America's Test Kitchen (originally America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated Magazine) is a half-hour long American cooking show broadcast by public television stations and Create and distributed by American Public Television. Originally hosted by Christopher Kimball, the program currently is co-hosted by Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.[1]
| America's Test Kitchen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | America's Test Kitchen from Cooks Illustrated Magazine |
| Genre | Cooking |
| Presented by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 24 |
| No. of episodes | 623 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jack Bishop Kaitlin Keleher Julia Collin Davison Bridget Lancaster |
| Production locations | Brookline, Massachusetts (seasons 1–18) Boston, Massachusetts (seasons 19–present) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Production companies | WETA America's Test Kitchen Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | syndication/Create |
| Release | August 4, 2001 – present |
| Related | |
| Cook's Country | |
On the show, a handful of test cooks are filmed in a real, working test kitchen, including hosts Davison and Lancaster and chefs Keith Dresser, Becky Hayes, Lan Lam, Erin McMurrer, Elle Simone Scott, and Dan Souza. Also, Bryan Roof, Christie Morrison, Ashley Moore, Lawman Johnson, and Morgan Bolling prepare recipes as they discuss what works, what doesn't, and why, highlighting the rigorous recipe testing process at the core of the test kitchen's mission. Equipment expert Adam Ried, gadget critic Lisa McManus, and tasting expert Jack Bishop help viewers understand what to look for when buying gear and ingredients.[2]
The show is affiliated with America's Test Kitchen, publishers of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and beginning in Season 19, the show is recorded at ATK's test kitchen facility at the Innovation and Design Building in Boston, Massachusetts.[3]
On February 2, 2023, Marquee Brands became a majority owner of ATK (America's Test Kitchen Limited Partnership) and its associated brands, including Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country.[4]
On March 24, 2023, America's Test Kitchen laid off 23 workers or about 10 percent of its staff. That included the entire team that worked on the ATK Kids brand.[5]
Episode format
editA typical episode of the show consists primarily of two or three recipes that are consistent with the theme of the episode. Each recipe is tested 40-60 times before appearing on the show or in the books, at an average cost of $10,000; they also have a network of 35,000 people who have volunteered to test them.[6] For broadcast, each recipe is presented by a test cook to one of the hosts, Julia Collin Davison or Bridget Lancaster, who walk through recipe steps, explain common problems that can occur when cooking it, and explain how to cook it the right way by sharing discoveries made during the testing and the science behind the recipe using instructional graphics. Periodically throughout the episode, other segments are inserted, usually consisting of two or more of the following:[7]
- An Equipment-Testing segment, where Adam Ried reviews kitchen equipment and explains the best product to buy.
- A Tasting Lab segment, where an ingredient or several representative supermarket brands of a prepared food product is run through expert and audience tasting panels and taste-tested by one of the hosts
- A Science Desk segment, discussing the science behind a pertinent technique used in the recipe
- A Quick Tips segment, demonstrating tips and tricks from Cook's Illustrated magazine and viewers' emails and letters
- A Gadget Expert segment, where Lisa McManus reviews and ranks smaller kitchen gadgets
Through season 6 the show was taped in standard definition, 4:3 video; season 7 saw the show switch to widescreen 16:9 video. The high definition version of the show is broadcast as part of PBS HD's master digital schedule, and by some PBS affiliates as part of their normal schedules.
During recording, 26 episodes are videotaped during a three-week period. Six recipes are recorded per day, and there are two recipes demonstrated per episode.[8]
Cast
editAmerica's Test Kitchen features several recurring cast members, although not every cast member appears in each episode; usually only one or two of the chefs appears in an episode.[9]
Current
edit- Julia Collin Davison, executive food editor for the cookbook division, took over as co-host of America's Test Kitchen alongside Bridget Lancaster with the start of season 17 in January 2017[citation needed] and took over Kimball's role in introducing the recipes featured in each episode. Collin Davison appeared in most episodes of ATK seasons 1–16, but was to appear in all upcoming episodes thereafter. Collin Davison continues cooking selected recipes on each episode with the help of others.
- Bridget Lancaster, executive food editor for television, radio and new media, appeared as a regular cast member in seasons 1–16 and joins Julia Collin Davison as host in all episodes beginning in season 17. Lancaster will also continue to cook through select recipes on upcoming episodes alongside other cast members.
