America's Test Kitchen

[Toliver]

I wasn't able to find an existing discussion on this show, which was surprising. If there is one, moderators please merge this post.

I noticed at the end of Saturday's episode that if you ordered this season's companion-to-the-PBS-series cookbook, you would receive all 26 epsiodes of this season's shows on DVD for free.

Link to the America's Test Kitchen web page

Plus, they'll also include a copy of their "2007 Buying Guide for Supermarket Ingredients".

The DVD's don't even ship until June 15th, 2007 and I don't know how long this offer will last. But I thought this was a good deal if you're a fan of the show.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I wasn't able to find an existing discussion on this show, which was surprising

I thought this was a good deal if you're a fan of the show.

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You are quite right on this one, Toliver .. it is a terrific deal! Many thanks!

As far as finding things on eGullet, if memory serves me correctly, you can find anything here!

[Toliver]

I wasn't able to find an existing discussion on this show, which was surprising

I thought this was a good deal if you're a fan of the show.

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You are quite right on this one, Toliver .. it is a terrific deal! Many thanks!

As far as finding things on eGullet, if memory serves me correctly, you can find anything here!

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Thanks for the compliment!

My search attempts kept faltering. I wonder if there's something about the name of the show that sends the search engine off the deep end.

As much as people either love or hate Christopher Kimball and his bow ties, I would have thought such a discussion would have already existed.

I was disappointed to see them dedicate a show to a low calorie cheesecake this last weekend. It's like making a tofu T-bone ...what's the point?

[fiftydollars]

....I was disappointed to see them dedicate a show to a low calorie cheesecake this last weekend. It's like making a tofu T-bone  ...what's the point?

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Yeah, what's up with that? I DVR a whole lot more ATK than I watch, but I still manage to catch most of the shows every season. I like the new set a little, but I'm distraught about Adam's facial hair. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He looks like he just barely made bail in time for the taping.

[srhcb]

My PBS station doesn't carry the show.

Although I'm not a real big fan of Chris Kimball, I'd watch anyway.

SB (Just wait until their next fund drive! )

[Joe Blowe]

For those who are interested, links to the Annual Buying Guides are below:

2007 Buying Guide for Supermarket Ingredients

2006 Buying Guide for Supermarket Ingredients

2005 Buying Guide for Supermarket Ingredients

And if you're not interested,

[Jen Keenan]

....I was disappointed to see them dedicate a show to a low calorie cheesecake this last weekend. It's like making a tofu T-bone  ...what's the point?

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Yeah, what's up with that? I DVR a whole lot more ATK than I watch, but I still manage to catch most of the shows every season. I like the new set a little, but I'm distraught about Adam's facial hair. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He looks like he just barely made bail in time for the taping.

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I've had a Season Pass for this show on my Tivo for ages. They seem at times to be reaching for subjects, judging from recent viewings. The Thai stir-fry was lovely even if I was wondering what happened to chef Julia. But Toliver - I just saw an episode about Chicken Kiev! Herbed butter was flooding the plate. Health is clearly not their number one concern. They're trying to span the tastes of the country.

As for your comment about facial hair, fiftydollars, I think it's clear to anyone who's been watching for a while that Adam's gained quite a bit of weight recently and is trying to shade it a little. It is a bit surprising but let's give him a break

[CaliPoutine]

I got an email sent to my AOL address( I have another isp too) about the new AOL on demand. You can subscribe( free for 14days) and watch all the shows from 2006 and 2007 ( as they are added). They're also working on adding all the archives from the past seasons.

I'm going to subscribe to the free trial and check it out.

[Toliver]

My PBS station doesn't carry the show.

Although I'm not a real big fan of Chris Kimball, I'd watch anyway.

SB (Just wait until their next fund drive! )

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Not to rub salt in the wound...but where I live I receive two different PBS stations on my cable system and both air "ATK" (one station runs the show a week later than the other).

As a bonus, aside from "ATK", they both air different cooking shows so I get about 6 hours of PBS cooking shows every Saturday, which rocks.

[scubadoo97]

We have 2 PBS stations. One has aired ATK almost daily but has since replaced it with Simply Ming. ATK is a great show in that they really do some research on how to get it right for the home cook.

