Job description

TEST COOK
Entrance to the Test Kitchen is either at the Assistant Test Cook or Test Cook level. That level depends on the skill set candidates demonstrate during the recruiting process and on their culinary training and experience. Test Cooks can be hired into one of three departments: Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, or Books. The essential functions are the same regardless of department.Please note: All Test Cook positions are site-based. Both levels and all departments may be asked to participate in videos, behind-the-scene and/or camera work during filming of our two television programs, including up two weeks per year offsite in Vermont.Whether we are actively recruiting at a given point in time, we welcome qualified submissions at all times and will return to our files when a position opens.

TEST COOK, COOK’S ILLUSTRATED A Test Cook is responsible for developing recipes and for writing bylined articles for the magazine detailing the process by which they arrived at the final recipe. Assistant Test Cooks work under the guidance of the Executive Food Editor and the Test Kitchen Director to develop recipes for 1-page stories; they also prepare and style recipes for photo shoots. Test Cooks work more independently to develop recipes for 2-page stories; they are also expected to carry out science experiments and create in-depth sidebars highlighting the food science behind the most important discoveries in a given recipe. Cooks at both levels contribute material to two departments in the magazine, Kitchen Notes and Notes from Readers, with Test Cooks taking the lead.

TEST COOK, COOK’S COUNTRY Cooks at both levels are responsible for developing recipes and writing bylined articles for the magazine detailing the process by which they arrived at the recipe for publication. Assistant Test Cooks generally work on shorter, less complicated recipes and stories, while Test Cooks work more independently to develop more complex recipes and stories. Assistant Test Cooks are also responsible for preparing and styling recipes for photo shoots. Cooks at both levels also contribute material to non-recipe departments in the magazine.

TEST COOK, BOOKS A Test Cook is responsible for developing recipes and writing and assembling all relevant material on a chapter-by-chapter basis for any given book project, this includes writing new material related to the recipe development process and repurposing content from the archives. An Assistant Test Cook is responsible for developing recipes for books and/or testing recipes for books under the supervision of more senior members of the book team. Assistant Test Cooks take on full book chapter responsibilities as they become more practiced and have begun to master independent recipe development tasks. Both Test Cooks and Assistant Test Cooks work on dedicated book team projects and are expected to contribute feedback and problem-solving ideas at recipe tastings. In addition, Test Cooks and Assistant Test Cooks are often required to prepare food for and/or orchestrate step shoots in support of book art needs.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Ability to juggle writing and cooking tasks in a fast-paced, deadline-driven team environment where priorities can shift quickly.
• Comfort with both savory and sweet cooking methods.
• Self-starter with independence, initiative, and a drive to succeed, as well as strong organizational skills and can-do approach to problem solving.
• Effective communicator with ability to present findings in a group setting.
• Good writing skills.
• Ability to master the test kitchen's well-established editorial voice.
• Ability to build relationships and work across multiple departments.
• Ability to work cooperatively and comfortably in an environment in which decisions are more often made by the group than by the individual.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree from an accredited culinary arts program (or equivalent).
• Minimum of 2 years cooking experience for Assistant Test Cook level and 4 years minimum for Test Cook level. Fine dining environment preferred.
• BA/BS degree in liberal arts, journalism, literature, a plus.
• Food writing experience a plus.

COMPANY SUMMARY America’s Test Kitchen is a real place: a no-nonsense, fully equipped test kitchen located in Brookline, where a team of highly qualified test cooks and editors perform thousands of tests every year. The goal? To develop the best recipes and cooking techniques, recommend the best cookware and equipment, and rate brand-name pantry staples for home cooks, which are published in our two magazines, Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country, our growing line of cookbooks, our websites, and featured on our public television series, America’s Test Kitchen. We are devoted to a collegial approach to cooking—teams of editors, writers, and cooks engage in side-by-side comparisons, blind taste tests, and rigorous equipment performance tests to determine which pans work and which ones don’t, which brand of ketchup tastes best, and so on.Our publications contain no advertising. We are a private company with no affiliations with large publishers, cookware manufacturers, or food purveyors, which means that our content is unbiased and objective.

Compensation

this position is: salaried

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline