RECIPE TESTING FOR COOK'S ILLUSTRATED

[rockykay]

Hi. I was just wondering whether any of you guys have signed up to the recipe testers for Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchens. They've open the site to sign up at:

http://americastestkitchen.qualtrics....

which I jumped on immediately. Any of you?

[hummingbird]

Signed up a long time ago, got my first request last week. However, need good, fresh, ripe tomatoes for an Italian Bread Soup. But since I live in Ma and not in an area that I'll be able to get some will report to them that it is not really doeable right now.

[Mother of four]

Send it to me, I just picked up some beautiful tomatoes at one of our local groves!! I live in FL.!

[Fuser]

I signed up a long time ago and use two email addresses, so I am signed up twice, which yields twice as many recipes. I started out enthusiastic and made every recipe, but as time passes, I make fewer. Part of my disillusionment came from the feeling that it really didn't matter what I said. There was a recipe for a roasted turkey breast that appeared and reappeared. The recipe called for making dressing in a pan and going by the instructions, it completely burned and almost ruined my pan. I didn't see any change to the published recipes, although I'm sure others must have had the same problem. Not only that, but the recipe was incredibly complicated for pretty dull results. I also made a tirimisu recipe, which has fabulous. But since their recipe called for rum and I was taking the tiramisu to an AA meeting, I made it with hazelnut syrup. Not that they had any obigation to, but they never offered nonalcoholic alternatives in the published recipe. The last recipe I got was for a blueberry pie, which called for 5 cups of blueberries, which are currently selling for $4.99 a half cup. So I didn't do that one either.
It's really fun to make the recipes if you're doing it for your own edification.

[jeanmarieok]

Thanks for the tip - I signed up, too!

[sonofoodie]

I signed up to test recipes about six months ago. I have tested approximately half of the ones they have sent me. Sometimes, time does not allow. Others, I didn't want to spend the money on ingredients, and some I just plain don't care for.

It's sort of fun, but there's no way to tell if I've impacted the way a recipe gets published. (Realizing, of course, that I am probably one of hundreds that do the testing) I don't really know how the survey gets researched. It's interesting, though.

[Night Owl]

Thanks for the heads up! I've signed up -- love Cook's Illustrated/ATK!