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South Asian cooks were masterfully blending spices long before the Europeans arrived in India, and when Portuguese traders brought chiles from the Americas in 1498, it permanently changed the trajectory of the country’s dishes, including what we now refer to as curry. Over the next 400 years, curry took on a new form in nearly every culture it touched; in Japan, America, and beyond. Nik, Lan, Bryan, and Lidey discuss the evolution of the dish as it crossed the globe.  Recipes Mentioned: Butter chicken Kare Raisu (Japanese Curry Rice with Chicken)   Country Captain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Store-bought snacks offer satisfaction and convenience. But what happens when you pit quick bites against their homemade counterparts? Lan, Bryan, Nik and Lidey explore which snacks are worth the bit of extra effort! Recipes Mentioned: Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips Beef jerky Lime pate de fruit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Red sauce pastas can be built dozens of ways: rich and meaty, silky and tomato-forward, or deliberately burnt and charred. Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey taste their way through three ATK recipes, ragù alla bolognese, pasta alla vodka, and spaghetti all’assassina, to hash out what actually makes a red sauce irresistible. Recipes Mentioned: Ragu alla Bolognese Pasta alla Vodka Spaghetti All'Assassina Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dumplings are made across the world and come in different shapes, sizes, forms and flavors. Despite their differences, they somehow sooth and delight in equal measure. The juicy filling of a xiao long bao. The warm center of a pierogi. The chewy exterior of a gnudi. How do dumplings achieve that comfort? Lan, Bryan, Nik and Lidey investigate.  Recipes Mentioned: Shanghai Soup Dumplings Potato Cheddar Pierogi Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi with Tomato-Butter Sauce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cast combats the dog days of summer by diving into some of their favorite cold treats while reminiscing about their favorite summer memories. Plus, Nik shares his ideas for a high-end ice cream shop and the cast workshops potential flavors to serve. Recipes Mentioned: Ice cream sandwiches Mango Paletas Philadelphia-Style Cherry Water Ice Nik Sharma’s Black Forest Ice Cream Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hotdogs are a reliable and convenient option at cookouts. But adding an extra ingredient or two can really level them up. So, how do you do it at home? Lan, Bryan, Nik and Lidey break down the components that can elevate the beloved cookout go-to.  Recipes Mentioned: Chicago-Style Hot Dog Sonoran Dog Homemade Corn Dogs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tacos take all kinds of shapes and forms; crispy shelled tacos, tacos dipped in consommé, there’s even taco ingredients eaten over rice. It’s not just the shapes they take; what kind of meat is used, what ingredients you add to the taco have endless variations. Lan, Bryan, Nik and Lidey come together to discuss the qualities that make a good taco a great taco.  Recipes Mentioned: Crispy Tacos (Tacos Dorados) Quesabirria Tacos Okinawan Taco Rice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lots of cultures and countries love steak, but it has this almost iconic status in American culture. There are so many different cuts and so many different ways to cook them. Lan, Bryan, Nik and Lidey dive into three recipes and discuss the cooking techniques that go into making them seamlessly at home.  Recipes Mentioned: Pan Seared Strip Steak Shio Koji-Marinated Flank Steak Slow-Roasted Medium-Rare Short Ribs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every couple of months at America’s Test Kitchen, an informal poll emerges among test cooks about which starch–bread, pasta, or rice–reigns supreme. It’s always a tight race, but it’s no surprise why rice is often a top contender: it’s a beloved staple across the world. In this episode, Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey eat their way through 3 rice dishes and ask: What makes rice the world’s most popular dish?  Recipes Mentioned: Hoppin’ John Simple Fried Rice Arroz con Pollo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meatballs span cultures and come in all shapes, sizes, and sauces. Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey try three recipes from around the world and ask: What makes the perfect meatball?  Recipes eaten in episode: Meatballs and Marinara Lion’s Head Meatballs Albóndigas (Spanish-Style Meatballs in Almond Sauce) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people say a sandwich is filling stuffed between two layers of bread. But what about hotdogs, or a loaded pocket of pita bread? Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey get into a heated debate about what exactly defines a sandwich on this week’s episode of In the Test Kitchen.  Recipes Eaten in episode: Italian Sub Diner-Style Sheet-Pan Tuna Melts Ultimate Grilled Vegetable Sandwich Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salads often get a bad wrap as the thing you have to eat before the rest of the meal. In today’s episode of In the Test Kitchen: Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey finally give salads their due, and reveal how to make them the star of the show. Recipes Mentioned: Ultimate Wedge Salad Horiatiki Salata Neorm Sach Moan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Making muffins used to be a rite of passage for test cooks and applicants who applied to work at America’s Test Kitchen. So we’ve eaten a lot of them; sweet, savory, and everything in between. In this episode, Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey take on the debate: What is a muffin, and what makes it great?  Recipes and reviews mentioned: Best Blueberry Muffins Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Muffins Sausage-Herb Stuffing Muffin Achieving generously sized bakery-style muffins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask 10 people what their favorite kind of pizza is, and you’ll get 10 different answers. This week on In the Test Kitchen: Lan, Bryan, Nik, and Lidey dive into the regional differences, Italian vs. American preferences, and the elements that go into making a great pie.  Recipes Mentioned: Neapolitan pizza Thin-Crust Pizza Detroit-Style Pizza Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you make a good fried chicken recipe at home? Lan, Bryan, Nik and Lidey say yes as they deconstruct 3 different recipes that represent three different styles of fried chicken. Plus, the quad reveals some fun KFC history, and discuss the difference between crunchy and crispy fried chicken. Recipes Mentioned: One-Batch Fried Chicken, Super Crunchy Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Chile Fried Chicken Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices