America's Test Kitchen (2001)
Equipment reviews, taste tests, and recipes from the test kitchen to the home cook. A team of test cooks that viewers have come to love and trust deconstruct recipes and reveal the test kitchen’s secrets to foolproof cooking at home.
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Episode 1 - Salad 101
Release Date: 2004-01-03We give much needed makeovers to two classic salads. Salad seems so easy. Just dress some leafy greens and serve, right? Recipes: Basic Tossed Green Salad; Greek Salad; Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing Tasting Lab: Red Wine Vinegar
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Episode 2 - Summer Tomatoes
Release Date: 2004-01-10Say goodbye to thick, bland gazpacho and soggy tomato tarts. It’s feast or famine when it comes to good tomatoes. Recipes: Gazpacho; Quick Summer Tomato Tart Tasting Lab: Mozzarella Cheese
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Episode 3 - One-Pot Wonders
Release Date: 2004-01-17The notion of dinner made in a single pot is certainly alluring. Two complete meals from a pot; one a classic, the other a surprise. Recipes: Beef Chili with Kedney Beans; Indoor Clambake Equipment Center: Crock Pots Tasting Lab: Tomato Puree
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Episode 4 - East Coast Seafood
Release Date: 2004-01-24We solve the problem of porridge-like chowder and bready crabcakes. Clam chowder and crab cakes are available in most every seafood restaurant in the country. These dishes both have their origins along the East Coast and have been subjected to numerous changes (most not for the better) as they became more popular. Recipes: New England Clam Chowder; Maryland Crab Cakes Tasting Lab: Mayonaise
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Episode 5 - New Orleans Menu
Release Date: 2004-01-31We bring a taste of New Orleans into the home kitchen. Jambalaya and bananas Foster are two of our favorite dishes from New Orleans. Recipes: Jambalaya; Bananas Foster Equipment Center: Ice Cream Scoops Tasting Lab: Vegetable Broth
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Episode 6 - Freedom from Red Sauce
Release Date: 2004-02-07Skip the marinara and try these two vegetable sauces. Tired of the same old marinara sauce? Recipes: Pasta with Mushrooms; Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Equipment Center: Herb Choppers Tasting Lab: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Episode 7 - Quick Classic Pastas
Release Date: 2004-02-14Everyone knows pasta is quick. That's one of the reasons Americans (and Italians) love it. Recipes: "Quick" Bolognese; Four Cheese Pasta Tasting Lab: Tomato Paste
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Episode 8 - Pot Roast
Release Date: 2004-02-21Pot roast can be the ultimate comfort food or a huge waste of time. We solve the problem of dry, gray, tough meat. Recipes: Pot Roast with Root Vegetables; Skillet Green Beans Equipment Center: Vegetable Choppers
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Episode 9 - Maple-Glazed Pork Roast
Release Date: 2004-02-28Say goodbye to dry, tough, candy-like roasts. The marketing of the “other white meat” would be amusing if today’s pork weren’t so lean and flavorless. Recipes: Maple-Glazed Pork Loin; Wild Rice Pilaf Equipment Center: Food Storage Containers
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Episode 10 - Truck Stop Classics
Release Date: 2004-03-06We perfect two roadside classics: chicken-fried steak and coconut cream pie. Truckers often know where to find the best home cooking. Recipes: Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy; Coconut Cream Pie Tasting Lab: Graham Crackers
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Episode 11 - Chicken in a Skillet
Release Date: 2004-03-13A skillet can turn out hundreds of chicken dinners. For most Americans, chicken breasts are the holy grail of weeknight cooking. (We think thighs are more flavorful, but that’s another story.) Recipes: Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts; Almond-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Wilted Spinach Equipment Corner: Traditional Skillets
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Episode 12 - Chicken in a Pot
Release Date: 2004-03-20Two French takes on an American promise. Herbert Hoover may have promised Herbert Hoover may have promised Americans a chicken in every pot, but no ne said that chicken couldn't be French. Recipes: Chicken Provencale; Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Equipment Corner: Kitchen Shears Tasting Lab: Vermouth
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Episode 13 - Steak and Potatoes
