Name: America's Test Kitchen
Location: Brookline, MA
Size: 2,500 square feet
If you didn't know it was there, you'd never assume an authority on recipe testing and development was housed in a simple brick building surrounded by condos and coffee shops. Like its popular magazines, America's Test Kitchen doesn't look flashy, but inside it is buzzing with energy and expertise. I took a peek behind the cameras to see how a typical day runs at the culinary nerve center responsible for two TV shows, two magazines, a handful of websites, and countless cookbooks.
It's fitting that you enter America's Test Kitchen in the library. The 3,000+ cookbooks on-hand is where each ultimate recipe begins. Julia Collin Davidson, executive food editor for the cookbook division and a familiar face to viewers of America's Test Kitchen Live, descends the spiral staircase from the office level to take me on a tour of the space. And like each test cook, we start with the books.
Each recipe for Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, the cookbooks, and the TV shows begins with research. That includes the library here in the test kitchen, as well as online and trips to restaurants and bakeries. The cook picks 5 different recipes to test and taste side by side. Editors and cooks weigh in on the differences between each approach and what they're ultimately looking to achieve, and by the end of the process, there's the framework for the new recipe. It can take weeks to perfect the final version, and snippets of each stage are visible on any given day at America's Test Kitchen.
I arrive shortly after the groceries, and I watch the interns swiftly break down the piles of produce and after double-checking the order list on their clipboards, transport them to each cook's dry and cold storage areas. There's a photo shoot going on in the small kitchen (if you can call a kitchen with 8 wall ovens small). The test cooks start to arrive from a meeting and soon enough, the sizzle of oil and rhythmic tapping of knives fills the air. Working on recipes for either Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, the book team, or the photo team (finalized recipes being prepared to be shot), everyone works solo. That is, until there's a tasting.
In one corner of the kitchen, the book team is testing variables for beans: mainly, the difference salt makes in the soaking water. Not sure what they decided, but both dishes of black beans were creamy, and the salty spice from the chorizo definitely had me devouring my portions.
On the opposite end, the cooks are pitting sautéed Brussels sprouts against each other. The battle between shredded and halved has a no-contest winner for me, but everything at America's Test Kitchen is put to a vote.
In a space that heralds the scientific approach toward cooking, it's surprising that it also feels a little magical. It surely seems to take a bit of the supernatural to keep it all running. Kitchen director Erin McMurrer assures me it's all in the organization.
Prepping and tasting Brussels sprouts two ways. Before publication, Cook's Illustrated recipes are tested an average of 65 times by test cooks, and then by 150 readers.
7 Questions for Kitchen Director Erin McMurrer
What is your favorite thing about the test kitchen?
We have everything at our fingertips. There's over 300 tools that we've tested, so we have the best of the best, from small appliances to large. If you've ever worked in a restaurant kitchen, it's bare bones, you're tag-teaming, switching off using this or that. Here, we have enough for everyone, and it allows us to do our job better.
What gets the most use?
We have 33 ovens in the kitchen, 53 burners, and 3 microwaves, and they see a lot of action. For small appliances, the stand mixers, food processors, and blenders.
What, if anything, would you change about the kitchen?
Our biggest challenge is space. With so many people working here, the number of ingredients that come through, and the amount of equipment testings we do, space is always at a premium. Storage space, specifically. We have to have double of everything, some for photo shoots and the rest for general use. A room for just photo equipment would be great. And a dedicated grilling area. We currently grill in the back alley, so we have to bring the grills in and out, and it's a lot of wear and tear on them. We grill year round, so even in bad weather, someone still has to be out there grilling. A protected area with covered storage for the equipment would be ideal.
I was talking to some of the test cooks and interns, and everyone is working on something different! About how many recipes are being developed and tested over the course of a day?
We have around 40 test cooks and interns who work in the kitchen, and everyone is working on one or two recipes for either Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, the book team, or the photo shoot team. It could be anywhere from 40-60 recipes each day.
Is working in the test kitchen closer to a restaurant kitchen or a home kitchen?
Oh, definitely a home kitchen. Everything we do, we are approximating for the home cook. There were considerations when the kitchen was being designed because it's also a TV studio and a photo studio, but each station is its own mini-kitchen with a cooktop, oven, counter space, and sink nearby. So it's like 8 home kitchens in our big kitchen.
You do a lot of equipment testing. What's the process like for that?
It starts with a category. If we're testing sauce pans, is it 4-quart or 2.5-quart? Everything has to be nationally available, so Lisa [McManus, senior editor in charge of equipment testing] and her team narrow it down and order them in. Then as many tests as make sense happen. If it's pots and pans, they'll get dropped, oven mitts will get set on fire, rice cookers will run for long periods of time. And whatever wins, we stock and actually use here in the test kitchen. It's a way to monitor how they hold up long-term, and if there's an issue, we can revisit the test.
Are you loving anything in particular at the moment?
I just participated in the vegetable peeler equipment test. I loved our old winner, the Messermeister, but the Kuhn Rikon Y-peeler is amazing. Carbon steel blade, under $5. I've been using it non-stop.
• See three more kitchen tips from Erin: 3 Space-Saving Lessons for Home Cooks from America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen, By the Numbers:
• Ovens: 33 (DCS by Fisher & Paykel)
• Burners: 53
• Microwaves: 3
• Faucets & sinks: 8 (Kohler)
• Refrigerators: 20
• Freezers: 10
• Dishwashers: 2
• Walk-in: 1
• Grills: 15 (mix of gas & charcoal)
• Cabinets & drawers: 500
• Cookbooks: 3,000
Annual
• Grocery bill: $523,000
• Flour: 2,400 pounds
• Sugar: 1,900 pounds
• Garlic: 240 pounds
• Bacon: 480 pounds
• Dish soap: 60 gallons
Weekly
• People working in the kitchen: 40
• Beef: 50 pounds
• Chicken: 100 pounds
• Milk: 10 gallons
• Eggs: 15 dozen
More About America's Test Kitchen:
• America's Test Kitchen
• America's Test Kitchen Feed
Related:
• Ready to Melt: How to Make American Cheese
• Recipe Review: The Cook's Illustrated Vodka Pie Crust
• Questions for Kimball: How Can I Cut a Cook's Illustrated Recipe?
(Images: Tara Bellucci)
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I've been a fanatic of this show for eons. None of my cookbooks have the wear and tear that ATK books have taken. I also like the comments as to why certain methods and tools work better than others. Thanks for the tour.
Absolutely fantastic! I love this show. Thanks for the behind the scenes look.
My favorite kitchen, and my dream job! Amazing.
This is the equivalent of "Inside Santa's Workshop." Love it.
I love ATK and was amused to see in picture 13 that they have Rachel Ray Beef Stock in the pantry. So I went to their website and found that they actually selected the RR stock as the best beef stock. Who knew?!!
I would love to see a whole book of their binders dedicated to downshifting to healthier substitutes. Give me your idea of Potatoes Au Gratin and then give me a healthier alternative. Since I've started watching them, my kitchen and eating habits have changed. Less meat, less sugar. I still watch in awe of their hard work and dedication and when I can, follow their recipes religiously and they come out flawless!
This is my favorite post on The Kitchn, ever! A picture of Chris Kimball in a bow tie would have made the post even more perfect. I am so jealous of everyone that gets to work there.
Diehard fan. Subscribe to the paid websites and the magazines for Cooks Illustrated, Cooks Country and America's Test Kitchen. Above mentioned sites and Apartmenttherapy/thekitchn are always and foever my Holy Grail sites that I visit every day! (might as well share the love!)
Fascinating post! I do enjoy their TV shows and cookbooks.
I wonder if they are careful about food waste, and if they recycle.
This was awesome! So do the chefs do their own dishes? haha Thanks for posting!!!
I was just going to say that! I do NOT envy the dishwasher there!
ATK is so awesome and seeing this just makes it better. One thing - with this insider view, I would have been really curious to hear to what happens to food scraps/overages here.
What a great post. I'm a huge fan of the show and the magazine.
Did y'all hear the Chris Kimball interview on NPR's Fresh Air?
Love everything about ATK - recipes, cookbooks, shows, everything! Thanks for this really neat tour!
