

Proof
America's Test Kitchen
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. A production of America's Test Kitchen.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 11, 2021 • 34min
[Bonus] The Sporkful: Mission: ImPASTAble 1| Spaghetti Sucks
Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful, dives into his hilarious mission to create a new pasta shape while arguing why he detests spaghetti. He leads a lively debate on the merits of various pasta forms and proposes an evaluation system based on forkability and sauceability. Alongside experts, Dan discusses the science of durum wheat and the making of high-quality pasta. Expect humorous anecdotes and a spirited exploration of pasta innovation, all while challenging established culinary norms.

Jan 28, 2021 • 37min
[Bonus] Rebel Eaters Club: Food is a Bridge with Francis Lam
Our friends a Transmitter Media have a body-positive and unapologetically food-positive show that is about breaking up with diet culture. Host Virgie Tovar talks to amazing ‘rebel eaters’ who will change the way you think about food and your body. Their second season just launched and features great conversations with guests like Francis Lam from The Splendid Table, as well as fascinating stories about why we eat what we eat. Listen now in your favorite podcast app or at rebeleatersclub.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Jan 21, 2021 • 35min
An Ice Cream Truck Music Controversy
Nichols Electronics has a monopoly on the ice cream truck music box market. When you hear the familiar sound of ice cream truck music ringing through your neighborhood, chances are extremely high that it’s coming from a box that Mark and Beth Nichols created. For decades, they’ve been in the business of evoking nostalgia and happy memories. Until recently, when it was revealed that one of the most popular songs on their boxes has a dark history. Today on Proof, we tell the story of how one small family business faced the biggest controversy to rock the ice cream truck industry. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Jan 14, 2021 • 41min
How Orange Juice Was Built
Join Julia Press, a reporter with a keen eye for food industry stories, as she peels back the layers of the orange juice market. Discover how 'not from concentrate' labels can be misleading relics of clever marketing wars between Tropicana and Minute Maid. Press reveals the fascinating evolution of orange juice from luxury to breakfast staple, shaped by innovative strategies and a complex narrative around consumer perceptions. Get ready for juicy insights into an industry that’s more transparent than you might think!

Jan 7, 2021 • 40min
Considering Blue Food
The color blue doesn’t really occur naturally in food. Think about it: when was the last time you ate something blue? Maybe a piece of candy or an ice pop that was “blue raspberry” flavored. Food marketing teams have steered their companies away from blue labels and blue colored foods (except in a few cases), often citing studies on the psychology of color and perception of taste. But one popular study might not be all it’s cracked up to be. This week we teamed up with Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast to dig deeper and find out why blue isn’t a common color on our plates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 21, 2020 • 15min
[Bonus] Ask This Old House: Insulating Your Attic
Our friends at This Old House have a new podcast "Ask This Old House". The show features home enthusiasts around the country, who ask questions about the toughest projects in their homes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 17, 2020 • 29min
Sizzler and the Search for the American Dream
When Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee and her family moved to America from Korea in the 1980s, they were immersed in a whole new world. New schools, friends, jobs, and new food. None was more remarkable than the salad bar at Sizzler, with its small yellow cubed pieces of cheese and Thousand Island dressing. In this memoir, Cecilia and her siblings recall their first few years in the US, and how food shaped their family’s pursuit of the American Dream.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 10, 2020 • 38min
France's Forbidden Wine
Hervé Garnier owns a small vineyard in the tiny French town of Beaumont making wine from hybrid Franco-American grape varieties. But this fruity, floral, rich red wine he makes… is illegal. According to outdated French and EU law, the wine made from these hybrid vines is dangerous, that it induces madness. But they also claim the wine just doesn’t taste good enough to be sanctioned as “French Wine.” Hervé calls these excuses absurdités. For decades, he has fought the restrictions to no avail. So, what is French Wine? And who gets to say?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 3, 2020 • 38min
The Case of the Snail in the Ginger Beer
Modern personal injury lawsuits are now considered frivolous, at best. But 66 years before the infamous spilled McDonald’s coffee, May Donoghue drank a ginger beer in Paisley, Scotland and changed personal injury law forever. May, a humble shopkeeper, discovered a snail in her drink and decided to sue. No such lawsuit had ever been won before. She was slandered in the press, and criticized in court, but to the surprise of many, she won. In Proof’s first ever docu-drama episode, we explore the unspoken trust between consumer and seller through a dramatized retelling of May Donoghue’s story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Nov 27, 2020 • 4min
Season 6 Starts December 3
Illegal wine, food color psychology, a snail in a soda, and an immigrant family's food story. We're back with more of the food stories you love. Tune in for Season 6 of Proof beginning December 3.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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