Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio

Al Roker cooks for Daniel Boulud, talks about on-set disasters at the “Today” show, explains why sandwiches are his go-to conversation starter and wonders why Goofy wears pants but Pluto doesn’t. Plus, we dive into the world of pies and baking competitions with Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin; we get a lesson in the language of leftovers from Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette; and we present a recipe...

We chat with Dr. Jessica B. Harris about her seminal book "High on the Hog,'' which offers a diverse and complex history of African American cuisine—from   the escape of George Washington’s enslaved master chef to the birth of the catering industry.   Plus, we investigate Korean television’s obsession with Subway sandwiches, learn about the origins of egg-based idioms from Grant Barrett and Martha...

We talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss about why foods such as Cheetos and Oreos can be more addictive than cigarettes. Plus we explore the history of West African cookbooks, J. Kenji López-Alt teaches us different ways to use alcohol in the kitchen, and we learn to make Glazed Sour Cream and Brown Sugar Bundt Cake. Get this week's recipe for Glazed Sour Cream and Brown Sugar...

We chat with Mike Wiley of Eventide in Portland, Maine, who tells us how to shuck an oyster, the rules for the perfect clambake and his favorite often-ignored fish. Plus, we talk with chef and poet Omar Tate, who explores Black American culture and literature through food; Dan Pashman explains why he thinks grilling is overrated; and we find a fix for flavorless tomatoes. (Originally aired July 3,...

We chat with research chef Shola Olunloyo about the cutting-edge culinary projects he undertakes at his experimental food laboratory, Studiokitchen. He tells us about mashing up tortellini and soup dumplings, how to make bread that tastes like a malted milkshake and why he looks to jazz musicians for culinary inspiration. Plus, New Zealand chef Monique Fiso teaches us about Māori cuisine, Dan Pash...

This week, cookbook author Hetty McKinnon tells us about her Chinese-Australian upbringing, Vegemite brownies, and why her mother calls to FaceTime her wok. Plus, we talk to the Trappist monk running the only Trappist Brewery in the U.S., learn to make the original Fettuccine Alfredo and get a lesson from Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette about all the sausage idioms used in Germany. Get this week...

We chat with flavor chemist Dr. Arielle Johnson about how to eat a tree, how insects use flavor molecules to communicate and the science of taste and smell. Plus, Meathead Goldwyn teaches us how to grill perfect steaks; J. Kenji López-Alt investigates food expiration dates; and we make a no-fuss, all-flavor Spanish Almond Cake.  (Originally aired June 12, 2020) Get this week's recipe, Spanish Almo...

This week, we chat with Nigella Lawson about recipe writing as literature, the sublime art of eating chocolate in bed and how the simplest meals can become the basis for our most cherished memories. Plus, we get a barbecue lesson from pitmaster Rodney Scott, Dan Pashman orders takeout through the mail, and we cook polenta with shrimp and tomatoes. Get the recipe for polenta with shrimp and tomatoe...

This week, the husband-and-wife team behind London’s Honey & Co. tell us about chasing the smell of smoke through the alleyways of Jordan and the markets of Egypt in search of the secrets of grilled food in the Middle East. Plus, pizza consultant Anthony Falco shares tips for making great pizza at home, Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette explain why we say “soup to nuts,” and we learn to make H...

We learn the elements of Hmong cooking from chef Yia Vang. He tells us about traditional dishes such as stuffed chicken legs and braised mustard greens, how to make 60 gallons of hot sauce and how his father escaped through the jungle at the end of the Vietnam War. Plus, we find out how Renaissance art can save fruit from extinction; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette reveal the linguistic connecti...

Chef Eric Ripert teaches us how to make vegetables the star of the plate. Plus, we take a deep dive into the food and cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, Adam Gopnik reveals his five food heresies, and we learn how to make Japanese Milk Bread.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and “Nailed It!” host Nicole Byer breaks down the art of improv, making it in the world of comedy and how to host a baking competition show when you know nothing about baking. Plus, we chat with Karl De Smedt, manager of the world’s only international sourdough library; J. Kenji López-Alt gives us a crash course on the best homemade fried rice; and we learn how to get a good char on Catal...

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. Get this week’s recipe for Vietnamese Braised Lemon Grass Chicken:  https://www.177milkstreet.com/...

Padma Lakshmi shares stories about her childhood in India, her time in Spain and her new show, “Taste the Nation.” Plus, we get a crash course on Parisian cocktail culture from David Lebovitz; we present a new take on the cheeseburger; and Bianca Bosker teaches us about the history and evolution of wine reviews. (Originally aired June 26, 2020.) Get this week's recipe, Garlic-Rosemary Burgers with...

Palestinian cookbook author Reem Kassis discusses her latest cookbook, “The Arabesque Table,” which   takes a fresh look at defining Arab cooking. Plus, we learn how food is used to create Hollywood sound effects, discover what people 80 years ago thought food would look like today and make pasta sauce out of tomato paste.  Get this week’s recipe for Pasta With Tomato, Garlic and Basil:  https://w...

Sam Fore, the chef behind the pop-up Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, tells us about the similarities between Sri Lankan and Southern cuisine. Plus, Analiese Gregory teaches us how to hunt and forage in the wilds of Tasmania, Dan Pashman tells us about his mission to create a new pasta shape, and we learn how to make the Portuguese Sponge Cake known as pão de ló. Get this week’s recipe for Portuguese Spo...

Meredith Erickson takes us on an Alpine journey to discover the food and pleasures of the little-known huts and lodges above 3,000 feet. Plus, we chat with Josh Scherer of Good Mythical Morning about the internet’s fascination with taste-test videos; we learn the secrets to the perfect Neapolitan meatball; and Adam Gopnik tells us why sugar sales are declining. (Originally aired January 10, 2020.)...

Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis tells us about the importance of moderation, her hatred of cauliflower rice, and her initial reluctance to go on TV. Plus, we hear about how a beer archeologist revives ales from antiquity, discover how a wine opener can be a symbol of your mortality and learn to make a recipe for the Venetian dish of rice and peas known as risi e bisi.  Get this week’s recipe fo...

Hooni Kim explains many of the foundations of Korean cuisine (including gochujang), how to make perfect rice, what 135-year-old soy sauce tastes like and why he loves making fermented soybean stew. Plus, we hear the curious story behind America’s most prolific fruit inventor; Bianca Bosker combs through her grandma’s recipe cards; and we make one of France’s easiest desserts. Get this week’s recip...

John Whaite takes us behind the scenes of “The Great British Bake Off.” He talks life after winning, the simple pleasures of Eton mess and the importance of listening to your food. Plus, we dive into the crazy world of culinary Facebook groups; Alex Aïnouz tries to reverse engineer Joël Robuchon’s mashed potatoes; and we cook an Indian staple of simmered lentils with spice-infused hot butter. (Ori...

Food science expert Harold McGee helps us separate food science fact from fiction and explains why smell can reveal more about food than taste. Plus, we learn about 30-foot longevity noodles from Jason Wang, the co-founder of New York’s Xi'an Famous Foods; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette tell us who lobster Newburg and chicken tetrazzini were named after; and make pork in Veracruz sauce. Get thi...

Mother and daughter Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams tell us what studying the cooking of four generations of women in their family has taught them about the origins of soul food. Plus, we speak with international bagel consultant Beth George; Dan Pashman explores cold-weather cocktails; and we make pesto out of lemon zest, not basil. Get this week’s recipe for Spaghetti with Lemon Pest...

We step into British baking history with Regula Ysewijn for boiled jam roly-polys, three-foot-tall gingerbreads and fruitcakes that take months to ripen. Plus, we sample Estonia’s fake chocolate bar; consider dining outdoors with Adam Gopnik; and make passatelli in brodo, a simple supper from Bologna. Get this week’s recipe for Passatelli in Brodo:  https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/passatelli...

We explore culinary secrets from Yewande Komolafe to change the way you cook. Plus, Gustavo Arellano takes us on a journey down the great American chile highway; we make a hearty beef stew from central Mexico; and Adam Gopnik tells us how a trip to Italy spawned an epiphany. (Originally aired September 28, 2019.) Get this week’s recipe for Mexican Beef and Tomatillo Stew (Entomatado de Res):  http...

We enter the world of intergalactic sushi joints and cannibal banquets with food stylist Janice Poon. She tells us about her work on horror and sci-fi films, from feeding vegan vampires to wrangling snails to make arm escargot. Plus, we learn hamburger history with burger scholar George Motz; Bianca Bosker explores the origins of the PB&J; and we make a fragrant beef stew from Vietnam. Hosted...