Ask the Test Kitchen with Keith Dresser and Christie Morrison
Welcome to a new series–Ask the Test Kitchen–where we sit down with ATK employees for an unfiltered, unscripted Q&A.
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00:43: @YiorgosTsiv Not all cookies soften in the microwave, why?
02:31: @ariniw How do I get rid of the white stuff on salmon?
04:41: @karizma23 Do you use trick thermometers on set?
07:37: @mdalenabresson Why didn’t my Lemon Olive Oil turn out?
09:23: @Chefreggiano What tool is best for pureeing starchy vegetables?
10:44: @Sandy_sewing When a recipe tells you to reduce a liquid by a certain amount, how can you tell?
14:57: @Smsansbury I don’t like Cilantro. What’s a good substitute?
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
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Disclaimer: Hi everyone! This video was filmed earlier this year and our team is currently working on exciting new content at home for the foreseeable future. Stay healthy and hope you enjoy!
On the reducing liquids question at around 10:44 whenever I buy a new pot or pan I'll pour measured amounts of water in it of recipes I frequently use to just give myself a good visual guesstimate for when I'm cooking recipes that call for such things
You guys look like you would be so much fun to work with.
tip for the "reduce til __ cups are left"
pour correct amount of cool water you want left in your pan and visually see what it looks like. Then when you're reducing, you can have that reference in your mind while you're reducing to the needed amount. I'll see how deep my utensil goes in the water for example also ifneeded.
"Zombie cookies" are a thing. Use your old cookies in your new batch.
Kinda looks like Andrea Bocelli!!!
I love the programmable thermometer, it reduces waste!
I’m gonna measure some stuff 😂😂😂
When cooking, you have to consider who your cooking for and if they will know the difference if you cooked something down to 1 1/4 cups or 1 1/2 cups.. Most of the time, it's close enough.
I KNEW IT! So glad to know about the thermometer. Really appreciate how Christie explained why the temperature is pre-set for filming.
Placing a mug of water in the microwave with the tough cookies being rewarmed may be helpful.
I am very pleased at how honest they are about the thermometer very refreshing.
The take away on all these episodes is these people don’t know a lot. The banter is all filler and not a lot of substance. They don’t know what they’re talking about.
🤯
It always amazes me, how you can have the most benign, neutral content, and STILL, there going to be those few who have to give a thumbs down. Anyway, I love the unplanned, off-the-cuff, genuine feel of the this Q&A session.
The stuttering is exceptionally annoying. I suggest preparation. If that isn't an option, then find someone else.
Regarding stale cookies: you really need Dan to step in to define what stale means in a chemical sense. Then take a crack at the question again.
Your cilantro taste can change. When I was in my late teens/early twenties I hated cilanto, it tasted soapy to me. And then one day I had the most amazing Jamaican shrimp quesadillas and I just like cilantro from them on. So, moral of the story, keep trying it.
thanks – fun video
Stale cookies? Put them in a container with bread, like brown sugar … they should soften. If microwaved, and the fat used contains water, they will soften. If not, dead.
A suggestion… Before you start the reducing process measure out an amount of water into THE PAN you will use, in this case 1.5 cups, and visually see how much that volume appears in the pan you will be using. And yes I agree about using the apparent depth of your target amount in relationship to the pan's handle rivets for your benchmark.
As far as dried out cookies I think I would experiment with 2 things. I've had luck with very dried out bread by spritzing it with water from a spray atomizer just before reheating. That way I have often freshened up breads so they taste warm and fresh out of the oven. Or perhaps try setting the cookie to be "reanimated" over a shallow pan of very hot to boiling water thus steaming the dead cookie back to life.
After watching how to make pao de queijo, would it be possible to make doughnuts with tapioca starch in place of flour? I saw an ingredient list for a doughnut recipe that doesn’t use flour but the tapioca is the pivotal ingredient.
Can we please get Test Kitchen: Exposed??
Just film the shot of the thermometer when the food is ready and splice it together in editing.
I've only had albumen come out if I had overcooked baked salmon. The brine, like they suggested, or a rub has had good results with me. I wish I had more, but I'm avoiding salmon because overfishing is a great concern for me.
For the reduction question, I'd say taste your liquid often. If it's something that requires a specific amount of moisture to achieve a desired texture, then surely measure it.
There was a bit of tension in this episode. Forgiveness is key.
I love this series, it really lets me feel connected to the hosts without the scripting.
Love for you. 💜💚
B