Proof (America's Test Kitchen)

Nichols Electronics has a monopoly on the ice cream truck music box market. When you hear the familiar sound of ice cream truck music ringing through your neighborhood, chances are extremely high that it’s coming from a box that Mark and Beth Nichols created. For decades, they’ve been in the business of evoking nostalgia and happy memories. Until recently, when it was revealed that one of the most popular songs on their boxes has a dark history. Today on Proof, we tell the story of how one small family business faced the biggest controversy to rock the ice cream truck industry.

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Ever wish you could spend the day immersed in the fantasy worlds from your book, show, or game? Meet the characters, travel the land - or if you’re like most of us at Proof - eat the food? From the Legend of Zelda to Dungeons and Dragons, reporter Sarah Vitak talks to the fan cookbook authors who are transforming pixelated foods into irl dishes you can serve on your plate.

Check out Aimee’s cookbook, The Unofficial Legend of Zelda Cookbook.

Learn more about Ashley and Isaac's Dungeons and Dragons cookbook, Fantasy Feasting, at the Fantasy Feasting Kickstarter.

Listen to Eric's podcast, Imaginary Worlds.

Learn more about Marisa’s work as a folklorist.

See some of Janice’s creations in Feeding Hannibal: A Connoisseur's Cookbook.

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Welcome to Bear Grass, North Carolina, where moonshine, tobacco, and bootlegging were once king. Today, a storied dish called chicken mull is a staple of the town's identity and for years, Bear Grass held an annual chicken mull-making contest to see who made the best mull. What happens though, when this humble dish almost tears the small, close-knit community apart? Reporter Allison Salerno reports.

Interested in making chicken mull? Find our Cook's Country recipe here.

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In 1927, more than 50 years before the first GMO crop hit the market, a scientist named Louis Stadler shot X-rays at barley. The result was a random mutation—a change in the color of the plant. While not particularly useful, it showed that with radiation, scientists could roll the genetic dice, press fast-forward on natural selection, and with enough rolls, maybe even uncover something new- a useful mutant. The Atomic Age would inspire a generation of scientists to blast crops with Cobalt-60 radiation. Even civilians got in on the action. But today, this type of breeding is all but forgotten. Is the possibility of an “Atomic Garden of Eden” worth the nuclear gamble?

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Great wine begins with high quality grapes, careful fermentation, deft blending techniques, and, in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, a group of puritanical Russian immigrants called the “molokans.” Learn how this region’s earliest settlers escaped from religious persecution in tsarist Russia and how a culture of innovation and experimentation has transformed this humble strip of land near the Pacific coast into one of the most fawned over and exciting wine destinations in the world.

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Dan Pashman is on a mission to make--and sell--a new pasta shape. Our friends at The Sporkful have a new five part series on Dan's journey (and in this episode, find out why he hates Spaghetti). You can find the rest of the series in The Sporkful feed wherever you listen to podcasts.

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For hundreds of years, Japanese soy sauce was made in wooden barrels, but now, most are made in steel tanks. And some argue: It’s made it less delicious. Can a group of brewers and carpenters save the art of traditional brewing? Hannah Kirshner reports.

Curious about all the different varieties? Check out ATK’s reviews on Soy Sauce.

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Pulitzer-prize winning historian and fast food detective Dr. Marcia Chatelain explores the cases of three American franchises that disappeared from the American landscape without a trace.

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Bridget speaks with Dr. Danielle Reed from the Monell Chemical Senses Center about the genetics of taste perception. To learn more about the Monell Center’s research, visit monell.org.

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Around the world and throughout history, we’ve celebrated the departed with rituals that involve food. Pharaohs were buried with feasts. We pour out drinks in honor of fallen friends and family. But the precision and thought that Zoroastrian priest Marziban Hathiram puts into preparing meals for the departed is in a league of its own. Author Varud Gupta takes us through the intricacies of the stum death ritual in Gujarat, India, and walks us through what foods are--and aren’t--appropriate for the afterlife.

Read more of Varud's journey in his book, Bagwaan Ke Pakwaan: Food of the Gods.

