My first experience riding a horse ended badly. The animal in question was my own horse, a Morgan, who realized instantly that I had no idea how to control 1,200 pounds of horseflesh. So he did the natural thing, which was to lope at an easy pace up to a small embankment and then stop dead, sending me flying into space. The good news was that my 10-year-old bones bent rather than snapped. I dusted myself off and got back on.
Flying off of horses was a constant theme during my childhood. My most spectacular fall was precipitated by an act of such extreme stupidity that I could have won a Darwin Award. One summer, as an aspiring hippie in Oregon, I managed to rope-halter a horse I chanced upon while crossing a large pasture and then hopped on its back without the benefit of saddle or bridle. A furious gallop ended in a spectacular arc that, of course, brought me rather harshly back to terra firma, only inches away from a large boulder. One might say that I have lived a charmed life, at least if survival is the key criterion.
As the host of America’s Test Kitchen, I know that we have had our share of stumbles in the early years but we have always gotten back on our feet to do another segment and another season. If practice makes perfect, or almost perfect, then we stuck to it and so did you. Hopefully, we can make a better claim than “We survived!” since we are now the most-watched cooking show on public television.
After well over 350 episodes, hundreds of recipes, and 15 years we thought it would be a good time to publish The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook. We have included EVERY recipe (more than 1,100) from all 15 years as well as a comprehensive guide to our product tastings and equipment testings, organized by category for easy reference, including photos of each of the winners.
I am not as young as I was when I stood in front of the TV cameras for the first time (watching early episodes is something I avoid), which means that I had forgotten some of the died-and-gone-to-heaven highlights from our 15 years. So preparing this book was a true trip down memory lane. The list includes Skillet Lasagna (just 40 minutes from start to finish and better than the oven-baked version), Chicken and Dumplings, Pan-Seared Thick Cut Steaks (unusual oven/stovetop method), Poached Salmon with Herb and Caper Vinaigrette (so little liquid it’s almost braised), Easier French Fries (started in cold, not hot, oil), Pasta with Weeknight Bolo-gnese Sauce, Italian-Style Grilled Chicken, French Chicken in a Pot (incredibly flavorful, moist meat), Grilled Well-Done Hamburgers (still juicy and tender), Barbecued Pulled Pork (finished in the oven), Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Blueberry Muffins (with a blueberry swirl), Molasses Spice Cookies with Dark Rum Glaze, Chocolate-Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries, Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake, Applesauce Snack Cake, and our to-die-for Coconut Layer Cake.
A while back, I rode horseback with a neighbor through high mountain pastures that were just a few minutes from our farm. It was a neighbor’s property and I had never ventured up the steep embankment just off the road and up into the hidden fields above. We loped through the high timothy, the Indian paintbrushes, and the daisies, rear ends firmly set in our saddles, boot heels down, comfortable with our horses and the ride. I had discovered another country, a magic valley that was just out my back door after a dozen years of similar rides just a stone’s throw away.
Cooking is like that ride. It takes years to get comfortable, to figure out what you are doing, and to be certain that you can overcome almost any eventuality, whether it be a woodchuck hole or a substitute ingredient. Years of accumulated experience—other rides and other recipes—are the bits and pieces that turn one from tentative to confident, from novice to professional.
The joy of cooking is that experience brings with it unexpected pleasure, moments when a recipe turns from everyday to transcendent. This book is a container of sorts; it holds all the steps, all the preparation that can take one from good cook to great cook, from putting food on the table to really enjoying the ride. One day, when you least expect it, you will be out and about and realize that you’ve found a whole new world, just around the corner.
Christopher Kimball
Founder and editor, Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country
Host, America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen