Ask the Test Kitchen with Lauren, Lisa, and Kate from the Tasting and Testing Team
Welcome to a new series–Ask the Test Kitchen–where we sit down with ATK employees for an unfiltered, unscripted Q&A.
Read our review of Amazon Basics kitchen equipment:
Buy our the mini version of our favorite glass prep bowls:
Buy our winning reusable storage bags:
Buy our winning bowl covers:
Buy Bee’s Wrap:
Buy our winning glass storage containers:
Buy our winning plastic storage containers:
Buy our winning thermometer:
00:38 @Jerry What happens to the gear from the TV shows
02:42 @BuzzBeauchampWhere can I get those little glass bowls?
03:06 @susanknauf Best way to clean a cruddy rolling pin
05:25 @thegideonlopez Can foil and parchment be used interchangeably?
06:56 @ProudLoserTeacher Environmentally conscious alternatives for plastic wrap
08:45 @ayajohnson Why don’t you test Trader Joe’s/Costco products?
10:38 @whit.jensen Things to avoid in nonstick pans
13:29 @Fran Temping meats without a thermometer
15:16 @Jasonlromo Resurrecting a cast iron pan
17:25 @gbaczewski Best equipment to use in a dutch oven
18:09 @madelineyvette Top 3 tips for kitchen organization
20:02 @Steph_milo Achieving the Maillard reaction in nonstick pans
21:41 @ohio_home_girl Favorite thing to cook at home
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.
If you like us, follow us:
Dishwasher detergent is NOT acidic at all… It is VERY alkaline. Think "bleach." For an ATK kitchen tester to make this glaring mistake (which both the testers and cooks all do occasionally) is very frustrating if one wants to learn. When she stated that dishwaher detergent is acidic, the lady on the right nodded in agreement. A tiny unimportant error is no big deal. But in the culinary field, acidity vs. alkalinity is HUGE. I began fact checking things by looking up info in my cooking science and baking science books that didn't quite sound right on these ATK shows and sometimes they were in fact wrong. Some incorrect info seems to be careless presentation, not incorrect research that they have done. I've been following ATK for over 20 years. The incorrect info been a relatively recent thing. Less-qualified people? Do they "come cheaper"? Whatever the reason, they just aren't reliable the way they once were.
Yeah, that finger abd thumb test for meat temperature (doneness) isn't particularly helpful. However if you cook a lot of pan fried meats and steaks, you can get a good feel for how well done the protein is by poking and feeling how resistant the meat is to deforming. You do need a fair amount of exprrience to he succesdful, since all proteins react diffetently. For example a New Your strip steak feels different from a tenderloin steak or a chicken breast. Just poke your proteins every time you fry them and you'll at least get a feel for when to pull out your thermometer. Eventually, you may be able to leave the thermometer in the drawer. Using thermometers can be really tricky and misleading with thinner cuts of meat and even cutting the protein open can give misleading results because the mest will continue to cook while resting. Embrace the poke test! The better you get the better you get!
I just had a great idea, someone create an app for cooking thermometers, meat,oil,candy. They make those guns, couldn't a phone do that also? You're welcome app genious.
Ladies great info. Thank you
Lisa is the reason I originally subscribed to ATK a long, long time ago. Eye candy and a brain to match!
I bought a Matfer carbon-steel skillet. It took many reasoning attempts trying to keep food from sticking. (I used Crisco vegetable oil at 500*F in the oven, or high heat on the stovetop — usually 3 or more times per.) After cooking, I tried every cleaning and reseasoning technique I found, with the same result. Usually, a brown residue came off onto the oiled paper towels I cleaned with. The pan always felt very smooth afterward. Then I found that cooking with low heat made all the difference. Can you comment?
I LOVE it when you guys do this!
I would love the recipe that was mentioned about favorite at home recipe …the one with pasta and chickpeas.
👍🤗💖
These are great videos ladies thanks 🙏
Do I need to season my Hexclad pan?
I can't get products that are only in New England.
If you really want to totally recondition a cast iron pan, put it in your oven on the self-cleaning cycle. The temperature needed to bake off grime from the interior surface of the oven is also the same temperature that will remove cast iron seasoning down to the bare metal.
I have picked up terribly abused cast iron cookware at sales and slid them in the oven during the “cleaning cycle”. It takes it to bare metal even if it’s rusted. Then start over with seasoning.
Wash my rolling pin?! Shock and horror. Mine probably still has lard in it from Grandma's famous pie crust. I wipe it regularly with a dishcloth, dry it, and put it away. If it's really gummed up I use a soapy dishcloth, rinse with cool water and dry it. I love ATK recipes but rarely see any from the west coast or Canada. We have wonderful food out here too.
Wow ladies you knocked it out of the park!
Over 30 miles to the nearest Trader Joe’s and the nearest Costco. Too far for regular visits: I occasionally have medical appointments near a Trader Joe’s and will visit, and I rejoin Costco when I need new hearing aids…
Cast iron is somewhat brittle and I’ve cracked an enameled Dutch oven by dropping it. I think that breaking cast iron is the only sure way to ruin it.
I just LOVE you three. Thank you for all the teaching and testing you do for us newbies. I appreciate all you do! Thank you!
Loved this episode super informative. Any time Lisa shares I’m in because she’s so down to earth and provides facts and examples. I was unfamiliar with the other test L associates but they are also now my new besties!
Kitchen Knives should never go in the sink or dishwasher. Always clean them by hand.
http://www.goldencrescent.store/knife-maintainance/
https://www.kitchensanity.com/knives/how-to-clean-a-knife/
https://www.knifebuzz.com/how-to-clean-a-knife/
What's wrong with plastic spoons?
You saved my sanity about cast iron. A Chinese friend sent me a really expensive one, that I thought I was taking good care of..until I pulled it out of the drawer last week and found it dotted with rust spots. Maybe I’ll go ahead and scrub & season today…
Oh, a tip for your YT team – if you make the fist time stamp 0:00, all the time stamps will turn into chapter marks on the scrub bar. 😎
When I lived in the US I never shopped at Costco, and we did not have Trader Joes (yet), in Dallas. But… as for your brand testing, I have almost never seen any of the brands you test either. I assumed you were using East Coast stuff. 😎