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Our friends a Transmitter Media have a body-positive and unapologetically food-positive show that is about breaking up with diet culture. Host Virgie Tovar talks to amazing ‘rebel eaters’ who will change the way you think about food and your body. Their second season just launched and features great conversations with guests like Francis Lam from The Splendid Table, as well as fascinating stories about why we eat what we eat. Listen now in your favorite podcast app or at rebeleatersclub.com

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We've all been there - the moment when an overpowering food craving descends upon you and takes possession of your body, mind, and wallet. But where do food cravings come from? Are they cultural, genetic, gender-specific? We find out if science has the answer.

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As we kick off a new season of Proof, we dig into the psychology and science behind our fascination with food shapes. From popcorn to square watermelons, you'll learn that there's a reason behind the choices we make when it comes to what our food looks like. Eliza Rothstein reports.

Try making your own sweet and salty popcorn at home, with our recipe for Spicy Caramel Popcorn.

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Melipona honey from Mexico is prized for its taste and its medicinal qualities. But melipona bees are under threat; not just from deforestation, pesticides, or habitat loss, but also from the dwindling number of beekeepers who know how to cultivate these special hives. Reporter Maya Kroth takes us to the Yucatan region to chronicle the quiet fight to revive a dying craft. Proof will back after Thanksgiving on December 5th.

Make a simple lemonade with a floral twist with our recipe for Lemonade with Honey.

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Jack Bishop discusses the history and unique flavor of celery tonic.

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The month of Ramadan is here, and James Beard Award–winning writer Ahmed Ali Akbar is a new dad. He wants to pass down his family's traditions to his newborn daughter, but he wonders: How do you navigate fasting and nourishment and as a sleep-deprived parent? Ahmed talks to experts, nutritionists, and other families as they navigate Ramadan together.

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This week on the podcast, we bring you the second episode of our miniseries where we reveal the backstories behind four iconic recipes from America's Test Kitchen's TV show, which is celebrating its 25th season on air.

Episode 2 dives into a recipe so simple, it needed science to perfect. You may never see this breakfast staple the same way, ever again. 

Looking for more recipes that changed the way America cooks? Check out our 25th Anniversary Cookbook.

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For far too long, the art of barbecue and grilling have been considered “men’s work.” But women were cooking with fire since the earliest days of American history, too. 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 been stoking embers and bringing the heat to Southern cuisine. The first episode drops Thursday, August 1!

This series is also an audio companion 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. You can preorder the book where books are sold:

• IndieBound
• Amazon
• America’s Test Kitchen Store

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Host Kevin Pang takes a trip to the Southside of Chicago to tell the story of Chicago's most famous culinary exports--and it's not about deep-dish pizza or hot dogs.

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: do pistachios spontaneously combust?

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Our friends at Food52 have a great new podcast about the uncut gems of their weekly "Genius Recipes" column and video series. Bridget talks with host Kristen Miglore before playing an episode of the show.

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Kevin gives City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our Proof episode on the World’s Greatest Italian Beef. Catch City Cast Chicago every weekday and wherever you get your podcasts.

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For competitive chili cooks, the ultimate accomplishment is taking home first prize at the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler Memorial Championship Chili Cook-off. The Terlingua chili cooks are a tight-knit group. And in 2003, they were suspicious of newcomer Don Eastep. And it turns out, they were right to be. Because Don didn’t cook chili at that cook-off. Instead, he turned in a cup of chili to the judges, filled with samples of everyone else’s chili mixed together. And then, he won first place. The 2003 Terlingua Cook-off would go down as the most scandalous event in the history of chili cooking. After the chili cheater was revealed, Don was banned from Terlingua, the Eastep family name was scorched, and the chili-cooking community was forced to answer the question: Can the ultimate chili crime be forgiven?

Take our Season 4 survey!

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In the last 'Best of Proof' episode of the year, we bring you a story from 2021 that gives new meaning to the question: How did host Kevin Pang's father end up becoming an unlikely YouTube star? Today, the duo are the stars of Hunger Pangs and authors of A Very Chinese Cookbook, but it didn't start out that way.

Want to try a Pang family recipe? Check out this sticky, crispy spare rib recipe.

