America's Test Kitchen - Season 5
Season 5
Network
Episodes26
DatesJan 1, 2005 - Jun 25, 2005
Episodes
Season 5Episode 130 min
Appetizers
We've chosen recipes that deliver big flavor without much work.
Recipes
- Spiced Pecans with Rum Glaze
- Pita Chips
- Creamy Spinach Dip
- Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Beef Satay
Equipment Corner
- Meat cleavers
Tasting Lab
- Store-bought Salsa
Jan 1, 2005
Season 5Episode 230 min
Simple Soups
Have you ever been tempted to prepare a restaurant recipe only to be disappointed with the results? The recipe sounded great, but once you got to work you realized it was never tested in a home kitchen.
Recipes
- Quick Chicken Stock
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pasta e Faigoli
Equipment Corner
- Fat separaters
Jan 8, 2005
Season 5Episode 330 min
A Soup Supper
Soup for supper is an appealing concept, especially on a cold, snowy night. But for soup to work as a main course, it better be hearty. A light, clear broth simply won't do.
Recipes
- Quick Cheese Bread
- Hearty Lentil Soup
Equipment Corner
- Vegetable peelers
Tasting Lab
- Mail order bacon
Jan 15, 2005
Season 5Episode 430 min
Regional Classics
On occasion local dishes become so popular that they transcend their region. Gumbo is a taste of Louisiana in a big old bowl. Its distinct aroma and flavor are like a quick trip to the bayous outside of New Orleans.
Recipes
- Creole-Style Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
- Cincinnati Chili
Equipment Corner
- Useful kitchen gadgets
Tasting Lab
- Long-grain white rice
Jan 22, 2005
Season 5Episode 530 min
Pork Chops and Gravy
It sometimes seems like the simplest recipes suffer the worst fate in modern cookbooks. Maybe it's because no one really cares enough about these dishes to get them right.
Recipes
- Stuffed Pork Chops
- All-Purpose Gravy
- Glazed Carrots
Jan 29, 2005
Season 5Episode 630 min
Two Roast Chickens
Despite its apparent simplicity, roast chicken is a hard recipe to get right.
Recipes
- Crispy Roast Lemon Chicken
- Chicken Under a Brick with Roasted Potatoes
Equipment Corner
- Countertop Rotisserie ovens
Feb 5, 2005
Season 5Episode 730 min
Flash in a Pan
Dinner in less than 20 minutes is the holy grail of weeknight cooking. Many recipes make good on this promise, but most ultimately reflect the minimal effort exerted on the part of the cook. They are fine in a pinch but rarely worth making again. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Recipes
- Chicken Paillard
- Pan-Seared Shrimp with Garlic Lemon Butter
Equipment Corner
- Cookware cleaning products
Tasting Lab
- Chicken cutlets
Feb 12, 2005
Season 5Episode 830 min
Family Favorites
Cooking for a family isn't as easy as it was once. In Norman Rockwell pictures, the entire clan (with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents) is gathered around the table with a dozen different dishes in front of them. No one has soccer practice or is working late. No one is on a weird diet, and the kids seem to eat the same thing as the adults.
Recipes
- Sweet and Tangy Oven-Barbecued Chicken
- Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment Corner
- Stain removal products
Tasting Lab
- Microwave popcorn
Feb 19, 2005
Season 5Episode 930 min
Restaurant Cooking Comes Home
Have you ever been tempted to prepare a restaurant recipe only to be disappointed with the results? The recipe sounded great, but once you got to work you realized it was never tested in a home kitchen.
Recipes
- Flambéed Pan-Roasted Lobster
- Crab Towers with Avocado and Gazpacho Salsas
Feb 26, 2005
Season 5Episode 1030 min
Texas Rib House
In Texas, good beef ribs are the secret handshake between experienced grillers.
Recipes
- Texas-Style Barbecued Ribs
- Southern Cornbread
Equipment Corner
- Cast-iron skillet care
Tasting Lab
- Corn bread mixes
Mar 5, 2005
Season 5Episode 1130 min
Grill-Roasted Beef Tenderloin
We don’t part easily with money, but we will on occasion break the bank and buy a beef tenderloin. The tender, buttery interior is the big draw, and the combination of a healthy dose of seasoning and the flavor from the charcoal grill is a perfect solution to a rather mild-tasting (boring) piece of meat.
Recipes
- Grill-Roasted Beef Tenderloin
- Salsa Verde
- Broiled Asparagus
Equipment Corner
- Kitchen gadgets
Mar 12, 2005
Season 5Episode 1230 min
New Flavors from the Grill
Even expert grillers can get in a rut. They make the same four or five recipes over and over again. Sure, the steaks are great, but isn’t there something a bit more exciting?
Recipes
- Thai Grilled Chicken with Spicy, Sweet, and Sour Dipping Sauce
- Grilled Salmon with Maple-Soy Glaze
Equipment Corner
- Portable gas grills
Mar 19, 2005
Season 5Episode 1330 min
Mexican Favorites
There's a significant disconnect between real Mexican food (as prepared in Mexico) and the food served in "Mexican" restaurants in the United States.
