Cook's Illustrated | Recipes That Work | We Test It All

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30 Years of Revolutionizing Home Cooking

We explore the science behind what makes a recipe tick. We ask questions, conduct experiments, and get answers—delicious answers that you won't find anywhere else.

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Join Us in the Lab

Good science makes great food

We believe that a little science goes a long way to helping you understand what's going on in your food and in your kitchen. You'll learn why a technique works or how an ingredient creates an important effect.

Transformative Tips

Can Baking Soda Remove Pesticides from Produce?A study found that soaking produce in baking soda solution can remove common pesticides. We conducted our own experiment to see how it compares to other common methods.Lan LamCan You Cook a Frozen Steak?Conventional wisdom holds that frozen steaks should be thawed before cooking. Our testing proved otherwise. Learn why forgetting to defrost steak ahead of time isn’t necessarily a bad thing.Dan SouzaWhy Very Hot and Very Cold Foods Need More SaltServing temperature of food dramatically affects how seasoned it tastes. The more extreme the temperature—whether piping hot or very chilled—the more salt you need. We ran an experiment to prove it.Liz BomzeTemper Chocolate with a Microwave and a Box GraterForget the fussy heat-cool-reheat method. With just a microwave and a box grater you can create shiny, snappy chocolate for drizzling, dipping, or coating in no time.Liz Bomze

Groundbreaking Recipes

Ultimate Charcoal-Grilled SteaksThe secret to delivering a charcoal-grilled steak with a killer crust and perfectly cooked meat from edge to edge? Keep the coals in the chimney and think outside the grill.Dan SouzaCaramelized OnionsThe sweetest, most complex caramelized onions usually take an hour of careful cooking over a low flame. We cut that time in half with an ingredient we least expected: water.Lan LamPerfect Scrambled EggsThe classic low-heat approach will never give you tender scrambled eggs with big, pillowy curds. But achieving scrambled egg perfection takes more than just turning up the heat.Dan SouzaThe Best Baked PotatoWe wanted a uniformly fluffy interior encased in thin, crisp skin—and we baked nearly 200 pounds of potatoes to get it. The key to our success? An instant-read thermometer.Lan Lam

Our Signature Process

We put every recipe through the same rigorous process, testing and retesting every variable and then taking what we've learned to create a dish that's the very best in its class.

1. The Five-Recipe Test

First we seek out five existing recipes. We taste and assess them, noting qualities we like and any we don’t.

2. Our First Draft

Next, we define goals for our version, and sketch out the most promising way to reach them.

3. Test, Taste, Repeat

Over at least six weeks, we test and retest every recipe variable, learning from our mistakes so we can pass on that information to you.

4. Final, Failproof Results

At last—a recipe that works perfectly in our kitchen and has been tested and approved by thousands of home testers.

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Our Innovative Content Is Everywhere You Are

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Access 30 Years of Our Award-Winning Magazine

Our foolproof recipes, explorations into food science, and thoroughly researched stories set new standards for what a cooking magazine can be.

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Game-Changers

Weeknight Roast ChickenPerfect Chocolate Chip CookiesGrilled Boneless Beef Short RibsSkillet-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chile, Peanuts, and MintNew York–Style Thin-Crust PizzaDakganjeong (Korean Fried Chicken Wings)Braised Asparagus with Lemon and ChivesEasy-Peel Hard-Boiled EggsSpaghetti All'AssassinaMurgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)Salt-Cured Egg YolksEasiest-Ever Biscuits

All-Time Favorites

Cast Iron Pan PizzaMillionaire's ShortbreadUltracreamy HummusMiso-Marinated SalmonSmashed BurgersMoqueca (Brazilian Fish and Shrimp Stew)Olive Oil CakeReally Good Garlic BreadTinga de Pollo (Shredded Chicken Tacos)Ultimate Banana BreadBún ChảBest Lemon Bars

What's Eating Dan?

Cook’s Illustrated Editor in Chief Dan Souza goes deep on his favorite ingredients and dishes in this smart, fun series dedicated to understanding the science of good cooking.

Watch All 6 Seasons

Techniquely with Lan Lam

Veteran restaurant cook and chemistry major, Cook’s Illustrated Senior Editor Lan Lam delves into some of our most surprising—and even counterintuitive—techniques, including cold-searing steak and overcooking vegetables.

Watch Season 1

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Why You Should Trust Our Recipes

We’re the flagship brand behind America’s Test Kitchen's rigorous and scientific recipe development process. We make recipes that work—no hit or miss, no drama. Our recipes have been prodded, tweaked, and perfected until they're failproof in any kitchen.

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Cook's Illustrated | Recipes That Work | We Test It All | Cook's Illustrated (54)

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Meet the Team

Dan SouzaDan is the editor in chief of Cook's Illustrated, a cast member of America's Test Kitchen, and host of the James Beard Award-nominated YouTube series What's Eating Dan?Amanda AgeeAmanda is editorial director of Cook’s Illustrated. She started her career in food journalism at Gourmet Magazine. She loves dinner for breakfast and dirty martinis.Rebecca HaysBecky is deputy editor of Cook's Illustrated and a cast member of America's Test Kitchen. She's a Natural Gourmet Institute grad who takes a mostly vegetarian approach to food.Keith DresserKeith is the executive food editor of Cook's Illustrated and a cast member of America's Test Kitchen. He cooked professionally in New England before joining ATK in 2002.Elizabeth BomzeLiz is managing editor of Cook's Illustrated. She's picky about lemons and syntax and consumes chewy noodles with abandon.Andrea GearyAndrea is deputy food editor of Cook's Illustrated. She's a breakfast enthusiast and kitchen scale evangelist.Lan LamLan is a senior editor of Cook's Illustrated, a cast member of America's Test Kitchen, and host of the James Beard Award-nominated YouTube series Techniquely with Lan Lam.Annie PetitoAnnie is a senior editor of Cook's Illustrated. She's a culinary school grad and a lover of all things snack related.Steve DunnSteve is a senior editor of Cook's Illustrated. He's a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris where he lived for two years. Alyssa VaughnAlyssa is senior content editor of Cook's Illustrated. She's a journalist with a penchant for semicolons and cookie dough.Erica TurnerErica is an associate editor of Cook's Illustrated. She attended culinary school in Gaziantep, Turkey.Eric HaesslerEric is the lead photo test cook for Cook's Illustrated and an instructor for ATK's Online Cooking School. Paul AdamsPaul was a cook, science reporter, bartender, and bike courier before he combined it all as ATK's senior science research editor.

“Recipes that always, always work”

- The New York Times

Cook's Illustrated | Recipes That Work | We Test It All | Cook's Illustrated (2024)