America's Test Kitchen

Joe Gitter is a senior editor and test cook at America's Test Kitchen, where they're all about methodical, scientific process in developing their recipes. And they make a ton of books, magazines, and videos, so they run a super tight ship. But Joe got something into his head and couldn't let it go, even though his team told him to back off. It was a recipe with a single ingredient recipe -- water.  He told Sally Swift all about it. 

You can learn a lot about ice just by looking at it. A pristinely clear cube tells you it’s made from pure water in a perfect crystal lattice. Cloudy ice signals impurities, absorbed gases, and irregular crystals. Those impurities (such as chlorine or fluoride) impart unwanted flavors, while absorbed gases (like oxygen and nitrogen) and irregular crystals weaken cubes, making them more prone to shattering while shaking. This creates many unwanted ice shards that will overdilute your cocktail. Bartenders go to obsessive, time-consuming lengths to achieve perfectly clear ice for craft cocktails, but we just wanted an easy at-home technique to get us as close to clear as is practical.

For the best marinated olives recipe, we started with good brined olives that still contain their pits, which have a better flavor than pitted olives. For the marinade, we started with a base of olive oil and added garlic, herbs like thyme, and red pepper flakes. In addition to these basics, we liked thinly sliced shallots, which softened in the mixture and contributed their welcome allium bite, and grated orange zest for a lively citrus kick. The real surprise in our marinated olives recipe came when we added a splash of anise-flavored (or Pernod), which enhanced all the other flavors.

For a cake that boasted deep chocolate flavor and color, we used a combination of Dutch-processed cocoa and melted bittersweet chocolate; the cocoa offered pure, assertive chocolate flavor while the chocolate contributed complexity as well as fat and sugar. Neutral-tasting oil allowed the chocolate flavor to shine. To minimize cleanup, we mixed the wet and dry ingredients directly into the saucepan where we’d melted the chocolate with cocoa and milk. A milk chocolate ganache contrasted nicely with the deeper flavor of the cake. To make the ganache thick, rich, and creamy, we added plenty of softened butter to the warm chocolate-cream mixture, refrigerated the frosting to cool it quickly so that it would spread nicely, and gave it a quick whisk to smooth it out and lighten its texture.

For this Asparagus Puffs recipe, we blanched the asparagus spears until tender before incorporating them into the cheese mixture. And we were sure to thoroughly thaw the puff pastry so it did not crack when unfolded.

For a more assertive, slightly spicy alternative to traditional basil pesto, we first processed almonds (toasted first to enhance their rich flavor) with lots of garlic, anchovies, and a serrano chile until the mixture was finely chopped. Then we processed the mixture in a food processor with peppery arugula, lemon juice, and olive oil until the sauce was smooth.

We passed on the processed cheese for more flavorful cheddar in our Bacon-Ranch Cheese Balls. To add creaminess and help bind the ingredients, we turned to cream cheese. Incorporating mayonnaise provided additional sticking power for the coating. A few hours in the refrigerator ensured that the cheese balls set up perfectly.

Making a homemade ice cream sandwich sounds easy, right? What could be so difficult about putting a scoop of ice cream between two cookies and smashing them into the form of a sandwich? Turns out there's a lot of small things to consider in order to get the perfect firmness of ice cream with the toothsome texture of cookie (read: not rock solid). Luckily for us, Cook's Illustrated Senior Editor Lan Lam spent a lot of time in the test kitchen at America's Test Kitchen perfecting a cookie recipe that lays the foundation for the most wonderful homemade ice cream sandwich. She gave the scoop to our Managing Producer Sally Swift and shared the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. Listen to their conversation using the audio player above and read Lan Lam's full Cook's Illustrated article here. All photos: America's Test Kitchen

Our well-proportioned sandwiches feature relatively small, thin cookies and precise scoops of ice cream that give each bite the perfect combination of textures and flavors. We added water to the dough to prevent the cookies from turning rock-hard in the freezer, as well as plenty of browned butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla, and salt to compensate for the flavor-dulling effect of the freezer. Mini chocolate chips provided bursts of chocolate flavor and delicately crunchy texture.

In our episode One Cook's Trash... we talked a lot about food wasted at home. The other thing that a lot of cooks think about is how much plastic we trash in our kitchens. Managing Producer Sally Swift went to Lisa McManus, America’s Test Kitchen’s director of product testing, to see how to replace plastic wrap and baggies with reusables. Listen to their conversation with the audio player above. Lisa also gave us lists of and more information about America's Test Kitchen's recommended reusable kitchen tools. Find them below.