Danielle DeSiato

My Articles

Below, you'll find selections of my published work for Reviewed, USA TODAY, and WGBH, as well as the cookbooks I contributed to at America's Test Kitchen (scroll down). 

A Selection of My Work

Business Insider •

I'm a trained chef and mom of 2. Here are 10 of my favorite Trader Joe's staples.

Life as a trained chef and a mom of two is a little like being a rockstar — the kids just don't care. They push back on my creative tendencies and usually just want mac and cheese.

So, how do I reconcile this with my desire for delicious food? My secret weapon: Trader Joe's.

As a Trader Joe's shopper since 2004, I've been curating quick and easy meals from the store's aisles for most of my adult life.

Here are 10 staples that are always on my grocery list, including my kids' mac and cheese, o...
Reviewed •

The Best Meal Kit Delivery Services of 2024

Meal kit delivery services are a saving grace for so many people who want fresh home-cooked meals without having to think about recipes, quantities, and a precise grocery list. ​​However, with so many options on the market, it can be tough to choose the right one.

Unlike many products we test at Reviewed, a meal delivery service isn’t something you buy once and use for years. It’s a subscription service that asks you to make choices each week from different menu options. It changes how you cook...
Reviewed •

The Best Cookware Sets of 2024

To realize your full culinary potential, you’ll want a full set of great cookware. You can build a set yourself, but researching the best pots and pan sets takes time. And piecemealing a set costs way more money than buying one (especially if it's an function ga4_link122() { window.dataLayer.push(JSON.parse('{"event":"click_inarticle"}')) }affordable cookware set. But finding the perfect cookware set is complicated, too.

We've spent years testing dozens of the most popular pot and pan sets aro...
Reviewed •

This new GE Profile stand mixer is here to challenge a longtime favorite

If you’re a baker, you know the benefits of using a stand mixer for everything from baked goods to whipped cream. GE Appliances has redesigned the stand mixer with modern features like a smooth-operating dial to adjust mixer speed, a one-handed click-in method for securing and releasing attachments, and auto-sense technology that monitors changes in viscosity to turn off the mixer when your meringue is perfectly whipped.

The integrated scale allows you to weigh ingredients directly in the mixe...
Reviewed •

Leave the tank behind! This full-sized electric grill rivals the beloved gas grill

The Current Model G Dual Zone Grill is a fully electric grill that plugs into a standard 110V outlet. The independent cooking zones are digitally controlled, and there’s an LCD display for each zone. While the grill heats, the display alternates between the desired temperature and the current temperature as it climbs.

The system also connects to an app that can be used to control the temperature zones, keep track of preheating, and...
Reviewed •

Not your mama's easy-bake oven: Brava glass cooks with light and does it right

The Brava Glass Oven is one of the most high-tech ovens money can buy. Despite its countertop size (11.3 x 16.4 x 17.3 inches), it features three independent cooking zones, each working separately, yet in concert, to cook your ingredients as needed.

Whether you're cooking a sheet pan dinner or trying to bring leftovers back to life, Brava offers a variety of different cooking functions to suit those needs.

Brava’s unique Pure Light Cooking Technology focuses energy directly into the food, gi...
Reviewed •

This robotic pool cleaner will do the dirty work for you this summer

The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi is a pool-cleaning robot for in-ground swimming pools. It has dual scrubbing brushes and an independent suction system to remove pool floor and wall debris.

The accompanying My Dolphin app allows you to start the 2-hour cleaning cycle remotely (if the robot is in the pool) and create a weekly cleaning schedule with notifications.

The Nautilus has a 60-foot power cord that won’t tangle as it cleans up to a 50-foot pool. Its smart navigation system guides its...
Reviewed •

If you're serious about coffee, you need a Moccamaster

To affirm its quality from the start, the Moccamaster drip coffee maker is handmade in the Netherlands by Dutch coffee aficionados. It has a simple, mid-century modern design with an exposed water reservoir, and comes in function ga4_link108() { window.dataLayer.push(JSON.parse('{"event":"default_event"}')) }more than 20 colors.

