America's Test Kitchen - General Discussion

[huahaha]

So many cooking shows have had two people on screen at a time without doing the submissive stare, though. An easy fix would've been to let the cooks continue to chop, saute, whatever, in the background, looking up occasionally.

[Mittengirl]

Yesterday I made the Sticky Buns from this season.  The "problem" they claim to have with other sticky bun recipes is a dry, hard bun, which I have never had an issue with in the 5-6 recipes I have tried.   My problem has always been with the sticky topping either coming out grainy or too hard/tacky, but having a great flavor.  To give credit, their topping texture was excellent, and I will use that part of the recipe going forward.  The buns were nothing to brag about, however.  They are OK, but I have made better.   For all of Julia's(?) talk about not liking sticky buns, but loving the ones on the show, I didn't see that much difference.  YMMV, as always.

I followed their recipe as written except:  

subbed AP flour for bread flour

Subbed light brown sugar for dark

used Lyle's Golden Syrup* instead of corn syrup

added more cinnamon to the filling (2 tsp instead of only 1, still could have used more)

 

*I had never used Lyle's before, but I really like the taste of it.  It has a buttery, toffeeish taste to it rather than just sweet.  I will definitely make that switch from now on.

[Bastet]

Would you believe that, until today, I didn't actually know what Baked Alaska was?  I'd heard it mentioned throughout my life, often with disdain, but never described.

Their version definitely sounded better than how they described the traditional version (three different flavors vs. vanilla, vanilla, and vanilla), but I don't care for chocolate cake and hate coffee-flavored anything.  I could substitute flavors, obviously, but oh my god, Baked Alaska takes a lot of work!  And the meringue layer is huge.  That's one crazy dessert.

I got a silly little kick out of the test to see which types of cake made the best insulators.  Duh, it's the airiest ones, but the simple visual of putting them on the hot griddle made it work.

Edited May 6, 2017 by Bastet

[biakbiak]

I was watching a repeat of Cooks Country where they were testing water bottles and smug ass Chris was talking about just reusing the "free" bottle that comes when you buy your cases of water. I was so annoyed because while there are examples where it's not the case the vast majority of the US has potable water straight from the faucet and so a reusable water bottle makes economic and environmental sense. He was just so smug about how these were stupid and an unnecessary expense I wanted to strangle him with his bow tie. So buy your water Chris that is filled from the same sources that your faucet brings into your house and pretend your being thrifty and smart reusing your "free" plastic water bottle.

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

I was watching a repeat of Cooks Country where they were testing water bottles and smug ass Chris was talking about just reusing the "free" bottle that comes when you buy your cases of water. I was so annoyed because while there are examples where it's not the case the vast majority of the US has potable water straight from the faucet and so a reusable water bottle makes economic and environmental sense. He was just so smug about how these were stupid and an unnecessary expense I wanted to strangle him with his bow tie. So buy your water Chris that is filled from the same sources that your faucet brings into your house and pretend your being thrifty and smart reusing your "free" plastic water bottle.

The part that annoyed me about that is there is research that shows eventually chemicals can leach out of the plastic water bottles after repeated use, making good water bad. Very disappointed ATK would promote a bad practice.

[biakbiak]

Just now, chessiegal said:

The part that annoyed me about that is there is research that shows eventually chemicals can leach out of the plastic water bottles after repeated use, making good water bad. Very disappointed ATK would promote a bad practice.

Yeah that annoyed me as well but I needed to focus my rage on Chris because he was at his self-righteous worst during the segment.

[Snarklepuss]

On 4/6/2017 at 9:30 PM, CarpeDiem54 said:

I just watched the "Outsmarting Thanksgiving" episode and have never in my life seen such an over the top, elaborate way to make gravy.  Fifty steps (okay, I'm exaggerating a little), numerous strainings, and using various bowls and pans came across as pretentious.  Whatever happened to throwing the neck and giblets in the pan, roasting them along with the turkey, and making the gravy in the roasting pan?  You can pour the drippings into the fat separator, work on the rest of your ingredients in the pan, pour your drippings and other liquids back in the pan, and finally strain it into your serving bowl without all of the folderol, wasted time and huge pile of dirty dishes.

Hah, I hear you!  I especially hate it when they pull this with Italian American food as that's my specialty given my heritage.  I don't have to go through 50 steps and add 20 strange ingredients to my meatballs to have them come out moist and delicious.  My grandma didn't need to do all that, she just taught me the secret, which it is obvious to me they don't know or else they wouldn't have to go through all these strange steps in an attempt to duplicate it.

BTW, the secret with meatballs is not to add water.  IMO that changes the texture to be too "mealy".  It's better to add one tablespoon of milk.  And you don't have to make a "pomade" for them to come out moist.  You can just use regular old fashioned dry Italian style bread crumbs as long as you use 2 eggs per pound of meat and more grated cheese than you think (like 3/4 of a cup).  Plus you don't have to bake them, you can fry them but the heat/flame has to be very low and you have to keep turning them often.  Also, don't overwork the mixture or they come out tough!

Edited May 7, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[Watermelon]

On 5/1/2017 at 1:00 AM, Mittengirl said:

Yesterday I made the Sticky Buns from this season.  The "problem" they claim to have with other sticky bun recipes is a dry, hard bun, which I have never had an issue with in the 5-6 recipes I have tried.   My problem has always been with the sticky topping either coming out grainy or too hard/tacky, but having a great flavor.  To give credit, their topping texture was excellent, and I will use that part of the recipe going forward.  The buns were nothing to brag about, however.  They are OK, but I have made better.   For all of Julia's(?) talk about not liking sticky buns, but loving the ones on the show, I didn't see that much difference.  YMMV, as always.

I followed their recipe as written except:  

subbed AP flour for bread flour

Subbed light brown sugar for dark

used Lyle's Golden Syrup* instead of corn syrup

added more cinnamon to the filling (2 tsp instead of only 1, still could have used more)

 

*I had never used Lyle's before, but I really like the taste of it.  It has a buttery, toffeeish taste to it rather than just sweet.  I will definitely make that switch from now on.

Then you didn't follow the recipe. AP and bread flour aren't the same(different protein content). Light and Brown sugar have a different molasses content....Maybe Julia's recipe would have been mediocre anyway, but I think there's something to be said for following a recipe precisely, especially the first time.

[Mittengirl]

In my defense, I usually do follow recipes the first time.  And ATK's recipe on their website gave us "permission" to sub the light brown sugar for dark.

 

After having eaten the whole pan of sticky buns (not by myself!), I think my disappointment stems less from their recipe than from the way they sold it on the TV show.   I think they just wanted to make sticky buns and show off their cooked flour method, but the way they raved over them oversold the end product, IMO.  As I said, they were good, and the topping excellent, but not exactly earthshaking.

 I have seen other instances where they show the "before" of a recipe they have "perfected" and I wonder what chimp threw it together.  It seems like they sometimes feel a need to exaggerate how bad the traditional recipe/method is, in order to convince us how brilliant their way is.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Mittengirl

[Snarklepuss]

I enjoyed the chicken cutlet episode.  What I'm liking most is seeing more of Julia's sense of humor.  She was always a little on the reserved side with Chris.  I liked the Chicken Marsala recipe in spite of them putting gelatin in it.  With the flour I don't really think it's necessary, but I guess they are always reinventing the wheel on this show, so whatever.

[dubbel zout]

More and more recipes with a sauce include gelatin, I've found. I think because it's flavorless and reliable. I don't mind a watery sauce myself, so I'm not going to go to the trouble.

[biakbiak]

Has anyone every done a dry roux Before? I had never heard of the technique before but the used it to make their chicken and sausage gumbo and it's certainly easier than stirring a roux for an hour or longer.

[Bastet]

How appropriate for ATK to test little prep bowls, since they use about a dozen of them per recipe.  The winning set looked nice, with the different sizes and how they nested, so I might pick one up some time just to have, but I don't really do my mise en place that way.  I have a big cutting board, and I make piles of my prepped ingredients on it.  Some things do go in a bowl or cup, but I keep it at a minimum; I don't like to have a bunch of extra stuff to wash.  Plus, with a lot of recipes, there's inactive time while one thing is cooking, and I can use that time to prep the remaining ingredients, rather than needing to have everything ready before I even start.

[Terrafamilia]

I am pretty bad at multitasking while I cook so getting my mess in place is essential. I have an old, beat up set of measuring cups I use and I put the herbs, spices, whatnot that are put in in the same step into the same cup so that I don't need a separate dish for each and every little thing.

[dubbel zout]

I made the pasta e ceci for dinner tonight, and it's really good. The best part? Hardly any pots and pans! The recipe suggests a glug of olive oil on a serving, and I second that. It adds a great hit of flavor.

[biakbiak]

To answer my own question I did the dry roux method with my grandfather's gumbo recipe because I never trust ATK spice level because so often they are too bland but it worked quite well. Purists might be able to tell but most people won't and it is so much easier and quicker because you can toast the flour ahead of time and it doesn't require much active time.

[bad things are bad]

TBF it's TV. Most cooking shows have a bajillion little cups and mise en place. 

[Mittengirl]

Is Cook's Country still in production?  I can't go by what airs locally.  My PBS stations seem not to believe in an actual schedule - things just show up at random days and times, usually long after they air nationally.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Is Cook's Country still in production?  I can't go by what airs locally.  My PBS stations seem not to believe in an actual schedule - things just show up at random days and times, usually long after they air nationally.

Yes, it supposed to start premiering this fall. Not sure who is hosting.

[Mittengirl]

Thanks,  I will start looking for episodes around February.   Unless my station gets crazy and airs things on time.

[dubbel zout]

I just watched the ATK episode with oatmeal cookies and pecan bars, both of which looked so good. It's a nitpick but I thought it was unnecessary with the pecan bars was forming the dough into little balls and putting them in the pan, instead of just throwing the whole thing in and pressing into place that way. I guess it depends on how crumbly the dough is in the first place. 

[Mondrianyone]

Has anyone made that updated version of chicken marsala from a few weeks ago (in my market--I know the scheduling is hinky)?  I was thinking of doing it for a dinner party, under my new policy of daring to serve things to other people that I haven't made just for us once beforehand, since life is now too short to do a practice run of everything.  It looked very promising, but it'd be good to hear from someone who's actually tried it.  I'm definitely adopting that method for cutting chicken breasts that they showed.

[Snarklepuss]

16 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Has anyone made that updated version of chicken marsala from a few weeks ago (in my market--I know the scheduling is hinky)?  I was thinking of doing it for a dinner party, under my new policy of daring to serve things to other people that I haven't made just for us once beforehand, since life is now too short to do a practice run of everything.  It looked very promising, but it'd be good to hear from someone who's actually tried it.  I'm definitely adopting that method for cutting chicken breasts that they showed.

I haven't made it yet but I saved the episode and it's on my list of things to make in the near future so if I do I'll post back with my feedback.  It does look like a good recipe!

[J-Man]

Is this season over already? This week my station showed a repeat of the corned beef/snickerdoodles episode.

[Bastet]

I brine chicken and pork all the time, but it never would have occurred to me to brine salmon.  I don't know that I will, but the mango salsa they made to go with their salmon looks like it would be a nice addition.  (I generally bake mine, and I don't eat the skin.)

I was rather surprised to hear they usually cook with farmed salmon, though; I will only eat wild.

The shrimp scampi, poached in shrimp stock, sounds interesting, especially since the stock takes so little time to prepare.  I'm definitely going to try it, as I love shrimp scampi.

Drinking shots of fish sauce - wow, Bridget earned her money this week.  I like when she does taste tests; she has an impressive ability to identify individual flavors.

