Episodes
Party Foods
January 4, 2003
We turn soggy nachos and candy-sweet sangria into serious party food.
Hearty Soups
January 11, 2003
Less is more when it comes to hearty soups.
Dressing Up Vegetables
January 18, 2003
We rescue two favorite vegetable dishes from the clutches of the cafeteria.
Bistro Basics
January 25, 2003
A taste of real French cooking—without spending all day in the kitchen.
Steak House Dinners
February 1, 2003
The perfect steakhouse dinner—salad with creamy blue cheese dressing and seared filet mignon—is often a fantasy. In the real world, the lettuce is limp, the dressing gluey or watery, the steak overcooked or not properly browned, and the sauce characterless. The test kitchen shows you how to solve each of these problems.
Chinese Takeout
February 8, 2003
Chinese food at home (without a laundry list of hard-to-find ingredients).
Chicken in a Flash
February 15, 2003
Quick and easy chicken dishes.
Pasta Classics
February 22, 2003
We return two classic pasta sauces to their original glory.
Pasta Quick and Easy
March 1, 2003
Simple ingredients are often the basis of special and uncommonly good dishes.
Beef Burgundy
March 8, 2003
Skip the marinade and don't bother to sauté the aromatic vegetables.
Texas Chili
March 15, 2003
The best chili: hearty, heavy on the meat, and spicy.
American Casseroles
March 22, 2003
The secret to great casseroles: keep the ingredients as fresh tasting as possible.
Pork Chops, Two Ways
March 29, 2003
Finding flavor in today's leaner pork.
Backyard BBQ
April 5, 2003
Big, juicy, smoky ribs and classic potato salad.
Barbecued Salmon
April 12, 2003
We prepare an elegant salmon dish . . . on the grill.
Thanksgiving from the Grill
April 19, 2003
Free up your oven and grill a better tasting bird.
Holiday Dinner
April 26, 2003
We turn meat and potatoes into something memorable.
Ham Dinners
May 3, 2003
Spiral-sliced ham and good green bean casserole. (Really!)
Weekend Brunch
May 10, 2003
Brunch that's worth making, even when company isn't coming.
Quick Breads
May 17, 2003
It takes more than speed to make the best quick breads.
Rustic Bread at Home
May 24, 2003
Hearth-quality bread from a home oven.
Cookie Jar Favorites
May 31, 2003
We take two cookie classics and make them great again.
Lemon Meringue Pie
June 7, 2003
We solve the problem of soggy crusts and mile-high meringue.
Shortcake and Cobbler
June 14, 2003
We perfect two classic summer American desserts.
Two Chocolate Cakes
June 21, 2003
One old-fashioned, moist and homely, the other elegant, dense and ethereal.
New York Cheese Cake
June 28, 2003
Restraint is key for the perfect New York-style cheesecake.
