It must happen at least 2 or 3 times a month. One of us here in the King Arthur test kitchen will hold up an orphan equipment sample from a vendor and say, “I hate this thing. Is anyone else actually USING it, before I get rid of it?” Never fails but someone else will say, “I LOVE that thing! Put it on MY station!” (more…)

Guilty pleasures. Every chef I know has them. When you spend years refining your knife skills and palette, countless hours training your staff to create at a specific level of quality, and limitless effort to ensure a memorable dining experience for your patrons, there are times when you just want… a hot turkey sandwich from the diner, with canned gravy on squishy white bread that sticks to the back of your teeth. (more…)

There was a homey feeling in the test kitchen this morning, as we all took care of the last few baking tasks for work before the holiday. The big all-hands-on deck packing push is done. Our seasonal help is doing their shopping; some of the offices are empty and more will become so as the day wears on.

While Andrea finalized a new chocolate donut mix formula, I put together the lamingtons for their photo for the Early Spring Baking Sheet, and PJ was working with a couple of yeast doughs.

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How can something as simple as a potato pancake cause so much anxiety? Many of the writing you find about latkes involves motherly advice about squeezing, draining, or spinning the potatoes in the quest for the ultimate latke: crispy outside, creamy inside, a culinary and cultural touchstone. As a guest in the world of Jewish foodways, I was fascinated when I found this recipe. My first thought was, “hey, no potato angst!”
My second was, wouldn’t it be nice to do something a little dressier-looking than applesauce? Thus was born this dish, Cheese Latkes with Roasted Apples. (more…)

Working side by side with someone over the course of years will teach you a lot about each other. One of the comfortable things about being in the King Arthur test kitchen is the familiar ground of long-time working relationships. It’s come to light over time that PJ and I share the same formative Catholic-school education, history of high school and college jock activity, deep love for the power of the written word, and…dates. There have been many days in the kitchen when we commiserated over the Rodney Dangerfield treatment this sumptuous fruit receives. We’ve both encountered people who were intrigued at the baked goods we put out, asking, “Oh boy, what’s in it?” The second we mention dates, they turn away, giving it a pass. If you’re in that club, don’t turn away, we have a version for you, too.

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I reckon that right about now, you’re probably staring at the turkey carcass (here in the Northeast, it could be in the mudroom or the porch, because the fridge is so overstuffed, just like you feel….) and wondering, WHY did I think I needed a 23 pound bird???? Because you wanted leftovers. But how much turkey tetrazzini can a family face? Here’s my all-time favorite way to get another meal from that behemoth bird: Turkey and Dumplings.

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True to King Arthur Flour’s identity, we’ve given Arthurian names to all of our buildings. The retail store is housed in Camelot, the Baking Education Center in Caerleon, and our warehouse/fulfillment building is called Avalon.

We work hard to tempt you with our roster of quality ingredients and fabulous baking toys (er, tools). Luckily for us, you’re happy to have a trustworthy company to buy these things from. We’re heading into our busiest season, and we thought you might be interested in a behind-the-scenes peek at what happens when you order from us. (more…)

Chocolate and peanut butter have a truly symbiotic relationship: each brings out the best in the other. While Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have the corner on the combination in candyland, bakers can create a classic of their own. Our version is called Magic in the Middles. It was born when we were working on the Cookie Companion; one of our readers/customers plaintively asked us if we had a recipe for a cookie like this, and PJ went to town on the idea. She was extremely successful. (more…)

Every once in awhile you meet a person (or a recipe) with perfect poise; no matter the topic (or occasion), these all-around champions strike just the right chord with their audiences. These encounters inevitably leave one feeling enriched by the experience. It’s a pleasure to spend time in their company. This dish is just that kind of recipe. (more…)

Halloween is one of the fastest-growing holidays in America, in terms of dollars spent. What used to be an exercise in creative reuse of on-hand materials for costumes (my older sister drew a body-sized peanut on an old pillowcase one year, cut holes for her head and arms, and went as a Goober) and parties (my brother is famous for Halloween parties with honest-to-God bobbing for apples: each contestant is timed with a stopwatch) has become a blockbuster for the local party store.

If you’d like to get back to the make-your-own fun style of doing things, allow me to propose making some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. (more…)