Proof

By America's Test Kitchen

What's Proof about?

We take America's Test Kitchen's inquisitive and relentless approach to telling unexpected, funny, and thought-provoking narratives about food and drink. This is not a recipe show. And this is not a show about celebrity chefs or what they like to eat. Proof plunges into history, culture, science, and the psyche to uncover the hidden backstories that feed your food-obsessed brain. Hosted by Kevin Pang. A production of America's Test Kitchen.

4.3

1,561 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

How Almond Boneless Chicken...

11.30.2023

Author Curtis Chin investigates whether or not his grandmother's claim of having invented the dish, is true.

Proof episodes:

11.30.2023 How Almond Boneless Chicken Took Over Detroit Author Curtis Chin investigates whether or not his grandmother's claim of having invented the dish, is true.
11.16.2023 Chasing the Freshest Beer How far would you go to ensure the hops in your fresh hop IPAs are as fresh as humanly possible? The answer for one Denver-based brewery: Take advantage of the brewers’ pilot licenses.
11.09.2023 World's First Italian Coffee Bean Despite its rich coffee and cafe culture, Italy does not produce its own coffee beans. One man is trying to change that, against all odds. Producer John Last reports.
11.02.2023 Proof returns November 9! Why aren't Italians drinking Italian coffee? What's the story behind ABC--a.k.a. almond boneless chicken? How did Philly Cheesesteaks become a popular sandwich in Pakistan? Find out the answers to these questions and so much more on Thursday, November 9 when ...
10.26.2023 Best of Proof: My Father, the YouTube Star In the last 'Best of Proof' episode of the year, we bring you a story from 2021 that gives new meaning to the question: How did host Kevin Pang's father end up becoming an unlikely YouTube star?
10.19.2023 Best of Proof: Prepping for the Worst Preparing for doomsday might not be as crazy as we think. This week, we bring you an episode from 2019 that takes you inside the culinary minds of people who are ready and prepped for the worst.
10.12.2023 Best of Proof: How Far Would You Travel for An Apple? It’s apple-picking season, and one man, Tom Brown, is on a mission to find an elusive variety called the Junaluska before it’s too late. Will Tom succeed? Claire Donnelly reports.
10.05.2023 Best of Proof: Nixtamalization and Indigenous Science What is nixtamalization, and why is it so important when preparing corn-based dishes like tortillas and pupusas? Navajo reporter Andi Murphy walks us through her journey of nixtamalizing blue corn, and embarks on an Indigenous information exchange with chefs, scholars, ...
09.28.2023 Best of Proof: Fair Foods This week, we’re starting autumn off right with one of our all-time favorite episodes: Fair Foods. Chris Siege reports.
09.21.2023 Saving the Craft of Soy Sauce For hundreds of years, Japanese soy sauce was made in wooden barrels, but now, most are made in steel tanks. And some argue: It’s made it less delicious. Can a group of brewers and carpenters save the art of traditional ...
09.14.2023 Finding Beer Where It's Banned In Pakistan, alcohol is banned for Muslims, who make up around 97% of the population. But, people drink, and there’s even a renowned beer brewery. How do they get around the ban? Kunwar Khuldune Shahid reports.
09.07.2023 Proof Presents: Snacks! The Proof team presents five bite-size stories on snacks and snacking.
08.31.2023 How to Make the Worst Pies in London Proof contributor Eliza Rothstein heads to Broadway to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the pies from Sweeney Todd are made. We hear from the actor playing Mrs. Lovett, and dive into the history of food props.
08.24.2023 America's First Butter Sculptor The Butter Cow draws enormous crowds every year at the Iowa State Fair. But who came up with the idea to sculpt with butter in the first place? Des Moines Register reporter Courtney Crowder uncovers the forgotten history of the ...
08.17.2023 Seeking Soviet Korean Cooking Reporter Sarah Baik explores the history of Koryo Saram cuisine (Korean Soviet cuisine) and learns about the importance of morkovcha--a carrot dish--to one Koryo Saram family.
08.10.2023 Chicken Tender Capital, USA Former Comedian Nick Lavallee is on a mission to make Manchester, New Hampshire the chicken tender capital of the world. Will he succeed?
08.03.2023 How to Make A Battle-Ready Pizza How did the U.S. military create a pizza that warfighters could eat on the battlefield? The Proof team follows the 5-year journey to create the world's most shelf-stable pizza.
07.13.2023 Season 14 Kicks off August 3! How does beer thrive in a country that bans it? Who's behind the worst pies in London? What does a Danish tale of a blind princess have to do with America's first butter sculptor? The answer to these questions and ...
06.01.2023 What Is Fusion Food? For the Season 13 closer, we bring you two stories on the theme of fusion food. We look at a JamAsian specialty--Jamaican Pepper Steak--and ask: How did a dish with Chinese roots become a celebrated Jamaican staple? We then head ...
05.25.2023 Revolution at the Cookie Factory In 2017, an iconic brand of Argentina's de facto national dessert, the alfajor, was on the brink of disappearing. Reporter Facundo Iglesia follows the workers who make El Grandote as they fight to keep the "alfajor of the people" alive.
05.18.2023 What’s On the Menu in 1906? What did dining out look like in 1906? In his search through the New York Public Library’s “What’s on the Menu” database, reporter Doug Mack encounters items like flaming omelettes, vichy with buttermilk, and calf brains on toast. While the ...
05.11.2023 The Road to Good Sake Fumiaki Matsuura had just started his job as the toji, or brew master of his family's sake brewery in Ishikawa, Japan, when he noticed a strange smell. A lot was riding on his reputation as the new face of the ...
05.04.2023 The Apple Pie that Made Me ESPN's Baxter Holmes was always told: If it weren't for his family's apple pie, he wouldn't be here. The adage takes on a whole new meaning in this heartfelt episode about origins, love, and loss.
