Proof

by America's Test Kitchen
A disappearing food franchise. The story behind how a Vietnamese spring roll ended up on the menu of Senegalese restaurants. We take America's Test Kitchen's inquisitive and relentless approach to telling unexpected, funny, and thought-provoking narratives about food and drink. This is not a recipe show. And this is not a show about celebrity chefs or what they like to eat. Proof plunges into history, culture, science, and the psyche to uncover the hidden backstories that feed your food-obsessed brain. Hosted by Kevin Pang. A production of America's Test Kitchen.

Revolution at the Cookie Factory

In 2017, an iconic brand of Argentina's de facto national dessert, the alfajor, was on the brink of disappearing. New management threatened to stop production of El Grandote, or 'The Big One,' but the workers at La Nirva factory refused. Reporter Facundo Iglesia follows the workers' journey as they fight to keep El Grandote--the alfajor of the people--alive.The original version of story, Revolución on the Cookie Factory Floor, was reported by Facundo Iglesia and Sofía Kuan for Narratively.com.See Privacy Policy …

What’s On the Menu in 1906?

What did dining out look like in 1906? We put the question to reporter Doug Mack, who dug through the New York Public Library’s “What’s on the Menu” database for answers. Mack encounters items like flaming omelettes, vichy with buttermilk, and calf brains on toast on the menu of one New York-based restaurant chain, Bristol's Dining Rooms. While these dishes may appear bizarre to our modern taste buds, Mack discovers that there may be more to it than meets the …

The Road to Good Sake

Fumiaki Matsuura had just started his job as the toji, or brew master of his family's sake brewery in Ishikawa, Japan, when he noticed a strange smell. A lot was riding on his reputation as the new face of the brewery, but this odor was quickly jeopardizing the business. Will Matsuura get to the bottom of this sake mystery? Story reported by Hannah Kirshner.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Apple Pie that Made Me

ESPN's Baxter Holmes was always told: If it weren't for his family's apple pie, he wouldn't be here. The adage takes on a whole new meaning in this heartfelt episode about origins, love, and loss. (This episode is an adaptation of a story reported originally at Esquire.com. You can also read Baxter’s James Beard Award-winning piece about the NBA’s obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at ESPN.com.)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Taiwan’s Unlikely Beef Noodle Soup

Beef noodle soup is Taiwan's national dish, but its existence is surprising, given that eating beef was taboo on the island not too long ago. Today, there's an annual beef noodle contest where chefs from around the nation duke it out to see who makes the best bowl. How did this happen? Reporter and cookbook author Clarissa Wei investigates. (Clarissa’s forthcoming cookbook, Made in Taiwan, is scheduled for release on September 19, 2023.)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy …

Navigating Blindness in the Supermarket

What if you knew you were quickly losing your sight? That’s something reporter Jason Strother has thought a lot about. In this episode, Jason takes a crash course at the Colorado Center for the Blind to navigate what cooking or grocery shopping might be like while blind. (Jason’s reporting was supported by the 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship at UC Berkeley. This episode was previously called "Cooking School for the Blind.")See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy …

A New Dad's Guide to Ramadan

The month of Ramadan is here, and James Beard Award–winning writer Ahmed Ali Akbar is a new dad. He wants to pass down his family's traditions to his newborn daughter, but he wonders: How do you navigate fasting and nourishment and as a sleep-deprived parent? Ahmed talks to experts, nutritionists, and other families as they navigate Ramadan together.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Season 13 Starts April 13!

On lucky season 13 of Proof, we travel to Argentina where workers are fighting hard to save their national desert: The alfajor. We follow one reporter’s attempt at improving routines and mealtime during the month of Ramadan. We learn how to grocery shop while blind, and we also hear about one man’s quest to find the truth behind a family legend: Was he really born all because of an apple pie? All that, and so much more on Season 13 …

Going Deep on Italian Beef on City Cast Chicago

Kevin gives City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our Proof episode on the World’s Greatest Italian Beef. Catch City Cast Chicago every weekday and wherever you get your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The World’s Greatest Italian Beef

One of the hottest TV shows of the past year was FX’s The Bear, about a fine-dining chef who takes over the family Italian Beef sandwich business in Chicago. Host Kevin Pang is a former food critic in the Windy City, having consumed hundreds of Beefs. In this episode, Kevin attempts to engineer the World’s Greatest Italian Beef sandwich. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.