America's Test Kitchen 2007 Season Review

My husband and I discovered America's Test Kitchen on satellite TV last year thanks to our TiVo. We were drawn to the shows because the food looked great, the directions they gave on the show were always very specific (none of this Rachel Ray "palmful" measuring ****) and we really enjoyed Bridget & Julia, the two main cooks. So when I saw an advertised deal on the show's website for the entire season's worth of television shows, plus a cookbook for the season, all for $29.95 (plus shipping & handling) I thought it would be a great purchase.

About America's Test Kitchen
ATK is the television/cooking show equivalent of "Cook's Illustrated" magazine. I've received a few copies of Cook's Illustrated and it's a very slim magazine that has absolutely no advertisements in it. I call it the "Consumer Reports" of cooking magazines. They test kitchen gadgets and recipes and publish their findings.

The television show is hosted by Chris Kimball, the founder of the magazine. He's a bit of a dork, and sometimes annoying. At the beginning of each show he goes out of his way to show why every other recipe version of whatever they're cooking is a failure. Each show contains a segment on equipment, or a tasting segment. We really love Julia & Bridget, the two most frequent cooks who come out and, with Chris standing by their side, cook dishes for the show. Bridget's my favorite with her line to Chris at one point during the season, "It's cold and dark, kind of like your soul." But Julia's great as well, as the only on-camera chef I've seen who swigged beer out of the can directly, before shoving it up a chicken in the Beer Can Chicken segment.

The shows are educational, and the recipes very specific, which I need because I'm a sloppy cook. That is, if something doesn't tell me exactly what to do, I quickly deviate and try to make a recipe my own, which sometimes results in a disaster. The cooking show and the book both provide exacting measurements and specific cooking times and the resulting food is so delicious, each and every time, that I always follow each recipe to the letter. I like having the cookbook for the kitchen, and the DVD available in case I want to see a recipe being created if I have any questions.

The Best & Worst Parts of this Cookbook/DVD Set
The best part of this cookbook & the season's DVD set is that the recipes are utterly fantastic, and some of the best we've ever prepared. The chicken fajitas and refried beans are my favorites, but every recipe we've cooked from ATK is sound. The worst part is that some of the recipes are complex and involved. These aren't "Thirty Minute Meals" (thank God!) and they don't taste like it either. They taste phenomenal.

Delivery of the Book & DVD Set
After placing my order online I received my book within a week, but my DVD never arrived. I waited for another week and called the customer service line from the website. They told me it had shipped a week and a half earlier and to give it time. After a few more weeks, I felt rather resentful that my DVD never showed, and called again. The woman on the line gave me the ship date they had listed for the DVD and told me I had to wait until six weeks had passed to call. I asked her to confirm what date that would be and put a reminder to myself in Microsoft Outlook to call them if my DVD order hadn't arrived. That day I called and they put in another shipment, without argument. Four days later my DVD order arrived, and all was good. The DVD order also includes a quick shopping guide for their recommended food brands, based on their taste tests.

Cat's Bottom Line
Shipping delay on my DVD order aside, I love this set. The book complements the show perfectly and the recipes are great. We'll probably buy the 2008 set next year as well! Highly recommended.

Website: http://www.americastestkitchen.com

Cat's note: Try to catch the show on your local satellite or cable network. The DVD shows are identical, and you can see what kinds of recipes will be included in the book.