Culinary Reflections and Creative Evolution

This week on Cooking Issues, Dave welcomes back Matt Sartwell from Kitchen Arts & Letters for a special “Classics in the Field” episode. They dig into historic cookbooks, from Mrs. Marshall’s 1890s ice cream innovations to early 20th-century Russian preservation techniques involving millet, pig bladders, and cellars. Dave recounts recent culinary misadventures—including purging a pantry, misidentifying whiskey as tequila, and investigating black garlic from the early pandemic era—while fielding listener questions about ancient wheat, Spinzall butter math, sturgeon spinal cords, and more. Plus: a deep dive into American barbecue lore, McGee’s nut superiority, and how Star Trek IV changed the whaling conversation forever.

• Deep Freeze and Dairy Experiments – Dave and Matt explore Fancy Ices by Mrs. Marshall, dissecting her unconventional custards, starch-thickened ice creams, and patented rapid-freezing contraptions from 1890s England.
• Pantry Purges and Questionable Bottles – The crew shares horror stories and small victories from cleaning out ancient ingredients, including black garlic, forgotten miso, and mystery whiskey in fancy tequila decanters.

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