Cooking Issues

Latest Episodes:

Episode 133: Sandwich Sissy Jul 09, 2013

Show notes

Dave Arnold calls in from Florida for this week’s episode of Cooking Issues. Nastassia Lopez holds down the fort in Brooklyn, and is joined by Peter Kim of the Museum of Food and Drink. Hear the crew talk about MOFAD’s Kickstarter project, and how they hope to bring interesting food exhibits across the country through a mobile museum model. Learn how to use the flavors of thai basil in your cooking. Find out about preserving deep fry oil and bacon grease, and learn the process of making spring roll wrappers. Is you homemade yogurt not thick enough? Try combining kappa and iota carrageenan! Find out how aging eggs changes their pH, and so much more on this week’s installment of Cooking Issues! Thanks to our sponsor, ChefSteps.

“Thai basil is an extremely fragile herb. It goes black extremely quickly and the enzymes go very fast.” [9:30]

“A dry sandwich makes me just as sad as a wrap.” [29:00]

— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 132: Testing Harold McGee Jun 25, 2013

Show notes

Harold McGee joins Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez in the studio for today’s edition of Cooking Issues! Harold and Dave team up to tackle some listener questions regarding circulators, food aroma, fruit preservation, and more! Why does orange juice taste so terrible after brushing your teeth? Tune into this episode to hear the cast discuss the nuances of different condiments: ketchup, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and mustard. What brands are preferred? Find out why mustard oils in the United States don’t pack the punch of their overseas counterparts. Learn how to foam pre-made whiskey sours, and the best way to grill zucchini! Thanks to our sponsor, Underground Meats. Break music provided by Alan Wilkis.

“Salt will actually help move aroma out of a food and into the air because it makes the food more polar and electrically charged, and then it pushes the scent out.” [6:00]

“If you did a side-by-side test of ascorbic acid and honey to inhibit browning in fruit, I would suspect you would get better results from the ascorbic acid.” [20:15]

— Harold McGee on Cooking Issues

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Episode 131: Free Berries Jun 18, 2013

Show notes

The puffing gun is up and running! This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez recap the first test of the Museum of Food and Drink’s new cereal puffer! Later, Dave takes on some questions regarding bubble size in alcoholic drinks and flavoring Doritos. How can you get brown rice to stick together? Dave helps a caller preserve some cocktail cherries, and talks about his recent foraging adventures at Riverside Park. How would Dave make banana chips at home? Finally, hear about ‘cat crap coffee’ and 3D printing food! Thanks to our sponsor, ChefSteps.

“The bubble size of any given drink is due to the amount of CO2 you push into it and the temperature at which you serve it.” [5:20]

— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 130: Washing Dishes & Fruit Sex Jun 11, 2013

Show notes

The phones are off the hook on this week’s episode of Cooking Issues! Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are talking about new dishwashing formulas that use sodium carbonate instead of phosphates. How tough are these soaps on scum? Learn how to preserve salt crystals in ice cream applications, and find out why Dave loves induction burners. Tune into this episode to hear more about pressure cookers, apple varieties, and cooking chicken for large catered events. Curious about fruit sex? Tune into this episode of Cooking Issues to find out more! This program has been brought to you by ChefSteps.

“The benefit of agar clarifications is that when you do it, you blend the fruit and the product, and you get a very fast blend. The problem is, you often do not get a very high yield.” [19:30]

“Other than deep frying, fast techniques tend to produce a less than desirable surface for chicken.” [42:10]

— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 129: No More Apricots Jun 04, 2013

Show notes

We’re smoking fish and steaming pudding on this week’s episode of Cooking Issues. Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are once again joined in the studio by Arielle Johnson, PhD candidate at UC Davis. Tune into this episode to learn how to safely smoke salmon using cold and hot smoking methods. When should you freeze your salmon in order to kill existing parasites? Find out how to use a dehydrate to dry fruits like apricots and mangos. Should one worry about sulfites in dehydrated fruits? Dave wraps up the show by talking about granola and his past obsession with pudding-making! This program has been brought to you by ChefSteps.

“The problem with most cured fish recipes is that they only giving a brine strength, but that’s not really that helpful because curing depends on the fish-to-brine ratio.” [19:30]

“The oxidation in dried fruit isn’t just a color issue, but a taste issue.” [35:35]

— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 128: Ice Cream, Popcorn, & Fish May 28, 2013

Show notes

In this week’s episode of Cooking Issues, Dave begins by answering a question on gluten intolerance by listener Mike Mallory. He then continues on to answer a question on fior de latte ice-cream, and the problems associated with making ice cream at home. Dave’s offers his opinions on different brands and types of ice cream from all around the world, the effects of stabilizers during the production process, and the effects of guar and gelatin during the ice cream making method? In the second segment of this week’s episode, the topic is batch freezing. Dave talks about overrun, the costs of producing ice-cream, and the differences between freezers that manufacturers use and ones that you can use to for ice-cream producing in your restaurant or at home. Lastly, Dave answers a question from a listener on popcorn making, offering suggestions to make fantastic popcorn with a great machine, and ways to put a local fish market in your neighborhood to good use. Tune in to learn more! This program has been sponsored by ChefSteps.

