not explain the science behind it, as they usually do.

Magic erasers can be dangerous on painted surfaces if you scrub too hard as I found out cleaning a stubborn stain on a wall. Work gently and patiently and it usually comes out without a problem.

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Including taking the paint off a car.  Be careful out there.

That's something I might have done, but a friend of mine once asked me whether he should use one on his car and I told him I didn't know and to Google it, which turned up this page:

https://www.familyhandyman.com/cleaning/things-you-should-never-do-with-a-magic-eraser/

I can get lost in that site for hours.

[biakbiak]

For what it’s worth and equally unscientific we had a backed down stain (bicycle oil and dirt) baking soda only got it so far but for another one we we had more baking powder than soda and used it, warm water and some white vinegar and it broke down the stain better than baking soda. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

Being an early adopter has its perils.  Fortunately, I'm the cautious type and tried the magic eraser on a low part of the car.  In fact, this was back before it was even known what they were made of--just that they were magical.  I used to joke that there's a special place in hell for people who use them--some sort of pact with the devil because they worked so dang well and there had to be a cost.

Once you know that they don't necessarily clean but instead abrade, it's much easier to make a good decision on how to use them. 

As for baking soda vs. baking powder, since baking powder has something in it that makes things rise, I can see that it might act on stains a little differently, and possibly better.  Deep down in my heart I believe that ATK knowingly used baking powder, but as with knowing what a Magic Eraser is made of and what it actually does, I want to know why they used baking powder.  And if there ever were an outfit that embraces the "why," it's America's Test Kitchen.

[dubbel zout]

Baking powder contains cream of tartar and baking soda (i.e., bicarbonate of soda), that's what the "double action" is. It reacts first with liquid, then with heat.

[dubbel zout]

I'm watching the breakfast episode where Julia made pancakes, and she said, "This recipe in theory serves four to six people," and she and Bridget laugh derisively. (There were maybe 16 pancakes.) I love it when they acknowledge that certain dishes are so good you're going to eat more than what a serving is.

Bridget's turkey bacon tasting was pretty funny, too. She'd rather eat the plate they were on, hee.

[BigBingerBro]

Create had a ATK marathon today and I caught a few episodes I had missed this last season.  Is it me or are they ramping up the food science aspect quite a bit lately?   The ginger fro-yo segment seemed more like a science class than a cooking segment.   I'm not knocking this information, but it often seems repetitive.  Dan explains why he's using certain ingredients, then Bridget or Julia do a scientific side-bar explaining the same things.  

[Florinaldo]

I had trouble believing Julia contented herself for years with pancake mix in a box and then only recently discovered this recipe.

It has been, with one or two variations like sometimes omitting vanilla or putting in lemon zest and slightly different proportions of baking powder or oil, the basic pancake recipe in our family for decades. My grandmother also said it was good to leave some lumps. It always gives good results. You can tweak it, by using buttermilk or ricotta for example, experimenting to eventually get the right amount of each.

it is amusing how even professional cooks can at times miss for a long time the most simple and apparently mundane techniques. It is also a sign that you can always look forward to learning something new.

[Kohola3]

On 6/4/2019 at 12:49 AM, Yeah No said:

I use Magic Eraser to clean coffee stains from cups and it works like a charm. 

Denture cleaner tabs.  For stained cups or glasses, even crystal.  Totally safe.  And minty fresh afterward!

[Bastet]

The value pick in kitchen shears are the ones I have, the Henckels take apart shears ($15).  I would have loved a head-to-head demonstration of cutting up a chicken with those and the $50 overall pick.

[chessiegal]

18 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The value pick in kitchen shears are the ones I have, the Henckels take apart shears ($15).  I would have loved a head-to-head demonstration of cutting up a chicken with those and the $50 overall pick.

You sent me to the kitchen to see what the brand of my take apart shears are. I like Henckel products. Turns out mine are Wustoff. I've had them so long I have no idea what I paid for them.

[biakbiak]

On their IG they are showing that they are filming the grill segments for season 20 today. Unfortunately for the crew it’s 110 degrees!!

