America's Test Kitchen - General Discussion

[annzeepark914]

I'm watching ATK for the first time in ages. I didn't even recognize Bridget! She looks so relaxed and pretty (as opposed to, IMO, looking & sounding so bite-y over the years). This episode is from 1/23/21. Hmmm. Interesting.

[dubbel zout]

Channel 13 in NYC is always behind on ATK and CC, and today we finally got a new CC.  When was Toni Tipton-Martin added, this season? I can't help feeling she's there to counter complaints that the show is too white—which it definitely is. We rarely see Lawman Johnson, even if he's in the opening credits.

ATK isn't that much better, but we see Lan Lan fairly often. 

[chessiegal]

22 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

 When was Toni Tipton-Martin added, this season?

The promos I've seen say she was added on camera because she won an award, Julia Child I think.

[dubbel zout]

Thanks for the info, @chessiegal. (I wasn't doubting her qualifications for being there.)

[Mondrianyone]

I don't know anything about her qualifications, but I'm sure they're stellar. I think the point is (and this was my reaction as well, the both times I've seen her on) that it seems she's being used as window dressing. It's embarrassing to watch for that reason.

[buttersister]

I haven’t seen any episodes with Toni yet. She was named editor-in-chief of Cook’s Country, which made me hopeful the magazine would start being worth something. Read Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, which combines history and recipes for an idea of why I was hopeful. And also, because it’s excellent.

[buttersister]

They reran the hummus recipe today with the texture I like. But if your tastebuds are like mine and dislike cumin as a stand alone, use a bit of sumac. It brings out the lemon flavor. And garnish with paprika and za’atar, along with a drizzle of evoo.

Edited October 16, 2021 by buttersister

[Mondrianyone]

I'm really starting to hate our local PBS station. Yesterday I watched both Cook's Country and ATK, both episodes tagged as "new" on the on-screen guide. They were also dated as first aired two weeks ago. When I went to the shows' website, the recipes were no longer available because they were aired two weeks ago, which is when they go behind the paywall. Our local station always seems to be a couple weeks late airing these shows, so this happens all the time. (I also hate the way public TV and radio get monetized, but that's a slightly different subject.)

And as long as I'm being cranky, I noticed something yesterday that I've never seen on PBS cooking shows before--maybe I haven't been paying careful enough attention. When they were mentioning the ingredients for two recipes--the strawberry cheesecake bites and the fruit compote, I think--they said "some of this" and "a little of the other" instead of giving the exact measurements. So I couldn't get the recipes by watching the broadcast and I couldn't get them online because they're now behind the paywall. Now I have to do a lot of creative Googling. I'd subscribe if they didn't make me so mad.

 

[Spunkygal]

This looks to be the same recipe, @Mondrianyone.

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/strawberry-cheesecake-bars/

[Mondrianyone]

That's it! You're a star, @Spunkygal! Thanks so much for saving me a bunch of Googling!

[Spunkygal]

2 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

That's it! You're a star, @Spunkygal! Thanks so much for saving me a bunch of Googling!

My PBS station showed the same episode yesterday and I bookmarked it because I love a sour cream layer! 

[Bastet]

Thankfully, because recipes are largely not subject to copyright (and a list of ingredients and utilitarian instructions is never able to be copyrighted), I've always been able to find an ATK/CC recipe online with a simple search - which is generally easier than the hoops one has to go through to get it directly from the source.

[Mondrianyone]

Me, too, but not always. So it's nice just to have one handed to me.

[Bastet]

On an episode of "Julia at Home" (here's an article about it; it's an ATK production, but seems to only air on Pluto, not any of the PBS stations that carry ATK/CC), she made "super food" tacos:  charred salmon (seasoned with chili powder) with a collard green slaw (which also has jicama, radish, red onion, and cilantro, dressed simply with lime juice and zest) and an avocado and cilantro crema. 

As I said in one of the Food threads, these are obviously not at all traditional, but I like a nearly infinite variety of tacos, and I was intrigued because I love raw collard greens (and also love them similarly sliced thin and briefly sautéed, but I hate them braised for eons), so I gave them a try this weekend.  I think many people would not dig them (Julia even said her daughter doesn't like them and her husband is just okay with them, so she usually eats them with a friend of hers who also loves them), but I did.  Nice flavors, while certainly the healthiest of the many tacos I make.

I only watched that first episode and the next one, which was for spaghetti and (turkey) meatballs in a tomato sauce, which is not at all my thing, but I enjoyed it and will keep going (it looks like there are seven more so far; it's kind of fun to hear her talk about the things she does on ATK but absolutely does not take the time to do when cooking a weeknight meal at home.

[Automne]

I did not know this existed! Just put the PlutoTV app on my XBox and browsing now. 

[chessiegal]

3 hours ago, Automne said:

I did not know this existed! Just put the PlutoTV app on my XBox and browsing now. 

It's been on PBS for over 20 years.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

It's been on PBS for over 20 years.

They're talking about the new series with Julia from ATK only on Pluto called "Julia at Home", not ATK itself.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Did y'all watch the 20th anniversary show?  There was a hilarious scene from back when Bridget made pizza and pushed it in the oven and it slid down the back of the oven.  I'd say the look on her face was priceless, but you couldn't actually see her face because of the camera angle, but you knew what her face looked like as she stood there with her mouth open.  I laughed so hard Mr. Outlier had to come see what was so funny.

All in all, Bridget came off really likable throughout the show.  Everybody, actually, but Bridget is a lot of fun.

[chessiegal]

I get ATK on 3 different PBS stations, plus 2 of them also carry on their substations. I'd have to set my DVR to catch them all, so seeing them is hit or miss. I also have an all-access membership in ATK. I'll keep an eye out for the 20th anniversary show. Sounds like fun!

[StatisticalOutlier]

The anniversary show was used as a promotion, so it was 1-1/2 hours long, with fundraising pleas interspersed.

There was some behind-the-scenes stuff that I thought was really interesting. 

 

[chessiegal]

I avoid the fund raisers. I give generously to all my PBS stations, and bristle at the interruptions. Thanks for the info. I'll have to keep an eye out.

[Bastet]

The 20th anniversary special premiered a while back (looking it up: Nov. 2019, apparently), so it must have been re-aired as part of the fundraising drive.  And, yes, the pizza mishap made me laugh when I saw it.

It also reminded me I wanted to try their shrimp scampi, which was the #1 viewer pick.  It still took me until this spring to do it, but it is indeed a fantastic recipe.

[StatisticalOutlier]

41 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The 20th anniversary special premiered a while back (looking it up: Nov. 2019, apparently), so it must have been re-aired as part of the fundraising drive.

As I was typing that there were fundraising appeals in it, it occurred to me that it was an older episode, and I usually verify stuff like that before posting.  But I find ATK almost impenetrable when it comes to figuring out the episodes, and apparently chose to ignore the possibility.

[dubbel zout]

The hourlong holiday special was on my Create channel last night, and it was fun. I wish the chitchat between the chefs had been more interesting, but that's a nitpick. The recipes that were shown were ones we'd seen before in other shows, but I can always watch a hunk of meat being prepared. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 12/7/2021 at 12:09 AM, Bastet said:

On an episode of "Julia at Home" (here's an article about it; it's an ATK production, but seems to only air on Pluto, not any of the PBS stations that carry ATK/CC), she made "super food" tacos:  charred salmon (seasoned with chili powder) with a collard green slaw (which also has jicama, radish, red onion, and cilantro, dressed simply with lime juice and zest) and an avocado and cilantro crema. 

As I said in one of the Food threads, these are obviously not at all traditional, but I like a nearly infinite variety of tacos, and I was intrigued because I love raw collard greens (and also love them similarly sliced thin and briefly sautéed, but I hate them braised for eons), so I gave them a try this weekend.  I think many people would not dig them (Julia even said her daughter doesn't like them and her husband is just okay with them, so she usually eats them with a friend of hers who also loves them), but I did.  Nice flavors, while certainly the healthiest of the many tacos I make.

I only watched that first episode and the next one, which was for spaghetti and (turkey) meatballs in a tomato sauce, which is not at all my thing, but I enjoyed it and will keep going (it looks like there are seven more so far; it's kind of fun to hear her talk about the things she does on ATK but absolutely does not take the time to do when cooking a weeknight meal at home.

I will check this out.  I see that Pluto TV is free.  I hadn't bothered with it before.  I share your love of collard greens, but I also love Tuscan kale (the non-curly variety)

Edited December 21, 2021 by GussieK

[dubbel zout]

I made the one-pan hamburger stroganoff (from season 14; Ashley is at home) for dinner tonight, and the flavor is terrific. I doubled the mushrooms because I love them, as well as using the entire package of noodles instead of half. My sauce didn't thicken the way Ashley's did, but that's likely a me issue. I'm hopeful a night in the fridge for the leftovers will help. I'm sure more sour cream won't hurt, either!

