America's Test Kitchen - General Discussion

[Florinaldo]

16 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Someone said in the comments on the website that they think the recipe asked for too much water

Looking over my notes on the recipe's printout, I see that when I scaled down the amounts for making a smaller batch, I rounded down the figure for water, which perhaps explains why I got satisfactory results.

[Chef Rene Hewitt]

I am so proud to be accepted to, America's Test Kitchen Home Recipe Tester.  The recipes are right on point.  All that I've learned at Hudson County Community College of Culinary Arts is showing.  Thanks ATK, for having me work with you.  Keep the recipes coming.

[chessiegal]

I've been a home recipe tester for Cook's Country for about 10 years.

[Mittengirl]

Do you just test the recipe as given to you or can you make suggestions, like not using so many bowls or utensils?

[chessiegal]

You test the recipe as written, giving yes and no answers, like did you do something different or sub an ingredient. At the end of the survey there is a place to make narrative comments. Seems to me over the years they've gotten better about not using so many pots and pans,

[StatisticalOutlier]

FYI, y'all, if you're watching the episode of Cook's Country about Texas-sized bbq pork chops and baked beans, the town where Cooper's is located is Llano, with the "a" pronounced like in "cat," not like in "cot," as Bridget did.  Twice.

Further counting:  her demonstration of the beans had only five "I'm gonna go ahead and"s, but one was actually "I've gone ahead and..." which gets her bonus points.

Edited June 28, 2018 by StatisticalOutlier

[dubbel zout]

I just saw the ATK episode where poor Julia has to taste white-wine vinegar. Her facial expressions were priceless.

[larapu2000]

6 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I just saw the ATK episode where poor Julia has to taste white-wine vinegar. Her facial expressions were priceless.

Yeah, I'm not sure why they did it that way.  I work in the food industry, and the way you taste vinegar is dipping a sugar cube in it and sucking the liquid out so it's tolerable.

[biakbiak]

27 minutes ago, larapu2000 said:

Yeah, I'm not sure why they did it that way.  I work in the food industry, and the way you taste vinegar is dipping a sugar cube in it and sucking the liquid out so it's tolerable.

For the visuals of her reaction. Last season she drank shots of fish sauce. I can handle drinking straight vinegar and love fish sauce but don’t think I could have handled that.

[StatisticalOutlier]

The scientific explanations usually fly right over my head, but I actually understood the one about why you can't overcook mushrooms.  Good work, show.

Bridget pronounced "solder" with the "L" audible.  It took me a second to even understand what she was talking about.  I can't believe nobody on the crew caught it.  The name of some small town in Texas?  Maybe that's forgivable (although they were doing a segment on it, for heaven's sake, so surely someone had heard it pronounced while there).  But solder?

Edited August 6, 2018 by StatisticalOutlier

[Kohola3]

6 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The scientific explanations usually fly right over my head, but I actually understood the one about why you can't overcook mushrooms.  Good work, show.

 

Was that a recent episode?  I missed that!

[StatisticalOutlier]

15 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Was that a recent episode?  I missed that!

I think it's new.  It's ATK #1824 "To Meat or Not to Meat" and it aired in Nashville last Saturday.  They taste canned crushed tomatoes and make two pasta sauces, one of which is meatless and has mushrooms, hence the science segment. 

[Kohola3]

20 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I think it's new.  It's ATK #1824 "To Meat or Not to Meat" and it aired in Nashville last Saturday.  They taste canned crushed tomatoes and make two pasta sauces, one of which is meatless and has mushrooms, hence the science segment. 

Thanks, I will look for that one for sure.  Sounds like a good episode!

[biakbiak]

Caught a new episode of Cook’s Country filmed in the new studio, it felt tiny and dark. They also got a new house for the exteriors. 

I think I am going to make the Wellesley Fudge Cake for my birthday!

[Mondrianyone]

They haven't shown that episode on our PBS station yet, but I saw a photo of that cake in my CC email today.  If it tastes as good as it looks, I'd definitely have that as my b'day cake.  But somebody else should bake it for you!  (Happy b'day, whenever it's coming up!)

[dubbel zout]

The Wellesley cake looked fantastic. My mouth was watering. Thank goodness I never went to a school that banned treats like it did at that time!

[AllAboutMBTV]

I have a friend who works on Cooks Country, and he said the new house exteriors are the Appleton Farms in Ipswich, Mass.

[biakbiak]

46 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

But somebody else should bake it for you!  (Happy b'day, whenever it's coming up!)

I want it to be good and I know the limitations of my boyfriend and friends! It’s going to be a birthday/Emmy viewing party so I will be doing lots of cooking but I enjoy it.

[Mondrianyone]

I get it.  If you want something done right, do it yourself.  Sounds like a fun way to spend your birthday!