Release Date: 2004-03-27We take the mystery out of properly grilled steaks. It’s hard to beat steak and mashed potatoes for both simplicity and flavor. Recipes: Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions; Grilled Steaks Equipment Center: Kitchen Shears Tasting Lab: Mail-Order vs. Supermarket Steaks
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Episode 14 - Steak Tips
Release Date: 2004-04-03Steak tips and steak fries sound like bad menu offerings from your local low-rent steakhouse. We rescue steak tips and fries from low-rent steakhouses. Recipes: Steak Tips; Steak Fries Equipment Center: Grill Brushes
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Episode 15 - Stir Fry 101
Release Date: 2004-04-10Stir-fries at home that are better than takeout. Ordering Chinese takeout is like playing Russian roulette. Recipes: Stir-Fired Pork with Eggplant; Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli Equipment Center: Electric Woks Tasting Lab: Oyster Sauce
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Episode 16 - Asian Noodles
Release Date: 2004-04-17Say goodbye to bad Americanized versions of pad Thai and sesame noodles. We no longer think of noodles as just Italian. Recipes: Pad Thai; Cold Sesame Noodles Equipment Center: Flat Bottom Woks
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Episode 17 - Italian Classics
Release Date: 2004-04-24Americans love Italian food - and rightly so. Recipes: Chicken Diavola; Frico; Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Labs: Balsamic Vinegar
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Episode 18 - French Food in a Flash
Release Date: 2004-05-01We bring two classics into the home kitchen for great results in a fraction of the time. Recipes: Simplified Cassoulet with Pork and Kielbasa; 30-Minute Tarte Tatin Tasting Lab: Diced Canned Tomatoes
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Episode 19 - Tea Time
Release Date: 2004-05-08Say goodbye to leaden scones and pound cake. In the test kitchen, we think afternoon (or morning) tea is an excellent excuse to whip up a batch of scones or a golden loaf of lemon pound cake. Making these simple baked goods at home certainly yields better results than what you can buy. Recipes: Lemon Pound Cake; Oatmeal Scones Equipment Center: Citrus Juicers and Reamers Tasting Lab: Supermarket Teas
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Episode 20 - Sunday Brunch
Release Date: 2004-05-15We solve the problem of rubbery omelets and dry, hockey puck muffins. Sunday brunch sounds so civilized. Recipes: Denver Omelet; Corn Muffins Equipment Center: Rubber Spatulas Tasting Lab: Baking Powder
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Episode 21 - The Pancake Show
Release Date: 2004-05-22Few recipes deliver so much pleasure for so little work as pancakes. The batter comes together in minutes, and the cooking time is brief. Why, then, do most Americans never make pancakes from scratch? Recipes: Blueberry Pancakes; German Apple Pancakes Equipment Corner: Electric Gridles Tasting Lab: Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
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Episode 22 - Cookie Jar Favorites
Release Date: 2004-05-29Good cookies don’t really require any more work than bad cookies. Unless, of course, you are willing to consider dry, crumbly, tasteless packaged cookies from the supermarket - but we aren’t. Recipes: Thin and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies; Coconut Macaroons Equipment Corner: Potholders Tasting Lab: Refrigerator Cookie Dough
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Episode 23 - Summer Berry Desserts
Release Date: 2004-06-05When local berries are in season, we like to showcase them in simple desserts. Two simple showcases for fresh summer berries. Recipes: Summer Berry Pie; Berry Gratin with Lemon Sabayon Equipment Corner: Ice Cream Makers
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Episode 24 - Easy Sheet Cakes
Release Date: 2004-06-12We solve the problem of dry, sticky, flavorless cakes. A sheet cake is like a with training wheels--it's hard to fall off. Recipes: Chocolate Sheet Cake; Carrot Cake Equipment Corner: Milk Chocolate
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Episode 25 - Lemon Cheescake
Release Date: 2004-06-19Light, creamy, and great lemon flavor--neither too fleeting nor too harsh. Recipe: Lemon Cheesecake Equipment Center: Springform Pans
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Episode 26 - Showstopper Deserts
Release Date: 2004-06-26Two desserts that pull out all the stops yet are easy to prepare. Recipes: Chocolate Mousse Cake; Chilled Lemon Souffle Tasting Lab: Unsweetened Chocolate