Season 4
26 episodes · Jan 3, 2004
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S4E1Salad 101
Jan 3, 200425mWe give much needed makeovers to two classic salads. Salad seems so easy. Just dress some leafy greens and serve, right? Recipes: Basic Tossed Green Salad; Greek Salad; Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing Tasting Lab: Red Wine Vinegar
S4E2Summer Tomatoes
Jan 10, 200425mSay goodbye to thick, bland gazpacho and soggy tomato tarts. It’s feast or famine when it comes to good tomatoes. Recipes: Gazpacho; Quick Summer Tomato Tart Tasting Lab: Mozzarella Cheese
S4E3One-Pot Wonders
Jan 17, 200425mThe notion of dinner made in a single pot is certainly alluring. Two complete meals from a pot; one a classic, the other a surprise. Recipes: Beef Chili with Kedney Beans; Indoor Clambake Equipment Center: Crock Pots Tasting Lab: Tomato Puree
S4E4East Coast Seafood
Jan 24, 200425mWe solve the problem of porridge-like chowder and bready crabcakes. Clam chowder and crab cakes are available in most every seafood restaurant in the country. These dishes both have their origins along the East Coast and have been subjected to numerous changes (most not for the better) as they became more popular. Recipes: New England Clam Chowder; Maryland Crab Cakes Tasting Lab: Mayonaise
S4E5New Orleans Menu
Jan 31, 200425mWe bring a taste of New Orleans into the home kitchen. Jambalaya and bananas Foster are two of our favorite dishes from New Orleans. Recipes: Jambalaya; Bananas Foster Equipment Center: Ice Cream Scoops Tasting Lab: Vegetable Broth
S4E6Freedom from Red Sauce
Feb 7, 200425mSkip the marinara and try these two vegetable sauces. Tired of the same old marinara sauce? Recipes: Pasta with Mushrooms; Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Equipment Center: Herb Choppers Tasting Lab: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
S4E7Quick Classic Pastas
Feb 14, 200425mEveryone knows pasta is quick. That's one of the reasons Americans (and Italians) love it. Recipes: "Quick" Bolognese; Four Cheese Pasta Tasting Lab: Tomato Paste
S4E8Pot Roast
Feb 21, 200425mPot roast can be the ultimate comfort food or a huge waste of time. We solve the problem of dry, gray, tough meat. Recipes: Pot Roast with Root Vegetables; Skillet Green Beans Equipment Center: Vegetable Choppers
S4E9Maple-Glazed Pork Roast
Feb 28, 200425mSay goodbye to dry, tough, candy-like roasts. The marketing of the “other white meat” would be amusing if today’s pork weren’t so lean and flavorless. Recipes: Maple-Glazed Pork Loin; Wild Rice Pilaf Equipment Center: Food Storage Containers
S4E10Truck Stop Classics
Mar 6, 200425mWe perfect two roadside classics: chicken-fried steak and coconut cream pie. Truckers often know where to find the best home cooking. Recipes: Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy; Coconut Cream Pie Tasting Lab: Graham Crackers
S4E11Chicken in a Skillet
Mar 13, 200425mA skillet can turn out hundreds of chicken dinners. For most Americans, chicken breasts are the holy grail of weeknight cooking. (We think thighs are more flavorful, but that’s another story.) Recipes: Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts; Almond-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Wilted Spinach Equipment Corner: Traditional Skillets
S4E12Chicken in a Pot
Mar 20, 200425mTwo French takes on an American promise. Herbert Hoover may have promised Herbert Hoover may have promised Americans a chicken in every pot, but no ne said that chicken couldn't be French. Recipes: Chicken Provencale; Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Equipment Corner: Kitchen Shears Tasting Lab: Vermouth
S4E13Steak and Potatoes
