Season 11

Straightforward comfort foods take the spotlight in these classic Sunday night meals. Our Simple Pot Roast cooks up tender and moist, and our Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping is on the table in 90 minutes—without sacrificing the tender, juicy chicken and bright vegetables.

recipe:

Classic Pot Roast, Chicken Pot Pie With Savory Crumble Topping

equipment:

Plastic Food Storage Containers

science:

Brining

Taking a cue from our neighbors across the pond, we uncover the secrets to Classic Bread Pudding and shortbread.

recipe:

Classic Bread Pudding, Best Shortbread

equipment:

The Best Small Appliances

science:

The Science of Stale Bread

We venture to Chicago to learn about Rick Bayless’s famous empanadas, then create our own recipe. Next, we investigate another Latin favorite: pork tostadas.

recipe:

Beef Empanadas, Spicy Mexican Shredded Pork Tostadas (Tinga)

We take a look at boxed and homemade brownies, then share our secrets to getting the best of each. For cupcake fans, we demonstrate how to make our Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes.

recipe:

Chewy Brownies, Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling

equipment:

Best Baking Gadgets

We take two classic Italian dishes and streamline them for the home cook. Our Italian Braised Chicken is easy to prepare but special enough to serve company, and our recipe for Creamy Polenta keeps the creaminess but shortens the cooking time.

recipe:

Chicken Canzanese, Creamy Parmesan Polenta

equipment:

Best Kitchen Gadgets

Most modern-day cooks know roast pork as the lean, bland loin. To return rich, old-fashioned flavor to slow-roasted pork shoulder, we started by taking a closer look at the choices in the butcher’s case. Our recipe for Baked Apples provides a sweet ending.

recipe:

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Peach Sauce, Best Baked Apples

equipment:

Inexpensive Instant-Read Thermometers

We show you how to shop for and cook perfect Pan-Seared Scallops, then reveal the test kitchen’s secrets to Skillet-Roasted Fish Fillets.

recipe:

Pan-Seared Scallops, Skillet-Roasted Fish Fillets

equipment:

Inexpensive Nonstick Skillets

science:

Caramelizing vs. Browning

Snack cakes are always a welcome treat. Join us as we whip up two of the best: banana bread and cream cheese coffee cake.

recipe:

Ultimate Banana Bread, Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

equipment:

Adjustable Electric Kettles

Host Christopher Kimball demystifies wine varieties and reveals which brands the test kitchen recommends. He then takes this knowledge to test cook Bridget Lancaster, who whips up the Best Beef Stew. Next, tasting expert Jack Bishop challenges Chris to a tasting of beef broth. And finally, test cook Julia Collin Davison shows Chris how to create the ultimate Chicken and Dumplings.

Join us as we prepare a different kind of stir-fry—Thai Chicken with Basil—and prove that, with a few recipe modifications, you don’t have to be a Cantonese chef to make great shu mai.

Recipe:

Thai-Style Chicken with Basil, Steamed Chinese Dumplings (Shu Mai)

Equipment:

Large Saucepans

We re-create delicious pulled porksans grillthen prepare our Easier Fried Chicken recipe, which achieves that signature super-crisp crust and juicy meat without requiring quarts of oil.

Recipe:

Indoor Pulled Pork with Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce, Easier Fried Chicken

Equipment:

Electric Pressure Cookers

Science:

Salting the Milk

Our Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin is the centerpiece of a five-star meal, which we complete with a side of Roasted Carrots.

Recipe:

Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Carrots

Equipment:

Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker

Taste Test:

Horseradish, All-Purpose Vegetable Oils

Satisfy your sweet tooth with our recipes for Chewy Sugar Cookies and foolproof Berry Fool.

Recipe:

Chewy Sugar Cookies, Berry Fool

Equipment:

Innovative Mixing Bowls

Weeknight dinners should be quick to make and satisfying. We show you how to perfect two recipes that are both: Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts and Sautéed Pork Cutlets.

Recipe:

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts, Sautéed Pork Cutlets with Mustard-Cider Sauce

Equipment:

Fire Extinguishers, Meat Pounders

Test cook Julia Collin Davison shows how to make the perfect Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey.

Equipment Corner: Hybrid Chef's Knives

Recipes for Hearty Minestrone and Almost Hands-Free Risotto are shared.

Christopher Kimball searches for the best steak frites in Paris. Foolproof Vinaigrette is featured.

We show you how to buy the freshest shrimp on the market in order to create Greek-style shrimp and shrimp stir-fries, taking into account the crustacean’s unique cooking qualities.

Recipe:

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Red Bell Pepper in Hot and Sour Sauce, Greek-Style Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Taste Test:

Feta Cheese

Science:

Muscle in Fish vs. Muscle and Meat

Venturing to Chicago for the real deal, we return to the test kitchen to make our own pie worthy of its namesake, as well as a chopped-salad accompaniment.

