‘America’s Test Kitchen’ coming to area

Public television cooking show brings special event to WHYY Philly

Making last-minute substitutions in the kitchen can be a high stakes gamble. Or it can be an exciting journey of discovery.

“America’s Test Kitchen” hosts Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster are coming to the area Jan. 11 to show you it’s the latter. During an appearance at WHYY’s Independence Mall West nerve center at 150 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, the duo will share a series of tips for food prep, organizing, entertaining, transporting food and helpful ideas for home cooks to improvise with what they already have on hand. It’s kind of a live version of what they’ve been doing on the “America’s Test Kitchen” American Public Television show since 2001.

For example, discover the secret weapon for generating lots of ground pepper, five uses for locking tongs that you probably never thought of, how a citrus grater can become a wine bottle corker and more.

Is this open to the public?

Yes. Tickets range between $20-70. Go to www.eventbrite. com/e/americas-test-kitchenfavorite-hacks-and-gadgetstickets-28919161992. You will not need to print anything out because your name will be on the registration list at the door.

This is on Jan. 11?

There will be a VIP reception with Davison and Lancaster from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a presentation on kitchen hacks and gadgets, with Q&A, from 7 to 8:30.

How do I get down there?

WHYY is a short walk from SEPTA’s Jefferson Station and the Fifth Street Market-Frankford El station. Various bus lines also run in the area. Refer to www.whyy.org/about/directions.php.

What about parking?

WHYY does not have on-site parking, but you can try to plan ahead at www.philapark.org. I’m a newbie to “America’s Test Kitchen.” What do they do?

Unbiased equipment reviews (because public TV is non-commercial), taste testing and recipes for home cooks that have been tweaked so much that they’re supposedly virtually foolproof. The show is filmed in a working test kitchen outside of Boston in the building where “Cook’s Illustrated” magazine is headquartered. The kitchen has 50 full-time test cooks that spend their days testing recipes at least 30 times, until they understand how and why the recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients to see if they live up to

their marketing claims.

There have been more than 300 episodes. The hosts are also cast members of the TV show “Cook’s Country.” Learn more at www.americastestkitchen.com.

When does the new season of “America’s Test Kitchen” start?

The show — which is reportedly the most-watched cooking show on public

television with more than 2 million viewers each week — launches the new season on WHYY-TV at 2 p.m. Jan. 14.

“Bridget and I are both

so thrilled to assume these new roles with America’s Test Kitchen,” said Davison in a press release. “We cannot wait to grab the figurative torch and

run with it, continuing the momentum that has been garnered over the course of the past 16 years through to season 17 of the TV series.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOS “America’s Test Kitchen”’s Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.

“America’s Test Kitchen”’s Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.