America's Test Kitchen

We like appetizers that deliver big flavor without much work. This means spiced nuts that are not overly sweet, spinach dip that is bold and creamy (not watery and insipid), and beef satay that is tender and vibrant.

Most cooks are under the impression that good soup takes all day to prepare. Maybe that's what our mothers wanted us to think, but the truth is that homemade soup need not be a complicated affair. We'll show you how to make simplified versions of two favorite soups: chicken noodle and Italian pasta and bean.

Soup for supper is an appealing concept, especially on a cold, snowy night. But for soup to work as a main course, it better be hearty. A light, clear broth simply won't do. Our vibrant lentil soup fits the bill, and we round out this meal with a quick cheese bread.

Some local dishes become so popular that they transcend their region. Gumbo is a taste of Louisiana in a big old bowl. And Cincinnati chili is American original, served with buttered spaghetti, kidney beans, cheddar cheese, and chopped onions. Our goal when developing our versions of these dishes was to remain faithful to the originals while making the recipes approachable for cooks who may not have grown up with them.

It sometimes seems the simplest recipes suffer the worst fate in modern cookbooks. Maybe it's because no one really cares enough about these dishes to get them right. The test kitchen was committed to breathing new life into these old-fashioned American recipes: stuffed pork chops, gravy, and glazed carrots.

We offer two inspired takes on roast chicken. Our roast lemon chicken starts by following a conventional path but ends with a twist. And there's nothing conventional about cooking a butterflied chicken under a brick. But these two recipes do have some things in common: both deliver crisp skin and lots of flavor. Best of all, both recipes are fairly easy to execute.

Far too often, quick and easy weeknight cooking reflects the minimal effort exerted to make the meal. But it doesn't have to be this way. We start with two quick-cooking classics sauted chicken cutlets and pan-seared shrimp and elevate them from the everyday.

In this episode, we offer delicious, relatively straightforward fare that appeals to young and old. What kid or adult doesn't look forward to macaroni and cheese or barbecued chicken?

Huge meaty flavor combined with spice, smoke, and fire epitomizes Texas barbecue. Could we figure out how to make authentic Texas beef ribs in our Boston-based test kitchen?

On occasion we break the bank and buy a beef tenderloin. The tender, buttery interior is the big draw, and the combination of a healthy dose of seasoning and the flavor from the charcoal grill is a perfect solution to an otherwise mild-tasting piece of meat.

In this episode we prepare grilled chicken with a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce and grilled salmon with a sweet, sticky glaze.

In this episode we prepare chicken enchiladas and Mexican rice.

Sure, raw tomato sauces are fast, but if the sauce is watery and bland, who cares? Likewise, asparagus-based pasta sauces are often bland and boring. In this episode we keep things simple while avoiding these common problems.

The test kitchen prepares two Indian favorites: chicken biryani and mulligatawny soup.

Pissaladiere is Provensal street food, a fragrant, pizzalike tart prized for its contrast of salty black olives and anchovies against a backdrop of sweet caramelized onions and thyme. We figure out how to make a great version of this French classic.

Too often, eggplant Parmesan is a soggy, oily mess. And pasta with chicken and broccoli is heavy and bland. But after many tests in the kitchen, we've come up with recipes that give these simple, honest dishes the respect they deserve.

Pasta all'amatriciana is perhaps Rome's most famous dish. Despite the fancy name, it's nothing more than long-strand pasta sauced with tomatoes, onion, bacon, and hot pepper flakes and dusted with cheese. This simple dish is about the details, and we knew they could be mastered.

Osso buco, literally 'bone with a hole,' is the Italian term for veal shanks. This meaty cut, akin to beef shanks or lamb shanks, becomes meltingly tender when stewed for several hours in a covered pot. Our goal was to create a recipe that guaranteed perfectly tender meat with rich flavor. We serve it with a simple and satisfying polenta.

Who hasn't been served a bowl of watery French onion soup with crunchy onions and way too much gooey cheese? Meanwhile a baked goat cheese salad is a delicate balance of textures, temperatures, and flavors that is often out of kilter. Our goal was simple: Take French onion soup and baked goat cheese salad and make stellar versions of these bistro favorites.

A sticky bun should be neither dense nor bready, neither saturated with butter nor so sugary that it makes your heart race. The crumb should be tender and feathery and the sticky glaze gently chewy and gooey. Here's how we made ours.

Brownies are too often dull, and blondies (as well as congo bars, their coconut-flavored cousins) can be even worse, since they are even plainer. When we created recipes for these favorite bake sale items, we kept things simple while focusing on developing superior flavor and texture.

The holidays are stressful enough. Dough that sticks to the rolling pin, cookies that melt together in the oven, and glazes that refuse to set up just won't do. We create a foolproof rolled butter cookie dough that tasted great and can be turned into an array of different cookies.

Cakes baked in Bundt and tube pans are popular for a variety of reasons. These pans make cakes that are especially attractive, and the cakes themselves tend to be pretty simple to prepare. In this episode, we make angel food cake and a chocolate Bundt cake.

We wanted to develop the perfect pumpkin cheesecake recipe, but we never figured it would take 30 cheesecakes to develop a great recipe worthy of the finest holiday dinner.

Watch as we take two modern classic desserts a chocolate volcano cake and caramelized pears and make them approachable for the home cook.