Proof

America's Test Kitchen

We take America's Test Kitchen's inquisitive and relentless approach to telling unexpected, funny, and thought-provoking narratives about food and drink. This is not a recipe show. And this is not a show about celebrity chefs or what they like to eat. Proof plunges into history, culture, science, and the psyche to uncover the hidden backstories that feed your food-obsessed brain. A production of America's Test Kitchen.

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250 episodes
Updated February 5

Episodes250

Newest first

The Rise of the Modern Asian Pastry
How did a Cold War-era American food aid program help ignite the rise of the modern Asian pastry and milkbread? Clarissa Wei reports.
Nov 7, 2024 · 35 min
What Does Space Taste Like?
What does it mean to impart the "taste of space" into our ice creams, juices, cheeses and even fruit? Reporter Julie Carli dives into the history of foods that have both been made for and inspired by outer space.
Oct 31, 2024 · 37 min
The (Tea) Room Where It Happened
Discover the lost history behind one of the original "third places" of New York City, a women-only tea room run by the revolutionary, Eve Adams.
Oct 24, 2024 · 41 min
In Love with the Shape of Food
We explore the psychology and science behind how our food is shaped as we kick off a new season of Proof.
Oct 17, 2024 · 38 min
Back to our bread-and-butter episodes next week on a new season of Proof!
What's the story story behind those square watermelons? What does rattlesnake taste like? And how do you create the taste of space? Find out as we kick off a new season of Proof next week!
Oct 10, 2024 · 3 min
ATK at 25: Reverse-Engineering the Boxed Brownie (Episode 4)
This week on the podcast: The fourth and final episode of our miniseries where we follow one test cook's dogged pursuit for the perfect chewy brownie. Lesson learned: Hold the mayo, folks.
Oct 3, 2024 · 20 min
ATK at 25: Why You Need a Wok (Episode 3)
This week on the podcast: We investigate why what kitchen equipment you use can be just as important as the recipe itself. That, and the beauty of wok hei.
Sep 26, 2024 · 23 min
ATK at 25: How Many Eggs in the Perfect Scramble? (Episode 2)
This week on the podcast: A dish so simple, it needed science to perfect.
Sep 19, 2024 · 21 min
ATK at 25: A Recipe Made from a Mistake (Episode 1)
This week on the podcast: The backstory behind a recipe that gives new meaning to a motto we at America's Test Kitchen live by: "We make the mistakes in the kitchen so you don't have to."
Sep 12, 2024 · 21 min
Introducing ATK at 25: Stories Behind the Iconic Recipes
For the next couple of weeks on our podcast, Proof from America’s Test Kitchen, we’ll bring you the back stories behind some of our most iconic recipes from the last 25 years.
Sep 5, 2024 · 4 min
Barbecue Trailblazers: What is the Future of Barbecue? (Episode 4)
In this week's episode of our Barbecue Trailblazers series, we learn how Kelli Nevarez went from first-grade music teacher to pitmaster of the Texas Monthly Top 50 barbecue joint La Vaca Barbecue.
Aug 22, 2024 · 30 min
Barbecue Trailblazers: The Hogroast Heads North (Episode 3)
In this week's episode of our Barbecue Trailblazers series, Cook's Country grilling expert Morgan Bolling brings the Southern tradition of whole-hog roasts to a driveway in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Aug 15, 2024 · 24 min
Barbecue Trailblazers: The Woman Who Gave Us Fajitas (Episode 2)
Get to know Mama Ninfa, an icon to the city of Houston who helped introduce a Tex-Mex classic to the United States with her business savvy, food knowledge and understanding of people.
Aug 8, 2024 · 25 min
Barbecue Trailblazers: The Queen of Smoke (Episode 1)
In the first episode of our miniseries, we pay a barbecue legend a visit in Brownsville, Tennessee to talk about her smoke, her craft, and how she'll pass down her legacy.
Aug 1, 2024 · 29 min
Introducing When Southern Women Cook: Our Miniseries on Barbecue Trailblazers
In our next miniseries on Proof, hosted by Cook's Country magazine's Toni Tipton-Martin and Morgan Bolling, we profile four women who have led the way in barbecue and grilling, which have historically been considered "men's work." These episodes are audio companions to a forthcoming book from America’s Test Kitchen called Women Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes from Every Corner of the American South. The first episode drops Thursday, August 1!
Jul 25, 2024 · 4 min
100 Proof: From 100 to Zero Proof (Episode 6)
In the final episode of the 100 Proof Series: We meet more modern cocktail revivalists who are breaking new ground and venture into the world of zero proof drinks.
Jul 11, 2024 · 31 min
100 Proof: The Dark Ages (Episode 5)
How TGI Fridays, Madonna, and the Cosmopolitan helped define this era of the American cocktail.
Jul 3, 2024 · 33 min
100 Proof: Prohibition (Episode 4)
Was Prohibition really the Gilded Age utopia that it's made out to be? In this episode: Cocktail innovation happening in unlikely places under unlikely circumstances. We feature the Bees Knees and the Bloody Mary.
Jun 27, 2024 · 29 min
100 Proof: The Golden Age of Cocktails (Episode 3)
How did the Industrial Revolution, immigration--and maybe Winston Churchill's mother--give rise to the Golden Age of cocktails in America? We explore the story of the Martini, the Manhattan, and the Daiquiri.
Jun 20, 2024 · 34 min
Buy Me Some Biryani and Cracker Jack
How did biryani become the go-to dish of cricket matches? Journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid reports as the Cricket World Cup tournament plays out this week. (100 Proof will be back on June 20.)
Jun 6, 2024 · 31 min

Proof

The Rise of the Modern Asian Pastry

What Does Space Taste Like?

The (Tea) Room Where It Happened

In Love with the Shape of Food

Back to our bread-and-butter episodes next week on a new season of Proof!

ATK at 25: Reverse-Engineering the Boxed Brownie (Episode 4)

ATK at 25: Why You Need a Wok (Episode 3)

ATK at 25: How Many Eggs in the Perfect Scramble? (Episode 2)

ATK at 25: A Recipe Made from a Mistake (Episode 1)

Introducing ATK at 25: Stories Behind the Iconic Recipes

Barbecue Trailblazers: What is the Future of Barbecue? (Episode 4)

Barbecue Trailblazers: The Hogroast Heads North (Episode 3)

Barbecue Trailblazers: The Woman Who Gave Us Fajitas (Episode 2)

Barbecue Trailblazers: The Queen of Smoke (Episode 1)

Introducing When Southern Women Cook: Our Miniseries on Barbecue Trailblazers

100 Proof: From 100 to Zero Proof (Episode 6)

100 Proof: The Dark Ages (Episode 5)

100 Proof: Prohibition (Episode 4)

100 Proof: The Golden Age of Cocktails (Episode 3)

Buy Me Some Biryani and Cracker Jack