[AllAboutMBTV]

Looks like ATK is creeping back into their studio. The newest episode (turkey confit, turkey burgers) had Bridget "teaching" Julia how to confit turkey thighs (never gonna happen in my house) and both J&B doing the taste testing with a nut-brown Jack. (Either the latter has recently been to Barbados or the makeup department hates him. Also, the women's hair has been reshellacked into helmets that don't move, unlike the looser styles they had during ATK at Home, when they probably did their own hair.)

[StatisticalOutlier]

The turkey episode is the first one in the new season (the tasting was canned cranberry sauce) .  My local station has shown episode 2, where they taste plant-based meat.  I'm maybe 50-50 with agreeing with the taste tests on this show, so I don't take them as gospel, but it did make me think I should try Impossible Burger instead of ground meat in this one recipe I make.

A few years ago, I tried TVP instead of meat in it, and I hated it.  And then I tried Beyond Chicken in a chicken salad recipe and hated that, and called a moratorium on future attempts.

My main hesitation on the Impossible Burger substitute is that I use 70-30 ground beef specifically for the fat content, and the fat isn't drained off for the final dish.  I fear that substituting oil for all of that will affect the flavor.

On 1/5/2022 at 5:50 PM, dubbel zout said:

I made the one-pan hamburger stroganoff (from season 14; Ashley is at home) for dinner tonight, and the flavor is terrific.

Hmm...I wish they'd make it with Impossible Burger, as a test.  Then again, the stroganoff used chicken broth--not sure if that's a no-no when using fake meat. 

I will say that I'm glad they didn't totally diss the Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce.  I love that stuff and keep it around as a side even when it's not a holiday dinner.  I'm tired of people hating on it.

[chessiegal]

21 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Then again, the stroganoff used chicken broth--not sure if that's a no-no when using fake meat. 

 Only if you are trying to be vegan. Otherwise, chicken broth is fine. I make a vegetarian chili using Morning Star grilled crumbles, and I use chicken broth because I'm not trying for vegan.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

 Only if you are trying to be vegan. Otherwise, chicken broth is fine. I make a vegetarian chili using Morning Star grilled crumbles, and I use chicken broth because I'm not trying for vegan.

Isn't chicken broth made of chicken? 

[chessiegal]

11 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Isn't chicken broth made of chicken? 

Yes - that's why I said if you want a dish to be vegan, you wouldn't use chicken broth. You'd use vegetable broth or water for a vegan dish. I don't do vegan, so I use chicken broth in my vegetarian chili, therefore it's not technically vegetarian (or vegan).

[Bastet]

Right, so it's not just vegan dishes for which you wouldn't use chicken broth/stock; you wouldn't use it in a vegetarian dish, either.  You could use it in a dish using faux meat eaten by someone who does eat meat, but just happens to be making this one with a meat substitute (like your chili scenario, or the stroganoff recipe mentioned), but not in a vegetarian dish.

One of my close friends is a vegetarian, and she loves my spinach, artichoke & cheese dip.  It involves 1/2 cup of stock, and when I make it, I generally use chicken stock because I always have homemade chicken stock in the freezer but virtually never make vegetable stock.  When she'll be sharing it with me, though, I have to get some damn vegetable stock so it's vegetarian.  (She would never, ever know if I used that measly amount of chicken stock, but I'd know and I won't do that to her.)

[Bastet]

The plant-based "meat" taste testing aired here today, and I loved Julia's indignant reaction to the Gardein burger, that it dared masquerade as beef.

I've never eaten any of them and have no desire to, but she sounded fair in her analysis of them - she didn't object to the concept, she simply said if you're going to claim this great new thing that tastes and feels like beef, it can't taste and feel like the veggie burgers that have been around for decades.  And with two of them (Impossible and I can't remember the other), she said with the condiments and toppings of a burger, she wouldn't be fooled, but she'd be perfectly happy to eat it.  Jack agreed, saying when you use this "meat" in something like tacos, that's when you don't really notice the difference, because the texture is very similar and you've added a lot of flavors.

Makes sense.  I just eat so little beef, I don't feel the need to replace any of it with something else.

Edited February 26, 2022 by Bastet

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

when you use this "meat" in something like tacos, that's when you don't really notice the difference, because the texture is very similar and you've added a lot of flavors.

It's like soy chorizo. It doesn't fool anyone on its own, but if you use it as in addition to other ingredients, it's perfectly fine.

When I get a craving for beef, I want the real thing.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/26/2022 at 5:02 PM, dubbel zout said:

It's like soy chorizo. It doesn't fool anyone on its own, but if you use it as in addition to other ingredients, it's perfectly fine.

I tried Chipotle's plant-based chorizo (it's not soy).  I just substituted it for the barbacoa I usually get in my burrito, and left all the rest the same.  My burrito isn't particularly meat-forward because the hot red salsa I get is somewhat overpowering.

The first few bites were okay, but after that I really missed the barbacoa, and the flavor of the chorizo, which I could definitely taste despite the salsa, wasn't really doing it for me. 

(Totally off topic but it drives me crazy that Chipotle has the drippy barbacoa closest to the glass, so it drips juice on both of the meat containers between it and where the burrito is put together.)

[Just Here]

ATK is working on a reality competition series that will stream on Freevee (previously IMDb TV) sometime in 2023.  From the article on the ATK website announcing the series:

Quote

America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation is a competition series to find the next on-screen talent to join the America’s Test Kitchen team. Contestants will work inside the ATK studio kitchens, undergoing intense culinary challenges in the job interview of a lifetime. The last cook standing will earn a starring role on America’s Test Kitchen.

A casting call for contestants was announced in late March (Instagram post).

The above article also has some news about ATK and Cook's Country.  Season 23 of ATK will have 26 episodes and debut in January 2023.  For Cook's Country's latest season, 18 episodes will air, beginning this September.

 

For some background on "why" ATK is launching a competition series, this press release from October 2021 is informative:

Quote

 Today, America's Test Kitchen announced that it has hired two seasoned television executives, Mark Levine as Vice President, Television, Video and Podcast, and Madeline Langlieb, as Senior Director of Television Development. Both positions are newly created and are part of an ambitious effort aimed at expanding America's Test Kitchen's brand reach. The company is in the process of increasing its overall headcount by 25 percent.

"The hiring of Mark and Madeline are further proof of our expansion in the TV programming market for networks and platforms such as PBS, Pluto, Amazon's IMDB, as well as our commitment to continue to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen," said David Nussbaum, Chairman and CEO of America's Test Kitchen.

Mark Levine is a media industry veteran, having most recently served as Vice President of Content at the Magnolia Network where he developed and oversaw content creation for the brand created by Chip and Joanna Gaines. Prior to that, Levine spent over 10 years at the Food Network where he was Vice President of Programming and Digital and created and developed hit series such as Kids Baking Championship and was the architect of Rachael Vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off, Worst Cooks in America, and Cutthroat Kitchen with Alton Brown. Levine has held senior digital marketing positions at the SyFy Channel and ABC Daytime. In his new role, Levine will be responsible for leading the evolution of America's Test Kitchen's media business strategy, which includes launching new kids and adult television shows and new video and podcast content.

Madeline Langlieb is a programming and development executive with over 10 years of experience producing and developing Emmy-nominated lifestyle and non-scripted content primarily in the food space. While serving as Director of Programming and Development at the Food Network, Langlieb was the programming executive in charge of shows including: Diners Drive-Ins & Dives, Kids Baking Championship, Spring Baking Championship, Man v. Food, Triple D Nation, Carnival Eats, Best Baker in America, and Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge. In her role as Senior Director of Television Development at America's Test Kitchen, Langlieb will be tasked with developing and launching new multiplatform television/video concepts.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Just Here

[AllAboutMBTV]

Not so much The Next Generation as The Next Presenter, since only one person will be chosen, not four or five.

I reserve judgement on this show. I wonder if it's planned as a one-and-done or will it be ongoing until the current presenters are all replaced?

[Bastet]

I've never liked a single creamy horseradish I've tried (I just grate fresh horseradish root as an option for prime rib or the like, and then mix grated horseradish with mayo if I want a horseradishy sandwich spread), but I've never tried either of the brands they liked.

A few episodes back, I like the segment on what to look for in dried pasta and what didn't matter -- semolina, yes, slow dried, eh, etc.  That was informative.

[RockShrimp]

I hate horseradish (something in the botanical family of horseradish and mustard tastes rancid to me) but I almost wish Chris was still here to do that horseradish segment. Julia and Bridget were hilarious but he would have died.

I think Dan's smartass science testing segments are my husband and my favorite part of the show now. we laughed out loud at the "jello" mold, and there's a few where he (mildly) tortures some poor intern with such glee.