[Reefpimp]

I get about 6 hours of PBS cooking shows every Saturday, which rocks.

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Oh man. I remember when PBS was the ONLY source for cooking shows (and military history shows). After a long Sunday dozing on the couch, it all seemed to run together: "It was here, on this spot, that the Crudites met the Canapes. The carnage was horrific."

[slowday]

I wasn't able to find an existing discussion on this show, which was surprising. If there is one, moderators please merge this post.

I noticed at the end of Saturday's episode that if you ordered this season's companion-to-the-PBS-series cookbook, you would receive all 26 epsiodes of this season's shows on DVD for free.

Link to the America's Test Kitchen web page

Plus, they'll also include a copy of their "2007 Buying Guide for Supermarket Ingredients".

The DVD's don't even ship until June 15th, 2007 and I don't know how long this offer will last.  But I thought this was a good deal if you're a fan of the show.

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Its a great deal and I'll probably get it, kind of hard to resist. But there are so many other products for sale on the site I wonder how they avoid duplication or covering the same ground in basically the same ways.

I recieved the big best recipe book as a gift and liked it a lot. But when I went on Amazon to look for other books like Best Soups and Stews, the reader reviews warned that most of the recipes were already in the Best Recipe Book, which I have. Is it worth it to subscribe to the website or getting the monthly magazine?

Allan

[Toliver]

Is it worth it to subscribe to the website or getting the monthly magazine?

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Here is a previous discussion that may or may not answer your question:

"Cook's Illustrated"

I didn't like the idea of having to subscribe to both. I thought if you were a magazine subscriber, the access to the web resources should have been included.

Perhaps you should post on that thread to see if you can revive it and get more opinions.

[ray goud]

....I was disappointed to see them dedicate a show to a low calorie cheesecake this last weekend. It's like making a tofu T-bone  ...what's the point?

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Yeah, what's up with that? I DVR a whole lot more ATK than I watch, but I still manage to catch most of the shows every season. I like the new set a little, but I'm distraught about Adam's facial hair. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He looks like he just barely made bail in time for the taping.

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Give the guy a break - he's a Vermonter!

[Toliver]

I thought I would bump this back up...

For those of you who ordered this year's companion book to the PBS series, I just received an email stating that the series DVD's and the Buying Guide were being shipped.

The DVD's were supposed to be shipped in June as originally stated on their web site. But at least they're coming...

[Chris Amirault]

I just watched an episode of the show devoted to KC ribs, beans, bread and butter pickles, and thermometers. It was very strange.

The rib and bean recipes were pretty much standard issue, as far as I'm aware, but as CI often seems to do they didn't reference the standards, and instead acted as if they'd invented each step. I just don't get that: why can't they give propers to those who came before them?

Then Kimball tried the bread and butter pickles. He liked the one that finished last best, and he disliked the one that finish first the most. Everyone kind of laughed awkwardly, but it did beg the age-old CI question: whose taste is the basis for what is "best"?

The thermometer testing was also bizarre. They discounted the Maverick dual probe thermometer -- a fantastic piece of equipment for many reasons -- because the marketing claim that it reached up to 100 feet didn't fly (they got 30 feet away or so). My kitchen is well within range of my grill, so 30 feet works for me. They then had a conversation about which thermometer does and doesn't fall from the grill cover hole, and chose the cheapest as the winner.

They never tested the accuracy of any of the thermometers.

[dougw]

Yeah, sometimes it's hard to put a lot of faith in the taste tests. Especially one where he was tasting vinegar. I mean come on. After three shots of ANY vinegar, your buds will be shot.

I do enjoy this show a lot, and their recipe for blueberry pancakes remains my go-to for consistent perfection.

[kruckley]

I find that the tv show tends to praise the cheaper brands and the magazine tends to go for the higher end items. Not sure if that fits the demographics of the tv show as opposed to the magazine?

[Toliver]

....Then Kimball tried the bread and butter pickles. He liked the one that finished last best, and he disliked the one that finish first the most. Everyone kind of laughed awkwardly, but it did beg the age-old CI question: whose taste is the basis for what is "best"?

