Museum of Science, Boston Partners with America’s Test Kitchen on New Digital Series on Sustainable Food

Test Kitchen test cook Joe Gitter prepares healthy and delicious recipes that reduce food waste in new digital series Sustainable Eats 
 

BOSTON, MA — As part of its 2024 climate spotlight Year of the Earthshot, the Museum of Science, Boston and America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) today launched Sustainable Eats, a digital series exploring sustainable food options that reduce waste and conserve energy. ATK TV test cook and recipe developer Joe Gitter offers viewers step-by-step guidance on preparing sauerkraut, kombucha, and aquafaba meringue cookies, explaining the scientific processes that produce each of their unique flavors and health benefits, tips for perfecting dishes at home, and the numerous ways they contribute to green food culture and environmental sustainability.

Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK is the leading multimedia cooking resource, empowering millions of home cooks each year. A senior editor for ATK’s books team, Gitter brings his passion for exploring food science, recipe testing, and sustainability to Sustainable Eats, delving into the advantages of fermentation and plant-based alternatives for our diets and our planet. An accompanying series of onsite “sustainable teaching kitchen” activations will take place in the Museum’s café on July 11, August 8, and September 19. 

“Our partnership with America's Test Kitchen on this digital series is about bringing practical, sustainable food practices to a wide audience," said Alexis Rapo, chief digital officer at the Museum of Science. "We’re working with ATK's expert cooks and editors to bring viewers sustainable and healthy recipes they can make right at home, in their signature test kitchen format we all know and love. It's about making a real difference, one meal at a time."

In episode one "For Gut-Friendly, Longer-Lasting Veggies, Ferment Them,” Gitter teaches us how to prepare sauerkraut to achieve its distinctly sour punch coupled with slightly acidic and briny notes. As he chops, salts, and jars cabbage, he explains the controlled process of fermentation that enhances its flavor, increases its healthfulness, and ultimately boosts the perishable vegetable’s shelf life. Episode two “Science You Can Drink” is dedicated to kombucha, the lightly effervescent, sweetened tea first prepared more than 2,000 years ago. Gitter explores the symbiotic relationship between acetic acid and yeast that gives kombucha its fizziness, how to make the drink at home to suits one’s tastes, and the energy conservation and food waste reduction that results from homebrewing. Episode three “Baking with Liquid Gold” has Gitter baking crispy meringue cookies using aquafaba as a plant-based substitute for egg whites. A thick, starchy liquid left over in canned chickpeas, aquafaba acts as an emulsifier and stabilizer and forms its own foam. Combined with vanilla and cream of tartar, this frequently discarded ingredient makes for a delightfully sweet and crunchy cookie.

“America’s Test Kitchen is delighted to partner with the Museum of Science, Boston on the Year of the Earthshot,” said Madeline Langlieb, vice president of programming at ATK. “Understanding the science of cooking, learning through rigorous testing, and developing delicious, sustainable recipes is core to our mission and why home cooks have trusted ATK for years.”

The Museum’s digital channels reach more than 100 million people online every year, transforming public science learning for audiences around the globe. Part of the Museum’s yearlong Earthshot spotlight, Sustainable Eats is among the new digital series and partnerships dedicated to sustainable and equitable climate solutions that will transform the ways we eat, live, move, and work. Sustainable Eats is made possible through the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.  


About America's Test Kitchen
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. Fifty full-time (admittedly very meticulous) test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques. Learn more at www.americastestkitchen.com.