America's Test Kitchen - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

The Create channel I get is a substation of Maryland Public Television. They don't air all of the Create content. In the evenings they will air other PBS shows like Call the Midwife and so on. As I said, I never see Kimball anymore on ATK or CC.

[Mellowyellow]

Anytime watching ATK - The Next Generation?

I love it because I like seeing the ATK presenters as judges but the contestants are crap cooks imo.

[J-Man]

On 5/2/2022 at 5:15 PM, Just Here said:

ATK is working on a reality competition series that will stream on Freevee (previously IMDb TV) sometime in 2023.

As noted above, it started last month.  The first four episodes are available on Freevee, and they release a new one every week. The host is incredibly annoying, and the format reminds me a little bit of Food Network Star (which seems to have gone missing). And it's clear that many of the contestants were cast for their "over-the-top"-ness. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8K1V1PB

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, J-Man said:

As noted above, it started last month.  The first four episodes are available on Freevee, and they release a new one every week. The host is incredibly annoying, and the format reminds me a little bit of Food Network Star (which seems to have gone missing). And it's clear that many of the contestants were cast for their "over-the-top"-ness. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8K1V1PB

I took a look at it.  Most of them are just too precious for me.  Why does everyone on TV these days have to be so cutesy and annoying?  There was just a cooking competition on PBS several months ago.  I wonder why ATK did this on Freevee and not PBS.

[chessiegal]

ATK has been doing new shows on YouTube that are free. Julia has a cooking at home show where she prepares weeknight meals in what she describes as her tiny kitchen. There are a few others that I can't remember.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I just watched a new episode, where Jack gives tips for buying eggs.  I was heartened when he was talking about shelf life, and he said the USDA says three to five weeks, but in the test kitchen they've tasted them after four months and they were fine; the only issue is the whites on oldest eggs didn't whip very well, so you couldn't make a souffle with them. 

He didn't describe the freshness test where you put it in a glass of water, which might help people overcome their reluctance to use eggs past the "expiration" date, never mind months after the expiration date.  I think in my entire lifetime I've had only one egg float, and I keep them forever.  So glad to hear the experts at ATK agree, and that they're doing real-human stuff like tasting four-month-old eggs.  (Although I'm sure they smelled them first.)

[Bastet]

On 1/14/2023 at 5:25 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I think in my entire lifetime I've had only one egg float, and I keep them forever.

Same here.  Sometimes I go through them in a hurry, but in general I do not use a lot of eggs so it is not unusual for the last of the carton to be in the refrigerator for months.  I have never had a problem.  I hate "expiration" dates for the appalling amount of perfectly edible food thrown out each year because people take what is a largely arbitrary date, labeled "best by" or "sell by", to mean "turns into poison on this date, so throw it out".  I completely ignore dates in deciding whether to eat something that's been around a while.  I go by the feel, smell, and taste of food -- if those are all normal, I eat it.

I haven't seen that episode, but I join you in being heartened by the inclusion of that information.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Bastet

[dubbel zout]

17 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

they've tasted [eggs] after four months and they were fine

This is a relief to me, as I often don't finish even a half dozen eggs in a very timely fashion. I regularly bake muffins for my breakfast, but I live alone. Unless I'm doing more baking or eating German pancakes or scrambled eggs on a regular basis (spoiler: I'm not!), it can take me a while to eat six eggs.

I do make sure I store the eggs on a shelf, not in the fridge door. The shelf is supposed to be better because the temperature there is a little colder and more stable.

7 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I hate "expiration" dates for the appalling amount of perfectly edible food thrown out each year because people take what is a largely arbitrary date, labeled "best by" or "sell by", to mean "turns into poison on this date, so throw it out".  I completely ignore dates.  I go by the feel, smell, and taste of food -- if it passes those tests, I eat it.

Same. There are some items where a date is useful, such as milk, which does spoil more quickly than a lot of other foods. Mostly, though, the dates are arbitrary, as well as being inconsistently named, to boot.

[Bastet]

34 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

There are some items where a date is useful, such as milk, which does spoil more quickly than a lot of other foods.

Milk is all over the place; I've had milk before and after its date fail the smell test, or pass the smell test but fail at the taste test stage, and milk well past its date be perfectly potable.  It's one of the rare items for which I even look at the date, but only in the store -- because, as you said, it is something that spoils sooner rather than later (and it's another item I don't use a lot of), I'll pick one with the farthest-out date.  But once it's home, I never look at that date -- I sniff, then if that's good take a little taste, and if that's good, use.

Most other things, though, I don't even look.  (And I love browsing the "clearance" section for great deals on food that is most edible but its date is here or has passed; so many freaked-out buyers will take a pass the store will sell for a lot less in order to still make money on it.)

