Recipe Test Kitchen

Why we do this

A recipe can work perfectly in the kitchen where it was written and still go wrong in yours. Ovens run hot or cold. A “medium onion” in one store is twice the size in another. A step that seemed obvious to the person who wrote it is the one where you stop and wonder what it means.

We can check the numbers ourselves — every figure on this site is worked out from the ingredient list. What we cannot check alone is how a recipe behaves on a weeknight, in a real kitchen, with your stove, your pans and whatever the store had that week. Only people cooking at home can tell us that.

So before a recipe goes into a book, we want it cooked by home cooks. Not by chefs. By people like you.

What you get

• New recipes before anyone else. You cook them months before the book is on Amazon.
• The recipe is free. We send it by email. There is nothing to buy, ever.
• Your notes change the book. If a step confused you or the timing was off, we rewrite it. Everyone who cooks that recipe later gets a version that works a little better because of you.
• First in line for the finished book. When the book comes out, testers are the first we offer a free copy to.
• A small group. We look for 10 to 20 home cooks per book, so every note is read.

How it works

• Tick “Recipe Test Kitchen” when you join the Reader Club.
• We email you a new recipe, about once a month, with a few short questions.
• Cook it in your own kitchen, the way you normally would, with what your store has.
• Answer the questions. It takes about two minutes: did it work, how long did it really take, what did you change, would you make it again.
• We fix the recipe before it goes into the book.

Skip any recipe you do not fancy. Leave the Test Kitchen with one click, any time.

What we never ask

We never ask testers for a review on Amazon, and testing is never a trade for one. Amazon does not allow it, and we would not want it anyway: an honest note about a recipe that went wrong is worth more to us than any star rating.

We never share your email or your notes with anyone. More on our privacy page.

Questions

Do I need to be a good cook?

No. We want ordinary home cooks. If a recipe only works for an experienced cook, that is exactly what we need to know.

What if the recipe goes wrong?

Then your note is the most useful one we get. Tell us where it went wrong, and we fix that step.

Do I need special ingredients?

No. Our recipes use what a normal supermarket sells. If you swap something, just tell us what.

Can I take part from outside the US?

Yes. Cooks in the UK, Canada and Australia are especially useful to us, because stores and pack sizes differ.