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He usually picks out the most expensive version. In both the balsamic vinegar taste test and the Parmesan taste test, he picked the just-under $200 a bottle vinegar and the "real McCoy" imported from Italy Parmesan. The high-end versions were thrown in to see if he could pick them out.

During the balsamic vinegar taste test it was annyoing to hear him keep stating how the money to buy the expensive stuff was coming out of his pocket.

[jsmeeker]

The rib and bean recipes were pretty much standard issue, as far as I'm aware, but as CI often seems to do they didn't reference the standards, and instead acted as if they'd invented each step. I just don't get that: why can't they give propers to those who came before them?

Then Kimball tried the bread and butter pickles. He liked the one that finished last best, and he disliked the one that finish first the most. Everyone kind of laughed awkwardly, but it did beg the age-old CI question: whose taste is the basis for what is "best"?

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I am pretty sure the rankings published in the magazine (and in the show) are done by a tasting panel. It seems that Chris is not directly involved in this, and they always seem to have fun with Chris disagreeing with the panel. I'm pretty sure if you were to find the article in the magazine with that tasting, Chris's pick would NOT be the number one pick.

[Chris Amirault]

I guess my point is that, like many things, taste is relative, and it would be more useful to say, "If you like a sweeter bread n butter pickle, try this one; if you like a tarter, crisper pickle, try this one." I mean, my Maine family would come to blows on the question of B&B pickle criteria. Crimey!

[Amy Eber]

I love their publications but be careful when ordering from them. I ordered this last year by phone. My order arrived but, a few months later, a different cookbook was shipped to me. When I called to say I did not order it and should not have to either pay for it or pay postage and take a trip to the post office to return it, they told me I was oblbigated to. I was told that by ordering, I was agreeing to automatically receive future publications. They never sadi a word about this when I placed my order. A real mess to sort out. I posted something about this and was shocked at how many other people had the same problem

I wasn't able to find an existing discussion on this show, which was surprising. If there is one, moderators please merge this post.

I noticed at the end of Saturday's episode that if you ordered this season's companion-to-the-PBS-series cookbook, you would receive all 26 epsiodes of this season's shows on DVD for free.

Link to the America's Test Kitchen web page

Plus, they'll also include a copy of their "2007 Buying Guide for Supermarket Ingredients".

The DVD's don't even ship until June 15th, 2007 and I don't know how long this offer will last.  But I thought this was a good deal if you're a fan of the show.

←

[Porthos]

I can't seem to find this show in Southern California right now. I sent an email enquiry to DirectTV and they just told me to use their website to find it. I tried and failed. Can any one tell me if it is actually being shown in the LA market these days?

I've never been a viewer and am curious to see it.

[Pierogi]

I can't seem to find this show in Southern California right now. I sent an email enquiry to DirectTV and they just told me to use their website to find it. I tried and failed. Can any one tell me if it is actually being shown in the LA market these days?

I've never been a viewer and am curious to see it.

Hi Porthos,

Don't know where in SoCal you are, but in the LA basin, DirectTV caries America's Test Kitchen on both KVCR (Channel 24), which is PBS out of the Riverside/Inland Empire area, and KLCS (Channel 58), which is the LAUSD/PBS channel. On KLCS it airs on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. as the start of a 4&1/2 hour block (Yay !) of cooking shows. It appears its on a break right now on KVCR for special programming for fundraising. The next air time they list is Sunday, 3/28 at 11:30 a.m. They usually run a block of cooking shows from I think 10 a.m. to noon on Sundays when they're not doing a pledge drive.

Unfortunately, both KCET and KOCE (LA and Orange county PBS stations) have apparently dropped any cooking shows from their line-ups. KOCE will run a block very randomly on the weekend, but it's hard to say when it will be on. ATK is, I think, usually part of their programming when they do. KCET seems to have abandoned cooking shows all together.

[Porthos]

Pierogi,

I'm in the inland empire but DirectTV does have channels 24 and 58 as part of their programming. Thanks for the information.

I swear I saw part of an episode mid-week within the last month. Oh well... My DW, My DDs and I are volunteer participants in the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire and so our weekends are spoken for until the end of May so I'll have to wait until June to start watching. I hope it's worth tracking down.