
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Every week, Milk Street Radio travels the world to find the most fascinating stories about food—a detective who tracks down food thieves and a look inside the most famous (and often scandalous) restaurant kitchens—and interviews with culinary icons such as José Andrés, Padma Lakshmi, Jacques Pépin, and Marcus Samuelsson. And on Milk Street Radio you can always find the unexpected: the comedian who ranks apples using an elaborate 100-point system, the scientists who study if vegetables have souls, and the journalist who reveals the world’s 10 biggest food lies. We also answer our listeners’ cooking questions, find out how to make the perfect cup of coffee, and share how to eat your way through Italy.
Latest episodes

May 12, 2023 • 51min
Claire Ptak Is in Love (with a Pink Cake)
We’re joined by baker Claire Ptak, whose desserts are a winning combination of California flavor and London style—and even royalty agrees. She shares her favorite recipes and reveals the behind-the-scenes details of being chosen to bake the cake for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. Plus, Rowan Jacobsen crash-lands into the Amazon for an up-close look at wild cacao harvesting; Adam Gopnik revisits his mother’s sourdough bread; Cheryl Day answers your toughest baking questions; and we make a Hot Milk Sponge Cake just in time for spring.Get the recipe for Hot Milk Sponge Cake here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 5, 2023 • 51min
Pickles, Life and Death: The World of Fermentation
Fermentation expert Sandor Katz takes on a journey around the globe for a look at some of the world’s greatest fermented foods. He tells us about the joys of making sauerkraut and why fermentation may hold the secret to life. Plus, cookbook author Kristina Cho guides us through classic Chinese baking at home, J. Kenji López-Alt shows us how to reinvent leftover mashed potatoes, and we learn to make Japanese-style curry. (Originally aired on January 14th, 2022.)Get the recipe for Japanese-Style Chicken & Vegetable Curry here.Take the Milk Street Listener Survey here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 28, 2023 • 51min
Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favorite Fish
Investigative journalists Doug Frantz and Catherine Collins take us inside the farmed salmon industry to explore the open net pens, health effects and future of America's favorite fish. Plus, Homa Dashtaki shares the traditional Iranian method for making creamy old-world yogurt; Dan Pashman invites us to a picnic; and we make Thai hot and sour soup.Get the recipe for Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms here.Take the Milk Street Listener Survey here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 21, 2023 • 51min
1,001 Bites: The Wonders of the Arab Table
Palestinian cookbook author Reem Kassis discusses her latest cookbook, “The Arabesque Table,” which takes a fresh look at defining Arab cooking. Plus, we learn how food is used to create Hollywood sound effects, discover what people 80 years ago thought food would look like today and make pasta sauce out of tomato paste. (Originally aired on April 9th, 2021.)Get the recipe for Pasta with Tomato, Garlic and Basil here.Take the Milk Street Listener Survey here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 14, 2023 • 50min
Corpse Cakes and Funeral Pie: A Short History of Eating Grief
We’re joined by death scholar Candi K. Cann to learn how food is used in grieving rituals around the world, from ancient Roman funeral tubes to shiva bagels. Plus, we dive into the murky riverbeds of Oklahoma to get a crash course in catfish noodling from Bradley Beesley; J. Kenji López-Alt battles Chris over the best way to peel an egg; and we make a No-Fry Neapolitan Eggplant Parmesan.Get the recipe for No-Fry Neapolitan Eggplant Parmesan here.“Eating Together” by Li-Young Lee, courtesy of the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 7, 2023 • 51min
The Museum of Food Failures: From Crystal Pepsi and Life Savers Holes to Gerber Adult Singles
Dr. Samuel West is back to teach us about history’s greatest food failures, from Colgate’s frozen meals to the time Gerber made food for grown-ups. Plus, Massimo Montanari helps us uncover the true history of spaghetti; J. Kenji López-Alt tells us how to make the most perfect scrambled eggs; and we bake Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. (Originally aired on April 22nd, 2022.)Get the recipe for Chocolate Olive Oil Cake here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsA caller this week asked about corn tortillas. Chris’s favorite flour tortillas are from Caramelo. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 31, 2023 • 51min
The Secrets of Salt: History, Science, and Cooking with Naomi Duguid
This week, we explore our most essential pantry staple: salt. Naomi Duguid takes us around the world to learn its history, from Cambodia to Basque Country to an underground salt cathedral in Poland, while Alex Aïnouz gets obsessed with making gourmet salt in his lab. Plus, writer Doug Mack tells the odiferous details of the Great Midwest Cheese Duel of 1935, and we make Hungarian Paprika-Braised Potatoes.Get the recipe for Hungarian Paprika-Braised Potatoes here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 24, 2023 • 51min
The Mystery of Taste: Beyond Sweet, Sour, Salty & Bitter
Are humans the only species that loves sour? Does everyone taste bitter the same way? And could there be flavors we can’t even comprehend yet? Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott from NPR’s “Short Wave” join us to explore the amazing science of taste, from the mysteries of salt to why dolphins can’t taste sweet. Plus, chef Khanh-Ly Huynh shares Vietnamese street food from Paris; Adam Gopnik investigates what it takes to become a culinary maestro; and we go to Bangkok for Thai Cashew Chicken.Get the recipe for Thai Cashew Chicken here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 17, 2023 • 51min
Like Carrots for Meat: The Irish Food Revolution with Chef Jp McMahon
We go beyond soda bread and shepherd's pie to discover the new Irish cooking with chef Jp McMahon. We discuss why the Irish ate very little seafood, how leftover cake was turned into a new dessert, the joys of frying with animal fat and the best way to cook any vegetable. Plus, we chat with Dan Pashman about the perfect ice cube; we discover the magic of crispy pasta; and the New Yorker’s Burkhard Bilger asks: Can babies learn to love vegetables? (Originally aired on March 13, 2020.)Get the recipe for Crispy Pasta with Chickpeas, Lemon and Parsley here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/milk and get on your way to being your best self. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 10, 2023 • 51min
Corner Store Meets Restaurant? Omar Tate Risks Everything to Open Honeysuckle Provisions
Chef Omar Tate has spent the last few years building a grocery cafe in West Philadelphia that reimagines the corner store. He tells us how he interprets Black culinary traditions with menu items like hoagies and black-eyed pea scrapple, and why he thinks our neighborhoods no longer feel like communities. Plus, mixologist Neal Bodenheimer shares cocktails from New Orleans, J. Kenji López-Alt offers a new way to use leftover scallions, and we make gnocchi out of flour, not potatoes.Get the recipe for Gnocchi di Farina with Pancetta and Garlic here.We want to hear your culinary tips! Share your cooking hacks, secret ingredients or unexpected techniques with us for a chance to hear yourself on Milk Street Radio! Here's how: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radiotipsListen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/milk and get on your way to being your best self. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.