Welcome to a new series–Ask the Test Kitchen–where we sit down with ATK employees for an unfiltered, unscripted Q&A.

Get the recipe for French-Style Mashed Potatoes:
Get the recipe for Millionaire’s Shortbread:
Watch Cecelia’s series The Test Cook for her Cuban Sandwich development:
Get the recipe for Texas Barbecue Brisket:

00:30: Gluey Mashed potato pros and cons
01:47: After testing a recipe, how long before you can eat that food again?
02:42: The Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Millionaires Shortbread turns out crumbly. What am I doing wrong?
03:15: Tips for buying used/secondhand appliances
03:32: Where do you temp a steak? From the bottom or the side?
04:44: How necessary are V-Roasting racks?
05:22: Recommendations for knife sharpening?
05:47: Silicone muffin tin troubleshooting
06:46: Can I really make bread with a hand mixer dough hook?
07:14: Is an airfryer worth the cost + counter space?
08:09: When pan frying a steak, how do I keep the edges from curling?
09:07: Difference between muffins and cupcakes?
09:56: Other than in Thom Ka Gai soup, where else can I use Galangal?
10:51: What the most difficult recipe you’ve developed at ATK?
12:39: Do you eat the failures as well as the successes?

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