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

Deep-dish pizza was born in Chicago, where it boasts a distinctively rich, flaky, biscuit-like crust. The problem? No pizzeria in Chicago would tell us how to make it.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

We wanted complementary flavors and textures in every bite—not a random collection of bland, watery produce from the crisper drawer.

In a world overshadowed by blueberry, apple, and pumpkin fillings, cherry pie is a vividly fruity pastry worthy of revival. We perfect our own recipe, then move to the stovetop, where we prepare the ultimate Skillet Apple Crisp.

Sweet Cherry Pie

Cherry season is a mere blip on the summer-produce radar. For a juicy pie with the best fruity flavor, we’d have to look beyond the cherry tree.

Skillet Apple Crisp

Apple crisp invites a devil-may-care attitude: Slice up any old fruit, sprinkle on a topping, and bake. Perhaps that’s why it’s never on anyone’s A-list.

Ice Cream Scoops

Almost every ice cream scoop can do the job—but we demanded ease and comfort.

Supermarket Vanilla Ice Cream

Twenty-one Cook’s Illustrated staff members sampled eight national and regional brands of vanilla ice cream plain in a blind tasting, rating each on vanilla flavor, texture, and overall appeal.

We visit Boston’s famous East Coast Grill to learn about ribs, then return to the test kitchen to make our own version of Memphis-Style Barbecued Spareribs and the Best Charcoal Grill–Smoked Pork Chops.

Memphis-Style Barbecued Spareribs on a Charcoal Grill

Memphis pit masters pride themselves on pork ribs with dark, crusty bark and distinctive chew. We wanted the same bragging rights from our own backyard.

Best Charcoal Grill-Smoked Pork Chops

To achieve juicy glazed pork infused with deep smoky flavor without a smoker, we couldn't let the chops lie down on the job.

Best New Grill Gadgets

Here are our favorite grill gadgets that make grilling easier, more fun, and more productive.

Our light and chewy Rosemary Focaccia can compete with any bakery’s, and it makes a pleasant pairing with our authentic Cacio e Pepe, or spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and black pepper.

Rosemary Focaccia

The dense, greasy bread bricks populating most bakery shelves don’t deserve their hearth- inspired name. Could a little patience—and a hands-off approach—lighten the loaf?

Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Whole-wheat pasta used to be awful, with mushy texture an a cardboard taste. Have manufacturers finally figured out how to make it rival white pasta?

We uncover the secrets to injecting flavor into a less-than-perfect cut of beef in our recipe for Inexpensive Charcoal Grill–Roasted Beef, and then serve it alongside Roasted Smashed Potatoes.

Inexpensive Charcoal Grill-Roasted Beef with Garlic and Rosemary

Grill-roasting seems like an easy way to flavor a less-than-perfect cut of beef—but not if the roast comes out chewy and dry.

Smokers

Though plenty of rib and brisket enthusiasts convert their grills into makeshift smokers, proper lower-temperature smoking is best achieved with a designated appliance. Right?

We reveal the keys to two grilled dishes: Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Prosciutto and Fontina, which has a stuffing that stays put inside moist and smoky chicken, and Grilled Tuna Steaks, which have hot exteriors and cool centers.

Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Prosciutto and Fontina

Taking a stuffed chicken breast recipe and adding the smoky flavor of the grill sounds like a good idea—if you can get past the leathery exterior and oozing, flammable filling.

Charcoal-Grilled Tuna Steaks with Red Wine Vinegar and Mustard Vinaigrette

Ideally, grilled tuna should combine a hot, smoky, charred exterior with a cool, rare, sashimi-like center. So how do you make fish that’s both very hot and very cool?

The Best Summer Gadgets

Here are some of our favorite gadgets to keep you cool on hot summer days.

As the beef capital of the world, Argentina boasts mouthwatering steak dishes in its cuisine. We replicate one dish, Grilled Argentine Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce, and then look eastward to Spain and demonstrate our recipe for Creamy Gazpacho Andaluz.

Charcoal-Grilled Argentine Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

With Argentine beef and a wood fire, cooking churrasco in the backyard would be easy. We were stuck with American supermarket steaks and a Weber kettle.

Creamy Gazpacho Andaluz

Most Americans know gazpacho as a chunky liquid salsa. In Spain, the most famous version is a creamy puree. But to get it right, we’d need more than just a good blender.

Canned Diced Tomatoes

When most brands garner comments like “sour, old, sad,” we just had to ask: What does it take to produce good canned diced tomatoes?

We prepare two breakfast dishes worth getting out of bed for: buttermilk waffles that come out crisp yet fluffy every time, and French toast that’s crisp on the outside and soft—not soggy—on the inside.

Buttermilk Waffles

How do you get waffles to come out crisp yet fluffy every time? Step one: Stop treating them like bumpy pancakes.

French Toast

For French toast that’s crisp on the outside and soft—not soggy—on the inside, you need to do more than just throw milk, eggs, and bread into a bowl.

Waffle Irons

Our old favorite model has been discontinued, so we reopened our search for the most efficient performer.