Season 4

1. Salad 101

We 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

2004-01-03 • 25 min

2. Summer Tomatoes

Say 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

2004-01-10 • 25 min

3. One-Pot Wonders

The 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

2004-01-17 • 25 min

4. East Coast Seafood

We 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

2004-01-24 • 25 min

5. New Orleans Menu

We 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

2004-01-31 • 25 min

6. Freedom from Red Sauce

Skip 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

2004-02-07 • 25 min

7. Quick Classic Pastas

Everyone 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

2004-02-14 • 25 min

8. Pot Roast

Pot 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

2004-02-21 • 25 min

9. Maple-Glazed Pork Roast

Say 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

2004-02-28 • 25 min

10. Truck Stop Classics

We 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

2004-03-06 • 25 min

11. Chicken in a Skillet

A 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

2004-03-13 • 25 min

12. Chicken in a Pot

Two 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

2004-03-20 • 25 min

13. Steak and Potatoes

We 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

2004-03-27 • 25 min

14. Steak Tips

Steak 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

2004-04-03 • 25 min

15. Stir Fry 101

Stir-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

2004-04-10 • 25 min

16. Asian Noodles

Say 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

2004-04-17 • 25 min

17. Italian Classics

Americans love Italian food - and rightly so. Recipes: Chicken Diavola; Frico; Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Labs: Balsamic Vinegar

2004-04-24 • 25 min

18. French Food in a Flash

We 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

2004-05-01 • 25 min

19. Tea Time

Say 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

2004-05-08 • 25 min

20. Sunday Brunch

We 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

2004-05-15 • 25 min

21. The Pancake Show

Few 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

2004-05-22 • 25 min

22. Cookie Jar Favorites

Good 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

2004-05-29 • 25 min

23. Summer Berry Desserts

When 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

2004-06-05 • 25 min

24. Easy Sheet Cakes

We 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

2004-06-12 • 25 min

25. Lemon Cheescake

Light, creamy, and great lemon flavor--neither too fleeting nor too harsh. Recipe: Lemon Cheesecake Equipment Center: Springform Pans

2004-06-19 • 25 min

26. Showstopper Deserts

Two desserts that pull out all the stops yet are easy to prepare. Recipes: Chocolate Mousse Cake; Chilled Lemon Souffle Tasting Lab: Unsweetened Chocolate

2004-06-26 • 25 min