- Jack Bishop, Chief Creative Officer for ATK, appears in most episodes hosting the Tasting Lab segment. In the Tasting Lab, he describes a tasting panel's opinions on different brands of the food or ingredient in question, as Kimball, Lancaster or Davison tastes several of the items blind. After Kimball, Lancaster or Collin Davison provides his or her thoughts on the different varieties, Bishop reveals the brands that Kimball, Lancaster or Collin Davison tasted and compares his or her thoughts to those of the tasting panel. Bishop and Kimball frequently refer to a running joke that Kimball's tastes are often vastly different from the tasting panel's; as an example, in a segment tasting bottled waters, Kimball picked Boston tap water over all the brands of bottled water. Bishop also hosts the Cook's Illustrated podcast.[10]
- Dan Souza joined the cast in 2013, appearing as a cook and sometimes in the role of science expert. In 2017, Souza became editor-in-chief of Cook's Illustrated magazine.[11]
- Adam Ried appears in most episodes as the host of the Equipment Corner segment. In his segment, he shows several brands of a piece of kitchen equipment and often asks Kimball, Lancaster or Collin Davison to use several of the items or eat food prepared with different brands. In the end, he identifies the test kitchen's preferred brand and demonstrates its key features. For particularly expensive items, he often identifies a best buy: an item that was ranked highly but is significantly less expensive than the top brand. Throughout the show's run, items previously tested in other seasons have been retested as technology changes warrant; for instance, in season 8, garlic presses were retested due to the failure of the non-stick coating on the previous winning brand after heavy usage, and a new favorite brand was chosen. Occasionally the Equipment Corner segment does not focus on a single piece of equipment; instead, a "buy it/don't buy it" format is used to pick the best items among newer, trendier kitchen gadgets. One of Ried's favorite "buy it" gadgets was a timer that came with its own lanyard so cooks could wear it around their necks and not have to be in visual range of the oven timer; Ried revealed, however, that the timer was normally used to stay one step ahead of local traffic law enforcers by signaling that it was time to feed the meter or move the car.
- Lisa McManus first appeared as the show's gadget expert in season 10, reviewing smaller kitchen gadgets in short segments. She is executive editor on the ATK Reviews team, which conducts equipment testing and ingredient tasting reviews at America's Test Kitchen.
- John "Doc" Willoughby hosted the Science Desk segment in the show's first two seasons but was gradually phased out during season 3. After he became executive editor of Gourmet magazine, there was no Science Desk segment for two seasons. Willoughby returned to America's Test Kitchen in 2010, though he left again.[12]
- Odd Todd (Todd Rosenberg) designs animations for the Science Desk segment, illustrating such concepts as flambé, brining, marinating vs. dry spice rubs, and whether plastic or wooden cutting boards are better for overall kitchen hygiene. His segments made their debut in season 5 but were replaced by non-animated segments with Jeremy Sauer in season 6. The animations returned for season 7, interspersed with non-animated science segments done by Kimball and Sauer.
- Guy Crosby is the science adviser for America's Test Kitchen. He began working for Cook's Illustrated as a consulting editor in early 2005.[13]
- Rebecca "Becky" Hays, Dan Souza, Keith Dresser, Elle Simone,[14] Erin McMurrer and Lan Lam are the chefs who explain and prepare the recipes in each episode as the host watches and comments. Usually only one or two of the chefs will appear in an episode. Collin Davison, Lancaster and Rentschler appeared as regular cast members on season 1. Kay Rentschler moved to the positions of Culinary Producer and Executive Chef by season 2 and appeared in only one episode that season, before leaving the show by Season 3.[15] Hays joined the permanent cast in season 5, Bruce, Wu, and Ruperti each appear for a single season (seasons 5, 6, and 8, respectively), and Alt appears in seasons 7 and 8. All are prominent recipe testers or editors in Cook's Illustrated. Beginning in season 5, Cook's Illustrated staff chefs Hays, Bruce, Jeremy Sauer, and Matthew Card appeared in segments answering common viewer mail questions. Hays, Bruce, and Sauer joined the on-camera cast for season 6; Hays moved into credited cast member status beginning in season 7. Souza and Bryan Roof were added to the regular cast starting season 15. Chin, Dresser and Simone were added to the regular cast starting season 17. Also during Season 17, McMurrer and Roof traded places, with McMurrer moving from the cast of sister show Cook's Country to America's Test Kitchen and Roof moving from the America's Test Kitchen cast to Cook's Country. Lan Lam has been added to the cast in season 19 while Tim Chin left the rotation.
