Finally time to get cooking! Well, almost.
Unlike in the Test Kitchen where there’s a clean, empty counter and stove waiting for me each morning, at home it’s a slightly different story. There’s always a bit of clutter and a few stray dishes to put away or stack in the dishwasher, the result of four people at home full time. (Who knew we could make so many dirty dishes?!)
No sooner do I have the counters cleaned up, equipment located, and my ingredients gathered, that the kids start asking for lunch. My husband carves out a space on my board to chop some fruit, and I quickly pull together sandwiches for the kids. Today the bulgur recipe will be my lunch, and possibly my husband’s too. At ATK’s office, there are plenty of people to consume the food we create—other test cooks, as well as eager recipients of take-home-fridge leftovers. At home, however, whatever I make for recipe development, my family needs to eat or it will go to waste, so coordinating testing with meal times has been critical. Now, if I could just get cooking . . .