04.27.2023 Taiwan’s Unlikely Beef Noodle Soup Beef noodle soup is Taiwan's national dish, but its existence is surprising, given that eating beef was taboo on the island not too long ago. Today, there's an annual beef noodle contest where chefs from around the nation duke it ...
04.20.2023 Navigating Blindness in the Supermarket What if you knew you were quickly losing your sight? That’s something reporter Jason Strother has thought a lot about. In this episode, Jason takes a crash course at the Colorado Center for the Blind to navigate what cooking or ...
04.13.2023 A New Dad's Guide to Ramadan How do you navigate fasting and nourishment as a sleep-deprived parent during the month of Ramadan? James Beard Award–winning writer and new dad Ahmed Ali Akbar reports.
03.23.2023 Season 13 Starts April 13! How do you navigate the grocery shop while blind? Did an apple pie really seal the fate of one man’s existence? What's it like to work at a sake brewery? Find out on Season 13 of Proof from America's Test ...
02.02.2023 Going Deep on Italian Beef on City Cast Chicago Kevin chats with City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran about the making of our episode on Italian Beef.
01.12.2023 The World’s Greatest Italian Beef Inspired by the TV show The Bear, host Kevin Pang attempts to engineer the World’s Greatest Italian Beef sandwich.
12.15.2022 The Amazing Adventures of Poppop’s Bread In Proof's holiday episode: An adventure-filled story about family, war, escape, and a very special bread called vanocka.
12.08.2022 The Proof Intervention of Brian Franklin America's Test Kitchen PR Director Brian Franklin's job? Spread the good word about the delicious food the company creates. There's just one problem: Brian has the palate of a 5-year-old (his words!). On this episode, the producers of Proof stage ...
12.01.2022 Food Accidents A breakfast cereal created by religious leaders. Chicken wings, infidelity, and revenge. In this episode, two foods we know and love born from accidents.
11.17.2022 When Old-Fashioned Candy Was New In this episode, travel writer Doug Mack takes us on a trip into the colorful world of old-timey candies.
11.10.2022 Should I Cook For My Dog? Not satisfied with standard dog food, reporter Varud Gupta wants to know: Should I cook for my dog Luna? He talks to eccentric dog parents, dog chefs, vets, and pet influencers to navigate the dizzying world and history of pet ...
10.27.2022 Season 12 Starts November 10! On the new season of Proof: Meet eccentric dog owners and pet personalities as we investigate whether or not we should cook for our dogs. We search for connection down a rabbit hole of old-fashioned candies. We reveal how an ...
10.13.2022 Best of Proof: Cheater Cheater Chili Eater This week, we bring you a story of a major scandal in 2003 at a Texas chili cook-off where a newcomer won first place.
10.06.2022 Best of Proof: Oyster Mushroom Revolution This week, we tell the story of an unsuspecting fungi and its critical role in Rwanda's growing economy.
09.29.2022 Best of Proof: The Plan to Kill the Chinese Restaurant This week, we bring back a crowd favorite that dives into the story of an organized effort to wipe out Chinese eateries and how these restaurants survived in spite of it.
09.22.2022 Best of Proof: Celery This week, we're spotlighting Proof's very first episode, which takes a deep dive into the former “it” vegetable of the Victorian era: Celery.
09.15.2022 Proof's Guide to Hangovers What's actually going on in our bodies when we experience a hangover? In this last episode of the season, host Kevin Pang takes you through a Bill Nye The Science Guy-esque journey.
09.08.2022 These Are a Few of Our Favorite Meals Bigma's Blackberry Pie. A warming bowl of chicken pho. Diner coffee, and a nostalgic meal at a Chinese restaurant in Japan. On this episode of Proof, the staff bring you stories of their ultimate favorite foods and meals.
09.01.2022 The Food Court is Now in Session Cake cones vs. waffle cones. New York vs. San Francisco for bagels. Why do we have fights about food? Reporter Eliza Rothstein talks to the judges, plaintiffs, and experts that settled some of these food fight scores at the Court ...
08.25.2022 15 Dapper Acres Author M Shelly Conner explores what it means to be a dapperqueer homesteader, as she recounts her move from the city life in Chicago, Illinois to Conway, Arkansas.
08.18.2022 Chicago's Original Fried Chicken Host Kevin Pang takes a trip to the Southside of Chicago to tell the story of Chicago's most famous culinary exports--and it's not about deep-dish pizza or hot dogs.
08.11.2022 Dungeons and Dragons and Deviled Eggs From the Legend of Zelda to Dungeons and Dragons, reporter Sarah Vitak talks to the fan cookbook authors who are transforming pixelated foods into irl dishes you can serve on your plate.
08.04.2022 The Vanishing Ants Leafcutter ants have been a traditional Colombian food for millennia, but they're now vanishing. Reporter Camilo Garzón reports on the future of this ancient food source.
07.28.2022 Strawberry Fields, Forever? Japanese Americans are integral to the California Strawberry origin story. Through three generations of Japanese strawberry farmers, reporter Hannah Kirshner brings us a story of ingenuity and resilience.
07.14.2022 Season 11 Starts on July 28th! Why is a key ingredient behind a beloved Colombian snack disappearing? What's mild sauce got to do with one of Chicago's most famous culinary exports? And why does a Dungeons and Dragons recipe book have almost as many positive reviews ...
06.23.2022 [Bonus] Best of Proof Harklist Let your ears wander on this bonus episode where we bring you some of the best moments from Proof, brought to you by our friends at Hark Audio. Hark editors curate compelling podcast moments and transform them into one-of-a-kind playlists--kind ...
06.16.2022 [Bonus] New Orleans: Anybody’s Gumbo from the Not Lost podcast Here’s a special preview of Not Lost, a new podcast about finding yourself in places you’ve never been from our friends at Pushkin Industries.

