Spinach Squares, Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Olive Oil, Olive Oil Cake

Meet some members of our Tastings & Testings team! [Log In]( [America's Test Kitchen]( [FIND RECIPES]( [START FREE WEB TRIAL]( Notes from the Test Kitchen [Tastings & Testings Team Spotlight]( June 9, 2017 Tastings & Testings Team Spotlight Our Tastings & Testings team certainly knows a thing or two about the best kitchen equipment and food products on the market. They will put anything from [saucepans]( and [skillets]( to [water bottles]( and [tomato corers]( through the most rigorous of tests (both short-term and long-term) to see which product is worth your money. They also [hold tastings]( of ingredients typically used in the kitchen, testing each ingredient plain and in a few different recipes, to [find the highest-quality product](. You can view their findings on [America’s Test Kitchen]( and [Cook’s Country TV]( read about them in our magazines, [Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country](. We also use their findings in our cookbooks, including one of our latest releases, [Food Processor Perfection](. This week, we hear from three of our Tastings & Testings team members as they tell us their favorite moments on the job. [Kate Shannon: Associate Editor]( What has been your favorite tasting at America’s Test Kitchen? Kate Shannon, Associate Editor: Anyone who knows me would not be surprised at all to hear that the cheese tastings are my favorites. I lived in France for a bit and worked as a cheesemonger for a few years. I don’t just like cheese—I’m borderline obsessed with it. Although picking a favorite cheese is kind of like picking a favorite child, [Gruyère]( rates near the top for me. It’s become pretty common in supermarkets over the past few years, so we recently updated our review. [Our new winner]( is just a knockout. It’s slightly grassy and funky but also sweet and almost caramel-y. It’s a total crowd-pleaser on a cheese plate. It also melts beautifully, so it works well in recipes, too. While I was picking out the recipes for this tasting, a coworker turned me on to a Cook’s Country recipe for [Spinach Squares](. They’re a really fun party snack, and they’re so easy to make. What has been your favorite equipment testing experience? KS: I really believe that a good piece of equipment can change the way a person cooks. Everything becomes easier and more fun. [Silicone spatulas]( don’t sound quite as exciting as blenders or carbon-steel knives, but I had so much fun testing them. We use spatulas for just about everything, and I made it my mission to test our lineup in every core application. I think I had thirteen separate tests. After I’d spent hours with those spatulas, there were some that I never wanted to see again. Others were so comfortable and nimble that I didn’t want to put them down. It turns out that [the design of a spatula makes a huge difference]( I bought a copy of the winner for myself. A few coworkers have said that they’ve bought it, too. I love hearing that. Kate’s Recommendations [Working with Wood Chips]( recipe Spinach Squares [View Recipe]( [Working with Wood Chips]( Equipment Di Oro Living Seamless Silicone Spatula—Large [Buy Now]( [Miye Bromberg: Associate Editor]( What has been your favorite tasting at America’s Test Kitchen? Miye Bromberg, Associate Editor: Cheese tastings are always fun and interesting, but my favorite would probably be [spiral-sliced ham](. I love smoked meats, and it was fascinating to see how different the various hams were. And there’s nothing bad about eating eight mini ham sandwiches for lunch, either. What has been your favorite equipment testing experience? MB: [Manual pasta machines](. Making pasta from scratch is simpler and faster than most people realize, and [our master recipe for pasta dough]( yields a dough that is particularly easy to handle. It’s such a soothing and meditative process, so it was a real treat to be able to spend a week doing nothing but rolling out fettuccine and angel hair noodles. I think our fresh pasta recipe would work perfectly with our [Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Olive Oil](. Miye’s Recommendations [Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Olive Oil]( recipe Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Olive Oil [View Recipe]( [Marcato Atlas 150 Wellness Pasta Machine]( Equipment Marcato Atlas 150 Wellness Pasta Machine [Buy Now]( [Emily Phares: Assistant Editor]( You are one of the newest members of the Tastings & Testings team. What has been your favorite part of the job, and when should we expect to see some of your latest articles published? Emily Phares, Assistant Editor: I grew up in Louisiana and cooking was huge in my family, so food’s always been a big part of my life. I also started writing pretty early on, and then in grad school I realized I enjoy doing research. So as a T&T team member, I get to combine three things I love–food and cooking, writing, and researching–all in one job. I also really like working in a creative environment with other people who love food. We usually write articles far in advance of publication, so mine are just starting to appear in Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country. My pie plates review is coming soon (in Cook’s Country), followed by cookie presses (in Cook’s Illustrated ), for which I baked over 100 dozen cookies. Electric knives will also appear in Cook’s Illustrated around holiday time; I was pretty surprised by those results. What is your favorite Cook’s Illustrated or Cook’s Country recipe? Is there one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without? EP: The [Olive Oil Cake]( (Cook's Illustrated, May 2017) is fantastic. It's simple and delicious, and as a general rule I like any baked good that involves olive oil. America’s Test Kitchen also has a Facebook group, and many of the members made this cake and posted pictures–it was photo after photo of gorgeous cakes. I think a lot of ATK-ers were even joining in with their own pictures, too. As for kitchen equipment, I constantly use my [nonstick skillet]( for eggs. That’s probably my most-used piece of kitchen equipment lately. Emily’s Recommendations [Olive Oil Cake]( recipe Olive Oil Cake [View Recipe]( [OXO Good Grips Non-Stick 12-inch Open Frypan]( Equipment OXO Good Grips Non-Stick 12-inch Open Frypan [Learn More]( [Food Processor Perfection: 75 amazing ways to use the most pwerful tool in your kitchen. Order yours now for $14.95.]( News and Events [Shop for the new grads in your life! Discover the perfect gifts in our brand new store. Shop now.]( [Special Offer! Free shipping on all orders $19.95 or above ›]( [America’s Test Kitchen on The Splendid Table]( Tune in to your local public radio station or listen at [splendidtable.org](. 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