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A South African Entrepreneur, Leah Bessa, discovers that processing Black Soldier Fly larvae produces a milk-like substance, dubbed Entomilk. Can Leah’s entomilk ice cream succeed as a dairy-alternative? Although South African populations have a traditional history of bug-eating, can modern society overcome its ick-factor to take advantage of all bugs have to offer?

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Ketchup isn't just a popular condiment, it's also scientifically fascinating. Bridget sits down with Jack Bishop to talk about the physics of ketchup.

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After Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Civil Rights leaders, fast food corporations, and the Nixon administration began an unlikely collaboration: to promote “Black Capitalism” in the fast food industry. The idea was this: promoting Black franchise business ownership in Black neighborhoods could improve the quality of Black life in America. Brady Keys was the king of Nixon’s Black capitalism. He received upwards of 9 million dollars in federal money to develop his fast food franchise, All-Pro Chicken, and collaborated with KFC and Burger King in ground-breaking franchise deals. Keys’ story is a case study of Black business ownership in the ‘60s, when the path to Civil Rights was paved with profits.

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Becky Krystal of The Washington Post joins Bridget to talk about what Thanksgiving has looked like in the past during times of crises like the World Wars, economic disasters, and more.

Read Becky's article The Washington Post.

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Reporter Sarah Baik explores the history of Koryo Saram cuisine (Korean Soviet cuisine) and learns about the importance of morkovcha--a carrot dish--to one Koryo Saram family.

Get a 14-day free trial for an America's Test Kitchen digital subscription at atkpodcast.com.

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An underground mango industry, the hidden costs of your favorite Mezcal, and ice cream made from bugs. Season 3 goes deep to challenge our ideas about what we eat and uncover where it comes from. Tune in for Season 3 of Proof beginning November 7.

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Our friends at GBH and Antiques Roadshow have a new podcast called Detours, where you'll get some insider info on objects you've never seen before, and why. We're excited to share their first episode with you: The Hardest Fact I Ever Checked.

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On a cold night in January 2017, five comedians gathered around a table in the back of a cramped restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village called the Olive Tree Cafe. The comedian weren't scheduled to perform at the downstairs Comedy Cellar that night, but they had come to hang out at a place they called home: a family dinner around the most important table in American stand-up comedy. This restaurant--and the famous comedian's table--have long served as home base for comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle--the five comedians who ended up performing at what would be remembered as the Billion Dollar Comedy Night. Reporter Stephen Calabria digs into the history of the Olive Tree Cafe and how it fuels some of America's most famous stand-up comedians.

A note from our sponsors:

Listeners get 15% off of their first order at porterroad.com/proof.

Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.

Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.

Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.

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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!

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How did the Philly Cheesesteak make its way to Lahore, Pakistan? Journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid traces the transcontinental journey.

Try Ayesha Sarwar’s recipe for Desi Philly Cheesesteak or America's Test Kitchen's version of the classic Philly style.

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Mystery Recipe is a new podcast from America's Test Kitchen Kids! With new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, this short-form podcast will help kids AND their grown-ups uncover the fun, fantastical, and fascinating sides of food. Each week will have a different ingredient theme, which builds to the grand finale: a mystery recipe cook-along. Get excited about cooking (and eating) by digging into the deliciously silly and unexpectedly educational.

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The Trader Joe's subreddit is a place for friendly conversation and helpful tips for how to use Trader Joe's products. But what happened when a villain caused trouble in the online community?

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This week, we replay our award-winning episode inspired by the food in FX's "The Bear". We get to the meat of the matter on how family can be the secret ingredient to creating (what we think) is the world’s greatest Italian beef sandwich.

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Try making an Italian beef sandwich at home with our foolproof recipe.

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Our five senses--sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell--can feel intrinsically linked to who we are. But when aspiring chef Molly Birnbaum lost her sense of smell in a traumatic accident, she resolved to get it back through smell training and learning how our olfactory systems are connected to the brain. In this episode of Proof, Editor-In-Chief of ATK Kids Molly Birnbaum, walks us through her journey, and talks to others who lost their sense of smell--from Covid-19 and other causes--along the way.

Read Molly's book, Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way.