[AllAboutMBTV]

I wonder why they moved the grill segments to some industrial Boston back alley -- now with a hipster food truck and minions doing... something -- instead of keeping them in the seemingly cool and shady back yard?

[biakbiak]

40 minutes ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

I wonder why they moved the grill segments to some industrial Boston back alley -- now with a hipster food truck and minions doing... something -- instead of keeping them in the seemingly cool and shady back yard?

They pretapped the grill segments of last season and maybe even 18 so this is the first season fully tapped at the new studio space. They have had the food truck for several years. They take it to festivals and sometimes serve test recipes in the neighborhood.

[Bastet]

The air fryer testing segment confirmed I have no interest in one - they bake like a convection oven, so they're not a substitute for a deep fryer, but for the oven.  There's no way I'd take up space in my cabinets and have to lug it out when I wanted to use it rather than just using my oven simply because the air fryer cooks faster.

Now, I don't have a convection option on my oven, so maybe if I made a lot of things that came out better "oven fried" in a convection than a traditional oven, I'd find it worth taking up the cabinet space with an air fryer (or, more likely, a convection toaster oven), but I don't.

I looked up other air fryer reviews, and the first three I clicked on all picked the same one as ATK, but also said they don't recommend buying one, period; just use your oven.

The sauce made for the pork tenderloin sounded simple and tasty, so I'll make that next time I cook one.  I'm not sure I'd bother with their pan-seared steak technique for the loin itself rather than just oven roasting it whole as I normally do (even without brining, I've never had one come out dry), although that crust from the sear at the end did look quite inviting.  And it's not as if cutting and pounding would take any real time, so I guess I should give it a whirl.

[chessiegal]

I have a Breville countertop convection that I love. Our JennAir oven is huge and a waste of propane to heat up. It does have convection mode, The Breville has an air fry function, but I haven't tried it. I use the Breville almost every day.

[biakbiak]

36 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Now, I don't have a convection option on my oven, so maybe if I made a lot of things that came out better "oven fried" in a convection than a traditional oven, I'd find it worth taking up the cabinet space with an air fryer (or, more likely, a convection toaster oven), but I don't.

Yeah I got one for Christmas because my brother in law he loves gadgets and puts the all  on his list and then they get them for me because I like to cook. Luckily it was kind of cumbersome so another family member decided they would take it and just give me the cash because after reading about it I realized it wasn’t really of any use.

That said if my toaster oven dies I will upgrade to a convection toaster oven to replace it. 

[freddi]

I hardly ever just go "No" on ATK recipes, aside from not liking certain ingredients, but their process for making French scrambled eggs was bad to watch and looked bad to eat.  Any segment that uses the word "coagulate" so many times ("Oh, I think I see a clot!"  "Yes, they are starting to coagulate!") is just not appetizing, plus, it was clear that the process was taking much longer than they expected -- eight minutes of stirring, then, "let's do this for a few more minutes" because it was still egg soup.  And they kept exclaiming that they could not believe there was no butter in the eggs.  They were eating egg stew!  And it took over fifteen minutes.  I've had French scrambled eggs, and they did not look like that.  I love eggs, and I can do better in 60 seconds.  

Separate gripe, now that I have found the thread!  They are usually pretty good about stating measurements, but they did a recipe for a baked item last week where they dumped many cups of flour into a food processer, but never said how much.  Of course, they tell us that the recipes are all available online at ATK, but never say it is behind a paywall and that you have to give your contact information to get a recipe and trial subscription.  Endless ads from them even if you don't subscribe after a week.  I can usually track down a recipe via other sites.  

[chessiegal]

I subscribe to all the ATK websites. It's worth it to me to have access to all the recipes and equipment reviews.

[biakbiak]

Also if you watch while the season is airing the recipes are available without signing up for the free trial. 

Another helpful hint if you follow them on IG you can get access to a recipe or two a day and some equipment reviews.

Edited August 16, 2019 by biakbiak

[freddi]

33 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Also if you watch why the season is airing the recipes are available without signing up for the free trial. 

Another helpful hint if you follow them on IG you can get access to a recipe or two a day and some equipment reviews.

Thanks, I did not know either thing!  

[annzeepark914]

If I want one of the recipes while watching a show, I immediately go to their website after the show and copy it. Those recipes can disappear quickly, in my experience, to be replaced with a notice that you have to subscribe first. 

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

If I want one of the recipes while watching a show, I immediately go to their website after the show and copy it. Those recipes can disappear quickly, in my experience, to be replaced with a notice that you have to subscribe first. 

I subscribe, but before I did I often found recipes from previous seasons on other websites/food blogs just from googling on "America's Test Kitchen recipe" and the name of the recipe.

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I often found recipes from previous seasons on other websites/food blogs just from googling on "America's Test Kitchen recipe" and the name of the recipe.

That's what I do, because I'd rather just avoid their website altogether (and definitely don't want to subscribe).  Recipes are not copyrightable (the list of ingredients and instructions on what to do with them), so people can easily publish them elsewhere.  I've never gone looking for an ATK recipe and been unable to find it, although I have to say I don't make many of their recipes - I more just like to watch.

[freddi]

America's Test Kitchen has settled its lawsuit against Christopher Kimball.  Commenters on the article are not a bit kind:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2019/08/22/americas-test-kitchen-and-christopher-kimball-have-settled-their-contentious-three-year-lawsuit/ 

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, freddi said:

America's Test Kitchen has settled its lawsuit against Christopher Kimball.  Commenters on the article are not a bit kind:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2019/08/22/americas-test-kitchen-and-christopher-kimball-have-settled-their-contentious-three-year-lawsuit/ 

Does anyone know what Chris’s response was? The Post said they removed his quotes because it violated the settlement.

[YupItsMe]

On 8/22/2019 at 8:51 PM, biakbiak said:

Does anyone know what Chris’s response was? The Post said they removed his quotes because it violated the settlement.

I just clicked the link, the article says his comments had been added back along with comments from ATK.

[StatisticalOutlier]

What's up with Julia's hair?  Are those extensions?  Her long-in-front and short-in-back hair bugged me because I have a thing about hair in my/one's eyes, but at least it was her hair. 

Or, well, I guess the extensions are technically her hair, too.  But I'm not a fan.

[chessiegal]

I haven't seen anything that looks like extensions in Julia's hair. I'll have to keep a lookout.

[biakbiak]

14 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

What's up with Julia's hair?  Are those extensions?  Her long-in-front and short-in-back hair bugged me because I have a thing about hair in my/one's eyes, but at least it was her hair. 

Or, well, I guess the extensions are technically her hair, too.  But I'm not a fan.

So you mean on the new season of Cooks Country? Yeah don’t find it flattering at all.

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I haven't seen anything that looks like extensions in Julia's hair. I'll have to keep a lookout.

They're about a foot long, and I don't think her hair grew that much between seasons.

12 hours ago, biakbiak said:

So you mean on the new season of Cooks Country? Yeah don’t find it flattering at all.

Yeah, on the new season.  It was in the episode about Texas brisket, where you use exactly 116 charcoal briquettes.  I have no feel for cooking, so "salt and pepper to taste" is always annoying to me, but even I thought the instructions on the brisket were a bit much.  Of all people, you'd think I would appreciate 58 briquettes in a circle around the edge of the grill with each briquette overlapping its neighbor, and an 8" gap between the beginning and the end briquettes.  But my main reaction was that the hour drive to Rudy's in Greeley, Colorado, isn't looking so daunting right now, plus I can get creamed corn.

Her new hair reminds me of something you'd see in a 1967 high school yearbook, but she's not a teenager so it doesn't look as cute and fresh and young.  I do have to say that they appear to be pretty good quality (not that I know anything about extensions).

[chessiegal]

Holy Extensions Batman - y'all weren't kidding about Julia's hair. What is she thinking? They look terrible!

[emma675]

I'll be honest, I was expecting much worse hair on Julia based on the comments here. Her extensions weren't great but they weren't awful. I think if she cut a few inches off and added some layers, it would look more natural. I am currently rocking a few extensions myself (thank you, thyroid hair loss) but my hair is above my shoulders so most people don't even know I have them in.

The thing I did notice was that she seems to have gained quite a bit of weight in her midsection. She's very barrel chested now. I wonder when this season was filmed?