What is an American Test Kitchen?
American Test Kitchen is a privately-owned American cooking school and television series based in Boston, Massachusetts. They produce various cooking shows in addition to articles on their website.
What are 5 amazing facts about American Test Kitchen?
1) Their first show aired on PBS back in 1993.
2) There have been over 18,000 recipes tested.
3) The lab has almost $5 million worth of equipment for testing recipes and techniques for the show.
4) Their annual budget for food experimentation is over $1 million dollars per year.
5) Last year they had an audience of more than 6 million viewers from around the world watching their TV episodes alone (not including online).
Introduction:
American Test Kitchen (ATK) is a privately-owned American cooking school and television series based in Boston, Massachusetts. They produce various cooking shows in addition to articles on their website. ATK began operations in Brookline, Massachusetts in July 1989 as the Brookline Workshop. Their staff included a test cook, culinary editor, food stylist and photographer. In 1990 the company moved to 41 Stoughton Street – where it remained until 1994 when they moved to 165 Merrimack Street. ATK officially incorporated as The American Test Kitchen Incorporated on January 27, 1992 and became a public charity after receiving $1 million from the W. Kiernan Reilly Foundation in 2001. The foundation was dedicated to the preservation of traditional New England recipes and techniques. They moved again to the Back Bay in 2003.
When was it established?
American Test Kitchen was first established in Brookline, Massachusetts by Christopher Kimball in 1989 as the Brookline Workshop, Inc. Their staff included a test cook, culinary editor, food stylist and photographer. In 1990 the company moved to 41 Stoughton Street – where it remained until 1994 when they moved to 165 Merrimack Street. ATK officially incorporated as The American Test Kitchen Incorporated on January 27, 1992 and became a public charity after receiving $1 million from the W. Kiernan Reilly Foundation in 2001. The foundation was dedicated to the preservation of traditional New England recipes and techniques. They moved again to the Back Bay in 2003.
Why do people like it?
Many people enjoy ATK and it is because it is a cooking show that focuses on all aspects of cooking. It feels like a family to many viewers and this is the reason that people get so sentimental about the show. This show has received a great deal of critical acclaim and has been nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards. In addition, it has been nominated for two Peabody awards in addition to two CINE Golden Eagle awards. The show also won Best Cooking Show at the 2013 Webby Awards, and was awarded a James Beard Foundation Award in 2007.
ATK has also been influential in the culinary field. It was the first cooking program on public television and it is currently the only cooking show on public television to air original episodes. The show has also been very influential in regards to recipes and food preparation techniques. It has influenced many chefs and other cooks who have written cookbooks based off of ATK tested recipes. ATK is still considered to be one of the best cooking shows on television even though it first aired back in 1993. The reason for this is because they have a very large audience around the world and continue to grow larger every single year.
Advantage:
1) American Test Kitchen has over 6 million viewers every year (and counting).
2) They have a large fan base.
3) Their show is educational and informative to many people.
4) The host of the show, Chris Kimball, has won seven James Beard Awards for being a leader in the food and restaurant industry.
5) It offers many different recipes which are not only tested but also well documented by professionals in the culinary industry.
6) ATK provides accurate information on proper techniques and equipment used during cooking processes.
7) It is widely available on PBS and also on their website as well as a few other websites and streaming services.
8) They use the best ingredients money can buy to test recipes.
9) The show is more than just a cooking show but it also offers cooking tips and techniques that many people have struggled with in the past.
10) It provides entertainment because it makes you feel like you are in the middle of the action.
11) The chefs make everything approachable for the average person.
12) The hosts are experts at what they do and they explain everything very well.
Disadvantages:
1) It can be hard to cook some of the recipes, especially when you are just starting out.
2) Some recipes are too complex and take a lot of time to cook.
3) There are some people who do not like ATK and may disagree with what they say about certain food items.
4) Some people feel that the show is too technical.
5) ATK does not have a very large amount of cooking shows on television compared to other cooking networks.
6) Their website is still considered to be very new and it has been around since 1999 but did not become very popular until 2002.
The test kitchen is located in Boston, Massachusetts, at 165 Merrimack Street, in the Back Bay district. The building that it is housed in was designed by Warren & Wetmore (architects), and completed in 1911. For more than a century the building had been known as the American Surety Building. When it opened, it contained 52 offices for insurance companies including those for fire and life insurance companies. In 1981 the building was converted to office space and used as the American Surety Company’s head office until 2009 when it was acquired by Boston Properties Inc. from The Head Corporation at a cost of US$69 million.
