Winner: Comment #40!
Let’s talk cookbooks and recipes, shall we? Hands down, my favorite resource for recipes is Cook’s Illustrated. They provide solid recipes with thorough explanations of ingredients, equipment, and techniques… who can argue with that?! And the man behind Cook’s Illustrated magazine, as well as the television show, America’s Test Kitchen is none other than Christopher Kimball. He’s definitely someone I wish I could meet and talk to over a cup of coffee. I’d love to pick his brain on foodie geeky stuff one day. There’s so many questions I would ask!
When I opened up my email the other day, I was thrilled to receive an invitation for coffee. With Christopher Kimball. Whaaat?! I’m finally going to get my chance to meet and talk with him in person! Later in November, I’ll be meeting Christopher Kimball over coffee (with a couple of other local food bloggers) since he’ll be in Chicago promoting the newest cookbook, The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook.
More than just a great collection of foolproof recipes, The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook is also an authoritative cooking reference with clear hand-drawn illustrations for preparing the perfect omelet, carving a turkey, removing meat from lobsters, frosting a layer cake, shaping sandwich bread, and more.
150 test kitchen tips throughout the book solve real-home-cooking problems such as how to revive tired herbs, why you shouldn’t buy trimmed leeks, what you need to know about freezing and thawing chicken, when to rinse rice, and the best method for seasoning cast-iron (you can even run it through the dishwasher).
Thanks to my friends at America’s Test Kitchen, they will be sponsoring this week’s Sunday Fun Day Giveaway! A lucky reader will receive a copy of the new The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. Will you be that lucky reader with this hot new cookbook in your hands?! Read on for more details…
One winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org’s Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Sunday, October 2, 2011, within next week’s Sunday Fun Day Giveaway. Good luck!
I'd ask him what the most challenging recipe he's made to date.
not very creative but I would want to know what his favorite recipe of all time is.
ljyoung85 at gmail.com
I would probably ask him what his favorite recipe of all time is.
I would ask him where he purchased all of those bow ties 🙂
I would like to ask him how much time is spent testing each recipe.
I would ask him how do you move from 'making good recipes' to making UP good recipes.
I would ask him what his secrets are for successful yeast doughs, as I can't seem to master them.
I would ask him to talk about his favorite childhood food memory.
I'd love to hear about the worst recipe fail he's encountered while developing recipes.
I'm sure he's asked this all the time, but I wonder what his favorite food is.
I'd want to know how their test kitchen and recipe creators come up with the odd little steps in traditional recipes that make them out of this world. They seem so weird, but the recipes are always awesome!
I would ask which recipe was the most difficult to convert for home cooking and why.
I'd ask what is a recipe that he's wanted to make but never has.
Thanks for the opportunity!
Same thing I said on the board – what's with the bow tie? 🙂
Seriously, I'd ask him something like "what was the most times you guys have tested a recipe before deeming it perfect?"
I would love to know who inspired him to become the amazing chef that he is.
I'd ask how many bow ties he owns and where does he store them?
What got him started on bowties and if he only wears them for the show or does he wear them around the house too?
I would ask him what is his favorite at-home-in-your-pjs meal is and why.
I would ask him if was ever a recipe that didn't warrant all the testing. (As in the way everybody makes it is already the best way.)
I'd like to ask him what his worst kitchen mishap is.
I'd ask why some of the recipes are soooo fussy! I like them, but sometimes I just wonder if all that is totally necessary.
I would ask him where he gets the ideas for new recipes from. I'm always curious if a color, a flavor, or a place inspires the recipe creation process.
i might also add that on two different occasions, photos of ATK recipes i have made were chosen as the pic of the week =D
VERY VERY VERY VERY JEALOUS!!!!
pretty much everything i make is from ATK, CI, or CC. I LOVE LOVE LOVE chris kimball. i would ask him what was his inspiration for starting CI and why after all these years he has still refused advertising in his publications. dont get me wrong…i LOVE getting something in the mail 100% dedicated to cooking and not filled with adds and subscription cards!
I would ask him how they go about choosing their recipes, and how many chefs work on them.
I would ask him when was the last time he cheated in the kitchen and used something already pre-cut, etc from the store.
Thanks for the giveaway!
angiedkelly at gmail dot com
I would love to know what recipe he thinks is most over-rated and what he would do to make it worth the fuss.
I second a lot of the other questions that have already been suggested. I think I'd also ask him what kitchen "gadget" (beyond basic pots & pans) he thinks every cook should have.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
I would probably be tongue-tied! But it would be fun to know which of his recipes have gotten the most response. But I would like to know about the bow ties and what inspires him also. And how he got started with all the wonderful explanatory material.
I would ask him if he feels like he gets fewer invitations to dinners and events because people are afraid he won't like their food.
I would ask him what his favorite ingredient to cook with is.
What is the one kitchen utensil/appliance he can't live without?
I'd ask him what his favorite ingredient to use is!
i'd ask if he's hiring!
blueblanket@hotmail.com
I would ask him which of the ATK chefs he likes to work with most on the show?
So jealous of you BTW!
I would ask if he ever needs a taste tester and how do I apply! 🙂
I would like to know how many recipes he's tested.
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
I would ask what he thinks the best recipe he has ever created is.
I love the whole ATK/CI philosophy of cooking and appreciate all the testing they do before publishing their recipes.
I would like to ask Christopher Kimball which recipe(s) were the hardest for the test kitchen to perfect.
Thanks!
sharonjo at gwtc dot net
Oh this is my ALL time faavorite magazine… and I'm so sad my subscription ran out. I would ask him what the easiest change most people can make to have their scratch cooking taste better.
I would ask him how they choose what type of onions to use in their recipes… sometimes they use yellow, vidalia, shallots, etc. I would love to know if there's a rule of thumb about that sort of thing!
I would ask him who are his culinary heros?
I would ask him what his favorite kitchen gadget is. They test everything out so I would guess it would have to be something good.