26 episodesFirst aired 4 January 2003
E1Jan 200325m
We turn soggy nachos and candy-sweet sangria into serious party food.
E2Jan 200325m
Less is more when it comes to hearty soups.
E3Jan 200325m
We rescue two favorite vegetable dishes from the clutches of the cafeteria.
E4Jan 200325m
A taste of real French cooking—without spending all day in the kitchen.
E5Feb 200325m
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.
E6Feb 200325m
Chinese food at home (without a laundry list of hard-to-find ingredients).
E7Feb 200325m
Quick and easy chicken dishes.
E8Feb 200325m
We return two classic pasta sauces to their original glory.
E9Mar 200325m
Simple ingredients are often the basis of special and uncommonly good dishes.
E10Mar 200325m
Skip the marinade and don't bother to sauté the aromatic vegetables.
E11Mar 200325m
The best chili: hearty, heavy on the meat, and spicy.
E12Mar 200325m
The secret to great casseroles: keep the ingredients as fresh tasting as possible.
E13Mar 200325m
Finding flavor in today's leaner pork.
E14Apr 200325m
Big, juicy, smoky ribs and classic potato salad.
E15Apr 200325m
We prepare an elegant salmon dish . . . on the grill.
E16Apr 200325m
Free up your oven and grill a better tasting bird.
E17Apr 200325m
We turn meat and potatoes into something memorable.
E18May 200325m
Spiral-sliced ham and good green bean casserole. (Really!)
E19May 200325m
Brunch that's worth making, even when company isn't coming.
E20May 200325m
It takes more than speed to make the best quick breads.
E21May 200325m
Hearth-quality bread from a home oven.
E22May 200325m
We take two cookie classics and make them great again.
E23Jun 200325m
We solve the problem of soggy crusts and mile-high meringue.
E24Jun 200325m
We perfect two classic summer American desserts.
E25Jun 200325m
One old-fashioned, moist and homely, the other elegant, dense and ethereal.
E26Jun 200325m
Restraint is key for the perfect New York-style cheesecake.