[biakbiak]

On Saturday, July 01, 2017 at 1:24 PM, Bastet said:

I was rather surprised to hear they usually cook with farmed salmon, though; I will only eat wild.

I was surprised by the fact that as well and also only eat wild for a variety of reasons. 

I am definitely going to try the brine and cooking method next time I make salmon.

I will also try the shrimp scampi.

[chessiegal]

We took a series of cooking classes about 10 years ago. One class was 6 ways to cook salmon. The instructor (culinary school grad) said if you're cooking wild salmon, don't marinate or mess with it - it has enough flavor on its own. She recommended marinating farmed salmon to give it flavor. I marinate it with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, soy sauce, and dill before grilling.

I subscribe to all the ATK web sites. If I find a recipe I will use often, I print it out and put it in a binder. Otherwise I just pull up the recipe from their website and prop my tablet or laptop on the counter when I cook.

[Florinaldo]

On 2017-06-14 at 5:07 PM, J-Man said:

Is this season over already? This week my station showed a repeat of the corned beef/snickerdoodles episode.

According to their Web site, there are 26 episodes to this season. The last new episode on our PBS station was a few weeks ago, #19 on canning (which I found amusing because they presented small-batch canning as a revolutionary idea, whereas for years now I have been cutting jam and pickling recipes by half or even by four); today was a repat of #6 on seafood. The PBS schedule for next week indicates it will be #20, steak and veggies, so you probably should get new ones soon in your area too.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Florinaldo

[Bastet]

I got the steak and veggies episode today.  I'm not much for flank steak, so wouldn't ever bother with that two-step cooking process, but it probably worked to make it something actually edible as a steak.  (Slathering them with compound butter wouldn't hurt, either.)

I don't like ratatouille, either; I hate eggplant, but even if made with all vegetables I like, I just don't like the texture as I don't like stewed vegetables (I like my vegetables to still be crunchy).

That $230 carbon steel pan was, indeed, pretty, though.

[Nessie]

I hate to say it, but I feel like the show and the website have devolved into complete messes since Chris...ummm...left.  For at least the last three weeks, the episode description has been for the next episode (ie today the description was for episode 1723 - Fast Food Makeovers but instead I got 1722 - A Spanish Affair). The website is a mess; the episodes go from 14 to 4 to 25 to 24 to 6 to 16 etc.  

But the absolute worst is that this new show format is making me hate Julia.  When she stands there exclaiming "oooo" or "mmmm" or "oh, look at that!" as Dan demonstrates boiling potatoes to her, it just comes off as so fake.  It irritates the crap out of me.  At least Bridget doesn't seem to feel the need to fill every moment of silence with a random sound.  I wish they would just let them cook recipes together and stop all this demonstrating to each other nonsense.

[Zahdii]

I wouldn't know, as my local station hasn't seen fit to show any of the new episodes.   I guess I'm not missing much?

[Christina]

I have to pay for PBS because I don't live in an area that is covered by "local" channels and get two different stations. Neither one has shown a new episode and neither one has had the description match the episode for weeks. I'm still getting Chris episodes with an episode interspersed here and there of the new ones, although they are never listed as such. The last new episode was over a month ago, at least.

I know Chris didn't create the show and, in my opinion, was stealing resources to start his new venture when he saw the writing on the wall and knew he was going to be asked to take a pay cut, but he was the face of the show and was always promoting it. I unsubscribed from the newsletters because I found them obnoxious and think the others can step it up if they relaxed and stopped trying to make conversation where there didn't need to be any. 

[Snarklepuss]

I love Julia and Bridget and so I give them a lot of slack, but they can even bug me in this new format.  Sometimes I roll my eyes at them cooing and ahhing together like little girls with a new toy.  Chris was the backbone of the show and without him it does seem to lack something.  I've subscribed to his new magazine and so far it's pretty good.  I hear his new show will be on come the fall so that should be interesting.  I also wonder how "Cook's Country" will be once a Chris-less season airs.  It pretty much revolved around his history in Vermont so without him that would feel a little empty too.  I used to like it when he had his neighbor come over with a botched dish that ATK would "fix".  Gone are those days....

