America's Test Kitchen
Also known as	America's Test Kitchen from Cooks Illustrated Magazine
Genre	Cooking
Presented by	Christopher Kimball (2001–2016) Julia Collin Davison (cast member, 2001–present; host, 2017–present) Bridget Lancaster (cast member, 2001–present; host, 2017–present)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	24
No. of episodes	623 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jack Bishop Kaitlin Keleher Julia Collin Davison Bridget Lancaster
Production locations	Brookline, Massachusetts (seasons 1–18) Boston, Massachusetts (seasons 19–present)
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	27 minutes
Production companies	WETA America's Test Kitchen Productions
Original release
Network	syndication/Create
Release	August 4, 2001 (2001-08-04) – present
Related
Cook's Country

America's Test Kitchen (originally America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated Magazine) is a half-hour long American cooking show broadcast by public television stations and Create and distributed by American Public Television. Originally hosted by Christopher Kimball, the program currently is co-hosted by Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.^[1]

On the show, a handful of test cooks are filmed in a real, working test kitchen, including hosts Davison and Lancaster and chefs Keith Dresser, Becky Hayes, Lan Lam, Erin McMurrer, Elle Simone Scott, and Dan Souza. Also, Bryan Roof, Christie Morrison, Ashley Moore, Lawman Johnson, and Morgan Bolling prepare recipes as they discuss what works, what doesn't, and why, highlighting the rigorous recipe testing process at the core of the test kitchen's mission. Equipment expert Adam Ried, gadget critic Lisa McManus, and tasting expert Jack Bishop help viewers understand what to look for when buying gear and ingredients.^[2]

The show is affiliated with America's Test Kitchen, publishers of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and beginning in Season 19, the show is recorded at ATK's test kitchen facility at the Innovation and Design Building in Boston, Massachusetts.^[3]

On February 2, 2023, Marquee Brands became a majority owner of ATK (America's Test Kitchen Limited Partnership) and its associated brands, including Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country.^[4]

On March 24, 2023, America's Test Kitchen laid off 23 workers or about 10 percent of its staff. That included the entire team that worked on the ATK Kids brand.^[5]

A typical episode of the show consists primarily of two or three recipes that are consistent with the theme of the episode. Each recipe is tested 40-60 times before appearing on the show or in the books, at an average cost of $10,000; they also have a network of 35,000 people who have volunteered to test them.^[6] For broadcast, each recipe is presented by a test cook to one of the hosts, Julia Collin Davison or Bridget Lancaster, who walk through recipe steps, explain common problems that can occur when cooking it, and explain how to cook it the right way by sharing discoveries made during the testing and the science behind the recipe using instructional graphics. Periodically throughout the episode, other segments are inserted, usually consisting of two or more of the following:^[7]

• An Equipment-Testing segment, where Adam Ried reviews kitchen equipment and explains the best product to buy.
• A Tasting Lab segment, where an ingredient or several representative supermarket brands of a prepared food product is run through expert and audience tasting panels and taste-tested by one of the hosts
• A Science Desk segment, discussing the science behind a pertinent technique used in the recipe
• A Quick Tips segment, demonstrating tips and tricks from Cook's Illustrated magazine and viewers' emails and letters
• A Gadget Expert segment, where Lisa McManus reviews and ranks smaller kitchen gadgets

Through season 6 the show was taped in standard definition, 4:3 video; season 7 saw the show switch to widescreen 16:9 video. The high definition version of the show is broadcast as part of PBS HD's master digital schedule, and by some PBS affiliates as part of their normal schedules.

During recording, 26 episodes are videotaped during a three-week period. Six recipes are recorded per day, and there are two recipes demonstrated per episode.^[8]

America's Test Kitchen features several recurring cast members, although not every cast member appears in each episode; usually only one or two of the chefs appears in an episode.^[9]