Unlike other coffee brewers, the Moccamaster is built with a unique copper boiling element, and brews coffee at an optimal temperature range between 196°F and 205°F....
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A Selection of my WGBH Work

WGBH •

Easy And Authentic New England Popovers

Although I wasn’t born in New England, I’ve lived here long enough to consider myself a full-fledged New Englander, and along with that comes a true affinity for popovers. The tall, top-heavy, and irregularly shaped orbs are somewhat of a cross between bread and pastry. Their odd appearance, however, belies their addicting qualities — the crisp, golden-brown exterior that yields to amazingly moist ribbons of custardy interior with a buttery, slightly eggy flavor. I can still recall the first time...
WGBH •

Resurrecting An Old-School Easter Bread Recipe

There’s a legend in my family that claims my great grandmother liked her toast burnt. Well, after making her Easter bread recipe several times, I’m tempted to think that her “preference” was just the coincidental fact that the edges of this sweet loaf char rather quickly when toasted. (Fair warning: Lower the toaster setting and watch it closely.) Other than that, this bread is simply perfect. Figuring out how to make it, on the other hand, wasn’t simple at all. A little background...
WGBH •

'Green Monster' Is Taking On A Whole New Meaning At Fenway Park

On a hot summer day at Fenway Park there’s a different kind of team, hard at work, on a very different type of field. High above Yawkey Way, along the 3rd base side of the stadium, you’ll find Fenway Farms, a 5,000-square-foot working farm that's growing produce that is being served at Fenway and donated to a local food rescue. Instead of Wally or home runs, we’re talking about peas, kale, and scallions, to name just a few of the many varieties of produce...
WGBH •

The Best Coffee Roasters, Right Here In Massachusetts

Did you know that Massachusetts has a well-established and growing community of coffee roasters? It’s easy to think of coffee as coming from the far corners of the earth. While it’s true that coffee beans are grown in subtropical regions (that’s definitely not New England), in order for the beans to become what we know and love in our morning cup, they have to be roasted. And they can be roasted anywhere, so why not right here? There are a lot of dedicated coffee roasters who agree. It doesn’t ge...
WGBH •

The Best Recipe Apps For Cooking Beginners

It’s no big secret that our phones and tablets have replaced cookbooks in the kitchen more often than not. Why keep recipes on paper when you can find everything on the internet, right? Well, I have my reasons (I love books) but if you’re just beginning to cook, you probably have no interest in amassing a large collection of cookbooks or culinary magazines, especially when the written word can’t come to life and show you how to chop an onion. Thankfully, there are hundreds of food and recipe app...
WGBH •

Chocolate-Walnut (Maple-Bourbon!) "Derby" Bars

The controversial Kentucky Derby Pie®, with its trademarked name, has been closely associated with the prestigious horse race since the 1950s. It’s also a great treat to bring to any Kentucky Derby party. However, the recipe for an actual KDP is closely guarded by its originators (and copious law suits) so you don’t see the real thing up North very often.Growing up in Yankee country, the version of the “Kentucky Derby Pie” that my grandparents served at their restaurant wa...
WGBH •

Six Of Our Favorite Boston Food Blogs To Follow

Of the approximately 150 million food blogs* on the Internet, only a handful are kept up to date regularly, and even fewer of those are based in New England. With the general shift in popularity from blogs to Instagram over the past few years, many bloggers have given up the long form for insta-convenience. That’s not a bad deal for us consumers either. With quick scroll through Instagram you can easily find everything from tonight’s dinner inspiration to your next date night spot - no blog requ...
WGBH •

The Farmer’s Daughter Is Bringing A 'Best-Of-Boston' Brunch To WGBH This Weekend

If brunch is your favorite meal then you probably know of The Farmer’s Daughter in Easton, especially since they serve the meal every day of the week. The gem was recently crowned Best Brunch, South in the 2018 Best of Boston lineup, and this Sunday, October 14, you can experience a taste of what makes it an award-winning restaurant, at this year’s Brunch Bar at the Taste of WGBH Food & Wine Festival. “It’s a big part of what I...
WGBH •

Get to Know Muddy Water, Your Local Coffee Roaster

It’s undeniable that coffee is a big part of life – for those of us who truly love coffee and even for those who just need it to get going in the morning – it’s a part of every day. Why not make it as good as it can possibly be by starting with great beans? Roasting good coffee is a lot like beautiful ballroom dancing: the dancers need to know all of the steps – and then they just have to feel it. Like dancing, coffee roasting is a combination of science and art. Those who practice it must first...
WGBH •

Hibiscus Lemonade

Hibiscus flowers are the pretty little dried purple flowers that contribute the striking color in the popular Mexican beverage agua de Jamaica (aka hibiscus tea). When steeped in water, hibiscus flowers lend a cranberry-like tartness that's often tempered with a bit of sugar for a refreshingly sweet (but not too sweet) summer drink. I combined the deep purple hibiscus tea with lemonade for a tangy twist. Ingredients Notes You can find hibiscus flowers at specialty stores, some Whole Foods, and o...

America's Test Kitchen Cookbook Contributions