Holland America Line Announces New Partnership with America’s Test Kitchen

Holland America Line is turning its culinary programming up a notch with the introduction of dynamic shipboard cooking shows produced in partnership with the long-running public television show America’s Test Kitchen, the most popular how-to-cook show on TV. Holland America Line is a sponsor of America’s Test Kitchen on public television, and is proud to make this experience possible at sea. The initiative was announced today in New York City at a press conference at the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education.

Holland America Line’s shipboard Culinary Arts Center will be transformed to replicate the television set where the prominent America’s Test Kitchen TV shows are recorded for broadcast by more than 350 public television stations nationwide. Designed specifically for Holland America Line, the shipboard shows will be hosted by Holland America Line chefs trained by America’s Test Kitchen culinary experts. Shipboard cooking demonstrations and hands-on workshops — with topics ranging from shaping Asian dumplings to making the perfect pie crust — will combine foolproof, accessible recipes and cooking techniques that are rooted in the rigorous testing and science-based approach of America’s Test Kitchen.

From left: America's Test Kitchen Chief Creative Officer Jack Bishop, HAL President Orlando Ashford and America's Test Kitchen CEO David Nussbaum.

From left: America’s Test Kitchen Chief Creative Officer Jack Bishop, HAL President Orlando Ashford and America’s Test Kitchen CEO David Nussbaum.

In addition, Holland America Line guests will experience 24-hour access to episodes of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country television programs in their staterooms.

“America’s Test Kitchen will bring a new take on cooking classes at sea that spans not only recipes but also the science of the cooking process. Its mission is to determine the best methods, ingredients and cooking tools — and now these discoveries will be shared with our guests,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “We provide our guests with tremendously immersive and authentic experiences to enrich their travel, and America’s Test Kitchen’s commitment to delivering a quality culinary experience with a focus on learning is a perfect match.”

The planned 45-minute demo courses will feature a mix of video content, live instruction, taste tests and recipe samples. Some of the courses in development include Asian Dumplings, Salad for Two, We Love Chocolate, Everything Salmon, Getting to Know Chiles, Flavors of the Mediterranean, Meatless Monday Meals and New Italian Favorites.

Today's announcement featured a cooking show featuring shu mai.

Today’s announcement featured a cooking show featuring shu mai.

Also planned are 90-minute workshops that focus on teaching a specific skill set. Proposed workshops include Perfect Pies and Handmade Pasta.

America’s Test Kitchen demo courses and workshops will begin aboard ms Westerdam October 18 for the ship’s Mexico season and on ms Nieuw Amsterdam November 13 for the Caribbean season. The program is expected to roll out fleetwide by June 2017.

“This is an incredible opportunity for fans of America’s Test Kitchen, and food lovers in general, to immerse themselves in the Test Kitchen experience,” said David Nussbaum, CEO of America’s Test Kitchen. “The classes on board Holland America Line ships will feature our famous foolproof recipes designed to be repeated and enjoyed long after the voyage has ended. We are excited that Holland America Line is helping America’s Test Kitchen reach more enthusiastic home cooks through this onboard experience.”

America’s Test Kitchen is a real place: a no-nonsense, fully equipped, 2,500-square-foot test kitchen located in Brookline, Massachusetts. A team of more than 50 highly qualified test cooks perform thousands of tests every year. The goal? To develop the best recipes and cooking techniques, to review and rate the best cookware and equipment, and to taste-test and recommend brand-name supermarket ingredients for the home cook. Recipes are tested 30, 40 and sometimes as many as 70 times to arrive at the combination of ingredients, technique, temperature, cooking time and equipment that yields the best, most foolproof recipe.

Recipes and reviews are published in two magazines, Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country, in a growing line of cookbooks and special interest magazines, and on the America’s Test Kitchen websites and through an instructional online Cooking School. They also are featured on two public television series: America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country.

Holland America Line staff already have spent time at America's Test Kitchen getting trained for the shipboard program.

Holland America Line staff already have spent time at America’s Test Kitchen getting trained for the shipboard program.

America’s Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing world, the culinary world and millions of home cooks who trust its experts for tried and true advice on recipes, supermarket ingredients and cookware. Similarly, the new Holland America Line shipboard shows will present a combination of well-tested recipes using consumer-available ingredients with kitchen tips and advice on the brands of cookware, utensils and appliances America’s Test Kitchen’s experts have tried and recommend.

Culinary Excellence Shines in Partnerships
America’s Test Kitchen joins Holland America Line’s elite list of food and beverage collaborators who are the leading authorities in their fields. The esteemed Culinary Council is led by Holland America Line’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin, who is joined by renowned international chefs Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Elizabeth Falkner and Jacques Torres. The line also has exclusive partnerships with Sushi Chef Andy Matsuda and Master Mixologist Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff.

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4 Comments

  1. Zoe November 19, 2017 at 12:52 am - Reply

    I really enjoyed ATK demos on our recent Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam Oct17-Nov5/17.. Chef Kathleen was superb with her presentations, I went to all of them .. reading above that plans for these demos was to include taste tests, it would have been nice to taste what was being made, so I was disappointed that no taste testing was permitted but I do understand food safe requirements .. demos were very well attended and recipe handouts appreciated .. have already made her favourite jalapeno poppers at home and they are easy and delicious!! .. tonight roasted a chicken the ATK way as in The Cook’s Illustrated magazine, fabulous! .. soon will try the black bean burgers .. signed up onboard for email recipes but nothing has ever arrived in my inbox .. I also watch some ATK and Cook’s Country episodes on PBS, so appreciate their availability.

  2. Virginia Kahn-Bowles June 23, 2017 at 4:02 pm - Reply

    My husband and I just returned from a cruise on the MS Volendam, June 14-21, 2017, on which we attended several presentations by a young female chef. She imparted so much information in 30 minutes, that it was amazing. She was so personable, entertaining, and knowledgeable! We loved every single presentation! We didn’t get her name, but please let her know that we think she is fabulous!

  3. Kiera Reilly September 28, 2016 at 3:40 am - Reply

    What a great idea to bring America’s Test Kitchen on board Holland America Line. I love these shows, and I imagine that they will be so informative and educational for your guests – and fun too!

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