• Julia Collin Davison, executive food editor for the cookbook division, took over as co-host of America's Test Kitchen alongside Bridget Lancaster with the start of season 17 in January 2017^{[citation needed]} and took over Kimball's role in introducing the recipes featured in each episode. Collin Davison appeared in most episodes of ATK seasons 1–16, but was to appear in all upcoming episodes thereafter. Collin Davison continues cooking selected recipes on each episode with the help of others.
• Bridget Lancaster, executive food editor for television, radio and new media, appeared as a regular cast member in seasons 1–16 and joins Julia Collin Davison as host in all episodes beginning in season 17. Lancaster will also continue to cook through select recipes on upcoming episodes alongside other cast members.
• Jack Bishop, Chief Creative Officer for ATK, appears in most episodes hosting the Tasting Lab segment. In the Tasting Lab, he describes a tasting panel's opinions on different brands of the food or ingredient in question, as Kimball, Lancaster or Davison tastes several of the items blind. After Kimball, Lancaster or Collin Davison provides his or her thoughts on the different varieties, Bishop reveals the brands that Kimball, Lancaster or Collin Davison tasted and compares his or her thoughts to those of the tasting panel. Bishop and Kimball frequently refer to a running joke that Kimball's tastes are often vastly different from the tasting panel's; as an example, in a segment tasting bottled waters, Kimball picked Boston tap water over all the brands of bottled water. Bishop also hosts the Cook's Illustrated podcast.^[10]
• Dan Souza joined the cast in 2013, appearing as a cook and sometimes in the role of science expert. In 2017, Souza became editor-in-chief of Cook's Illustrated magazine.^[11]
• Adam Ried appears in most episodes as the host of the Equipment Corner segment. In his segment, he shows several brands of a piece of kitchen equipment and often asks Kimball, Lancaster or Collin Davison to use several of the items or eat food prepared with different brands. In the end, he identifies the test kitchen's preferred brand and demonstrates its key features. For particularly expensive items, he often identifies a best buy: an item that was ranked highly but is significantly less expensive than the top brand. Throughout the show's run, items previously tested in other seasons have been retested as technology changes warrant; for instance, in season 8, garlic presses were retested due to the failure of the non-stick coating on the previous winning brand after heavy usage, and a new favorite brand was chosen. Occasionally the Equipment Corner segment does not focus on a single piece of equipment; instead, a "buy it/don't buy it" format is used to pick the best items among newer, trendier kitchen gadgets. One of Ried's favorite "buy it" gadgets was a timer that came with its own lanyard so cooks could wear it around their necks and not have to be in visual range of the oven timer; Ried revealed, however, that the timer was normally used to stay one step ahead of local traffic law enforcers by signaling that it was time to feed the meter or move the car.
• Lisa McManus first appeared as the show's gadget expert in season 10, reviewing smaller kitchen gadgets in short segments. She is executive editor on the ATK Reviews team, which conducts equipment testing and ingredient tasting reviews at America's Test Kitchen.
• John "Doc" Willoughby hosted the Science Desk segment in the show's first two seasons but was gradually phased out during season 3. After he became executive editor of Gourmet magazine, there was no Science Desk segment for two seasons. Willoughby returned to America's Test Kitchen in 2010, though he left again.^[12]
• Odd Todd (Todd Rosenberg) designs animations for the Science Desk segment, illustrating such concepts as flambé, brining, marinating vs. dry spice rubs, and whether plastic or wooden cutting boards are better for overall kitchen hygiene. His segments made their debut in season 5 but were replaced by non-animated segments with Jeremy Sauer in season 6. The animations returned for season 7, interspersed with non-animated science segments done by Kimball and Sauer.
• Guy Crosby is the science adviser for America's Test Kitchen. He began working for Cook's Illustrated as a consulting editor in early 2005.^[13]
• Rebecca "Becky" Hays, Dan Souza, Keith Dresser, Elle Simone,^[14] Erin McMurrer and Lan Lam are the chefs who explain and prepare the recipes in each episode as the host watches and comments. Usually only one or two of the chefs will appear in an episode. Collin Davison, Lancaster and Rentschler appeared as regular cast members on season 1. Kay Rentschler moved to the positions of Culinary Producer and Executive Chef by season 2 and appeared in only one episode that season, before leaving the show by Season 3.^[15] Hays joined the permanent cast in season 5, Bruce, Wu, and Ruperti each appear for a single season (seasons 5, 6, and 8, respectively), and Alt appears in seasons 7 and 8. All are prominent recipe testers or editors in Cook's Illustrated. Beginning in season 5, Cook's Illustrated staff chefs Hays, Bruce, Jeremy Sauer, and Matthew Card appeared in segments answering common viewer mail questions. Hays, Bruce, and Sauer joined the on-camera cast for season 6; Hays moved into credited cast member status beginning in season 7. Souza and Bryan Roof were added to the regular cast starting season 15. Chin, Dresser and Simone were added to the regular cast starting season 17. Also during Season 17, McMurrer and Roof traded places, with McMurrer moving from the cast of sister show Cook's Country to America's Test Kitchen and Roof moving from the America's Test Kitchen cast to Cook's Country. Lan Lam has been added to the cast in season 19 while Tim Chin left the rotation.

