Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recipe testing
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has posted a story about how it tests recipes, following up on the earlier Washington Post story. Here is the story.
From the article, answering the question about testing recipes:
“Here’s the longer answer: We consistently test recipes from local sources (home cooks, chefs and anyone else) as well as recipes from, say, websites or cookbooks that we have the least suspicion might not work exactly as written.
We test some columnists’ recipes – notably, Sandy D’Amato’s for his Kitchen Technician feature in Entrée (mainly to be sure they translate well to a home kitchen).
Most newspapers I know test at least some of the recipes they publish. The processes vary widely, and only a few have a test kitchen on the premises. The process we follow here was in place at The Milwaukee Journal long before I became a food writer there in 1981.
Testers consist primarily of Journal Sentinel staff members (present and former), not all on the food team. Recipes are tested in our home kitchens using our equipment. None of us is a home economist or trained chef – we’re home cooks just like you.
We approach each recipe skeptically, asking several key questions as we cook: Is each ingredient listed in the recipe used in the directions? Is each ingredient called for in the directions, listed? Do amounts match up – for example, do 8 ounces of onions really yield 1 cup chopped?
Are cooking times and temperatures included, and do they work out? (Cooking or baking times are commonly tweaked after testing.) Are the proportions of ingredients correct for what’s intended? Is there enough (or too much) frosting, sauce, marinade, etc.?”
Decades ago, the Milwaukee Journal – like several other newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and the NY Times – had its own testing kitchen. Here is a link to a reference about the Milwaukee kitchen.
Testing kitchens were a significant part of food sections – usually run by home economists.
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