The Splendid Table

Samin Nosrat is the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Host Francis Lam recently interviewed her for Episode 630: Recipes - the Good, the Bad & the Ugly . [Ed. Note: find their interview here .] Francis had such a good time talking with Samin that their conversation ended up going long while talking about acid balance, and it was edited out of the main episode. Luckily for you, we set it aside f...

Chris Schonberger, editor in chief of First We Feast, joins us with an insider’s view of the problems surrounding modern food journalism. We learn how the "Vietnamese Madonna" opened a California sandwich shop, and we look at the newest rage in greens -- sea greens -- with Barton Seaver, author of Superfood Seagreens. America's Test Kitchen shares the technique for making perfect, super-fluffy bak...

Guest host David Leite talks to Dr. Drew Ramsey about the connection between food and mental health, journalist Lisa Morehouse reports on Chinese food at the Mexican border, and we dig into the freshly fermented gherkins, dill and fragrant sunflower oil of Olia Hercules' childhood in Ukraine. Her new book is Mamushka. America's Test Kitchen doubles the crunch with North Carolina Dipped Fried Chick...

This Splendid Table Sides bonus podcast features an extended interview with Shane Mitchell, author of Far Afield . Contributor Shauna Sever talks with Mitchell about her global travels with photographer James Fisher to document stories of hospitality for the book. The discussion includes more details of their visit to a refugee camp known as The Jungle in Calais, France. Shane Mitchell also gave u...

Mexican chef Enrique Olvera joins us this week with a conversation about modern Mexican food. His new book is Mexico from the Inside Out. Melissa Clark talks to Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard, authors of Koreatown: A Cookbook, and Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, gives us a primer on scallops. Plus Gary Nabhan explains Tucson's new UNESCO designation: City...

What do we talk about when we talk about food? We talk about life, the fuel that keeps us alive and the spirit that makes our cultures live and breathe. We talk about what we want, what we long for, or sometimes, just what we need to get by. In this episode: conversations about the appetites of the legendary writer Jim Harrison, about the women who made American food writing before anyone called i...

We talk to Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein about her intriguing book, The Dirt Cure. Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, explains why lamb tastes like lamb, and Bee Wilson has come to believe that changing what we like to eat is the real key to tackling the obesity crisis. Her book is First Bite. Plus Katie Parla, co-author of Tasting Rome, on Rome's changing cuis...

Managing Producer Sally Swift guest hosts this week’s show. Nopi's Yotam Ottolenghi explains his latest cookbook. Food critic Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post talks about selecting the top 10 food cities in the U.S. We get a primer in making yogurt with Cheryl Sternman Rule, author of Yogurt Culture. Lynne talks with rapper/poet Dessa about taking her food convictions with her on the road. Amer...

Writer Rowan Jacobsen goes deep undercover to discover the otherworldly powers of tea while visiting a group of tea connoisseurs in Montreal. Longtime Hawaii resident and The Poke Cookbook author Martha Cheng discusses the history and evolution of her state's classic raw fish salad dish. Chef and Food Network host Simon Majumdar decides to become an American citizen, but not before visiting every...

Lynne Rossetto Kasper shares her retirement announcement with The Splendid Table listeners and welcomes new show host Francis Lam. Writer Lisa Napoli investigates Ray and Joan Kroc, the power couple behind the beginning of the McDonald's empire. Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine take their wonderful online food show The Perennial Plate to Ireland, where they learn about turf-smoked salmon and find thems...

Guest host Melissa Clark of The New York Times heads up a big show this week when we launch a new monthly partnership with America’s Test Kitchen. The premise? Good cooks are not born, they are made. Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, gives us our first lesson: how to cut an onion. Grocery stores are full of choices, or are they? Journalist Simran Sethi,...

There is a wonderful wide world of potatoes out there, and nearly limitless ways to cook with them. Ragavhan Iyer explores them all in his new book Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked - and Fried Too! Food writer Joe Yonan considers the hippest, new meat substitute - jackfruit - and says cooking with it doesn't come without difficulties. Although some home chefs are intimidated by sourdough starter...

What should we expect from the people who sell us food? We get an opinion from cheesemonger and food retailer Steve Jenkins. Tucker Shaw of Cook's Science reveals some new tips and tricks from America's Test Kitchen. Contributor Von Diaz talks to chef Justin Warner about his theories on flavor pairings. He is author of The Laws of Cooking, which includes the law of peanut butter and jelly and the...