Mar 27, 200425mWe take the mystery out of properly grilled steaks. It’s hard to beat steak and mashed potatoes for both simplicity and flavor. Recipes: Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions; Grilled Steaks Equipment Center: Kitchen Shears Tasting Lab: Mail-Order vs. Supermarket Steaks
S4E14Steak Tips
Apr 3, 200425mSteak tips and steak fries sound like bad menu offerings from your local low-rent steakhouse. We rescue steak tips and fries from low-rent steakhouses. Recipes: Steak Tips; Steak Fries Equipment Center: Grill Brushes
S4E15Stir Fry 101
Apr 10, 200425mStir-fries at home that are better than takeout. Ordering Chinese takeout is like playing Russian roulette. Recipes: Stir-Fired Pork with Eggplant; Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli Equipment Center: Electric Woks Tasting Lab: Oyster Sauce
S4E16Asian Noodles
Apr 17, 200425mSay goodbye to bad Americanized versions of pad Thai and sesame noodles. We no longer think of noodles as just Italian. Recipes: Pad Thai; Cold Sesame Noodles Equipment Center: Flat Bottom Woks
S4E17Italian Classics
Apr 24, 200425mAmericans love Italian food - and rightly so. Recipes: Chicken Diavola; Frico; Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Labs: Balsamic Vinegar
S4E18French Food in a Flash
May 1, 200425mWe bring two classics into the home kitchen for great results in a fraction of the time. Recipes: Simplified Cassoulet with Pork and Kielbasa; 30-Minute Tarte Tatin Tasting Lab: Diced Canned Tomatoes
S4E19Tea Time
May 8, 200425mSay goodbye to leaden scones and pound cake. In the test kitchen, we think afternoon (or morning) tea is an excellent excuse to whip up a batch of scones or a golden loaf of lemon pound cake. Making these simple baked goods at home certainly yields better results than what you can buy. Recipes: Lemon Pound Cake; Oatmeal Scones Equipment Center: Citrus Juicers and Reamers Tasting Lab: Supermarket Teas
S4E20Sunday Brunch
May 15, 200425mWe solve the problem of rubbery omelets and dry, hockey puck muffins. Sunday brunch sounds so civilized. Recipes: Denver Omelet; Corn Muffins Equipment Center: Rubber Spatulas Tasting Lab: Baking Powder
S4E21The Pancake Show
May 22, 200425mFew recipes deliver so much pleasure for so little work as pancakes. The batter comes together in minutes, and the cooking time is brief. Why, then, do most Americans never make pancakes from scratch? Recipes: Blueberry Pancakes; German Apple Pancakes Equipment Corner: Electric Gridles Tasting Lab: Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
S4E22Cookie Jar Favorites
May 29, 200425mGood cookies don’t really require any more work than bad cookies. Unless, of course, you are willing to consider dry, crumbly, tasteless packaged cookies from the supermarket - but we aren’t. Recipes: Thin and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies; Coconut Macaroons Equipment Corner: Potholders Tasting Lab: Refrigerator Cookie Dough
S4E23Summer Berry Desserts
Jun 5, 200425mWhen local berries are in season, we like to showcase them in simple desserts. Two simple showcases for fresh summer berries. Recipes: Summer Berry Pie; Berry Gratin with Lemon Sabayon Equipment Corner: Ice Cream Makers
S4E24Easy Sheet Cakes
Jun 12, 200425mWe solve the problem of dry, sticky, flavorless cakes. A sheet cake is like a with training wheels--it's hard to fall off. Recipes: Chocolate Sheet Cake; Carrot Cake Equipment Corner: Milk Chocolate
S4E25Lemon Cheescake
Jun 19, 200425mLight, creamy, and great lemon flavor--neither too fleeting nor too harsh. Recipe: Lemon Cheesecake Equipment Center: Springform Pans
S4E26Showstopper Deserts
Jun 26, 200425mTwo desserts that pull out all the stops yet are easy to prepare. Recipes: Chocolate Mousse Cake; Chilled Lemon Souffle Tasting Lab: Unsweetened Chocolate