“A continuous freezer is usually only done by larger manufacture people.” [35:40]

“The way I used to make popcorn is with a whirley pop.” [49:50]

“A lot of how fish keeps is how the temperature cycles, and how the air blows on top of it within the fridge.” [57:44]
— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 127: William McGee May 21, 2013

Show notes

Despite a bicycling ticket, Dave Arnold speeds into the studio and joins Nastassia Lopez for another week of Cooking Issues! Dave gives some tips about making a a creme anglaise, and tackles the gluten-free trend. Why are so many Americans limiting the gluten in their diets, and does it really make sense to do so if you don’t suffer from celiac disease? Hear what grains Dave learned about in Senegal that hold promise for gluten-free bread lovers. Find out ways to use leftover eggs, and hear about The Museum of Food and Drink’s new cereal puffer! Dave and Nastassia wrap up the show by discussing the thermal death temperatures of pathogens, and carbonation. Thanks to William McGee for becoming a member of the Heritage Radio Network.org! This program has been sponsored by ChefSteps.

“When you’re heating something, there are three things that you’re trying to do- you want to make it taste good, you want to prevent bacteria from growing, and you want to kill the pathogens that are present.” [45:15]

— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 126: Chris Young on Coffee May 14, 2013

Show notes

Chris Young, co-author of Modernist Cuisine and founder of ChefSteps, calls into this week’s episode of Cooking Issues! Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are back in the studio and are answering listener questions with Chris. Tune into this episode to hear Chris and Dave troubleshoot a candied jalapeÃ±o ice cream that lacks serious heat. How can you create a booze-y creamsicle? Later, hear Dave pepper Chris with some coffee questions. Hear how to create the ideal latte foam, and learn how grind size and water temperature affects the brew. Hear about some alcoholic beverage alternatives involving sumac and pine needles! Learn about espresso shot size, and why Chris doesn’t prefer foamy coffee drinks. It’s ramp season; learn how to highlight these spring vegetables on this week’s Cooking Issues! Thanks to this week’s sponsor, ChefSteps.

“If you want to get a really wet latte foam that is very velvety, viscous, and without a lot of bubbles, then the milk shouldn’t be much hotter than 50 degrees Celsius. That’s how you get a foam that’s easy to pour for latte art.” [21:25]

— Chris Young on Cooking Issues

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Episode 125: Milk & West African Cuisine May 07, 2013

Show notes

Dave Arnold is back from Senegal with another episode of Cooking Issues! Joining him in the studio is Peter Kim of the Museum of Food & Drink. Tune into this episode to hear Dave talk about milk- both cow and human. Is it ok to freeze milk? And should you drink alcohol if you are breast feeding? Later, Dave and Peter offer some suggestions for creating non-alcoholic drinks that taste and feel like real cocktails. Find out how to infuse nut flavors efficiently, and how to make large-format ice at home. Hear Dave and Peter talk about some of their favorite food and drink from West Africa, and learn why West African cuisine and flavors has been largely neglected in high-end restaurant kitchens. Thanks to our sponsor, Chefsteps.

“Human breast milk is vastly water, so you would assume that a mother’s milk is close to her blood alcohol level.” [15:20]

— Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

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Episode 124: Olive Oil & Mark Ladner Apr 23, 2013

Show notes

Mark Ladner, chef at Del Posto, joins Dave, Nastassia, and Piper for this week’s Cooking Issues! Dave talks about his upcoming trip to Senegal, and the importance of learning about authentic cuisine from different regions around the world. Dave revisits a question about rice noodles, and then delves into different types of miso. How can one substitute duck fat into baking recipes? Later, Mark weighs in on the bacon vs. pancetta debate. What does he prefer when making a carbonara? The cast tastes different olive oils to decide what temperatures and cooking times cause flavor to degrade. Want to try Mark’s Italian-style barbecue? Buy your tickets here! This program has been sponsored by Underground Meats.

“Poorly-made industrial pancetta is absolute garbage. It’s too salty; just stick with the bacon for carbonara.” [22:00] — Mark Ladner on Cooking Issues

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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