[biakbiak]

On Sunday, July 23, 2017 at 4:15 PM, Snarklepuss said:

It pretty much revolved around his history in Vermont so without him that would feel a little empty too.

I guess that's how it started but it has evolved far past that, of course I always ffwd his intro.

[Skyfall]

On 7/22/2017 at 3:56 PM, Nessie said:

I hate to say it, but I feel like the show and the website have devolved into complete messes since Chris...ummm...left.  For at least the last three weeks, the episode description has been for the next episode (ie today the description was for episode 1723 - Fast Food Makeovers but instead I got 1722 - A Spanish Affair). The website is a mess; the episodes go from 14 to 4 to 25 to 24 to 6 to 16 etc.  

But the absolute worst is that this new show format is making me hate Julia.  When she stands there exclaiming "oooo" or "mmmm" or "oh, look at that!" as Dan demonstrates boiling potatoes to her, it just comes off as so fake.  It irritates the crap out of me.  At least Bridget doesn't seem to feel the need to fill every moment of silence with a random sound.  I wish they would just let them cook recipes together and stop all this demonstrating to each other nonsense.

Maybe your local station n has more than one airing a week? I know mine has 2-3 and only one is reserved for new eps when they are airing.

[Nessie]

21 hours ago, Skyfall said:

Maybe your local station n has more than one airing a week? I know mine has 2-3 and only one is reserved for new eps when they are airing.

I don't know if I'm explaining this properly.  These are not old episodes...well, they are, but they are only off by one week.  The description every week for the new one for the last month or so has been off by one episode from what was actually shown.  This is not just the description on the guide, it is what is recorded on my DVR. I will select "America's Test Kitchen".  It will say "1724 - Summer Dinner Party -  Host Julia Collin Davison goes into the test kitchen with test cook Dan Souza to learn how to make the ultimate Grill-Roasted Beef Tenderloin. Next, equipment expert Adam Ried reviews gas grills in the Equipment Corner. Then, gadget guru Lisa McManus uncovers the best quirky gadgets. Finally, test cook Erin McMurrer shows host Bridget Lancaster how to make an elegant Pear-Walnut Upside-Down Cake."  I will hit play and surprise!  I will get lovely shots of a pizza and chicken tacos and be told that those are what I'm going to be shown how to make.  

And now, after showing episode 23 in place of episode 24 last week, I am not seeing listings for any more new episodes when according to the website, there should be at least two more.  Now, this could all be the fault of my PBS station, true, and I should be glad to even have gotten most of the new season since according to some people on here, they haven't (and I am), but that still doesn't excuse the website being a mess, especially when it comes to the page for the latest season.  You would think they would want it to look as professional as possible.

I just reread this and it's a lot of complaining.  Sorry.  Anyone would think I don't like the shows and that's not true.  I do still enjoy them for the most part, I just don't really like change and don't have a lot of patience with growing pains, especially when they're playing out on air.  

Edited July 31, 2017 by Nessie
attitude adjustment

[Bastet]

Julia cracked me up in the olive oil tasting segment of this weekend's episode -- her reaction to Jack's instruction, and then her implementation of it.  Fun stuff.

[Skyfall]

Also all episodes are on the website.

[Nessie]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Julia cracked me up in the olive oil tasting segment of this weekend's episode -- her reaction to Jack's instruction, and then her implementation of it.  Fun stuff.

Agreed.  I enjoyed that segment. Julia knows her stuff and has never shied away from giving her opinion.  Which is why these cooking segments drive me crazy.  Just let them cook!

Goodness I'm cranky tonight.

1 hour ago, Skyfall said:

Also all episodes are on the website.

Yes they are.  They are just all out of order, unlike previous seasons.