• Christopher Kimball, the show's host for seasons 1–16, was the co-founder, editor and publisher of America's Test Kitchen and its associated magazine, book, television and radio programs from their inception through 2016. Kimball and ATK parted company in the fall of 2016 over a contract dispute.^[16]

Date Published	Title	Description	New York Times Best Seller
February 15, 2011 (2011-02-15)	Slow Cooker Revolution	One Test Kitchen. 30 Slow Cookers. 200 Amazing Recipes.
March 15, 2013 (2013-03-15)	Pressure Cooker Perfection	100 Foolproof Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
September 10, 2013 (2013-09-10)	Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2	The Easy-Prep Edition
October 15, 2013 (2013-10-15)	The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook	Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook.
March 4, 2014 (2014-03-04)	The How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook	Revolutionary Techniques. Groundbreaking Recipes.
October 13, 2014 (2014-10-13)	100 Recipes	The Absolute Best Ways To Make The True Essentials
October 20, 2014 (2014-10-20)	The Cook's Illustrated Meat Book	The Game-Changing Guide That Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes
October 27, 2014 (2014-10-27)	The New Family Cookbook	All-New Edition of the Best-Selling Classic with 1,100 New Recipes
January 1, 2015 (2015-01-01)	Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution	One Test Kitchen. 40 Slow Cookers. 200 Fresh Recipes.
March 1, 2015 (2015-03-01)	The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook	A Fresh Guide to Eating Well with 700 Foolproof Recipes
April 15, 2015 (2015-04-15)	The Best Mexican Recipes	Kitchen-Tested Recipes Put the Real Flavors of Mexico Within Reach
August 11, 2015 (2015-08-11)	Cook's Country Eats Local	150 Regional Recipes You Should Be Making No Matter Where You Live
October 13, 2015 (2015-10-13)	The How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook Volume 2	New Whole-Grain Flour Blend. 75+ Dairy-Free Recipes.
October 27, 2015 (2015-10-27)	The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2016	Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show with Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes
February 23, 2016 (2016-02-23)	Cook It in Cast Iron	Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All
April 26, 2016 (2016-04-26)	Master of the Grill	Foolproof Recipes, Top-Rated Gadgets, Gear & Ingredients Plus Clever Test Kitchen Tips & Fascinating Food Science
April 26, 2016 (2016-04-26)	Foolproof Preserving	A Guide to Small Batch Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Condiments, and More
August 23, 2016 (2016-08-23)	Naturally Sweet	Bake All Your Favorites with 30% to 50% Less Sugar
September 6, 2016 (2016-09-06)	Bread Illustrated	A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home
October 4, 2016 (2016-10-04)	Cook's Science	How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of our Favorite Ingredients
October 4, 2016 (2016-10-04)	The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2017	The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings
October 25, 2016 (2016-10-25)	What Good Cooks Know	20 Years of Test Kitchen Expertise in One Essential Handbook
December 27, 2016 (2016-12-27)	The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook	500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day
April 4, 2017 (2017-04-04)	Vegan for Everybody	Foolproof Plant-Based Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and In-Between
July 11, 2017 (2017-07-11)	The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook	From Appetizers to Desserts 500 Recipes You Can Make in Advance
November 28, 2017 (2017-11-28)	The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook	650 Recipes for Everything You'll Ever Want to Make
February 6, 2018 (2018-02-06)	How to Roast Everything	A Game-Changing Guide to Building Flavor in Meat, Vegetables, and More
February 27, 2018 (2018-02-27)	Just Add Sauce	A Revolutionary Guide to Boosting the Flavor of Everything You Cook
March 27, 2018 (2018-03-27)	The Perfect Cake	Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes
April 17, 2018 (2018-04-17)	Multicooker Perfection	Cook it Fast or Cook it Slow - You Decide
April 17, 2018 (2018-04-17)	Dinner Illustrated	175 Meals Ready in 1 Hour or Less
August 28, 2018 (2018-08-28)	The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Season 11 Edition	Every Recipe, Every Ingredient Tasting, Every Equipment Rating From All 11 Seasons
September 4, 2018 (2018-09-04)	All Time Best Brunch	Standout recipes and time-tested tips
September 4, 2018 (2018-09-04)	All Time Best Dinners for Two	Leave it to America's Test Kitchen to help you get a perfectly scaled dinner for two on the table - no guesswork required
September 25, 2018 (2018-09-25)	The New Essentials Cookbook	A Modern Guide to Better Cooking