Recipes
- Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce
- Mexican Rice
Equipment Corner
- Spice grinders
Mar 26, 2005
Season 5Episode 1430 min
Quick Pasta
Pasta is usually quick, but all too often quick pasta dishes taste like little time or effort was expended during their preparation.
Recipes
- Farfalle with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta
- Campanelli with Asparagus, Basil, and Balsamic Glaze
- Pasta with Three Pestos
Tasting Lab
- Sun-dried tomatoes
Apr 2, 2005
Season 5Episode 1530 min
A Passage to India
Indian food has a reputation for being spicy (most of it is not) and hard to prepare at home (tell that to one billion Indians). However, it is true that many recipes require a long list of spices and other ingredients.
Recipes
- Chicken Biryani
- Mulligatawny Soup
Tasting Lab
- Curry powder
Apr 9, 2005
Season 5Episode 1630 min
Pissaladière
Pissaladière is Provençal street food, a fragrant, pizza-like tart prized for its contrast of salty black olives and anchovies against a backdrop of sweet caramelized onions and thyme.
Recipes
- Pissaladière
Equipment Corner
- Baking stones
- Pizza cutters
Apr 16, 2005
Season 5Episode 1730 min
In an Italian-American Kitchen
In the test kitchen, we enjoy authentic Italian dishes such as pasta all'amatriciana (episode 18-Italian Classics) and osso buco and polenta (episode 19-Winter Supper). But we also like to prepare Italian-American dishes.
Recipes
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Pasta with Chicken and Brocoli
Apr 23, 2005
Season 5Episode 1830 min
Italian Classics
There seems to be an endless supply of "classic" Italian dishes. Just when we think we've mastered the canon, we realize there are more seminal Italian dishes to learn-recipes as important as pesto, steak fiorentina, or pasta with garlic and oil.
Recipes
- Pasta all'Amatriciana
- Mushroom Risotto
Equipment Corner
- Rotary cheese graters
Tasting Lab
- Jarred pasta sauces
Apr 30, 2005
Season 5Episode 1930 min
Winter Supper
Stew and starch is a familiar and comforting winter combination. Stew-and-starch pairings include everything from beef stew and mashed potatoes to chicken paprikash and egg noodles. Our favorite Italian stew-and-starch combo is osso buco and polenta.
Recipes
- Osso Buco
- Basic Polenta
Tasting Lab
- Bottled water
May 7, 2005
Season 5Episode 2030 min
Bistro Classics
Who doesn't like bistro food? It offers the panache of fine French cooking but in a casual setting. The dishes are rustic, hearty, and satisfying.
Recipes
- Baked Goat Cheese Salad
- French Onion Soup
Equipment Corner
- Santoku knives
Tasting Lab
- Goat cheese
May 14, 2005
Season 5Episode 2130 min
Ultimate Sticky Buns
Sticky buns are things of breakfast-time debauchery. In bakeries, they are often plate-size buns, warm and glistening, heady with brown sugar and spices. In our opinion, anything less than a great one is not worth its calories.
Recipes
- Sticky Buns with Pecans
Equipment Lab
- New-generation Coffee Makers
Tasting Lab
- Supermarket coffee
May 21, 2005
Season 5Episode 2230 min
Bake-Sale Favorites
Every afternoon around three, editors come sniffing around the test kitchen looking for cookies fresh from the oven. Given how many cookies we make, our test cooks appreciate bar cookies.
Recipes
- Classic Brownies
- Congo Bars
Equipment Corner
- Baking Pans
Tasting Lab
- Boxed Brownie Mixes
May 28, 2005
Season 5Episode 2330 min
Holiday Cookies
Making cookies is a favorite holiday activity. Many people who bake infrequently during the year throw themselves into marathon cookie projects.
Recipes
- Glazed Butter Cookies
- Walnut Cresent Cookies
Equipment Corner
- Handheld verses standing mixers
Jun 4, 2005
Season 5Episode 2430 min
There's a Hole in Your Cake
Cakes baked in Bundt pans and tube pans are popular for a variety of reasons.
Recipes
- Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
- Angel Food Cake
Equipment Corner
- Bundt Pans
Jun 11, 2005
Season 5Episode 2530 min
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin cheesecake stands second to the traditional pumpkin pie as a holiday dessert. Those who suffer from pumpkin pie ennui embrace pumpkin cheesecake as "a nice change," but the expectations are low.
Recipes
- Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream
Tasting Lab
- Cream Cheese
Jun 18, 2005
Season 5Episode 2630 min
Four-Star Desserts
When our test cooks eat in restaurants, they always come back to the kitchen and talk about the dessert. Dramatic and artful presentations rightfully garner a lot of attention.
Recipes
- Chocolate Volcano Cake with Espresso Ice Cream
- Caramelized Pears with Blue Cheese and Black-Pepper-Caramel Sauce
Equipment Corner
- Handheld Mixers
Jun 25, 2005
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