With our home swap trip to Boston this past summer, one of the highlights was a tour of the actual test kitchen, on “America’s Test Kitchen.” Without cable TV, our cooking show viewing is pretty limited but we – the whole family – do watch Christopher Kimball and his gang on“America’s Test Kitchen” since it’s on public television. An entire season of America’s Test Kitchen, the TV show, gets filmed in the “test kitchen” during the month of May. During the rest of the year, they’re testing recipes and taking lots of photographs for their publications (Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated) and their website.
America’s Test Kitchen Tour
Throughout America’s Test Kitchen, the recipes they’re testing and cooking, are made with the actual sizes of ingredients that home cooks use in their kitchens. They’re not buying industrial sized containers of broth or soy sauce – they’re getting sizes that we all cook with at home.
They also use home-cook-size bowls, measuring cups, and mixers.
They have one of these, too: an actual human dishwasher. Where can I get one?
There was so much activity in the filming area and the light was so bright. Even though the show gets filmed once a year, there’s filming and pictures being taken every day.
The kitchen area was just buzzing with activity – and cooking!
Not only are the episodes filmed here but all of the photography for their cookbooks and other publications get shot here as well.
I was so envious of the props they have – and they’re completely organized, too!
They keep everything labeled (fabric, towels, placemats, and dishes) and sorted by color. The dishes are kept wrapped so they don’t get chipped or dusty.
They also have an extensive cookbook collection that is sorted and color coded – of course it is!
Even my teenagers were impressed with what happens behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen – and it’s hard to impress teens!
Thank you, America’s Test Kitchen, for the tour. We’re still talking about it!
Cookbook Giveaway…
- Leave a comment below telling me what cooking show set you’d most like to tour. It can be a current show or one that’s only re-runs.
- Using “Random Number Generator” and having my handsome assistant (husband) as a proxy, I’ll draw a number.
- Contest ends Friday, November 1st, 2013 at 11:00am (PST) and will be announced here.
- Winner will be notified by email and will receive the cookbook, “The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook, 2001-2013,” from America’s Test Kitchen.
- You may enter one time only.
- Sorry international readers but this contest is for U.S. residents only.
Disclosure: I have not received any compensation for writing this post and have no material connection to the company. This is being disclosed in accordance with the FTC’s guidelines.
Go Gingham 
I have wanted to visit Lidia’s Italy set, while she is cooking/filming…but after reading your post about ATK, and knowing how nice it is in New England in Spring, I could choose ATK.
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Definitely Ina Garten’s kitchen in the Hamptons. And as long as I’m wishing for stuff, the tour would include a ride in her convertible and dinner with her and her friends!
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I would love to visit the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). I just love her simple but elegant recipes and her gardens and kitchen look amazing!
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I’m for ATK, too. I love their scientific approach that yields delicious results!
P.S. to Sara: I see that some of those linen bins are marked “Give Away”. What’s the back story on that? And how did you leave without talking them in to giving them to you?
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Sara,
My favorite cooking show via radio is with Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s The Splendid Table and have also caught some of the ATK’s shows. I love listening to cooking programs!
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ATK!!!! That would be unbelievable! To tour and meet the ATK crew. Your teens are so very lucky to have had that opportunity. I LOVD ATK!
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ATK, pot-holdered hands down. When I discovered the ATK universe, the fog lifted. I’ve always loved to cook, but somehow I was living my culinary life without knowing about Capt. Kimball and his crew. Now, I am forever on board Starship ATK, and everyone in my life benefits. Such great work. So many recipes, so little thyme . . .
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I would have to pick Good Eats with Alton Brown. He is so clean and organized in the kitchen- maybe I could pick up some tips!
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Cable-less families, unite! We love ATK with Chris and Bridget and the gang. PBS is our go-to station because of great programming like ATK. And yes, I’d be happy to go to Boston to see it in person. 🙂
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I would love to go behind the scenes at Barefoot Contessa! Her recipes are fantastic and let me shine as a cook!
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I’d love to visit the set of ATK it’s the best informative cooking show there is!
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I love the way they do the lighting in Giada De Laurentiis’ kitchen. Would love to cook with Jacques Pepin. His kitchen seems so homey. And I too love Ina Garten’s kitchen…but I’d want to be outside at the same time.
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I would love to visit Alton Brown and thank him for inspiring my husband to become a fabulous cook.
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I love Christina’s Kitchen, and Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee!! 🙂
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I would really enjoy touring the set of “The Pioneer Woman”. Her dishes are ones that all of our family likes and she is so genuine. We live in a rural setting and can I identify with her family. I would loooove to win the cookbook:)
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Before I no longer had cable, I thought I’d love to be inside Giada’s light, bright kitchen. But now I am an ATK convert!
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I would love to have seen the Two Fat Ladies cooking in whatever kitchen they are in.
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If I could, I would spend time with Julia Child on any one of her sets — my first exposure to her was as a young girl watching her first cooking show’s reruns on PBS — she taught me to love cooking and to this day, if I ever have a moment and one of her shows are on, I watch it — no matter how many times I may have already seen it.
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I’d love to watch an episode of “The Next Food Network Star” I love those competitions!
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I would have LOVED to have ridden around England with the Two Fat Ladies. :O)
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I love to watch the Pioneer Woman, she cooks food that my family would like. I also watch Ina the Barefoot Cantessa. Love to cook
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I would love to watch Mollie Katzen cook anywhere now that her show isn’t on PBS any more. I just heard her on NPR yesterday!
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Ree Drummond’s kitchen on ‘The Pioneer Woman’ would probably be fun to visit – especially on the days she is taping her shows. The set of Laura Calder’s ‘French Food at Home’ would be nice too.
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I would love to vist Ina’s set or Giada’s…both look so calming to me!
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I only have basic cable so I don’t get to watch the food network often – only when visiting my mom. I would love to sit in on the filming of America’s Iron Chef because I can’t believe that they really plan and cook everything in one hour. However, ATK would be very cool to visit.
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Pioneer Woman!
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Definitely would love to visit Ree Drummond’s lodge and take in all the down home country cooking!
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I would have loved to have gotten to spend time in the kitchen of Julia Child. I have always enjoyed watching her reruns on television! Her laugh was her secret ingredient of her show.
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Good Eats with Alton Brown. I loved that show and Alton’s knowledge.
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I would love to win the cookbook! Without a television set, I see no cooking shows. But I do read books.
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ATK tour is my dream, and meeting Mr. Christopher and the test crew would be fabulous! As a transplanted New Englander living in the Pacific Northwest, when I watch ATK and reading Christopher’s newsletter, I feel like I get a little bit of home…
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Would love to go to Ree Drummonds ranch!
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Would love to ride along with Alton Brown on “Feasting on Asphalt.”
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Love that show and have several of their cookbooks.
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I would live to tour Nigella Lawson’s set. I would love to see the differences in a British kitchen.
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