Now I'm curious about why Wellesley thought they had a right to ban treats.  I went to one of the other Seven Sisters schools, and all they banned was living with your boyfriend.  And now I feel ancient.

[dubbel zout]

3 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

If you want something done right, do it yourself.

I always make my own cake. I love baking, I get to lick the bowl, and the entire process is entirely under my control.

I went to a Big Ten school and had such a battle with my parents to live in a coed dorm. It was segregated by floor, but for some reason they thought it was some den of inequity. It was harmless.

[biakbiak]

36 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I always make my own cake. I love baking, I get to lick the bowl, and the entire process is entirely under my control.

I went to a Big Ten school and had such a battle with my parents to live in a coed dorm. It was segregated by floor, but for some reason they thought it was some den of inequity. It was harmless.

Yeah I enjoy doing it and then people feel guilty so they take me out to many meals around my birthday so win/win!

My freshman dorm had coed bathrooms, our first dorm meeting involved a long discussion and vote on what hours it was allowed to have sex in the showers! 

The chicken and pastry did not look appealing to me at all.

[dubbel zout]

21 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

The chicken and pastry did not look appealing to me at all.

I didn’t quite understand that recipe. It’s not dumplings, noodles, or a pastry topping. So.... And you remove the best part of the chicken, IMO—the crispy skin.

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I didn’t quite understand that recipe. It’s not dumplings, noodles, or a pastry topping. So.... And you remove the best part of the chicken, IMO—the crispy skin.

And the beigeness actively offended me! It looked like something my grandmother would make if I were sick and couldn’t handle any flavorful food but she at least would have tossed in some parsley! 

[biakbiak]

I am not sure if everyone knows this but if you follow @testkitchen on IG they post a recipe everyday (it might just be M-F) that you can access for free.

[dubbel zout]

I was genuinely surprised there was no parsley. Or dill, or anything green.

[MorganSte]

On 8/28/2018 at 12:28 PM, biakbiak said:

Caught a new episode of Cook’s Country filmed in the new studio, it felt tiny and dark.

It seemed like the color saturation was off on my TV!

[chessiegal]

I have a beef with an episode I saw yesterday. They were doing a taste test of canned tomatoes. One had basil in it, and Bridgette criticized saying you might not want the basil. I thought surely that same brand sells the product without the basil, and while at the store today verified that it does. Why were they comparing apples to oranges? Secondly, someone needs to teach Bridgette the proper pronunciation of "solder".

Edited September 16, 2018 by chessiegal

[biakbiak]

Made the Wellesley Chocolate Fudge Cake, round not square, it was crazy rich and very delicious! 

[Kohola3]

Address?  I'll catch a plane, save me a piece.

[dubbel zout]

Make that two pieces! Gorgeous, @biakbiak! I have a chocolate cake recipe I love so much I'm afraid to try something else for fear it won't live up, but the Wellesley cake is seriously making me want to try it.

[biakbiak]

I guess I am on a Cooks Country kick. Today I made the hot dipped chicken and it was delicious. I couldn’t find Texas Pete hot sauce so I used Tapatio and added a little honey and slightly more vinegar to balance it because it’s hotter. Definitely tasty and will go into the rotation.

[Kohola3]

31 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I guess I am on a Cooks Country kick.

And since it's suddenly turned to autumn, I am making sweet potato soup and cornbread for tomorrow.  Perfect for a cool, bright day.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/16/2018 at 12:36 PM, chessiegal said:

Secondly, someone needs to teach Bridgette the proper pronunciation of "solder".

Ha!  I posted about that very thing upthread.  Was she just reading from a script and didn't realize that what looks like "solder" sounds like "sodder"?  Because I would imagine that millions more people know how the word "solder" sounds than how it looks on the page. 

[BigBingerBro]

I finally saw a CC episode in the new studio and I agree that it seems way too tiny.  Not a fan of the new music either, I suppose it will grow on me.  It obvious they are slowly making changes from the Chris Kimball version, which means it's becoming quite different from ATK.  

I really wish they would tag-team the recipes instead of one cooking for the other.  It's like they want to emulate the style of Jacques cooking for Julia (Child), but it doesn't really flow well with most of this cast.  

Having watched the majority of shows over the years, here is my opinion of the current staff:

Julia - love her as she's obviously quite competent and doesn't give off any obnoxious "celebrity chef" shtick or vibes.  

Bridget - I can relate to her the most.  She seems like just a really good home cook.  I agree that she needs to open up a thesaurus once in a while. 

Jack - I don't hate him, but he seems as sketchy as Chris, something about him just isn't warm & fuzzy.

Tim - I haven't seem enough of him to form a strong opinion.  He's certainly competent but often boring and flat.

Becky - She's the clone of Iola Boylen from Mama's Family or the Home Ec teacher from High School.  Fun to watch.

Lisa - I'm surprised they use her.  I guess they needed some sort of filler, but most of the time I have no use for her gadgets.

Erin - Not a fan.  She seems bitchy.  Like a high-maintenance sister-in-law you're forced to get along with.

Adam - He's OK.  On some episodes I wish he'd dial it back a bit and speak slower.  I also wish they'd show mroe clips of the testers doing the testing on the products and not just him blathering on and on about what they did and what happened.

Elle - Who could hate her?  I think I could spend hours cooking and baking with her.  She's very relaxing to watch.

Dan - Too nerdy.  I get it, that's his thing, but it's not mine.  I can tolerate his segments.

I think I missed a few, like the other two ladies who have similar voices, but one is more ginger and sounds like they pulled her out of the nearby Kindergarden classroom.   Also, the hunky guy they sometimes show on CC is more arm candy than anything else.  I can't remember his name at the moment.

I never really paid much attention to the amount of dishes they use, but most of those recipes make HUGE quantities.  More than half the time I cut the recipe in half.

[Florinaldo]

1 hour ago, BigBingerBro said:

Elle - Who could hate her? 

Me. I do not find her relaxing at all, mostly grating. And I cringe at the thought of finding smurf-colour hair in my food (or any other of the hair colouring she tries out.)

Dan is very informative, perhaps a bit too technical for some people, but I appreciate both his science of cooking bits as well as his recipes.

Becky is sooooo boring. Much the same as Erin. Both are of the generic corn-fed all-American type. At least they are not as annoying as Michelle and Ashley on Cooks' Country.

[Yeah No]

I finally saw a new episode of CC but only because I could view it on their website.  My local PBS station hasn't started airing new episodes yet.  I didn't think the new studio was any more tiny and certainly not darker than the old one, just different, with white cabinets instead of light green ones.  It's kind of lost it's "down homey" country feel not being filmed in an actual house and the set doesn't really replicate that feeling.  It's funny that they managed to find a new house for the outdoor shots that kind of resembles the old one, but again, it's somehow not quite as homey and humble as the original one.  It didn't really bother me as much as I thought it would, though.  The music didn't offend me either, it's just different.  I was kind of tired of the old music anyway.

Edited October 2, 2018 by Yeah No

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I was kind of tired of the old music anyway.

That "strummy" thing used to drive me nuts.  Glad to hear it's gone but I haven't seen any of the new episodes either. I'll have to see if I can find them.

[Yeah No]

26 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

That "strummy" thing used to drive me nuts.  Glad to hear it's gone but I haven't seen any of the new episodes either. I'll have to see if I can find them.

Unfortunately the intro. music is still the same with that "strummy thing", but the in-show music is different.

You can join their website to watch some of the new episodes online.   Their free registration allows you to watch the present season without paying.

Edited October 2, 2018 by Yeah No

[biakbiak]

15 hours ago, Yeah No said:

didn't think the new studio was any more tiny a

It’s definitely smaller, there was an article about it because they moved it into the same space as the ATK in Boston and not the much more spacious one in Vermont.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

It’s definitely smaller, there was an article about it because they moved it into the same space as the ATK in Boston and not the much more spacious one in Vermont.

They're not inhabiting a whole house so perhaps in total it's smaller, but the space we see on screen when they're doing the show looks pretty much the same size or even larger, considering the room behind them where the cooks are working looks a little more spacious, at least to my eye.

https://www.cookscountry.com/episode/598-spaghetti-house-classics

Edited October 2, 2018 by Yeah No

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/28/2018 at 9:50 AM, Florinaldo said:

the generic corn-fed all-American type.

Speaking of corn fed, and on a shallow note, on the CC show about cast iron, they had Bridget and Julia walking out on the porch, and Bridget has really put on the pounds.  Julia always looks like a linebacker to me, so I can't get a read on her, but Bridget has been looking bigger just standing behind the counter.  But on the porch, she was wearing skin-tight jeans, or maybe those leggings that look like jeans, with a short jean jacket and...wow. 

Also on Bridget:  As if "go ahead and" isn't annoying enough, she's done it in the past tense, "I went ahead and..." which is completely superfluous.  But now, also on the cast iron show, she said, "We're not going to go ahead and put it in the oven..."  ::eyeroll::

Also shallow...Julia's hair.  What is the deal with the style?  For a while I thought she was pulling it back in a bun, but it turned out it was long in front and short in back, and she was shellacking the front toward the back, presumably to keep it out of her eyes, not to mention out of the food.  One of the advantages to having short hair is that you don't have it always falling in your eyes, plus it can be fairly low maintenance.  She's getting neither of those advantages.

It doesn't look like she's growing it all out to eventually pull it back in a pony tail (I like Bridget's, btw), so I just don't get it. 

