Cook's editor always has a lot on her plate

Walk into any home goods store and you'll see them: kitchen gizmos, everything from onion goggles (keeps the tears away) to a spurtle (prevents lumps in oatmeal). What to buy, and how well does it work? Cook's Illustrated magazine's Lisa McManus spends her days finding answers to these kinds of equipment questions and evaluating food products, helping to conduct blind tastes, and much more.

"Around the office, we call this stuff 'tastings and testing,' " says McManus, whose official title is senior editor.

McManus spends her days in America's Test Kitchen, a 2,500-square-foot facility located in Brookline, home to more than three dozen full-time cooks and product testers.

The bright and sunny space is also where the PBS show, "America's Test Kitchen" is filmed, making it even more of a "full-on madhouse" when the film crews come in.

"The test kitchen can be food heaven or hell, if you're already way too full and you're asked to taste six more versions of goulash," says McManus. "So, in short, we eat all the time, as my ever-expanding hips can tell you."

McManus didn't want to specify how much she earns, but many editors make between $34,850 and $67,820, according to the Department of Labor.

I just bought a coffee maker and it's already on the fritz. Can you help me choose a better one next time?

That's my job in a nutshell. For instance, I'll buy 10 coffee makers and make coffee a zillion times in them to find out whether it makes good or bad coffee. I'll time the brew cycle, test the brewing water temperature, and learn about the heating elements. I'll also try all the buttons to see if they're intuitive to use. We put kitchen gear through all kinds of tests to find the best piece of equipment.

That sounds like you're dealing with the same product or food over and over. Can it get a little monotonous?

You have to be very, very patient to do this job. I once spent an entire week making more than 750 cuts on 12 different cutting boards. To measure the pressure of my cuts and keep them consistent, I put the cutting boards on a scale and used a brand new knife each time. We wanted to see whether the different cutting board materials affected the sharpness of the knives, or if the knives destroyed the cutting boards. I had some blisters and calluses after that testing was finished, let me tell you. It was kind of zen, standing there: slice, slice, slice, slice, slice.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever tested? Truffles?

I've tested some incredibly pricey mail-order porterhouse steaks. Those were fun to try without having to pay for them myself. I also got to sample handmade, 25-year-old, genuine balsamic vinegar from Modena - the kind that costs more than French perfume. You can pay upward of $200 for a 3-ounce bottle. It's dispensed drop by drop, but wow - the flavor just knocks you back. It's that good.

You must come from a cooking background, of course.

I came from an Italian-American family in Rhode Island, and my mom, who always said she hated to cook, was actually a very good cook. I have always been fascinated with food and cooking. Whether it's a children's book, a Nero Wolfe detective story, or movie, I remember every detail when it comes to the food. French films are great for this - they'll stop an entire story line for a few minutes for a character to point out how to make coffee properly.

Working with food and equipment has its hazards, doesn't it?

I've gotten to the point where it seems like I cut or burn myself at least once during each testing. I see it as an offering to the kitchen gods. Once, while I was rushing around trying to roast eight turkeys simultaneously, I bumped into a hot pan handle and ended up accidentally burning the All-Clad logo into my forearm. It stayed there for a few months.

What are the hidden perks of your job?

One not-so-hidden one is that I know what to buy at the kitchenware store. I was in a local store picking something up when another customer was struggling to find an instant-read thermometer. She had four of them in her hands. The sales person was a little overwhelmed with her questions. I tried to stay out of it, but eventually I stepped in and said, "Get this one - we tested these at Cook's." It was extremely geeky of me. And after someone is done making some food for a test, we put the rest in the take home fridge. If you play your cards right and snag something good, you can skip cooking dinner that night.

What's the best way to break into this type of culinary career?

To be a test cook at Cook's, you need significant restaurant or cooking experience and a culinary degree. You need to be inventive and investigative about recipes, and also be a good writer. My co-workers are all triple-threats, they can do it all.

What does your home kitchen look like?

Not as cool as America's Test Kitchen, that's for sure. It's pretty basic. My husband and I cook all the time, though, so everything gets a lot of use. We live in a triple-decker in Cambridge, and we have a little strip of garden down the side of the house where we grow some herbs and tomatoes.

What are the downsides of your job?

How can I complain? Boo hoo, I have to learn all about chocolate today? Who's going to listen to that?