This week we’re talking to Indian food authority Madhur Jaffrey about her latest book, Vegetarian India. We're going inside the Middle Eastern pantry with Doc Willoughby from America's Test Kitchen. Contributor David Leite interviews journalist Tim Neville about his trip to the Swiss Alps to immerse himself in the art of fondue. Noelle Carter meets up with Toni Tipton-Martin, author of The Jemima...

This week, we learn what it takes to be a cheesemonger with Steve Jones, proprietor of Cheese Bar in Portland, Ore. We're also looking at willpower with John Tierney, co-author of Willpower, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. And Jane and Michael Stern are breakfasting at Green Salmon in Yachats, Ore. Broadcast dates for this episode: January 21, 2012 (originally aired) January 19, 2013 (r...

Britain’s Nigella Lawson joins us with her deeply personal book, Simply Nigella. The Sterns have found first-rate chocolate at L.A. Burdick in Walpole, New Hampshire, and famed Spanish chef Ferran Adrià joins us with a conversation recorded at the "Notes on Creativity" exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Zahav's Michael Solomonov talks about Israeli cuisine, and wine writer Karen MacNeil...

We have an interview with a legendary iconoclast, South American chef Francis Mallmann, from our 20th anniversary celebration at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. His latest book is Mallmann on Fire. We hear about some off-the-beaten-track Chinese cooking techniques from Kian Lam Kho, author of Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees. We learn about alternatives to homemade stock with Susan Volland, author...

This week we talk to London’s culinary sensations Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi about their new book, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, we look at honey varietals with Marina Marchese, author of The Honey Connoisseur, and Melissa Clark talks to Improvised Life’s Sally Schneider about gifts for the cook in your life. Broadcast dates for this episode: December 6, 2013 (originally aired) December 12, 2014...

The Splendid Table presented Turkey Confidential 2016, our annual live Thanksgiving call-in show. Host Lynne Rossetto Kasper came to the rescue of Thanksgiving cooks, kitchen helpers, and dinner guests alike on the biggest cooking day of the year. This year, Lynne will field listeners' questions with the help of America's Test Kitchen co-host  Bridget Lancaster ,  Mario Batali ,  Francis Lam ,  Me...

Indian chef Vikas Khanna joins us with a lesson in humility, gratitude and a vegetarian take on the Thanksgiving feast. His latest book is Indian Harvest. Australia's Donna Hay brings us inspiration for updating our Thanksgiving side dishes. Bon Appetit's editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport has tips for being a good guest, and Jane and Michael Stern of Roadfood.com weigh in on the stuffing-versus-dressi...

In addition to our regular episodes, we occasionally offer Splendid Table Sides - extended interviews and other bonus cuts that don’t make it into the broadcast show. For this Side, Anthony Bourdain joins Lynne Rossetto Kasper talk about his new book, Appetites , the stress of cooking for five people versus 500, making Spam musubi for his daughter's school lunch, and his Oval Office-approved opini...

We look at the bitters craze with Mark Bitterman, author of Bitterman’s Field Guide to Bitters and Amari. Blogger Alana Chernila joins us with her new book, The Homemade Kitchen. Alan Muskat explains his forage-to-table tours, while the Sterns visit The Cupboard Restaurant in Memphis. And in honor of the show's 20th anniversary, we revisit a piece with journalist Anna Badkhen, author of Peace Meal...

Ruth Reichl joins us with the backstory of her latest book, My Kitchen Year, and we talk to Emeril Lagasse about the recipes he finds essential. His latest book is Essential Emeril. Chef Lidia Bastianich shares what she cooked for the pope, and Jane and Michael Stern are at the Garnet Café in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Broadcast dates for this episode: October 9, 2015 (originally aired) October 21, 201...

This week we have a conversation between Michael Ruhlman, author of The Book of Schmaltz, and celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern about cooking with fat, the Sterns join us with their take on the best regional American pizza, Bon Appétit’s Adam Rapoport teaches us a simplified duck confit recipe, and travel and food writer Anya Von Bremzen talks about her memoir, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking. Bro...

It’s Serious Eats’ science superstar J. Kenji Lopez-Alt with his new book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. Mary Karr, author of The Art of Memoir, talks about the role of smell and taste in memory. Musician Sammy Hagar, author of Are We Having Any Fun Yet?, compares cooking to writing a song. James Nienhuis, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, explains what paintings sho...