 

On 9/28/2018 at 8:43 AM, BigBingerBro said:

Lisa - I'm surprised they use her.  I guess they needed some sort of filler, but most of the time I have no use for her gadgets.

I have no use for her gadgets, either, but I like seeing what's out there without having to endure the assault of the gadget display in a store.  Then again, I never cook the recipes on the show, either.

[BigBingerBro]

6 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Julia's hair. 

I totally forgot to mention that!  Her hair constantly distracts me.  I can't say that it looks bad, but like you said, at first glance, it appears as if it's all long and just sprayed back and put into a bun or french twist, but then you realize it's short in the back!  She's had multiple variations of the same style over the years, so it must be her "thing".  I keep wondering if she's trying to hide something as I knew a lady who though her ears were ugly so she always wore the same style with slight variation for 30+ years.  Yes it's totally shallow, but you can't help but notice when they do constant 5 second reaction shots.  Bridget has very pretty hair and it's nice when she changes it up rather than just wearing the standard ponytail.   

On this most recent season there is an episode where they must have brought in a new make-up artist because both Julia and Bridget have excessive eye make up on.  I'm almost positive Bridget was wearing false eyelashes.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/20/2018 at 10:47 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Also on Bridget:  As if "go ahead and" isn't annoying enough, she's done it in the past tense, "I went ahead and..." which is completely superfluous.  But now, also on the cast iron show, she said, "We're not going to go ahead and put it in the oven..."  ::eyeroll::

Quoting myself here because I just saw Bridget give a lesson on how to chop an onion that lasted just over one minute.  It included:

"Start with a sharp knife and go ahead and peel an onion"

"we'll go ahead and go right through"

"once you get to that piece at the root you can go ahead, put it face down, and then just start chopping"  <- that one didn't even have an "and" after "go ahead"; I think "go ahead" has become a standalone verb to her.  She's killing me.

[Bastet]

Even with you pointing it out, I never register it.  Next episode, I'm going to have to make a point to listen and count along.  Which I'll probably regret.

I got a little kick out of Bridget continuing to munch on the good cheese even after the gruyere taste testing was done; she'd tasted all of them and ranked them, and Jack had revealed them and was giving more information, and she was still snacking away.  As would I, with cheese in front of me.  But who knows how many takes they'd done, so it made me laugh.

[StatisticalOutlier]

42 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Even with you pointing it out, I never register it.  Next episode, I'm going to have to make a point to listen and count along.  Which I'll probably regret.

I'm torn because the only reason I notice it is someone pointed out how pointless the phrase is many many years ago, and a pox on him for doing it.  But misery loves company.

 

Quote

I got a little kick out of Bridget continuing to munch on the good cheese even after the gruyere taste testing was done; she'd tasted all of them and ranked them, and Jack had revealed them and was giving more information, and she was still snacking away.  As would I, with cheese in front of me.  But who knows how many takes they'd done, so it made me laugh.

I wonder if Julia was thinking about that when she did the white wine vinegar test in shot glasses--she couldn't put that stuff down fast enough.

I know I rag on them, but I do find them generally pleasant.  I can't stand Kimball on his Milk Street show, with his constant "witty" interjections.  Although I can let Julia's growl of approval bug me if I'm not careful.

[AllAboutMBTV]

The chefs on Milk Street also abuse "go ahead and". Let's blame Chris Kimball!

The other cooking-show verbal tic I loathe is using "your" or "our" for "the." As in: "I'm going to go ahead and add our butter to the sauce." Or: "Pour your apples in your pie crust." Please just say "the."

[roughing it]

15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I can't stand Kimball on his Milk Street show, with his constant "witty" interjections. 

Chris Kimball is Chris Kimball's biggest fan.

[BigBingerBro]

Is it just me or does it seem like Bridget has ramped up the jokes, puns and quips in recent seasons?  I can recall her throwing in something funny occasionally with Bow Tie, but in current seasons it's as if she's half doing stand up when she's not the one actually doing the cooking.

Have they ever explained what their process is for testing and perfecting the recipes and how they finally come up with the "perfect" recipe?   They often talk about eating the leftovers from the testing or the dozens upon dozens of variations they tried.  I'd really love to see the basic method they use.  

[chessiegal]

One method they use is to have home cooks test their recipes. I'm a volunteer recipe tester for Cook's Country. They send you a recipe to test, ask you to make it as written, then fill out a survey.

ETA: I've heard them say they start with a known recipe and find ways to improve it. As a chemist, I think they systematically vary parameters until they get the end product they're looking for.

Edited October 28, 2018 by chessiegal

[Kohola3]

40 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

One method they use is to have home cooks test their recipes. I'm a volunteer recipe tester for Cook's Country. They send you a recipe to test, ask you to make it as written, then fill out a survey.

Wow, that's pretty cool!  How did you get into that?  Did you apply?  I'd love to do something like that.