This episode features Sohla El-Waylly, a prodigious recipe developer and judge on HBO's The Big Brunch. They discuss her new cookbook, techniques, and her love for Top Chef. They also mention her favorite dishes, marinating chicken with mayonnaise, the tanginess of ranch dressing, using a cake tester for meat doneness, homemade ice cream, and favorite cookbooks.
Sohla El-Waylly highlights the importance of feedback and collaboration in recipe development.
Sohla El-Waylly discusses the challenges of photographing food in a small space and the importance of making a cookbook visually appealing.
Deep dives
Cookbook and Podcast Celebration
In this episode, the hosts celebrate the 300th episode of their podcast and express their gratitude for their listeners. They introduce their guest, Sola El-Waley, a recipe developer, food YouTuber, and judge on a cooking competition show. They discuss Sola's debut cookbook, Start Here, Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook, and talk about various recipes and techniques included in the book. They also chat about their favorite moments from the TV show Top Chef and share their top five chef contestants from the show.
Working in a Test Kitchen and the Importance of Feedback
Sola El-Waley discusses the unique experience of working in a test kitchen, where she receives feedback from a team of people tasting her creations. She highlights the challenge of testing recipes alone at home and the difficulty in determining if something is good or done. Sola shares the process she goes through when testing recipes and the importance of receiving feedback. She also emphasizes the value of incorporating different viewpoints and preferences into recipe development.
Enjoying Fusalka and the Convenience of Dog-Friendly Restaurants
The hosts and Sola El-Waley discuss their love for Fusalka, a restaurant they frequent because of its dog-friendly environment. Sola explains that she often visits with her family because they have a newborn and it's convenient to bring their dogs. They enjoy the exceptional service provided for dogs, such as bowls of cold water and peanut butter biscuits. They discuss their favorite menu items, including breakfast options and a delicious honey cake.
The Process of Writing and Photographing a Cookbook
Sola El-Waley shares her experience of writing Start Here, Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook and photographing the recipes in her own New York City apartment. She discusses the challenges of photographing food in a small space and using alternative arrangements like a cooler to store ingredients. Sola also reveals her writing process, which involved recording voice notes and transcribing them to capture her natural voice and make the writing more enjoyable. She emphasizes the importance of making a cookbook accessible and visually appealing to readers.
We’re thrilled to welcome Sohla El-Waylly back to the show. Sohla is a prodigious recipe developer, a fixture of food YouTube, and a judge on HBO’s cooking competition The Big Brunch. Next week she will release her debut cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook. It’s a terrific book, and we discuss many of the recipes and techniques, and how Sohla photographed the book in her New York City apartment. We also talk about her love of Top Chef, her own reality cooking show turn, and what excites her most—including breakfast at Veselka.
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