Yay! Love ATK - the show, the magazines, the books and the website. I actually interviewed with them years ago (2005?) and they were a really great group. I cooked in the small kitchen as a part of the interview and it was an incredible experience.
I, too, thought it was my dream job until I realized that while I love the detail they provide, I am nowhere as particular as they are. Case in point - I had to bake their notoriously fussy 'Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies'. When it was time to test the finished product, I was asked how I knew the butter was soft 'enough' and I replied that I just knew - heck, I'd been baking cookies for over 20 years at that point! The correct response was to check the temp of the butter, using a thermometer. Um, yeah, so not me, afterall...
There were other issues (moving from Michigan to Boston, would my husband find a job? etc), of course, but regardless, I'm still glad I had the experience!
What a great post! Thank you so much!
I love America's Test Kitchen recipe book I have and this post was a great way to peak inside and learn more about the people and the place.
Surprised there are only 2 dishwashers!!! I'm sure they are huge.
Love ATK and their scientific approach to explaining their choices and their research, all for recipes that can be replicated at home fairly easily. Coming from a science and engineering background, their show is always enjoyable.
Thank you, everyone, for all your lovely comments. We were thrilled to have Tara from TheKitchn come hang out with us for a day.
@philiphenderson we try our best to buy our "winning" products for our pantry. And yes, the Rachael Ray beef broth did win our blind taste test!
@deirdre625 we have a "take home" fridge where employees from the company can take leftovers home for dinner. It's a big job perk :)
@lklaisner we do have a Healthy Family Cookbook: http://amzn.to/wSEbbI
I wouldn't even mind being a dishwasher there if I could garner some of the leftovers. Yum!
I love Cooks Illustrated and have over 7 CI/ATK cookbooks, but I have been disappointed with some of the equipment reviews. The pots and pans, food processor, and Snapware that all came highly recommended by CI ended up failing within the first 6 months of purchase, and I wasn't abusing them by any means. Hmmm...
For me...a tour like this would be better than going to Disney World!! I love everything about ATK!!! Thanks for a great article!!
This is by far the best cooking show on TV. Keep up the good work.
Staceyann Dolenti
I have been a fan since the early years of Cooks Illustrated. I finally broke down and bought the entire boxed set of their magazines. I get a new book every year, and buy a new index about every 5 years. When I want to try something new, that's where I start.
I don't always agree with them, and my wife doesn't agree with them even more (southern girl - they don't do southern comfort food very well).
I had no idea this place is in Brookline! Wow. I would love to see it (to work there, but that's a total dream).
I'm not a fan of the magazine, too prosy for me. But I love the show. Julia is my fave!
I always watch ATK and love CI, but if those kitchens are supposed to represent the average home kitchen, I'm surprised. I don't have Le Creuset nor All Clad in my kitchen. I also don't have heavy duty burners/cooktop.
I don't think the majority of home kitchens have high end cookware/appliances. Let them try to make the recipes with our limitations, then they'll really see what it's like in the real world :-}
BTW, all the grandmothers who put out great meals did so on questionable (by today's standards) equipment and yet turned out fabulous food.
Re: Scraps and waste... Does ATK have an in-house policy for organic waste?
Are they composting?
How can I get in line for the giveaways on that table. Cooks Country and ATK are two of my fave shows. I really enjoyed this post. Lots of great storage ideas!
@MADDYWHO, after the ATK staff develop a recipe in the test kitchen, they ask readers to make it at home and submit a detailed review before the recipe gets published. We have tested and reviewed several recipes and love to do it. This way, ATK gets input from a diverse group of home cooks who have varying levels of expertise, tools/equipment, and other resources. I forget how we originally signed up to do this testing; probably thru the ATK/CI website.
How can I find those paper holders that seem to be holding the recipes up vertically? I am surprised no one has asked about this yet!
This is a great post! As mentioned previously, I would love to work at America's Test Kitchen - a true dream job!! I am trying to start a test and catering kitchen in my area. I live in the mountains of North Carolina - a small town named Hendersonville, close to Asheville. This gives me so much motivation! Thanks!!