[Prevailing Wind]

I do pay attention to the Sell By dates on deli salads, like tuna or potato... anything mayo-based.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I've volunteered at a few food pantries, and they won't put "expired" food on the shelf.  In addition to (unwarranted) fear of poisoned food, it's been couched in terms of respect--like not allowing used toys for Toys for Tots, because it implies that the recipients don't deserve new toys.  So I kind of get it.

But they won't let the volunteers take the expired food home with them.  It has to get thrown away.  If the choice is between throwing it away and letting a volunteer have it, why not let the volunteer have it?  It's not like they'll be modifying the date on it in order to get it.

Or have a "clearance" section where the food pantry clients can get extra food, in addition to their allotment, with a clear indication that it's expired.  Let them make the choice.  Anything beats throwing it away.

And at the risk of grossing y'all out, I've found that if I don't drink from the carton, my milk lasts longer.

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But they won't let the volunteers take the expired food home with them.  It has to get thrown away.  If the choice is between throwing it away and letting a volunteer have it, why not let the volunteer have it?  It's not like they'll be modifying the date on it in order to get it.

I don't get that because it's widely known now that those "best by" dates are not for safety but for "optimal taste and texture".  It depends on how they word it.  If they say "use by" that might mean think twice before assuming it's still fresh, but it still doesn't mean it will go bad after that date.  Pretty much unless something says "throw away by" it doesn't necessarily mean the item is unsafe to eat after that date.  They really don't tell you in most cases when anything becomes unsafe to eat.  And if the volunteer is willing to accept that, why not?  Are they afraid someone will sue them?

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Are they afraid someone will sue them?

Bingo!

[South]

A couple of years ago, I learned somewher(ATK?) that milk labeled as ‘ultra pasteurized’ will last much longer than plain ole pasteurized.  The organic brand I use is labeled thusly.  I reckon the process adds to production costs, so maybe it’s only done to organic milk since folks are already willing to fork over a bit more for it.  I’ve never checked out the labels on standard milk for the ‘ultra’ designation.  My milk really does last for weeks.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I used to buy organic milk just because of the longer shelf life, because that meant I could buy it before I actually needed it, and it wouldn't go bad sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be deployed.  (But now I keep a quart of the shelf-stable milk from Dollar Tree around for milk emergencies.  It doesn't have to be refrigerated but if it's an emergency, I need it NOW and it needs to be cold.)

Several years ago I spent some time in the Pacific Northwest and it was the first place I noticed that a lot of their "regular" milk was ultra-pasteurized, and had a long shelf life.  I never did figure out why that would be--I've been traveling fulltime for 20 years and that's the only place I've encountered that.

There are a lot of people who say they can taste it when milk is ultra-pasteurized.  I can't tell the difference.

Did anybody catch the mustard tasting on the Cuban sandwich episode?  I had no idea there were that many varieties, and that one would send Julia into paroxysms of joy; she likened it to caviar.

[letusprocrastinate]

8 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Did anybody catch the mustard tasting on the Cuban sandwich episode?  I had no idea there were that many varieties, and that one would send Julia into paroxysms of joy; she likened it to caviar.

I don't know if ATK still does The Test Cook series, but 5 episodes covered the development of its Cuban sandwich recipe.  The link below is for all of them together, but if you search for "America's Test Kitchen Cuban sandwich" you can also find the 5 episodes individually.

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by letusprocrastinate

[StatisticalOutlier]

On the episode where Ashley made chocolate fudge, Ashley said they went through 177 pound of fudge when developing the recipe.  Yikes.

The editing process was on full display because there was a microwave clock behind Ashley.  Here's what she was saying:

I'm going to continue to cook this for 3 to 5 minutes.  And if you have an electric stove it could take about 5 minutes longer. (Clock: 11:36)

Let's check for the temperature.  We want it between 234 and 238 degrees.  (Clock 11:34)

Next she adds the chocolate, at 11:39, and is shown adding marshmallows on top of the chocolate and starting to stir at 11:40, while explaining what the marshmallows do, and then she says she's going to start whisking it until it resembles frosting, but the clock is back to 11:39.

I really wish they wouldn't show clocks in the background.  And I wish Ashley wouldn't say, "I went ahead and..."  Bridget was the queen of that, and Ashley's right on her heels.

[Bastet]

37 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I really wish they wouldn't show clocks in the background. 

Same!  I'm well aware of how television is made, but I cannot help but be distracted when there's something as obvious as a clock right there visible in the background.

[EtheltoTillie]

Is this show now just a YouTube show?  I never see it on PBS now. It used to be a Sunday late afternoon thing in the NYC area. 

[chessiegal]

 

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Is this show now just a YouTube show?  I never see it on PBS now. It used to be a Sunday late afternoon thing in the NYC area. 

It's on Create about every day. My PBS stations are still showing it (I get 3).