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Why aren't Italians drinking Italian coffee? What's the story behind ABC--a.k.a. almond boneless chicken? How did Philly Cheesesteaks become a popular sandwich in Pakistan? Find out the answers to these questions and so much more on Thursday, November 9 when the new season of Proof from America's Test Kitchen drops!

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You've seen them on labels, but what are natural and artificial flavors anyway? Reporter Sara Joyner explains.

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We are living through a fascinating moment in culinary history: the swift and relentless takeover of the [blank] bowl. These days, you can go an entire week of eating all of your meals in bowl form and never overlap once. Why are we bowl happy and how (or when) did adding the word bowl to everything from grain to breakfast become a thing? In this episode, we do a deep dive into bowl culture.

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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.

Make your own Ice Cream at home, using one of our recommended Ice Cream Makers.

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The restaurant industry has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 8 million restaurant jobs have disappeared around the country and some are projecting $80 billion in lost revenue in March and April alone. But behind the numbers and headlines are real people. This is the story of one family, struggling to save their bagel cafe in Boston. 

Take our Season 4 survey!

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Chinese restaurants are an essential part of the American landscape -- even more ubiquitous than McDonald’s. But a century ago, they were almost extinguished by legislation passed around the country that barred young white women from eating at chop suey houses. This is the story of an organized effort to wipe out Chinese eateries altogether and how these restaurants survived in spite of it.

We want to get your feedback about Proof. Please take this survey so we know what you like and what we can do better: http://bit.ly/proofpodcast2.

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In the town of Yamanaka in Western Japan, wild boars are a threat to local farming. With the extinction of natural predators, the boars run rampant, leaving hunters like Sakura Yoshida to patrol the area. This pits boars against humans, but Sakura approaches the boars with veneration and a deep understanding of the ecosystem they both inhabit. In this episode of Proof, author Hannah Kirshner takes us along for a ride with Sakura and recounts the history of meat eating in Japan.

This episode draws on the "Year of the Boars" chapter in Hannah Kirshner's Water, Wood, and Wild Things.

For further reading about human-wildlife relations in Japan, read The Lost Wolves of Japan by Brett L. Walker and Waiting For Wolves in Japan by John Knight.

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: If I was stranded on a deserted island, what's the best food to wish for?

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The 1950s to the 1990s are often dubbed as the cocktail's Dark Ages where drinks like Long Island Iced Teas and Midori Sours reined supreme. The drinks from this time are often reviled or ridiculed, but they made important contributions to cocktail history, too. In this episode: How TGI Fridays, Madonna, and the Cosmopolitan helped define this era of the American cocktail.

Further Reading:

A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson

"1970s Ockctails & Disco Drinks" Difford's Guide

"History of the Nightclub" American Nightlife Association

"How TGI Fridays Has Influenced Modern Craft Cocktail Culture" in The Thrillist by Kevin Alexander

Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters by Derek Brown with Robert Yule

Straight Up or on the Rocks: The story of the American cocktail by William Grimes

"TGI Fridays Was Once The Hottest Bar In America—What Happened?" in Delish by Hannah Selinger

"The Legacy of Joe Baum" in Edible Manhattan by Nancy Matsumoto

The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails (Edited by David Wondrich & Noah Rothbaum)

"The Soviet Union Paid Pepsi With Vodka and Warships in Decades-Long Barter" in Vinepair by Ashlie Hughes (Illustrated by Gerry Selian)

"This is the Story of the Rainbow Room" in Punch by Joshua David Stein

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Chartreuse, a beloved liqueur among bartenders, defies the test of time. We recount the history of this drink that wouldn't die in our 2022 IACP Award-Winning episode on this potent elixir created by Carthusian Monks.

Ready to shake or stir? Read our Review Team's recommendations for best cocktail shakers. 

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This week, we bring back a listener favorite that dives into the consequences of a legislation that tried to prohibit young white women from eating at chop suey houses. This episode tells the story of an organized effort to wipe out Chinese eateries altogether and how these restaurants survived in spite of it.

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Preparing for doomsday might not be as crazy as we think. This week, we bring you an episode from 2019 that takes you inside the culinary minds of people who are ready and prepped for the worst.

Stockpiling wheat at home? Try making ATK’s recipe for Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread.

Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kitchen digital subscription at atkpodcast.com.  