Edited June 11, 2022 by RockShrimp

[Ms Lark]

On 6/11/2022 at 12:47 PM, RockShrimp said:

I think Dan's smartass science testing segments are my husband and my favorite part of the show now.

Mine, too. You would probably love his YouTube bits called "What's Eating Dan?" Interesting and sometimes hilarious!

[chessiegal]

I was watching an episode of their At Home cooking yesterday. Becky showed one of her most prized cookbooks - her grandmother's 1931 edition of The Joy of Cooking. She showed the page where it shows how to prepare game, including how to skin rabbit, hare, and squirrel, complete with illustrations. Here's part of the description.

Quote

To Dress Rabbit, Hare, and Squirrel
Sever the front legs at joint as shown on the dotted line. Cut through the skin around the hind legs as shown again by a dotted line. Tie the feet together securely. Hang die rabbit on a hook where tied. Pull the skin
down off the legs, stripping it inside out like a glove and-over the body and forelegs. Sever the head and discard it with the skin. Slit the rabbit down the front. Remove the entrails and discard except for the heart and liver. Wash inside and out with acidulated water, that is, water to which 1 to a tablespoonfuls of vinegar are added. Rinse and dry carefully.
There are proverbially many ways to skin a squirrel, but some hunters claim the one below is the cleanest and the quickest. It needs a sharp knife. Cut the tail bone through from beneath, but take care not to cut 

I see this isn't included in my 75th anniversary edition. 🤣 Reminds me of my Comparative Anatomy class in undergraduate school.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/11/2022 at 4:49 PM, chessiegal said:

I see this isn't included in my 75th anniversary edition.

It's in my 1979 edition, but starts with this:

Quote

To dress rabbit or hare, don gloves to avoid possible tularemia infection.

Safety first!

Squirrel has its own section, with the advice that gray squirrels are preferred to red squirrels, which are quite gamy in flavor.  I'm just picturing squirrel eaters sitting around a table commenting about how the squirrel is a little too gamy.

There's also an illustration of a boot on the base of its tail with (gloved) human hands pulling on its hind legs until the skin has worked itself over the front legs and head.

[scriggle]

I'm watching an ATK marathon on Create and the episode with the French-style scrambled eggs just ended. I'm sorry but those look awful. I know they say they're fully cooked but they look raw to me. There's no way in hell that I'd be able to eat those. Just looking at the finished product makes me gag.

[killer.noona]

8 hours ago, scriggle said:

I'm watching an ATK marathon on Create and the episode with the French-style scrambled eggs just ended. I'm sorry but those look awful. I know they say they're fully cooked but they look raw to me. There's no way in hell that I'd be able to eat those. Just looking at the finished product makes me gag.

I hate scrambled eggs but the whole time I kept wondering when they were going to add the butter!

[dubbel zout]

I was at the doctor's office this morning, and one of the TVs in the treatment room is set on food shows, with a lot of ATK and CC episodes. Most of them are the post-Kimball era, but every so often the old ones come on, and today was one of those days. Bridget and Julia are his main test chefs, but today had episodes with a very young Matthew Card, Erika Bruce, and I think Lynn Clark. (I didn't see her IDed, but it looked like her).

I know a bit of what went down between ATK and Kimball, but I'm really interested to learn how and why some of the employees went with him to Milk Street. 

[Prevailing Wind]

I just saw the one (again) with the French scrambled eggs and I nearly barfed. I don't recall if I saw this on PBS' Create channel or Pluto.

Right now, I'm watching ATK on Pluto and it's old - Kimball's being jerky & Adam's got dark hair. During the taste tests, Kimball misses on ALL the foods the testers say win. I'm not sure I would trust ANYTHING he cooks, if he's got such bad taste.

[chessiegal]

I watch Create a lot, and I have never seen an ATK or CC with Kimball these days. Milk Street yes, but not old Cook's Illustrated shows. I have Verizon Fios cable.

ETA: I also watch ATK and CC on my regular PBS stations - I get three and have never seen an episode with Kimball these days. It always surprises me when someone says they have.

Edited December 31, 2022 by chessiegal

[Prevailing Wind]

The ones with Kimball are on Pluto TV.

[chessiegal]

Makes me glad I don't have Pluto. 😄

[Bastet]

They're also on Tubi, and on Roku Live TV's ATK channel.  They're just not on PBS anymore (at least the website and my local station; I don't know if they ever air on Create as I don't get it).

I just watched a couple of Chris episodes while catsitting at a neighbor's house and quickly remembered why I don't miss him at all.