Proof

Revolution at the Cookie Factory

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, an iconic brand of Argentina's de facto national dessert, the alfajor, was on the brink of disappearing. New management threatened to stop pr...

What’s On the Menu in 1906?

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What did dining out look like in 1906? We put the question to reporter Doug Mack, who dug through the New York Public Library’s “What’s on the...

The Road to Good Sake

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The Apple Pie that Made Me

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 he...

Taiwan’s Unlikely Beef Noodle Soup

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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, t...

Navigating Blindness in the Supermarket

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 New Dad's Guide to Ramadan

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The month of Ramadan is here, and James Beard Award–winning writer Ahmed Ali Akbar is a new dad. He wants to pass down his family's traditions to hi...

Season 13 Starts April 13!

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On lucky season 13 of Proof, we travel to Argentina where workers are fighting hard to save their national desert: The alfajor. We follow one reporter...

Going Deep on Italian Beef on City Cast Chicago

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin gives City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our Proof episode on the World’s Greatest Italian Beef....

The World’s Greatest Italian Beef

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the hottest TV shows of the past year was FX’s The Bear, about a fine-dining chef who takes over the family Italian Beef sandwich business in...

The Amazing Adventures of Poppop’s Bread

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Reporter Halley Bondy came upon an autobiography written by her grandfather, who she called Poppop. His life was astonishing: Poppop grew up in the gr...

The Proof Intervention of Brian Franklin

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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: ...

Food Accidents

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A breakfast cereal created by religious leaders. Chicken wings, infidelity, and revenge. In this episode, two foods we know and love born from acciden...

When Old-Fashioned Candy Was New

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Travel writer Doug Mack felt trapped. Winter was approaching in Minnesota. Another surge of lock-downs and travel restrictions loomed. Staring at his ...

Should I Cook For My Dog?

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We think long and hard about what we feed our families. What about our canine friends? In this episode, reporter Varud Gupta goes on a quest to feed h...

Season 12 Starts November 10!

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Season 12 of Proof from America's Test Kitchen, we're bringing you stories from wartime Czechoslovakia to an Italian beef shop in Chicago. Meet ecc...

Best of Proof: Cheater Cheater Chili Eater

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we bring you a story of a major scandal in 2003 at a Texas chili cook-off. A newcomer turns in a cup of chili to the judges filled with sa...

Best of Proof: Oyster Mushroom Revolution

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we bring back another all-time favorite episode about a fungi and its critical role in one of the fastest growing economies in Central Afr...

Best of Proof: The Plan to Kill the Chinese Restaurant

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we bring back a listener favorite that dives into the consequences of a legislation that tried to prohibit young white women from eating at...

Best of Proof: Celery

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we bring back Proof's very first episode, which takes a deep dive into the former “it” vegetable of the Victorian era: Celery. Before ...

Proof's Guide to Hangovers

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Meals

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Food Court is Now in Session

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wish you could settle--once and for all--the question of whether triangular-shaped pizzas are better than square-shaped pies? The Court of Histor...

15 Dapper Acres

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be a dapperqueer homesteader? Author M Shelly Conner explores this question as she recounts her move from the city life in Chicag...

Chicago's Original Fried Chicken

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 piz...

Dungeons and Dragons and Deviled Eggs

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wish you could spend the day immersed in the fantasy worlds from your book, show, or game? Meet the characters, travel the land - or if you’re ...

The Vanishing Ants

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leafcutter ants have been a traditional Colombian food for millennia, long predating Spanish colonization. But the ants, eaten by Colombians since the...

Strawberry Fields, Forever?

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As one of the most commonly consumed berries in the world, strawberries are a beloved household snack. But this soft, sweet fruit has a rocky history....

Season 11 Starts on July 28th!

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This season, we’re bringing you food stories from all over--from South America to the South Side of Chicago. We travel to Colombia to find out why l...

[Bonus] Best of Proof Harklist

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're bringing you a collection of some of our favorite Proof episodes. Our friends at Hark Audio curated this list so you can relive or be...

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

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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! Hos...

Your Trash? My Treasure

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the season finale, we're bringing you three short stories on the theme: One person's trash is another person's treasure. Reporter Stephen Calabria...

The Seeds Worth Saving

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Baskets of bok choy, galangal, collard greens, epazote. We often take these United Nations of produce for granted, but it’s the deliberate work of f...

They Know What You'll Eat Next Summer

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The McDonald’s vegan cheese slice. Botanical flavors for your next latte. A patent to cure meats with...celery juice. Many of the next it-food innov...

How to Water a Food Desert

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Black Americans have deep historical connections and ownership over vegan and plant-based cuisines. But after the Great Migration, many left farms and...

The Pho Must Go On

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us have family recipes that have been passed down for generations. For reporter Anh Gray, it's her late mother's piping hot bowl of beef pho. ...

You're Invited: A Wine Tasting in Ancient Japan

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who were some of the first people ever to make wine? Images of ancient people of the Caucasus or France might come to mind. But what if we told you th...

The Stew that Stirred Things Up

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Bear Grass, North Carolina, where moonshine, tobacco, and bootlegging were once king. Today, a storied dish called chicken mull is a staple...

Get Rich or Die Cracking

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Black walnuts are probably nature's toughest nut to crack. But one man--television producer and newbie farmer Mike Trinklein--is determined to prove t...

Season 10 Starts on April 21st!

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Proof from America's Test Kitchen returns Thursday, April 21st! We kick off Season 10 by traveling to the midwest in search of a tough-to-crack crop. ...

The Somali Farmer Rises

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Muhidin Libah was living in Syracuse, New York when he received a call from a Somali Bantu community in Maine. They wanted his help setting up a non-p...

Dumplings in Iowa

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does it look like when you uproot yourself from a familiar culinary place to an unknown city? The Moth performer and writer Aaron Pang dives in w...

My Father, The YouTube Star

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One day in 2012, Proof host Kevin Pang received an email from his father, urging Kevin to watch a video on YouTube that he'd just sent. Reluctantly, K...

So What Do You Feed the Dead?

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Around the world and throughout history, we’ve celebrated the departed with rituals that involve food. Pharaohs were buried with feasts. We pour out...

Should I get my Lobster High?

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Gill was anguished by the way the lobsters at her lobster pound died a slow death in vats of boiling water. ‘There must be another way,’...

Will Jewish Delis Survive?

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jewish delis are a staple of many American cities and neighborhoods. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, Jewish ...

Season 9 Starts November 11!

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We kick off the new season by asking: Why are Jewish delis disappearing? We consider the lobster, and the most humane way to treat them before we eat ...

[Bonus] Mystery Recipe Season Four

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we have a special episode from our friends over at Mystery Recipe, a podcast from America's Test Kitchen Kids for young chefs ages 4-10. This e...

One Man's Fight for Old Bay Seasoning

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Old Bay Seasoning is a hallmark of mid-Atlantic food culture. The yellow and red branding has stood the test of time, and remained unshakably present ...

Why Be Vegetarian?

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How we speak, what we wear, and what we eat are influenced by our upbringings, our cultures, and our roots. But what happens when we peel the curtain ...

The Drink that Wouldn't Die

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Few drinks have gone through the ringer the way Chartreuse has. Since the 1700s, a silent group of monks in the Southeast of France have produced and ...

The Spice Blend That Takes You Home

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The smell of certain foods imprint themselves in our brains and can transport us to different places and our past. One scent in particular--the smell ...

The Food Here Is No Joke

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On a cold night in January 2017, five comedians gathered around a table in the back of a cramped restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village called t...

How Far Would You Travel for An Apple?

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

June Pinks. Candy Stripes. Leather Britches, and Fall Roses. These are the names of just a few apple varieties that have been lost to time. But one ma...

How Pineapples Became A Hashtag

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pineapple cakes. Pork-wrapped pineapple. Pineapple bento boxes, and beef pineapple noodle soup. Reporter Kai McNamee started seeing the spiky fruit ev...

Why Did Jello Salad Go Out Of Style?

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ethereal, contained, and rife with ingredients like cottage cheese, whipped cream, and fruit. The Jello salad was a mainstay of many American househol...

Season 8 Starts July 29 with a new host!

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This season, we're back with a new lineup, and a new host, Kevin Pang! We kick off the season with a story about gelatin and the heyday of Jell-O. We ...

Sakura and the Wild Boars

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the town of Yamanaka in Western Japan, wild boars are a threat to local farming. With the extinction of natural predators, the boars run rampant, l...

Reclaiming the Fifth Sense

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our five senses--sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell--can feel intrinsically linked to who we are. But when aspiring chef Molly Birnbaum lost her se...

No Us Without You

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hospitality and and serving others were at the heart of Damián Diaz and Othón Nolasco's bar consulting business in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hi...

A Baloney Redemption Story

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Baloney is one of the most well-known--and divisive--meat products in the United States. Many synonymize it with "fake" or "synthetic," but there are ...

Nixtamalization and Indigenous Science

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tortillas, tortilla chips, and tamales—these are all foods that are easy to enjoy but not as easy to make from scratch. There's a process called nix...

Feeders, Eaters, and A Neither

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For many of us, food and family are an intertwined bridge of our identity. We can trace so many things about ourselves and personalities to our family...

The Curious Curator of Culinary History

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Food Timeline has been a valuable resource for food professionals and laypeople alike. The website chronicles the origins of everything from emmer...

France, Tin Cans, and the Missing Man

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Canned foods are an essential part of our pantries. From pasta sauce, to pumpkin puree, to corn and beans, these ready-to-open options give cooking m...

Season 7 Starts April 22

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who was the man who helped revolutionize the way we eat? What does it mean to be an ambassador of a food culture and a pickiy eater at the same time? ...

[Bonus] The Sporkful: Mission: ImPASTAble 1| Spaghetti Sucks

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Pashman is on a mission to make--and sell--a new pasta shape. Our friends at The Sporkful have a new five part series on Dan's journey (and in thi...