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Before we return next week with new episodes of Proof, we're sharing an episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are. In this episode, host Michele Norris interviews TV’s funniest redhead, Conan O’Brien. The comedian talks about how he first learned to be funny at the kitchen table. We also learn about why Halloween is his favorite holiday, and he reveals his favorite childhood meal: fried ham. Learn more about Your Mama’s Kitchen here.

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For many of us, food and family are an intertwined bridge of our identity. We can trace so many things about ourselves and personalities to our family members and the meals we’ve shared. There are the dedicated feeders of the family, the thankful eaters, and the confusing neithers--they neither eat nor feed. Writer Ahmed Ali Akbar was a neither. At an early age, he didn’t eat or prepare much of his family’s Pakistani food. However, an unexpected meal changed his entire perspective. In this episode of Proof, Ahmed confronts his pickiness while solidifying an undeniable connection he shared with a beloved feeder.

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This season, we’re bringing you food stories from all over--from South America to the South Side of Chicago. We travel to Colombia to find out why leaf cutter ants–a common snack in the country–are disappearing. We drive around Chicago in search for one of the city's most famous culinary exports (and no, it's not deep-dish pizza or hot dogs). And we ask: Why does a Dungeons and Dragons recipe book have almost as many positive reviews as America’s Test Kitchen’s best-selling title? All that, and so much more on Season 11 of Proof from America’s Test Kitchen.

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Author Hannah Kirshner takes us on a captivating journey into the woods of rural Japan alongside boar hunter, Sakura Yoshida. In our IACP Award-winning episode, Hannah shares her experience and the history of meat eating in Japan.

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Reporter Jason Strother shows us what it’s like to navigate the supermarket while visually impaired. Listen to our Signal award-winning episode to learn what a more navigable world might be like.

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The smell of certain foods imprint themselves in our brains and can transport us to different places and our past. One scent in particular--the smell of za'atar--brought two Palestinian women together through social media. Nadia Tommalieh and Lulu Abura instantly shared a bond over their love for the herb and the spice blend that reminds them of their homeland. Reporter Haley Gray reports. Take our Season 8 survey here.

Follow Nadia Tommalieh on Instagram here.

Follow Lulu Abura on Instagram here.

A note from our sponsors:

Get high quality cured meats and charcuterie in stores and online at Veroni USA.

Use code ATK15 for 15% off on OXO.com.

Visit nakedwines.com/summerproof for $100 to spend on wine.

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This week on the podcast, we bring you the fourth and final episode of our miniseries where we reveal the backstories behind four iconic recipes from America's Test Kitchen's TV show, which is celebrating its 25th season on air.

We saved the sweetest for last. Episode 4 follows one test cook's dogged pursuit for the perfect, chewy brownie recipe.

Looking for more recipes that changed the way America cooks? Check out our 25th Anniversary Cookbook.

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What does it look like when you uproot yourself from a familiar culinary place to an unknown city? The Moth performer and writer Aaron Pang dives in with this audio diary that chronicles his move from San Francisco to Iowa City.

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For the Season 13 closer, we bring you two stories on the theme of fusion food. We look at a JamAsian specialty--Jamaican Pepper Steak--and ask: How did a dish with Chinese roots become a celebrated Jamaican staple? We then head to Vietnam where MasterChef France winner Khanh-Ly Huynh falls hard for the banh mi. (Dionne Reid wrote the story on Jamaican Pepper Steak, and you can find her recipe for it online and in Cook's Illustrated magazine. Reporter Rebecca Rosman reported on Khanh-Ly Huynh's journey and the history of the banh mi.)

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In this week's episode of Best of Proof: Travel Edition, we visit the New York public library and search through their expansive database of restaurant menus from through the decades. Flaming omlettes, Calf Brains on Toast, vichy buttermilk, reporter Doug Mack digs into the archives to see what New Yorkers were eating in 1906.

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: What are the weirdest things US presidents ate?

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Pulitzer-prize winning author Dr. Marcia Chatelain returns to share the story of Brady Keys, a former NFL star and Black entrepreneur whose franchise, All-Pro Chicken, was hailed as the gold standard for Black capitalism in the 1960s. 

