LA Times Test Kitchen

[Dave the Cook]

Russ:

I believe you were involved in the redesign of the testing areas at the LAT during your tenure as editor. I have even more appreciation for what a huge task it must have been, since thanks to Varmint's Pig Pickin', I had the opportunity to cook in three very different kitchens this past weekend.

Could you tell us a little bit about how you balanced the need for expedience with the desire to approximate how your readers have to negotiate their home kitchens?

[russ parsons]

Sure Dave,

I was food editor when we were moved from the third floor of our building to the second floor. Well, I says, we can't go tramping up stairs to the test kitchen can we? We need a new one. A perplexed look. Well sure, tell us what you need (first time--and probably last--that's ever happened).

Most of the work in redesigning the kitchen was done by the architect and by Test Kitchen Director Donna Deane. I sent her up to Menlo Park to spend the day at Sunset magazine, looking at theirs and she came down with a wish list. I think we got pretty much everything we wanted. It's a really spectacular facility. The one thing I was adamant about was that all of the cooking equipment had to be from the appliance store ... no professional stuff. So in essence what we've got is a really nice home kitchen. Well, two really nice home kitchens. We did one side in a contemporary style and one more traditional so we'd have two different looks for photography!

[hollywood]

Speaking of the Test Kitchen, any chance the Times will test The Wine Clip? Or, would that be in the Test Cellar?

[russ parsons]

I would never rule anything out, but that doesn't really sound like something we'd do.

[hollywood]

You and the Flatlanders should test it. Then you'd have an amusing piece even if there wasn't anything to it.