[Bonus] Rebel Eaters Club: Food is a Bridge with Francis Lam

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends a Transmitter Media have a body-positive and unapologetically food-positive show that is about breaking up with diet culture. Host Virgie ...

An Ice Cream Truck Music Controversy

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How Orange Juice Was Built

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you see “not from concentrate” on a carton of OJ, you might assume it’s healthier than other brands. But actually, that’s a relic of a de...

Considering Blue Food

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

[Bonus] Ask This Old House: Insulating Your Attic

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 abou...

Sizzler and the Search for the American Dream

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

France's Forbidden Wine

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hervé Garnier owns a small vineyard in the tiny French town of Beaumont making wine from hybrid Franco-American grape varieties. But this fruity, flo...

The Case of the Snail in the Ginger Beer

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Modern personal injury lawsuits are now considered frivolous, at best. But 66 years before the infamous spilled McDonald’s coffee, May Donoghue dran...

Season 6 Starts December 3

27 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

[Bonus] Antiques Roadshow's Detours Podcast

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends at GBH and Antiques Roadshow have a new podcast called Detours, where you'll get some insider info on objects you've never seen before, an...

The Villain of Trader Joe's

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Trader Joe's subreddit is a place for friendly conversation and helpful tips for how to use Trader Joe's products. But what happened when a villai...

Thanksgiving Times in Crises

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Becky Krystal of The Washington Post joins Bridget to talk about what Thanksgiving has looked like in the past during times of crises like the World W...

[Bonus] The Genius Recipe Tapes: The #1 Way to Eat More Vegetables

31 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends at Food52 have a great new podcast about the uncut gems of their weekly "Genius Recipes" column and video series. Bridget talks with host ...

The Genetics of Taste

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bridget speaks with Dr. Danielle Reed from the Monell Chemical Senses Center about the genetics of taste perception. To learn more about the Monell Ce...

Famous Death Row Meals

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ashley Lecker, Author of the Serial Killer Cookbook, joins Bridget to talk about Famous Death Row Meals. Warning: this episode may not be suitable for...

Proof Presents: The Walk-In

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode of Proof, Bridget Lancaster talks with America’s Test Kitchen Executive Editor Elle Simone Scott about Elle’s new podcast,...

Hive Heist

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A new branch of crime has emerged in central California under cover of mass almond groves: the theft of beehives. Why? Because they’re really valuab...

You're a Good Man, Brady Keys

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Civil Rights leaders, fast food corporations, and the Nixon administration began an unlikely ...

The Case of the Disappearing Franchise

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Historian/Fast-food Detective Marcia Chatelain is our guide as we explore the cases of American fast food franchises that once were, until they vanish...

The Mysterious Yamei Kin

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Yamei Kin was orphaned by her parents at a young age, and adopted by missionaries. She became one of the first Chinese women to receive a medical ...

Will The Real Mr. Oreo Please Stand Up?

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A collaboration with Business Insider’s Brought To You By. In this three-part story, we tell the history of the Biscuit Wars of the early 1900s. The...

The Search for the Queerest Food

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In John Birdsall’s 2014 article, "America, Your Food is so Gay," he describes a particularly indulgent cheese burger as "unflinchingly queer." For r...

Season 5 starts August 20

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Queer food, beehive theft, Nixon-sponsored fast food, and searching for Mr. Oreo. We're back with more of the food stories you love. Tune in for Seaso...

Summer Cocktails 101

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

According to cocktail expert Dan Zucarello, the basic Daiquiri might be the queen of all cocktails. Learn these cocktail fundamentals, and your summer...

Wine and Whisky Copycats

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some new wines and spirits are being created in the lab, not the cask. Using flavor technology, companies are able to replicate artisan wines and spir...

Quaran-tiny Sourdough Starter

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Creating a sourdough starter can be difficult during a pandemic. Sourdough Guru, Andrew Janjigian is here to help. See Privacy Policy at https://art1...

Science Diction: Umami

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Science Diction host Johanna Mayer joins Bridget to talk about the history of Umami and MSG. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Calif...

[Bonus] Brought To You By from Business Insider: Jack Daniel's

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While we work on our next season, here's another podcast to check out: Brought To You By from Business Insider. Jack Daniel’s is the top-selling wh...

Exodus Bagels: A Small Business and COVID-19

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The restaurant industry has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 8 million restaurant jobs have disappeared around the country and some ...

The Reconstruction of A Royal Cake

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1947, the Peek Freans bakery of Bermondsey made a beautiful royal wedding cake for Queen Elizabeth’s nuptials to Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. ...

Cheater Cheater Chili Eater

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For competitive chili cooks, the ultimate accomplishment is taking home first prize at the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowl...

The Journey of the Nem

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How did the nem, a Vietnamese Spring Roll, become a prominent feature on Senegalese restaurant menus in New York City? The Journey of the nem is one o...

Who Owns Nature?

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Plant Patent Act of 1930 is cited in a landmark Supreme Court case that extended patent rights to genetically engineered plants, animals, and bact...