[Bastet]

It's still on one of my PBS stations (in Los Angeles).  There's a nice block of cooking shows Saturday afternoons, which kicks off with ATK (and includes CK later), but I haven't watched in a while.  I need to check the app to see if I've missed any new episodes of this.

[chessiegal]

@EtheltoTillie You might want to check with your PBS station. I've found they are usually responsive to inquiries. If you're a member with Passport membership access, it might be there.

I was watching an episode yesterday with Elle Simone. She'd lost weight and looked like she was wearing a wig. Sure enough, she survived ovarian cancer. Good for her.

[EtheltoTillie]

51 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

@EtheltoTillie You might want to check with your PBS station. I've found they are usually responsive to inquiries. If you're a member with Passport membership access, it might be there.

I was watching an episode yesterday with Elle Simone. She'd lost weight and looked like she was wearing a wig. Sure enough, she survived ovarian cancer. Good for her.

Oh, she's my "teal sister"!  I'll check this out. 

I am a Passport member, and their listing of episodes is disorganized!  But I can watch them.  It just seems like no new episodes are showing up as they used to on the local channel. 

[chessiegal]

CreateTV is doing a marathon this weekend of episodes featuring eggs.

[RockShrimp]

the ATK website updated so instead of episodes being available 2 weeks after it's on PBS now you get "one free episode a month" before it requires you to get an account. I never know when new episodes will show up on tv so I guess I will be super behind now.

[abbyzenn]

The other day I saw an episode where Julia was making brick roasted chicken.  She said it was the first thing she did on ATK 15 years ago (I think that's what she said) and they showed a clip of her from then.  She looked really cute with her hair about chin length and in a flip.

[dubbel zout]

Becky made tartiflette (cheese, bacon, and potato in a cream sauce) for Bridget, and Bridget was so overwhelmed by it she fake-cried, hee. It looked amazing, if so, so rich.

[chessiegal]

On 6/8/2023 at 1:26 PM, RockShrimp said:

the ATK website updated so instead of episodes being available 2 weeks after it's on PBS now you get "one free episode a month" before it requires you to get an account. I never know when new episodes will show up on tv so I guess I will be super behind now.

Are you a member of a PBS station at a level that gives you access to Passport? I got an email from MPT (Maryland Public Television) saying there was now an app for Passport. Not sure how much ATK is on there. There are also free channels on YouTube. I know Julia has a show about cooking in her small, as she describes it, kitchen.

[chessiegal]

I was watching an episode today where Julia is making kettle potato chips. She was using a small mandoline to slice the potatoes. She said she stops when there is still potato left so as not to cut herself. I'm yelling at the tv - use the food (hand) guard!!!!

On the other hand, Bridgette was making smashed burgers. Her tip for keeping tomatoes fresh is to store them on the counter stem side down. I'm getting my first CSA basket today, and they say we'll get tomatoes!

Edited July 21, 2023 by chessiegal

[Yeah No]

Did anyone watch the cooking competition entitled "America's Test Kitchen:  The Next Generation" that aired last December on FreeVee?  It's hosted by pretty much all the primary hosts on ATK (Minus Bridget for an unstated reason).  I just watched the first episode and I think it's pretty good so far.  I don't see a thread for it on the board, unfortunately.

[Bastet]

On 8/1/2023 at 11:39 PM, Yeah No said:

Did anyone watch the cooking competition entitled "America's Test Kitchen:  The Next Generation" that aired last December on FreeVee?  It's hosted by pretty much all the primary hosts on ATK (Minus Bridget for an unstated reason).  I just watched the first episode and I think it's pretty good so far.  I don't see a thread for it on the board, unfortunately.

I haven't watched it, but someone just created a thread for it.

[Mermaid Under]

After owning it for quite a while, I finally "smartened" my smart TV, and discovered I got a bunch of free (and the quality reflects the price) channels. One of them is the ATK channel where they repeatedly rerun ATK and Cooks Country, sometimes the really old ones with Chris Kimball, when Julia was just Julia Collin. 

I was surprised to see Becky on those old shows, cooking with Chris.  I didn't realize she had been with the show as long as Jack, Bridget, Julia and Adam.  Strangely, she seemed less nervous and more comfortable on those early shows  then she does now.   When she spoke, every single sentence didn't fly up in tone at the end and sound like a question rather than a statement.  The nervous laugh appears less often. 

[AllAboutMBTV]

Don't know if it was a one-off, but Cook's Country host Toni Tipton Martin left her on-set library (and Teleprompter) to make poke with Morgan. She is not a natural in front of the camera yet, so I hope she relaxes a bit if she's going to continue in the role. (Of course, the show's other on-air presenters have years, if not decades, of experience.)

[MerBearHou]

24 minutes ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

Don't know if it was a one-off, but Cook's Country host Toni Tipton Martin left her on-set library (and Teleprompter) to make poke with Morgan. She is not a natural in front of the camera yet, so I hope she relaxes a bit if she's going to continue in the role. (Of course, the show's other on-air presenters have years, if not decades, of experience.)

I saw that and thought "oh no, now they're putting her in a cooking segment".  I think she's a producer?  To me, she is the equivalent of a human sleeping pill.  She is not good on screen.  Even after all of this time of her carefully prepared segments on explaining parts of food history, snoozer...  She shouldn't try to be more "on" -- clearly that is just her personality and not everyone is meant to be in front of a camera.

[chessiegal]

Toni is much more than a producer. She's high up in the ranks at Cook's Illustrated.

Quote

Quote

Toni Tipton-Martin is an award-winning food and nutrition journalist who is busy building a healthier community through her books, foundation and in her role as Editor in Chief of Cook’s Country Magazine and its television show. She is the recipient of the Julia Child Foundation Award, which is given to an individual (or team) who has made a profound and significant difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks; is a three-time James Beard Book Award winner; and she has earned the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Trailblazer Award, its Book of the Year Award, and Member of the Year Award. She appeared as a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, was featured on CBS Sunday Morning’s annual Food Show and in the anthology, Best Food Writing of 2016. She received Notable Mention in The Best American Essays of 2015 and is profiled in Aetna’s 35th Annual African American History Calendar.

 

Toni Tipton-Martin

[woofy]

Regardless of her credentials, I find Toni to be incredibly annoying and hit the mute button everytime she appears.

[chessiegal]

Mileage varies. I find Toni to be a pleasant and accomplished person.

[dubbel zout]

I think Toni is pleasant and accomplished, but I don't think she adds too much to the show. It's a shame, because culinary history can be fascinating. She simply doesn't have enough time to do more than give surface information, and it's often on the duh side of things.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Mileage varies. I find Toni to be a pleasant and accomplished person.

I absolutely agree that she is pleasant and accomplished.  But I just find her delivery and presence onscreen to be super-dull.  

[buttersister]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I think Toni is pleasant and accomplished, but I don't think she adds too much to the show. It's a shame, because culinary history can be fascinating.

She’s a wonderful writer. I was excited she was getting involved with an enterprise that needed updating. Badly. It’s not translating well to the magazine, either. Not renewing—and I get a ridiculous deal. 

[Deskisamess]

On 10/17/2023 at 2:44 PM, woofy said:

Regardless of her credentials, I find Toni to be incredibly annoying and hit the mute button everytime she appears.

I usually record this show, and FF through Toni's segments. I don't enjoy her bits at all, she's tough to listen to. Not sure who decided she needed to be on camera, but don't agree.

[Bastet]

On 10/17/2023 at 1:57 PM, MerBearHou said:

But I just find her delivery and presence onscreen to be super-dull.  

I enjoy her presence.  And, although I agree with this about the segments:

On 10/17/2023 at 1:27 PM, dubbel zout said:

She simply doesn't have enough time to do more than give surface information, and it's often on the duh side of things.

That's true of the food science segments, too; they are, by necessity, very 101.

[chessiegal]

I was watching Bridgette make a lattice top peach pie the other day. As someone who is pie crust challenged, I wondered if they are so good they never need to stop filming and start again if they goof up, or use a swap out. 

[roughing it]

On 10/29/2023 at 10:57 AM, chessiegal said:

I wondered if they are so good they never need to stop filming and start again if they goof up, or use a swap out. 

I also wonder about the thermometer "we need it to register 175 degrees" and voila! the thermometer reads exactly 175.

[Mondrianyone]

18 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I also wonder about the thermometer "we need it to register 175 degrees" and voila! the thermometer reads exactly 175.

I always wonder about that. I never come anywhere near that close when I try to temp things accurately. They're at most a degree or two off. I'm lucky if I get within thirty degrees!

I do think that if you've made a few hundred pies in your life, though, you can probably get through one on camera without needing to stop tape.

[chessiegal]

I never have a problem when temping meat. I'm usually within a few degrees.

[Mondrianyone]

And I can make a piecrust without screwing it up. We all have our talents.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I never have a problem when temping meat. I'm usually within a few degrees.

Same here (thank goodness, as I cannot abide overcooked meat of any kind), and they cook even more than I do, so I can believe it.  Well, not it being right on the nose each time, but within a few degrees, and I seem to recall shots where the temp was a degree or two above or below.  Maybe I'm imagining that, though, and they really do insert an exact temperature shot every time.

[chessiegal]

I've seen shots where they were looking for 175 degrees, and they show it starting out a degree or 2 lower and then going up to maybe 176 degrees. That's how my thermometer works.

[chessiegal]

Today I learned my plastic cutting boards I love will dull my knives. Too bad, because I put my cutting boards in the dishwasher. Fortunately, I have their top choice for a knife sharpener, the Chef's Choice.