I’m on Netflix!

A few thoughts on saying yes, finding your footing, and watching something small turn unexpectedly big

I am on Netflix. I am still wrapping my head around that sentence.

Right before Thanksgiving, I got a call from Dan Souza at America’s Test Kitchen asking if I’d be interested in co-hosting a new version of In the Test Kitchen. I said yes to the chemistry test, which is exactly what it sounds like: a chance to see if everyone clicks. A few weeks later, I flew to Boston to test it out.

In early January, I got the call. I was officially going to be part of this new show. And it was going to be on Netflix.

I was thrilled. And if I’m being honest, a little terrified too.

In the Test Kitchen is led by Lan Lam, alongside my fellow co-hosts Bryan Roof and Lidey Heuck. From the very first day of filming, everything settled into place in a way that felt easy and natural. Each episode takes a deep dive into a single food, using three recipes from the test kitchen to explore technique, preference, and perspective. We agree, we disagree, and we talk through why. The show is built on opinions, after all.

In the very first episode, we tackle chocolate chip cookies. A topic everyone thinks they know well, until you start pulling it apart. We each come to it from a different place, and that tension is where the conversation gets interesting.

I hope you enjoy watching the show as much as we enjoyed making it, and that you’ll keep tuning in as new episodes drop on Netflix.

The wildest part of all has been the messages. Hearing from family, friends, and readers who have watched the show in India, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and across Africa has stopped me in my tracks more than once. That kind of reach still feels surreal. The video is exclusive to Netflix, but you can also listen to the episodes on the Apple and Spotify podcast apps.

Thank you for being here and for sharing in this moment with me.

A glimpse of the wonderful team who make this show possible and take such good care of us, plus a little extra behind the scenes.

The Quiet Failure of One-Pan Chicken Dinners (and How to Fix It)

Roasting a chicken with vegetables feels efficient. It looks sensible on paper. In practice, it is where optimism goes to die.

There are too many variables. The size of the chicken. Its awkward shape. The mix of vegetables. And the bigger question. How do you get everything to cook at the same temperature, at roughly the same rate?

The breast cooks faster than the legs. The vegetables release water. The oven turns into a compromise machine. Nothing quite fails, but nothing really succeeds either. You end up in a murky middle where everything is fine, and nothing is great.

The fix is not better ingredients or more skill. It is sequencing.

Chicken and vegetables want different things from heat. When they share a pan too early, both lose. This recipe solves that by coordinating when and how each component meets the oven, without adding extra steps or requiring you to hover.\

By flattening the chicken and controlling its contact with the pan, you let the oven do the boring work. Instead of a heavy brick, which I do not have at home, I fill my Dutch oven with water — it’s much heavier. The extra weight applies enough pressure to flatten the bird evenly. The chicken browns properly. The vegetables roast in rendered fat. Everything finishes at the same time, calmly, and it’s a win.

The flavors here are Thai-inspired, one of my favorites. Bold, aromatic, and built on fat, heat, and acid.