The Best of the Best – America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years

Oct 14, 2024 by Chef David

By Chef David

Americas Test Kitchen (ATK) is devoted to empowering and inspiring creativity in the kitchen. Foundered in 1992 ATK has the most-watched cooking show on public television. They publish Cook’s Country and Cooks Illustrated magazines, cookbooks, and podcasts all sharing their tested techniques. Their newest cookbook, America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years, is a weighty volume (5 1/2 pounds) that contains 500 of their top recipes. It is more than an accumulation of recipes, the beginning contains interviews with 16 ATK chefs who share their culinary milestones, and kitchen discoveries. Even if you’ve never heard of these chefs, their tips, tricks, and failproof techniques with a scientific perspective make this a good read.

What makes ATK different is its dedication to explaining ‘Why This Works’ in a simple way that relies on the scientific method. Each recipe has been tested and experimented with to find the perfect combination of ingredients and methods. The team tests every variable in a recipe, by making a dish dozens of times to get it right. Then begin each recipe and explain why, and what makes their process work. This makes it easy for a kosher chef to modify or substitute without changing the integrity of the recipe. ATK’s recipes are reliable, delicious, and repeatable.

Things You Never Thought To Ask

By distilling the formulation into a series of steps, which begins with a problem, and explains the ‘what’ and ‘why’ before discussing how they corrected the issue ATK makes every formulation immediately relatable. While you may choose to substitute ingredients some even provided by them, they have provided simple, repeatable processes and incorporate best-in-class methods.

What we liked best about the cookbook is that it takes nothing for granted, providing instructions for making some of the more basic items, including the perfect scrambled eggs (page 59), the best-baked potatoes (page 500), and boiled corn (page 489) presented alongside more ambitious recipes like onion-braised beef brisket (page 296). The book is organized by meal types – appetizers & drinks, eggs & breakfast, soups & stews, salads, pasta, noodles & dumplings, meat, fish & seafood, vegetarian, grilling, bread & pizza, and finally desserts. It includes tastes from across the globe, a culinary cornucopia presenting interesting takes on classic (and more extravagant) recipes.

Perfect Boiled Corn [Page 489]

To produce perfectly crisp, juicy corn every time the water temperature matters as does having the right ratio of water to corn. (for 6 ears of corn bring 4 quarts of water to a boil) shut off the heat, drop in the corn, and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. The ideal doneness temperature should be between 150 and 170 degrees.

Why it Works: The temperature of the water decreases quickly so the corn will not overcook while the temperature of the corn increases to the ideal zone. The corn can sit in the water for as long as 30 minutes without overcooking.

Some people season the water to add flavor to the corn. It does not help. Adding salt or sugar into the water would take too long to penetrate the corn. ATK recommends adding seasoning when it is on the table.

Best Baked Potatoes – Total Time 1 ½ hours [Page 500]

Almost no one uses a recipe to make baked potatoes which is why they’re often underdone or dense and gummy. For perfectly baked potatoes, the center should reach 205 degrees (we used our ThermoWorks thermometer to test the temperature).

Open the potatoes immediately this releases the trapped steam that causes gumminess.

Instructions:

Take 4 Russet potatoes unpeeled and lightly prick with a fork 6 times.
Place the potatoes in a bowl of salt water (2 tablespoons in ½ cup of water) until the skin is moistened. (to season the skin).
Bake at 450 degrees until the center reaches 205 degrees (45 – 60 minutes)
For a crisp skin, remove potatoes. Brush with olive oil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Scrambled Eggs – Serves 4 •Total Time: 10 minutes [Page 59]

The first step was to add salt to the uncooked eggs. The salt dissolves some of the egg proteins so they do not bond when cooked, creating tender curds.

To prevent the eggs from getting tough, beat gently until just combined using a fork rather than a whisk.
For intense creaminess, use half-and-half instead of milk.
To prevent overcooking start the eggs on medium-high heat and finish over a low heat.
Use a 10-inch skillet to keep the eggs in a thicker layer, trapping more steam and producing heartier curds.

It’s important to follow the visual cues in this recipe, as pan thickness will affect cooking times. If using an electric stove, heat one burner on low heat and a second on medium-high heat; move the skillet between burners when it’s time to adjust the heat. If you don’t have half-and-half, substitute 8 teaspoons of whole milk and 4 teaspoons of heavy cream.

Ingredients

8 large whole eggs
2 large yolks [Add extra yokes to replicate the richer flavor of farm-fresh eggs]
1/4 cup half-and-half
3/8teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

Instructions

Beat eggs, yolks, half-and-half, salt, and pepper with a fork until eggs are thoroughly combined and the color is pure yellow; do not overbeat.
Heat butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until fully melted (butter should not brown), swirling to coat the pan.
Add egg mixture and, using a heatproof rubber spatula, constantly and firmly scrape along the bottom and sides of the skillet until eggs begin to clump and the spatula leaves a trail on the bottom of the pan (1 1/2 – 2 1/2 minutes)
Reduce heat to low and gently but constantly fold eggs until clumped and just slightly wet (30 – 60 seconds)

Immediately transfer eggs to warmed plates and season with salt to taste.

Onion-Braised Brisket – Serves 6

Total Time: 5 3/4 to 6 1/4 hours, plus 12 hours chilling [Page 298]

Brisket is a lean meat that requires long, slow braising to become tender—and as a result is almost always stringy, dry meat. The fat in a piece of brisket is all on the surface; there’s no marbling to keep the interior moist. The challenge was to find a way to get the moisture inside. With this recipe the meat remains moist, served with a flavorful sauce.

Leaving the meat in the sauce after cooking and then refrigerating it overnight created a noticeable difference, the meat reabsorbed some of the liquid, becoming moister and easier to carve without shredding. The sauce improved as well, the fat had risen to the surface and congealed, making it easier to remove.

Recipes to Read, Test, and Repeat

While America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years is not designed for the kosher chef, containing many non-kosher recipes, they go one step further than most cookbooks, explaining the science behind cooking. It is a great book for anyone who loves chemistry and science, and for everyone who cooks. ATK is more than making a great meal, it is about understanding why it works and improving your next one.

Experiment, eat, and enjoy!