
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio 100 Years of Food Writing at the New Yorker: M.F.K. Fisher, Calvin Trillin and A.J. Lieblin
Aug 7, 2026
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker essayist, surveys a century of the magazine's food writing. Matt Goulding, food and travel writer, reports on paella's history and heated authenticity debates. They explore Liebling's Paris tips, M.F.K. Fisher's playful food fantasies, and Calvin Trillin's quest for the perfect bagel.
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Find Roadside Restaurants With Local Experts
- Use trusted local sources, not generic search, to find good roadside restaurants when traveling long distances.
- Christopher Kimball suggests local city/state magazines and food writers' Instagram accounts as reliable curated leads.
Use Rose Water Sparingly In Middle Eastern Dishes
- Use rose water sparingly and pair it with Middle Eastern or Indian savory dishes to avoid overwhelming the dish.
- Sarah Moulton and Christopher Kimball recommend watermelon-cucumber salads, spritzers, or baking it into cookies to tame intensity.
Fix Gelled Cocktail Sauce With Water And Whisking
- Prevent cocktail sauce from gelling by whisking in a little water just before serving or making smaller fresh batches.
- Sarah Moulton explains ketchup/horseradish acidity and pectin cause the sauce to set up over time.