Try making Batter-Fried Chicken at home with our fail-proof recipe. 

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In 2015, Will Harris, a farmer in southwest Georgia, partnered with Spanish entrepreneur father and son to bring Iberian pigs to the United States. The climate would be different (from hot, dry Spain to wet, humid Georgia) and so would the pigs' diet (they would eat Georgia pecans instead of acorns), but Harris figured this expensive gamble could pay off. Can jamón ibérico can be reduced to a simple formula (pigs + pasture + acorns), or is there more to the story?

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A breakfast cereal created by religious leaders. Chicken wings, infidelity, and revenge. In this episode, two foods we know and love born from accidents.

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The Proof team presents bite-size stories on snacks and snacking.

Want a snack while you listen? Check out ATK’s reviews on potato chips.

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A conversation with culinary historian Michael Twitty about the history of American Barbecue.

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Science Diction host Johanna Mayer joins Bridget to talk about the history of Umami and MSG.

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ABC, or almond boneless chicken, is a popular Chinese-American dish from Detroit. But it's not as well known outside the Motor City. In this episode, author Curtis Chin investigates whether or not his grandmother's claim of having invented the dish, is true.

Try making Almond Boneless Chicken at home with our tested recipe.

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Even before the Stone Age, our ancestors were thinking about what happens when we combine one flavor with another, both in the primordial kitchen and behind the prehistoric bar. Fast-forward to today, and the carefully crafted cocktail is all around us. But what if we told you it wasn’t always this way?

Welcome to Proof's first-ever miniseries: 100 Proof: The Journey of the American Cocktail. Over six episodes, we’ll look at the rise and fall--and subsequent resurgence--of the American cocktail, and contemplate what forces led to our modern cocktail renaissance. We'll also share some recipes along the way. Hosted by Cook's Country Editor-In-Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, and reported by Proof's managing producer, Yumi Araki.

Episode 1 drops May 23.

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: does eating ice cream slower prevent a brain freeze?

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In 2017, an iconic brand of Argentina's de facto national dessert, the alfajor, was on the brink of disappearing. New management threatened to stop production of El Grandote, or 'The Big One,' but the workers at La Nirva factory refused. Reporter Facundo Iglesia follows the workers' journey as they fight to keep El Grandote--the alfajor of the people--alive.

The original version of story, Revolución on the Cookie Factory Floor, was reported by Facundo Iglesia and Sofía Kuan for Narratively.com.

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Hospitality and and serving others were at the heart of Damián Diaz and Othón Nolasco's bar consulting business in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hit, the duo noticed that undocumented workers, who serve as vital back of house staff at restaurants and bars, weren't eligible or able to get the help that they needed. The two decided to start a nonprofit organization and called it No Us Without You. In this episode of Proof, reporter Jean Trinh talks to two individuals who have been helped by No Us Without You and chronicles how Damián and Othón resolved to serve those who have served us for years.

A version of this story was originally reported in The Washington Post.

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In this week's episode of Best of Proof: Travel Edition, we take the ferry to Georgia's Sapelo Island to visit the Gullah Geechee community. Every year, storms, salt water, and construction threaten the land. But Sapelo resident Maurice Bailey is fighting to protect the island by reviving Geechee agriculture. Will he succeed? Claire Reynolds reports in this episode from 2023.

To learn more about Maurice Bailey’s efforts on Sapelo Island, go to saveourlegacyourself.org.

Try our version of a Gullah Geechee tradition, Hoppin' John.

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On this episode of Best of Proof: Travel Edition, we replay an episode where one comedian is on a mission to make the Manchester, New Hampsnire the chicken tender capital of the world. Will he succeed?

Hungry for some chicken tenders? Try our recipe for Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Slaw.

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Download the America’s Test Kitchen app to get access to ATK Classes today! For iPhone users, find it here. For Android users, find it here.

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Ever wish you could settle--once and for all--the question of whether triangular-shaped pizzas are better than square-shaped pies? The Court of Historical Review in San Francisco once decided pressing cases on pop culture, sports controversies, and of course, food. Where was the fortune cookie created? Does the San Francisco bagel live up to its rival, the New York bagel? Reporter Eliza Rothstein talks to judges, experts, and plaintiffs as the gavel hits the sounding block.

