Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio

Latest Episodes:

Best-Of Calls: Wax Peppers, Carrot Tops, and Wild Leeks Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

For this week's bonus, we have an all-calls special! We look back on our favorite plant-based calls, including how to cook with carrot tops, how to master eggplant, and how to make kids—or anyone—fall in love with vegetables.
Photo credit: Nina Luong
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Crazy Love at 86: Bake-Off's Prue Leith Celebrates Being Old Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Former "Great British Bake Off" judge Prue Leith talks about finding the love of her life at 70, a jazz musician’s review that put her restaurant on the map, and recounts one of her most viral moments: "Tell us about your beaver." Plus, Kimmie Mcintosh honors Filipino history and flavors at her pop-up bakery, Milkfish Bakeshop; and Alex Aïnouz has a life-changing meal at his local bistro.
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The Lost Kitchen: Erin French Has 20,000 Restaurant Reservations in Freedom, Maine Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

This week, we're revisiting one of our all-time favorite episodes–it's our 2018 interview with Erin French. Following a tumultuous year, Erin French returned to her hometown of Freedom, Maine to open what is now one of the most exclusive restaurants in America, where the ingredients can be found in the garden, the waitlist is in the tens of thousands, and the menu is always a surprise. Plus, we explore the pumpkin spice lifestyle; we make dump and stir Spanish Almond Cake; and Dr. Aaron Carroll explains the truth about fish and mercury.
Get this week's recipe for Spanish Almond Cake here.
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Magnolia Ice Cream? Yes! Plus Candied Acorns and Spruce Bark Cookies Aug 21, 2026

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When Justin Davies cuts into a piece of wood, he wonders what it tastes like. Today, he shares his adventures in crafting desserts out of trees, from the bark infusion that made his tongue go numb to the ice cream concocted from an infamously smelly tree. Plus, Lidia Bastianich returns to answer your questions on pasta and pesto; we eat through the backroads of Vietnam with chef Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen; and writer Jenny Linford meditates on cooking’s most elusive ingredient. (Originally aired September 5, 2025.)

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The Shocking Truth About Food Safety: Extended Cut Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

In this special episode, we’re sharing an extended cut of our interview with food safety experts Ben Chapman and Don Schaffner. They give their best tips for avoiding foodborne illnesses, including the safest way to cool down food, the hidden dangers of potato salad, and the foods they refuse to order from restaurants.
Photo credit: Laura Ohlman
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Death in the Kitchen: The Shocking Truth About Food Safety Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

This week, we take a look at the hazards lurking in our kitchens. Food safety experts Ben Chapman and Don Schaffner give their best tips for avoiding foodborne illnesses, including their protocol for cooking raw meat, the diseases hiding in your salt, how to actually clean a sponge, and the foods they refuse to order from restaurants. Plus, we take a burger road trip with George Motz; Genevieve Taylor returns to the phone lines to take your grilling calls; and Kim Severson reflects on 250 years of American cooking.
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Best-Of Calls: Roosters, Alligators, and Leaf Lard Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

For this week's bonus, we have an all-calls special! We look back on the ingredients that have stumped you most—rooster, alligator, squid ink, even sparrows.
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

100 Years of Food Writing at the New Yorker: M.F.K. Fisher, Calvin Trillin and A.J. Lieblin Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Adam Gopnik takes us on a tour of great food writing from the New Yorker in celebration of the magazine's centennial. We hear A.J. Liebling’s tip for finding a good restaurant in Paris, M.F.K. Fisher’s fantasy about potato chips and Calvin Trillin’s obsession over constructing the perfect bagel. Plus, Matt Goulding shares why paella is a hotbed of controversy; we explain why a cold oven is the secret to the best creme brûlée; and Christopher Kimball and Sara Moulton answer your questions and share their favorite things to do with tomatoes. (Originally aired July 25, 2025.)
Get this week’s recipe for Cold-Oven Crème Brûlee here.
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

The Secret History of Erewhon: Extended Cut Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

In this special episode, we’re sharing an extended cut of our interview with Kerry Howley about the surprising history of L.A.’s favorite food store, Erewhon.

Gonzo Food Trends: Sperm Gummies, Colostrum Soda and Spray-Can Beef Tallow Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Andrea Hernández, founder of Snaxshot, is back to share her 2026 grocery store predictions—complete with holy water and sour pineapple sperm worms. Plus, reporter Kerry Howley reveals the surprising history of Erewhon, L.A.’s favorite food store; A Way With Words gets metaphorical about food and our bodies; and Stella Parks returns to answer your baking questions.
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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