America's Test Kitchen

Season 4

TV-G

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.

Where to Watch Season 4

26 Episodes

Salad 101
E1
Salad 101We 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
Summer Tomatoes
E2
Summer TomatoesSay 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
One-Pot Wonders
E3
One-Pot WondersThe 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
East Coast Seafood
E4
East Coast SeafoodWe 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
New Orleans Menu
E5
New Orleans MenuWe 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
Freedom from Red Sauce
E6
Freedom from Red SauceSkip 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
Quick Classic Pastas
E7
Quick Classic PastasEveryone 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
Pot Roast
E8
Pot RoastPot 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
Maple-Glazed Pork Roast
E9
Maple-Glazed Pork RoastSay 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
Truck Stop Classics
E10
Truck Stop ClassicsWe 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
Chicken in a Skillet
E11
Chicken in a SkilletA 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
Chicken in a Pot
E12
Chicken in a PotTwo 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
Steak and Potatoes
E13
Steak and PotatoesWe 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
Steak Tips
E14
Steak TipsSteak 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
Stir Fry 101
E15
Stir Fry 101Stir-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
Asian Noodles
E16
Asian NoodlesSay 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
Italian Classics
E17
Italian ClassicsAmericans love Italian food - and rightly so. Recipes: Chicken Diavola; Frico; Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Labs: Balsamic Vinegar
French Food in a Flash
E18
French Food in a FlashWe 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
Tea Time
E19
Tea TimeSay 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
Sunday Brunch
E20
Sunday BrunchWe 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
The Pancake Show
E21
The Pancake ShowFew 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
Cookie Jar Favorites
E22
Cookie Jar FavoritesGood 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
Summer Berry Desserts
E23
Summer Berry DessertsWhen 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
Easy Sheet Cakes
E24
Easy Sheet CakesWe 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
Lemon Cheescake
E25
Lemon CheescakeLight, creamy, and great lemon flavor--neither too fleeting nor too harsh. Recipe: Lemon Cheesecake Equipment Center: Springform Pans
Showstopper Deserts
E26
Showstopper DesertsHosts Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster head into the test kitchen to uncover the secrets to making the ultimate Baked Alaska at home. Then, equipment expert Adam Ried reviews ice cream machines in the Equipment Corner. Next, science expert Dan Souza reveals the science of insulation and thermodynamics at work in Baked Alaska. And finally, gadget guru Lisa McManus shares the best offset spatulas.