September 25, 2018 (2018-09-25)	Sous Vide For Everybody	The Easy, Foolproof Cooking Technique That's Sweeping the World
October 2, 2018 (2018-10-02)	The Best of America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2019	Every Recipe From The Hit TV Show With Product Ratings and a Look Behind the Scenes.
October 16, 2018 (2018-10-16)	The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs	100 kid-tested, kid approved recipes for every kid chef
October 16, 2018 (2018-10-16)	123 the Farm and Me	Readers will have fun counting along as they go from the farm, to the store, to their kitchen, to their table to share a dinner
October 16, 2018 (2018-10-16)	A is for Artichoke	Words and definitions that are sure to delight babies and foodies alike
October 23, 2018 (2018-10-23)	Cook's Illustrated Revolutionary Recipes	Groundbreaking techniques. Compelling voices. One-of-a-kind Recipes.
November 6, 2018 (2018-11-06)	The Complete Diabetes Cookbook	The Healthy Way to Eat the Foods You Love
December 4, 2018 (2018-12-04)	Cook it in Your Dutch Oven	150 Foolproof Recipes Tailor-Made for Your Kitchen's Most Versatile Pot
January 29, 2019 (2019-01-29)	Air Fryer Perfection	From Crispy Fries and Juicy Steaks to Perfect Vegetables, What to cook & How to Get the Best Results
February 12, 2019 (2019-02-12)	How to Braise Everything	Classic, Modern, and Global Dishes Using a Time-Honored Technique
March 5, 2019 (2019-03-05)	Vegetable Illustrated	An Inspiring Guide with 700+ Kitchen-Tested Recipes
April 2, 2019 (2019-04-02)	The Complete Baby and Toddler Cookbook	The Very Best Purees, Finger Foods, and Toddler Meals for Happy Families
April 30, 2019 (2019-04-30)	The Ultimate Burger	Plus DIY Condiments, Sides, and Boozy Milkshakes
May 14, 2019 (2019-05-14)	Spiced	Unlock the Power of Spices to Transform Your Cooking
June 11, 2019 (2019-06-11)	Instant Pot Ace Blender Cook Book	Foolproof Recipes for the Blender That Also Cooks
August 27, 2019 (2019-08-27)	The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Season 12 Edition	Every Recipe, Every Ingredient Testing, Every Equipment Rating From All 11 Seasons
September 3, 2019 (2019-09-03)	Stir Crack Whisk Bake	A Little Book about Little Cakes
September 3, 2019 (2019-09-03)	Cookies for Santa	The Story of How Santa's Favorite Cookie Saved Christmas
September 10, 2019 (2019-09-10)	The Perfect Pie	Your Ultimate Guide to Classic and Modern Pies, Tarts, Galettes, and More
October 1, 2019 (2019-10-01)	The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs	100+ Sweet & Savory Recipes That You'll Love To Bake, Share & Eat!
October 8, 2019 (2019-10-08)	How to Cocktail	Recipes and Techniques for Building the Best Drinks
November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05)	Side Dish Bible	1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You Will Ever Need
December 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)	Bowls	Vibrant Recipes with Endless Possibilities
December 31, 2019 (2019-12-31)	Mediterranean Instant Pot	Easy, Inspired Meals for Eating Well
January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)	Big Flavors from Italian America	Family-Style Favorites from Coast to Coast
January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)	Everything Chocolate	A Decadent Collection of Morning Pastries, Nostalgic Sweets, and Showstopping Desserts
March 3, 2020 (2020-03-03)	My First Cookbook	Fun recipes to cook together
March 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)	Easy Everyday Keto	Healthy Kitchen-Perfected Recipes
April 7, 2020 (2020-04-07)	100 Techniques	Master a Lifetime of Cooking Skills, from Basic to Bucket List
April 21, 2020 (2020-04-21)	The Complete Summer Cookbook	Beat the Heat with 400 Recipes that Make the Most of Summer's Bounty
May 5, 2020 (2020-05-05)	Foolproof Fish	Modern Recipes for Everyone, Everywhere
September 1, 2020 (2020-09-01)	Cooking for One	Scaled Recipes, No-Waste Solutions, and Time-Saving Tips for Cooking for Yourself
October 27, 2020 (2020-10-27)	Meat Illustrated	A Foolproof Guide to Understanding and Cooking with Cuts of All Kinds
October 27, 2020 (2020-10-27)	The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2021	Every Recipe
November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03)	Complete One Pot Cookbook	400 Complete Meals
November 17, 2020 (2020-11-17)	How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection	350+ Groundbreaking Recipes for All Your Favorites
December 1, 2020 (2020-12-01)	Complete Plant-Based Cookbook	500 Inspired, Flexible Recipes for Eating Well without Meat
October 5, 2021	The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2022	Every Recipe

• Official website
• America's Test Kitchen at IMDb
• America's Test Kitchen's channel on YouTube
• America's Test Kitchen Online Cooking School
• Cook's Illustrated
• Cook's Country
• Cook's Science