Older episodes

Proof

What's Proof about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Proof episodes:

How Almond Boneless Chicken Took Over Detroit

Chasing the Freshest Beer

World's First Italian Coffee Bean

Proof returns November 9!

Best of Proof: My Father, the YouTube Star

Best of Proof: Prepping for the Worst

Best of Proof: How Far Would You Travel for An Apple?

Best of Proof: Nixtamalization and Indigenous Science

Best of Proof: Fair Foods

Saving the Craft of Soy Sauce

Finding Beer Where It's Banned

Proof Presents: Snacks!

How to Make the Worst Pies in London

America's First Butter Sculptor

Seeking Soviet Korean Cooking

Chicken Tender Capital, USA

How to Make A Battle-Ready Pizza

Season 14 Kicks off August 3!

What Is Fusion Food?

Revolution at the Cookie Factory

What’s On the Menu in 1906?

The Road to Good Sake

The Apple Pie that Made Me

Taiwan’s Unlikely Beef Noodle Soup

Navigating Blindness in the Supermarket

A New Dad's Guide to Ramadan

Season 13 Starts April 13!

Going Deep on Italian Beef on City Cast Chicago

The World’s Greatest Italian Beef

The Amazing Adventures of Poppop’s Bread

The Proof Intervention of Brian Franklin

Food Accidents

When Old-Fashioned Candy Was New

Should I Cook For My Dog?

Season 12 Starts November 10!

Best of Proof: Cheater Cheater Chili Eater

Best of Proof: Oyster Mushroom Revolution

Best of Proof: The Plan to Kill the Chinese Restaurant

Best of Proof: Celery

Proof's Guide to Hangovers

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Meals

The Food Court is Now in Session

15 Dapper Acres

Chicago's Original Fried Chicken

Dungeons and Dragons and Deviled Eggs

The Vanishing Ants

Strawberry Fields, Forever?

Season 11 Starts on July 28th!

[Bonus] Best of Proof Harklist

[Bonus] New Orleans: Anybody’s Gumbo from the Not Lost podcast

Other shows like Proof: