Back when I had time to fritter away in front of the television, one of my favorite shows was "Inside the Actor's Studio." I particularly loved the end, when James Lipton would ask each guest the same ten questions. For me, the best, and most revealing, questions were "What is your favorite curse word?" and "What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt." Nothing tells you more about a person than what would fly out of their mouth should they drop a bowling ball on their foot, or what they'd be doing if conventional rules didn't apply.
For the record, my favorite curse word is a long, drawn-out f-bomb.
And if I could try out any profession in the world, I'd be a test cook at America's Test Kitchen. It would be as if the foodie and the lab rat that both lurk inside me had a one-night stand and made a dream job baby. I'd study up on food science, research thousands of recipes, experiment with a hundred kinds of chocolate, and then whip up a masterful creation that would make Christopher Kimball weep with joy. I could pull it off. Except for the required degree from a culinary arts program. And the four years of restaurant experience. And the upheaval of relocating my entire family to Boston. Other than those teeny details, I could totally pull it off.
My dashed hopes were suddenly lifted when I spied this little nugget in one of the Test Kitchen's newsletters: Home Test Cooks Needed. It was the best of both worlds! Every few months they send a recipe for me to test. I get to pretend like the balance of the universe depends on my opinion of the recipe, while never having to change out of my pajamas.
The most recent recipe I tested was for a reduced-fat Icebox Key Lime Pie. And while I'm sworn to secrecy about the specifics of the recipe until it appears in print, I can share a few details.
Zest and juice some of these babies:
Mix it with some cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and few other tasty things and pour it in here:
Before you can say "Christopher Kimball's bow-tie is sexy" you have this:
This test cook says this one's a keeper.
Sheri Gurock says
OMG, I need that recipe when it comes out. That looks delicious and the pictures are mouthwatering.
Katy@ThoughtForFood says
SWEET!
Hey — if you ever want to head to Boston with me and do a stint at the actual test kitchen (we saw Kimball do a talk a few years back, and he said they use home testers in the test kitchen, and watch them cook!) — I’d be up for the trip.
Maybe after I win the lottery. Ye ol’ solo trip to Boston isn’t exactly in the year’s budget.
Angie Six says
Im just jealous that youre actually inBoston, and could just run into one of those test cooks any old day! Will definitely post the recipe when it makes it to print.
Angie
Just Like The Number
Project 3(six)5: A Year in Photos
Twitter: katydid6
Angie Six says
You make me laugh (Ye ol solo trip to Boston)! Id so be up for a road trip to the mecca of test kitchens.
Angie
Just Like The Number
Project 3(six)5: A Year in Photos
Twitter: katydid6
Eternal Lizdom says
How about YOU be the test cook and I’LL be the person who eats the test food??? 🙂
Country-Fried Mama says
I used to love that Cook’s Magazine they put out, back before I had a toddler who expected me to prepare dinner in under 60 seconds.
Those pictures are gorgeous. It’s possible you are inspiring me to bake…
Katie @ Heart Gone Walking says
OK, this is my last comment before I sound like a total stalker but I just read this post out loud to my husband because I couldn’t stop giggling while reading it next to him. We freakin’ love America’s Test Kitchen and Christopher’s bowtie. Also? We may or may not share the same reactionary cuss word.
Angie Six says
How did you know thats exactly what I need? You start immediately!
Angie
Angie Six says
Ahh, yes. My toddler has no patience for meals that take hours to prepare, either. They do have a great cookbook called The Best 30-Minute Recipe. (If I really learned anything at Blissdom, that totally would have been an affiliate link!) Ive made many a meal from there that satisfied the hungry masses in a sufficient amount of time.
Angie
Angie Six says
Guess who responded to my tweet that I thought his bowtie was sexy? Mr. Kimball himself! I think we deserve a shout-out on the next show, dont you?
Angie