Former
edit- Christopher Kimball, the show's host for seasons 1–16, was the co-founder, editor and publisher of America's Test Kitchen and its associated magazine, book, television and radio programs from their inception through 2016. Kimball and ATK parted company in the fall of 2016 over a contract dispute.[16]
Episodes
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | August 4, 2001 | October 27, 2001 | |
| 2 | 26 | January 5, 2002 | June 29, 2002 | |
| 3 | 26 | January 4, 2003 | June 28, 2003 | |
| 4 | 26 | January 3, 2004 | June 26, 2004 | |
| 5 | 26 | January 1, 2005 | June 25, 2005 | |
| 6 | 26 | January 7, 2006 | July 1, 2006 | |
| 7 | 26 | January 6, 2007 | June 30, 2007 | |
| 8 | 26 | January 5, 2008 | June 28, 2008 | |
| 9 | 26 | January 3, 2009 | June 27, 2009 | |
| 10 | 26 | January 2, 2010 | June 26, 2010 | |
| 11 | 26 | January 8, 2011 | June 25, 2011 | |
| 12 | 26 | January 7, 2012 | June 30, 2012 | |
| 13 | 26 | January 5, 2013 | June 29, 2013 | |
| 14 | 26 | January 4, 2014 | June 28, 2014 | |
| 15 | 26 | January 3, 2015 | July 18, 2015 | |
| 16 | 26 | January 2, 2016 | July 30, 2016 | |
| 17 | 26 | January 7, 2017 | July 1, 2017 | |
| 18 | 26 | January 6, 2018 | June 30, 2018 | |
| 19 | 26 | January 5, 2019 | August 3, 2019 | |
| 20 | 26 | January 4, 2020 | June 27, 2020 | |
| 21 | 26 | January 2, 2021 | June 26, 2021 | |
| 22 | 26 | January 8, 2022 | July 2, 2022 | |
| 23 | 26 | January 7, 2023 | July 1, 2023 | |
| 24 | 26 | January 7, 2024 | August 3, 2024 | |
| 25 | TBA | September 21, 2024 | ||
Other media
editBooks
edit| Date Published | Title | Description | New York Times Best Seller |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 15, 2011 | Slow Cooker Revolution | One Test Kitchen. 30 Slow Cookers. 200 Amazing Recipes. | 
|
| March 15, 2013 | Pressure Cooker Perfection | 100 Foolproof Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook | |
| September 10, 2013 | Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2 | The Easy-Prep Edition | |
| October 15, 2013 | The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook | Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook. | |
| March 4, 2014 | The How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook | Revolutionary Techniques. Groundbreaking Recipes. |
|
| October 13, 2014 | 100 Recipes | The Absolute Best Ways To Make The True Essentials | |
| October 20, 2014 | The Cook's Illustrated Meat Book | The Game-Changing Guide That Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes | |
| October 27, 2014 | The New Family Cookbook | All-New Edition of the Best-Selling Classic with 1,100 New Recipes | |
| January 1, 2015 | Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution | One Test Kitchen. 40 Slow Cookers. 200 Fresh Recipes. | |
| March 1, 2015 | The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook | A Fresh Guide to Eating Well with 700 Foolproof Recipes |
|
| April 15, 2015 | The Best Mexican Recipes | Kitchen-Tested Recipes Put the Real Flavors of Mexico Within Reach | |
| August 11, 2015 | Cook's Country Eats Local | 150 Regional Recipes You Should Be Making No Matter Where You Live | |
| October 13, 2015 | The How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook Volume 2 | New Whole-Grain Flour Blend. 75+ Dairy-Free Recipes. | |
| October 27, 2015 | The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2016 | Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show with Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes | |
| February 23, 2016 | Cook It in Cast Iron | Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All | |
| April 26, 2016 | Master of the Grill | Foolproof Recipes, Top-Rated Gadgets, Gear & Ingredients Plus Clever Test Kitchen Tips & Fascinating Food Science | |
| April 26, 2016 | Foolproof Preserving | A Guide to Small Batch Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Condiments, and More | |
| August 23, 2016 | Naturally Sweet | Bake All Your Favorites with 30% to 50% Less Sugar | |
| September 6, 2016 | Bread Illustrated | A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home | |
| October 4, 2016 | Cook's Science | How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of our Favorite Ingredients |
|
| October 4, 2016 | The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2017 | The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings | |
| October 25, 2016 | What Good Cooks Know | 20 Years of Test Kitchen Expertise in One Essential Handbook | |
| December 27, 2016 | The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook | 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day | |
| April 4, 2017 | Vegan for Everybody | Foolproof Plant-Based Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and In-Between | |
| July 11, 2017 | The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook | From Appetizers to Desserts 500 Recipes You Can Make in Advance | |
| November 28, 2017 | The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook | 650 Recipes for Everything You'll Ever Want to Make | |
| February 6, 2018 | How to Roast Everything | A Game-Changing Guide to Building Flavor in Meat, Vegetables, and More | |
| February 27, 2018 | Just Add Sauce | A Revolutionary Guide to Boosting the Flavor of Everything You Cook | |
| March 27, 2018 | The Perfect Cake | Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes | |
| April 17, 2018 | Multicooker Perfection | Cook it Fast or Cook it Slow - You Decide | |
| April 17, 2018 | Dinner Illustrated | 175 Meals Ready in 1 Hour or Less | |
| August 28, 2018 | The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Season 11 Edition | Every Recipe, Every Ingredient Tasting, Every Equipment Rating From All 11 Seasons | |
| September 4, 2018 | All Time Best Brunch | Standout recipes and time-tested tips | |
| September 4, 2018 | All Time Best Dinners for Two | Leave it to America's Test Kitchen to help you get a perfectly scaled dinner for two on the table - no guesswork required | |
| September 25, 2018 | The New Essentials Cookbook | A Modern Guide to Better Cooking | |
| September 25, 2018 | Sous Vide For Everybody | The Easy, Foolproof Cooking Technique That's Sweeping the World | |
| October 2, 2018 | The Best of America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2019 | Every Recipe From The Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes. | |
| October 16, 2018 | The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs | 100 kid-tested, kid approved recipes for every kid chef |
|
| October 16, 2018 | 123 the Farm and Me | Readers will have fun counting along as they go from the farm, to the store, to their kitchen, to their table to share a dinner | |
| October 16, 2018 | A is for Artichoke | Words and definitions that are sure to delight babies and foodies alike | |
| October 23, 2018 | Cook's Illustrated Revolutionary Recipes | Groundbreaking techniques. Compelling voices. One-of-a-kind Recipes. | |
| November 6, 2018 | The Complete Diabetes Cookbook | The Healthy Way to Eat the Foods You Love | |
| December 4, 2018 | Cook it in Your Dutch Oven | 150 Foolproof Recipes Tailor-Made for Your Kitchen's Most Versatile Pot | |
| January 29, 2019 | Air Fryer Perfection | From Crispy Fries and Juicy Steaks to Perfect Vegetables, What to cook & How to Get the Best Results | |
| February 12, 2019 | How to Braise Everything | Classic, Modern, and Global Dishes Using a Time-Honored Technique | |
| March 5, 2019 | Vegetable Illustrated | An Inspiring Guide with 700+ Kitchen-Tested Recipes | |
| April 2, 2019 | The Complete Baby and Toddler Cookbook | The Very Best Purees, Finger Foods, and Toddler Meals for Happy Families | |
| April 30, 2019 | The Ultimate Burger | Plus DIY Condiments, Sides, and Boozy Milkshakes | |
| May 14, 2019 | Spiced | Unlock the Power of Spices to Transform Your Cooking | |
| June 11, 2019 | Instant Pot Ace Blender Cook Book | Foolproof Recipes for the Blender That Also Cooks | |
| August 27, 2019 | The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Season 12 Edition | Every Recipe, Every Ingredient Testing, Every Equipment Rating From All 11 Seasons | |
| September 3, 2019 | Stir Crack Whisk Bake | A Little Book about Little Cakes | |
| September 3, 2019 | Cookies for Santa | The Story of How Santa's Favorite Cookie Saved Christmas | |
| September 10, 2019 | The Perfect Pie | Your Ultimate Guide to Classic and Modern Pies, Tarts, Galettes, and More | |
| October 1, 2019 | The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs | 100+ Sweet & Savory Recipes That You'll Love To Bake, Share & Eat! |
|
| October 8, 2019 | How to Cocktail | Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best Drinks | |
| November 5, 2019 | Side Dish Bible | 1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You Will Ever Need | |
| December 17, 2019 | Bowls | Vibrant Recipes with Endless Possibilities | |
| December 31, 2019 | Mediterranean Instant Pot | Easy, Inspired Meals for Eating Well | |
| January 28, 2020 | Big Flavors from Italian America | Family-Style Favorites from Coast to Coast | |
| January 28, 2020 | Everything Chocolate | A Decadent Collection of Morning Pastries, Nostalgic Sweets, and Showstopping Desserts | |
| March 3, 2020 | My First Cookbook | Fun recipes to cook together |
|
| March 31, 2020 | Easy Everyday Keto | Healthy Kitchen-Perfected Recipes | |
| April 7, 2020 | 100 Techniques | Master a Lifetime of Cooking Skills, from Basic to Bucket List | |
| April 21, 2020 | The Complete Summer Cookbook | Beat the Heat with 400 Recipes that Make the Most of Summer's Bounty | |
| May 5, 2020 | Foolproof Fish | Modern Recipes for Everyone, Everywhere | |
| September 1, 2020 | Cooking for One | Scaled Recipes, No-Waste Solutions, and Time-Saving Tips for Cooking for Yourself | |
| October 27, 2020 | Meat Illustrated | A Foolproof Guide to Understanding and Cooking with Cuts of All Kinds | |
| October 27, 2020 | The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2021 | Every Recipe | |
| November 3, 2020 | Complete One Pot Cookbook | 400 Complete Meals | |
| November 17, 2020 | How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection | 350+ Groundbreaking Recipes for All Your Favorites | |
| December 1, 2020 | Complete Plant-Based Cookbook | 500 Inspired, Flexible Recipes for Eating Well without Meat | |
| October 5, 2021 | The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2022 | Every Recipe |
Radio shows
editAwards
edit| Year | Title | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | America's Test Kitchen | Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Culinary Program[17] |
| 2012 | America's Test Kitchen | Daytime Emmy Award Winner: Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary Program[18] |
| 2011 | America's Test Kitchen | Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host[19] |
| 2011 | America's Test Kitchen | Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Culinary Program[19] |
| 2010 | America's Test Kitchen | Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Culinary Program[20] |
References
edit- ^ Maloney, Ann (March 3, 2016). "2 new hosts for 'America's Test Kitchen' to succeed Christopher Kimball". Nola. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ "Behind the scenes at America's Test Kitchen". CBS News. March 17, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Baskin, Kara (October 23, 2019). "America's Test Kitchen goes from homey brownstone to bells and whistles in the Seaport". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ "Marquee Brands Acquires America's Test Kitchen® Further Expanding as a Leader in the Home and Culinary Category". PR Newswire (Press release). February 2, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Nanos, Janelle (March 24, 2023). "America's Test Kitchen lays off 23, shutters ATK Kids". Boston Globe.
- ^ Ryssdal, Kai (November 20, 2019). "David Nussbaum of America's Test Kitchen on working with cooking superstars". Marketplace. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "Watch Sunday Morning: Inside America's Test Kitchen - Full show on CBS All Access". www.cbs.com. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ Christopher Kimball interview (January 10, 2015). Central Texas Gardener (Television production). Austin, Texas, United States: KLRU-TV, Austin PBS.
- ^ "Meet the Cast". americastestkitchen.com. Boston Common Press. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
- ^ "Cook's Illustrated podcast". cooksillustrated.com. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Dan Souza Named Editor-In-Chief of Cook's Illustrated". prnewswire.com (Press release).
- ^ "Tour the Test Kitchen". America's Test Kitchen. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011.
In February of 2010, [John Willoughby] returned to America's Test Kitchen to assume the job of executive editor for magazines.
- ^ "Tour the Test Kitchen". americastestkitchen.com.
- ^ First, Devra (December 3, 2018). "Meet the America's Test Kitchen star who dreams of being the culinary Oprah". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ America's Test Kitchen: The Full Season 1 (DVD). Boston: Cook's Illustrated. October 10, 2006.
- ^ Reilly, Jill (November 17, 2015). "Christopher Kimball to Leave America's Test Kitchen". Cook's Illustrated. America's Test Kitchen. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
Christopher Kimball's employment with America's Test Kitchen is ending.
- ^ Bricker, Tierney (March 24, 2016). "2016 Daytime Emmy Nominations: Check Out the Full List of Nominees". E! News. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ OnTheRedCarpet.com Staff. "OTRC: DAYTIME EMMYS 2012: FULL LIST OF WINNERS". abc7. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Brion, Raphael (May 11, 2011). "2011 Daytime Emmy Award Nominations Announced". Eater. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Rorke, Robert (May 13, 2010). "Daytime Emmy Nominees Revealed". New York Post. Retrieved February 10, 2017.