Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio

On this Fourth of July, baker Stacey Fong shares highlights from her 50 States/50 Pies project, which includes odes to Nevada’s all-you-can-eat buffets, West Virginia’s pizza rolls and Tennessee icon Dolly Parton. Plus, live-fire cooking expert Genevieve Taylor reveals showstopping tips for your backyard barbecues; Dan Pashman debates the finer points of ketchup and mustard; and we dress up charre...

Stephanie Li and Chris Thomas travel around China in search of the best recipes and techniques for their YouTube channel Chinese Cooking Demystified. Today we learn the secrets to perfect fried rice, how to cook with chopsticks and why the best KFCs are in China. Plus, Abigail Koffler helps us navigate food in the metaverse; we make Mexican-Style Corn with Chili and Lime; and Adam Gopnik cries tea...

Journalist Dan Saladino brings us stories of rare and endangered foods, from the wind-cured mutton found only on the Faroe Islands to stenophylla, the rediscovered species now considered crucial to the future of coffee. Plus, Jess Damuck shares elevated salads; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette tell us how to live with relish and zest; and we search Jordan for the lightest, crispiest falafel. Get...

This week, we chat with José Andrés about how he helped organize more than three million meals in Puerto Rico, why he would choose a pineapple over a steak, and what he would do if he ever got a day off. Plus, we talk military rations with YouTube star Emmy Cho; we bake Chocolate Ginger Scones; and Dan Pashman delves into one of the workplace’s most divisive issues: office fridge theft. (Originall...

In the fishing villages of Norway, kids as young as five enter the workforce as professional cod tongue cutters. Documentary filmmaker Solveig Melkeraaen tells us why kids slice up this delicacy, plus we meet former tongue cutter Ylva Melkeraaen Lundell, who explains how she mastered this skill—and how lucrative this job can be. Also on the show: Journalist Kenji Hall embarks on a quest across Jap...

Before McDonald’s or KFC, there was the Horn and Hardart Automat—a cafeteria-style restaurant where you could buy everything from creamed spinach to lemon meringue. This week, filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz tells us the story of the rise and fall of the Automat—with a little help from Mel Brooks. Plus, Emiko Davies takes us to Venice’s favorite wine bars; we whip up Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce; and...

Mary Giuliani, the author of catering tell-all “Tiny Hot Dogs,” idolizes Steve Martin in “The Jerk,” raises a murderous turtle and has a solution for any and every party disaster. Plus, we visit a Bhutanese Senior Lunch in Vermont; Adam Gopnik sells the role of coffee in civilization; and we dig into Soupe au Pistou from Provence. Get the recipe for  Soup au Pistou .  We want to hear your culinary...

YouTube coffee expert James Hoffmann shares the best, worst and weirdest coffee in the world—from his tried-and-true recipe for the ultimate cup at home to the time he tasted 70-year-old beans in Japan. Plus, Don and Petie Kladstrup tell us the story of the man who taught America to love Champagne; we make Beef Chili Colorado Tacos; and Adam Gopnik discusses the greatest food debates of our time....

During the Korean War, Grace M. Cho’s mother was just a kid when she got separated from her family. Eventually, she found her way back home but had to survive on her own off of kimchi and rice for months. This week, Cho shares her mother’s story of war, survival and how cooking opened a door between generations. We also learn about ginseng digging in Appalachia; we make Spaghetti with Ricotta, Tom...

Nigella Lawson does not believe in guilty pleasures–instead, she believes in pleasure without guilt. This week, she reveals her food philosophy and shares the sublime art of eating chocolate in bed. Plus, we get a barbecue lesson from whole hog pitmaster Rodney Scott, Dan Pashman orders takeout through the mail, and we whip up Venetian polenta with shrimp and tomatoes. (Originally aired May 28, 20...

Dr. Samuel West is back to teach us about history’s greatest food failures, from Colgate’s frozen meals to the time Gerber made food for grown-ups. Plus, Massimo Montanari helps us uncover the true history of spaghetti; J. Kenji López-Alt tells us how to make the most perfect scrambled eggs; and we bake Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. Get this week's recipe, Chocolate Olive Oil Cake . A caller this week...

99% Invisible’s Chris Berube shares margarine’s secret history—from Supreme Court battles to Eleanor Roosevelt’s advertising campaign—and why in some states you could only buy margarine that was dyed pink or black. Plus, we learn about snacks from around the world with Unsnackable’s Folu Akinkuotu; Dan Pashman tells us what there is to love about canned foods; and we make Brazilian-Style Pizza. Ge...

