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Copyright 2018

by the Editors at Americas Test Kitchen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Library of Congress

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Americas Test Kitchen (Firm), publisher.

Title: Cooks Illustrated all time best dinners for two / the editors at Americas Test Kitchen.

Other titles: All time best dinners for two

Description: Boston, MA : Americas Test Kitchen, [2018] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018008948 | ISBN 9781945256622

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking for two. | Dinners and dining. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX714 .C65479 2018 | DDC 641.5/612--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018008948

AMERICAS TEST KITCHEN

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Ebook ISBN9781945256639

Distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services

Tel: 800.733.3000

Editorial Director, Books: Elizabeth Carduff

Executive Editor: Adam Kowit

Senior Managing Editor: Debra Hudak

Editorial Assistant: Alyssa Langer

Design Director, Books: Carole Goodman

Art Director: Lindsey Chandler

Deputy Art Director

Associate Art Director: Katie Barranger

Production Designer: Reinaldo Cruz

Photography Director: Julie Bozzo Cote

Photography Producer: Meredith Mulcahy

Senior Staff Photographer: Daniel J. van Ackere

Staff Photographer: Steve Klise

Additional Photography: Keller + Keller, Anthony Tieuli, and Carl Tremblay

Food Styling: Catrine Kelty, Chantal Lambeth, Marie Piraino, Elle Simone Scott, and Sally Staub

Photoshoot Kitchen Team:

Manager: Timothy McQuinn

Lead Test Cook: Daniel Cellucci

Test Cook: Jessica Rudolph

Assistant Test Cooks: Sarah Ewald, Eric Haessler, and Mady Nichas

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Imaging Manager: Lauren Robbins

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Executive Editorial Directors: Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster

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welcome to americas test kitchen

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN TESTED, WRITTEN, AND EDITED BY THE FOLKS at Americas Test Kitchen. Located in Bostons Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, it features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including photography and video studios. It is the home of Cooks Illustrated magazine and Cooks Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.

We start the process of testing a recipe with a complete lack of preconceptions, which means that we accept no claim, no technique, and no recipe at face value. We simply assemble as many variations as possible, test a half-dozen of the most promising, and taste the results blind. We then construct our own recipe and continue to test it, varying ingredients, techniques, and cooking times until we reach a consensus. As we like to say in the test kitchen, We make the mistakes so you dont have to. The result, we hope, is the best version of a particular recipe, but we realize that only you can be the final judge of our success (or failure). We use the same rigorous approach when we test equipment and taste ingredients.

All of this would not be possible without a belief that good cooking, much like good music, is based on a foundation of objective technique. Some people like spicy foods and others dont, but there is a right way to saut, there is a best way to cook a pot roast, and there are measurable scientific principles involved in producing perfectly beaten, stable egg whites. Our ultimate goal is to investigate the fundamental principles of cooking to give you the techniques, tools, and ingredients you need to become a better cook. It is as simple as that.

To see what goes on behind the scenes at Americas Test Kitchen, check out our social media channels for kitchen snapshots, exclusive content, video tips, and much more. You can watch us work (in our actual test kitchen) by tuning in to