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Transporting a Southern tradition to the North might seem like a tall order, but Cook's Country grilling expert Morgan Bolling knows just how to do it with her annual whole hog roast. Producer Alex Curran-Cardarelli shares the history of whole-hog roasts and Morgan's own story of growth and resilience.

Try a taste of Morgan's home state with her recipe for North Carolina Barbecue Pork. 

This podcast miniseries is an audio companion to a forthcoming book from America's Test Kitchen called When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes from Every Corner of the American South. You can preorder the book where books are sold:

• IndieBound
• America's Test Kitchen Store
• Amazon

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: why is ranch so addictive?

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Travel writer Doug Mack felt trapped. Winter was approaching in Minnesota. Another surge of lock-downs and travel restrictions loomed. Staring at his blank passport pages, Doug turns to his keyboard and encounters a Twitter post about ... strawberry bon bons. In this episode, we take a trip into the colorful world of old-timey candies.

Voice acting by: Darlene from The Voice Realm, Kevin Pang, and Jon McCormack. The “King William” recording is from the John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection at Lyon College.

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We're spilling the tea on the origins of boba, or bubble tea. Cookbook author Clarissa Wei reports.

Did this episode make you thirsty? Try making our Matcha Fauxba Tea Smoothie, inspired by boba tea!

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Bryce has put his blood, sweat, and tears into building his business, a Williamsburg restaurant called Black Flamingo. This plant-based Latin-inspired restaurant is home to a basement disco, and widely celebrated tacos and cocktails. So when Tanya leaves a scathing Yelp review about her bad experience at the restaurant, Bryce is discouraged. A Yelp rating is proven to affect restaurant profit, which can make even one bad review devastating to a business owner like Bryce. When the Yelp platform does little to help facilitate resolution, is Bryce and Tanya’s only hope of reconciliation to take their dialog “offline” and come face to face?

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Eliza Tibbets was ahead of her time. She was a suffragist, an abolitionist, held regular seances in her home, and lived in a utopian community. And in Riverside, California, she was also considered the unofficial queen of the orange industry. As local legend has it, every navel orange tree in the Golden state can be traced back to cuttings from the two parent trees in Eliza’s front yard. This is the little known story of how an amateur farmer with utopian dreams launched an entire industry.

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In Season 12 of Proof from America's Test Kitchen, we're bringing you stories from wartime Czechoslovakia to an Italian beef shop in Chicago. Meet eccentric dog owners and pet personalities as we investigate whether or not we should cook for our dogs. We search for connection down a rabbit hole of old-fashioned candies. The Proof staff stage an intervention to expand an America's Test Kitchen's colleague's food repertoire. All that, and so much more on the new season of Proof. Episode 1 drops on Thursday, November 10.

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Proof from America's Test Kitchen returns Thursday, April 21st! We kick off Season 10 by traveling to the midwest in search of a tough-to-crack crop. We ask: Who has the right to tweak a national dish? We also try to solve the mystery of The Beatles' George Harrison's piece of toast. All that, and much more on the new season of Proof!

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The Gullah Geechee community on Sapelo Island, Georgia, is in a battle against time. Every year, storms, salt water, and construction threaten the land. But Sapelo resident Maurice Bailey is fighting to protect the island by reviving Geechee agriculture. Will he succeed? Claire Reynolds reports.

To learn more about Maurice Bailey’s efforts on Sapelo Island, go to saveourlegacyourself.org.

Try our recipe for Hoppin' John.

Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kitchen digital subscription at atkpodcast.com.

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In 1951, the Explorer's Club hosted an extravagant banquet that had 250,000-year-old woolly mammoth on the menu. The dinner raised eyebrows back then as it does now. What does it mean to seek out "exotic" foods? Why do we do it? And was it really wooly mammoth that was on the menu? Reporter Doug Mack digs in.

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In part two of this investigation, reporter Ahmed Ali Akbar explores the underbelly of the secretive mango distribution industry. He uncovers the historical and economic reasons that importing mangoes from Pakistan has been so difficult — from regulation to irradiation. And he finally traces product to supplier.

