Proof

In a matter of months, Kelli Nevarez went from first-grade music teacher to pitmaster of the Texas Monthly Top 50 barbecue joint La Vaca Barbecue. Reporter Eliza Rothstein shares the story of how Nevarez is reshaping the future of barbecue. Craving more barbecue tips? Join our grilling expert, Morgan Bolling, as she takes a deep dive into smoke rings. This podcast miniseries is an audio companion...

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 podca...

Ninfa Laurenzo, or Mama Ninfa as many called her, was a trailblazer and an icon in the city of Houston, Texas. She helped introduce a Tex-Mex classic to the United States with her business savvy, food knowledge, and understanding of people. In this episode, we learn about the life that made Ninfa Laurenzo into the legend she's known as today. Reported by Eliza Rothstein. Make your own Tacos al Car...

In a world where barbecuing is considered "dude food" and men's work, Helen Turner is an institution. She's steadily nurtured her style of Tennessee barbecue the traditional way; by using only smoke to flavor her meats over a fire pit. But this style of barbecue is back-breaking work, and Helen may consider retiring. But is she ready to let go? And who would she pass Helen's Bar BQ down to? Find o...

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 Thurs...

The cocktail emerges from the dark ages and enters the modern era. In this episode: We meet more innovative mixologists pushing the bounds of what a cocktail can be. And we'll explore the latest installment in the cocktail's long evolution: the zero proof movement. What should you be looking for when buying non-alcoholic beverages and cocktails? Check out our review of Non-Alcoholic Spirits and Co...

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 Prope...

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. Further Reading: A Spiritous Journey by Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller "A Study of the Great Immoralities: Saloons in Chicago Before WWI" Ohio State University "Bootleggers and Bathtub...

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. Make yourself a cool Gin Martini with our customizable recipe. Further Reading: A Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink by Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller Difford's Guide for Discerning Dri...

The Cricket World Cup started this week, and fans in New York are celebrating the wickets, the fast bowlers, and biryani. How did the rice dish become the meal of the match? Journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid reports. (100 Proof will be back on June 20.) Make Biryani at home with our tested recipe.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p...

Where does the word "cocktail" come from? Who invented it? We explore these questions and the backstories of two drinks from America's early days as a nation: The Mint Julep and the Sazerac. (Special thanks to Joe Gitter and Yiorgos Tsivranidis for their voice acting in this episode.) Try making our Mint Julep and Sazerac recipes at home! Further Reading: "A Brief History of Bitters" Smithsonian M...

This week, we kick off Proof's first-ever miniseries. Episode 1 explores how we got to our modern cocktail renaissance. Why were cocktails in the 90s and early 2000s shells of the well-crafted drinks we see today? It took a renegade group of bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts to resurrect drinks from the cocktail's heyday. Hosted by Cook's Country Editor-in-Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, and reported...

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...

Can saliva change the way our food tastes? Does it affect our cooking? In our Season 16 finale, reporter Jacklyn Kim digs into the unexpected ingredient that we end up adding to every meal. Proof will be back later in May with a 6-part miniseries on the history of cocktails!  Until then, stimulate your taste buds and break out the cast iron with the Test Kitchen recipe for Cast Iron Margherita Piz...

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. Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kitchen digital subscription here. See Priv...

We're headed to the riverbanks of the Magdalena River to experience a Colombian tradition of eating stew, called the paseo de olla. Journalist Camilo Garzón shares how the mighty river and the stew have been at the center of Colombia's past and present.  Hear more of Camilo's work at Cuentero Productions. Invite some friends over to enjoy Colombia's signature three-meat stew, Sancocho at home with...

What happens when you have to boycott your favorite food? Reporter Makepeace Sitlhou travels to her home to North East India to confront this reality with her favorite dish: The Manipuri Thali. Heads up: This episode includes descriptions of violence. Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kitchen digital subscription here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv...

We kick off Season 16 with a new episode that traces Horiatiki, or the Greek salad's journey from Athens to American tables. Our reporter digs into how tax evasion shaped the humble Horiatiki, and how a star ingredient wasn't incorporated until much later than you might think. Check our top picks for Feta Cheese to make your own Horiatiki at home.  Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kit...

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...

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 agai...

We wrap up awards season with our Signal Award-Winning episode that asks: Will hot-boxing a lobster before it's cooked alleviate its pain? Science reporter Sarah Vitak takes us to a lobster shack in Maine to find out.  Bring a taste of Maine home and make your own New England Lobster Rolls. Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kitchen digital subscription at atkpodcast.com See Privacy Pol...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

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. Get a 14-day free trial for an America’s Test Kitchen digital subscription at atkpodcast.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-...

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

The plan: To extract dormant yeast from the nooks and crannies of ancient Egyptian pots stored in the vaults of the world’s most prestigious museums and bake bread with it. Can it be done? Find out on this week’s episode from our archives. (New episodes will be back in April!) Make your own sourdough loaf at home (without the need for ancient yeast!) with our fail-proof recipe. Get a 14-day free t...