In 2015, chef Makini Howell took a sabbatical from her vegan food empire to cook for Stevie Wonder on tour. We discuss her unique take on vegan cooking and what she learned during her year on the road. Plus, we learn about the strange history of flavor science; Adam Gopnik reveals J.D. Salinger’s favorite recipe for popcorn salt; and we learn Croatia’s secret to perfect cabbage rolls. (Originally...

This week: The best tools and techniques for making food. Corinne Mynatt shares history’s most fascinating kitchen tools, from the dog-powered rotisserie spit to the Victorian ice cream slicer; Meathead shares his favorite ways to cook a burger; and Adam Gopnik tells us about the most iconic kitchen appliances of the last few decades. Plus, we make Chicken Soup with Ricotta Dumplings from Italy, a...

This week: Jet Tila on Thai food. He tells us about real Thai sriracha, what it takes to make the world’s largest stir-fry and why working at his family’s market sometimes meant visiting the set of “Star Trek.” Plus, we explore the wild world of cooking manga with Deb Aoki; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette tell us what food you’re obsessed with if you’re a turophile; and we make one of Brazil’s s...

Can a computer cook? Dr. Alexandra Ketchum examines our fascination with kitchen computers, from the Jetsons' Foodarackacycle to the world’s first robotic kitchen. Plus, celebrated food writer Claudia Roden shares memories from a life dedicated to the joys and history of Mediterranean cooking; Dan Pashman tells us how inventing a new pasta shape has changed his life; and we learn a recipe for a sp...

This week, we chat with Vivian Howard about growing up on a tobacco farm in Deep Run, North Carolina; her latest TV show, “Somewhere South”; and the foods she considers her flavor MVPs. Plus, we explore the future of algae-based food; Dan Pashman puts a modern twist on family cocktail parties; and we make Mashed Avocados with Sesame and Chili. (Originally aired on May 29, 2020.) Get this week's re...

J. Kenji López-Alt gives us a lesson on Wok 101 and reveals the science behind great stir-fry. Plus, Cheryl Day joins Christopher Kimball to tackle your baking questions about everything from powdered milk to cardamom buns; cookbook author Chelsea Monroe-Cassel explores the food of “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars”; and we visit Morocco’s communal bakeries to learn an all-purpose flatbread recipe....

Tea expert Shunan Teng tells us about tea that costs $1,000 per ounce and the notion that tea is more like wine than coffee. Plus, we learn about forgotten fast-food chains, Alex Aïnouz debunks the myth of hollandaise as a mother sauce, and we learn how to make Vietnamese Braised Lemon Grass Chicken. (Originally aired April 23, 2021.) Get this week’s recipe for Vietnamese Braised Lemon Grass Chick...

Detective Rocky Pipkin is a private eye in California’s Central Valley, where the billion-dollar farming industry has made investigating agricultural crimes his specialty. He tells us how truckloads of nuts can vanish into thin air, why you might be eating stolen citrus and how one man scammed dairy farmers out of millions of dollars with a cow Ponzi scheme. Plus, Ed Levine explains why the diner...

On this week's dessert-themed show, we chat with Nadiya Hussain about her quest for the perfect brownie, a hack for bread pudding and how she almost faked her death to avoid going on “The Great British Bake Off.” Plus, chef Ana Sortun brings us the story of Turkey’s greatest baklava bakery, Adam Gopnik analyzes amusing dessert names, and we learn to make Plum Cake with Spiced Almond Crumble. (Orig...

Nicolette Hahn Niman was an environmental lawyer and vegetarian. Now, she’s a rancher who believes there’s a case to be made for sustainable meat production. She tells us why she believes the environmental impact and health effects of eating beef have been misunderstood. Plus, Kim Severson shares predictions for what food trends will emerge in the next year, Dan Pashman reviews popcorn kernels, an...

Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich help us uncover the history of the cocktail, from the invention of drinks like the Long Island Iced Tea to the colorful characters who left their mark on the art of bartending. Plus, we learn the story behind the iconic Kit Kat jingle, “Gimme a Break,” Adam Gopnik considers the pleasures of cooking and eating with your hands, and we use powerhouse pantry ingredient...

This week, we chat with TikTok star and expert forager Alexis Nikole Nelson about the most delicious weeds in your backyard, the joys of mushroom jerky and her cross-country journey to make seaweed panna cotta. Plus, Kevin Fortey takes us inside the competitive world of giant vegetable growing, J. Kenji López-Alt reveals the secret to perfect French fries, and we make Italian Flourless Chocolate T...

Fermentation expert Sandor Katz takes on a journey around the globe for a look at some of the world’s greatest fermented foods. He tells us about the joys of making sauerkraut and why fermentation may hold the secret to life. Plus, cookbook author Kristina Cho guides us through classic Chinese baking at home, J. Kenji López-Alt reinvents leftover mashed potatoes, and we learn to make Japanese-styl...