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This week, we're bringing you the first episode from a new, four-part series from our friends at The Sporkful. Host Dan Pashman shares the inside story of creating his first cookbook, Anything’s Pastable — from the highs and lows of recipe testing, to a research trip across Italy, to the agonizing decisions over the design of the cover. By the end, you'll never look at a cookbook the same way again. Episode 2 is available in The Sporkful feed right now! 

See if Dan is visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests. And follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey!

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Reporter Halley Bondy came upon an autobiography written by her grandfather, who she called Poppop. His life was astonishing: Poppop grew up in the grips of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, escaping fascism to create a new life for his family. As part of his new life in America, Poppop brought over a semi-sweet braided bread called vanocka eaten every Christmas Eve. In Proof's holiday episode, an amazing story about family, war, escape, and a very special bread.

Proof will be back in January with the last episode of Season 12. In the meantime, please vote for us for Best Arts & Culture podcast and Best Food & Drink podcast for the Signal Awards People's Choice Awards!

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Some new wines and spirits are being created in the lab, not the cask. Using flavor technology, companies are able to replicate artisan wines and spirits at a fraction of the price. But, is there art in that too?

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Historian/Fast-food Detective Marcia Chatelain is our guide as we explore the cases of American fast food franchises that once were, until they vanished without a trace. The Mid-century was the height of fast-food franchising: McDonalds, KFC, White Castle. But what about the chains that didn’t survive? From pyramid schemes and copycats to acquisitions and fish wars, we explore the culprits in the cases of the disappearing franchise.

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In these bonus episodes, we try to answer your weird food questions. This week: Why are some flavor pairings divine (chocolate + coffee) and others horrible (orange juice after toothpaste)?

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ESPN's Baxter Holmes was always told: If it weren't for his family's apple pie, he wouldn't be here. The adage takes on a whole new meaning in this heartfelt episode about origins, love, and loss. (This episode is an adaptation of a story reported originally at Esquire.com. You can also read Baxter’s James Beard Award-winning piece about the NBA’s obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at ESPN.com.)

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Our friends at This Old House have a new podcast called Clearstory. Hosted by Kevin O'Connor, Clearstory is a podcast that sheds light on the surprising stories behind our homes. The episode we bring you today, "Wood: Dead in the Water?", is all about old-growth wood found at the bottom of riverbeds that's used for beautiful furniture and flooring.

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Black Americans have deep historical connections and ownership over vegan and plant-based cuisines. But after the Great Migration, many left farms and the Jim Crow South to cities where urbanization and the advent of fast food changed the landscape of accessibility to fresh foods. In this episode of Proof, writer Gabrielle Lawrence-Cormier reconnects with their family's pre-Great Migration gardening traditions and reclaims their plant-based culinary roots.

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Zeppoles are a staple of the San Gennaro street fair in New York city. Jack Bishop has a special connection to the Italian fritters.

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Pakistani-American communities in the U.S. rely on dealers on WhatsApp to gain access to their most coveted treasure: Pakistani mangoes. And they pay a premium for it. In part one of this two-part investigation, reporter Ahmed Ali Akbar searches for answers. Why are Pakistani mangoes so hard to find? And why is the Pakistani community resorting to deals on WhatsApp to procure them?

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Illegal wine, food color psychology, a snail in a soda, and an immigrant family's food story. We're back with more of the food stories you love. Tune in for Season 6 of Proof beginning December 3.

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What does it mean to be a dapperqueer homesteader? Author M Shelly Conner explores this question as she recounts her move from the city life in Chicago, Illinois to Conway, Arkansas, where she begins her journey of living off the land.

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This week, we bring back Proof's very first episode, which takes a deep dive into the former “it” vegetable of the Victorian era: Celery. Before it was relegated to a bloody Mary garnish, celery was considered a status symbol and displayed proudly on restaurant menus and well-to-do families’ tablescapes. So what caused the vegetable’s fall from grace? And is it poised for a comeback?

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How did a Cold War-era American food aid program help ignite the rise of the modern Asian pastry and lead to the creation of milkbread? Clarissa Wei reports.

Learn how to make Shokupan or Japanese White Bread at home with our tested recipe.

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