And at this point, I'm very sorry I brought it up.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Nessie
commas matter

[dubbel zout]

On 7/31/2017 at 9:52 PM, Nessie said:

On 7/31/2017 at 7:26 PM, Bastet said:

Julia cracked me up in the olive oil tasting segment of this weekend's episode -- her reaction to Jack's instruction, and then her implementation of it.  Fun stuff.

Agreed.  I enjoyed that segment. Julia knows her stuff and has never shied away from giving her opinion.

I loved her asking Jack if her aspiration of the olive oil was elegant, and it was very slurpy. Hee.

The grilled pizza looked amazing and made me curse the fact I live in New York City and can't grill. 

A dedicated avocado tool seems like a waste of space, even if you have the storage. I'm glad Lisa said a chef's knife was still the best thing to use.

[biakbiak]

The new season of Cooks County premiered tonight in San Francisco. It was exactly the same format, Bridget and Julia did the intro and the only difference was that they didn't get chairs and awkwardly walked across the porch and sat down on the steps.

[Snarklepuss]

On 7/23/2017 at 7:15 PM, Snarklepuss said:

It pretty much revolved around his history in Vermont so without him that would feel a little empty too. 

On 7/28/2017 at 10:38 PM, biakbiak said:

I guess that's how it started but it has evolved far past that, of course I always ffwd his intro.

 

Well the show still takes place in VT so why don't they just move the show to a country setting closer to Boston then where they film ATK then?  I don't think that would work because being in VT is still relevant to the show.  I think "Cook's Country" still carries the ghost of Chris like all of ATK.

The more of my friends I talk to about ATK in general, the more of them come out to admit they don't like it as much as they did when Chris was on the show - And all of them said they didn't especially love Chris either!  It seems he was this snarky curmudgeon that people loved to grouse about but when forced to live without him they realize they like that even LESS.  Go figure!

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

move the show to a country setting closer to Boston then where they film ATK then?  I don't think that would work because being in VT is still relevant to the show.  I think "Cook's Country" still carries the ghost of Chris like all of ATK.

I guess we all see things differently, I have never thought Vermont was relevant to the show most people I know who watch don't even know it's filmed in Vermont. In fact for the longest time I thought they only filmed the porch intro in Vermont and the other parts back in Boston. Most of the recipes on the show aren't New England based or even farm based if it wasn't for the different sets and having an outdoor grilling space I would be hard pressed to describe the differences between CC and ATK.

[emma675]

Huh, I never knew they actually filmed in Vermont. I knew the porch front stuff Chris did was there but I didn't realize they actually filmed the rest of the show there, too. I guess it's nice, but to me it's a not a vital part of what they did/do.

[dubbel zout]

I saw it as a way to distinguish the CC brand from ATK. They test the hell out of all the recipes, but ATK is a little more formal, so we get the test kitchen. CC is more casual, so it's in Vermont.

[Skyfall]

This was in response to Tyler Florence's Test Kitchen which aired two episodes last year and getting a reair this weekend. Why not solve both issues and have Tyler join ATK/CC as the main host?

[biakbiak]

17 minutes ago, Skyfall said:

This was in response to Tyler Florence's Test Kitchen which aired two episodes last year and getting a reair this weekend. Why not solve both issues and have Tyler join ATK/CC as the main host?

Please no! I can't stand him. Though the pop overs at Wayfarer Tauren are delicious!

[dubbel zout]

I don't miss Chris, either. The cooks did all the work anyway, so it's not as if things have changed that much.

[Totale]

It's like Prairie Home Companion without Garrison Keillor.  ChrisK was so associated with the magazine (for those who got it) and/or the TV shows that at first it was very strange, and now it's just the show continues much as before and you either go along or don't.  Haven't seen the new CC yet, but on new ATK I felt bad for the ladies because they have to figure out their presentation (which they never signed up for and haven't quite done yet), but really the core of the show is the same and I got about as much out of it this year as last.  I'll watch CC hoping for the same.

[Terrafamilia]

My two cents - Though I enjoy both, of the two shows the recipes I actually try out tend to come from Cook's Country.