

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 4, 2020 • 51min
Tales from a Puerto Rican Kitchen: Von Diaz Mixes Coconuts and Collards
We chat with Von Diaz about the flavors of Puerto Rican cooking and the world’s best breakfast sandwich. Plus, Molly Yeh moves to Minnesota and trades Sichuan take-out for hotdish and beet farming; we present a recipe for chocolate-almond spice cookies; and Dr. Aaron Carroll says "no" to a new study on alcohol. (Originally aired November 23, 2018.)Get this week's recipe, Chocolate-Almond Spice Cookies: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/chocolate-almond-spice-cookiesThis week's sponsor: Go to masterclass.com/MILK for 15% off your Annual MasterClass All-Access Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 28, 2020 • 51min
Desperately Seeking France’s Top-Secret Steak Sauce
Journalist Rebecca Rosman tells us about the feuds and lawsuits surrounding France’s favorite secret steak sauce. Plus, we chat with Saturated Ice Cream founder Lokelani Alabanza who invents new ice cream flavors, from peanuts and coke to Nashville hot chicken; we make Mexican Sweet Corn Cake; and Alex Aïnouz tells us why we should forget homemade sourdough and bake white bread instead.Get this week's recipe, Mexican Sweet Corn Cake: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/mexican-sweet-corn-cakeWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: There’s something for every kid (or kid-at-heart) at KiwiCo. Get your first month free on select crates at kiwico.com/MILK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 21, 2020 • 51min
Sourdough Stand-Up: Comedian Tom Papa Bakes Bread!
Tom Papa tells us about learning to bake bread between comedy gigs, the question he always gets asked about sourdough starters and why his favorite food memory isn’t his grandmother’s cooking, but her jars of gherkin pickles. Plus, we chat with Mark Diacono about all things bitter, fermented and sour; journalist Bianca Bosker shares the history of supermarkets; and we learn a Vietnamese technique for cooking with caramel.Get this week's recipe, Vietnamese Caramel Chicken: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/vietnamese-caramel-chickenWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: Save 50% on a Sleep Number 360 Limited Edition smart bed. Only for a limited time at Sleep Number stores or sleepnumber.com/MILK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 14, 2020 • 51min
Pickled Watermelon and Pigs' Ears: Ukraine’s Summer Kitchens
We travel to the summer kitchens of Ukraine with Olia Hercules. She explains how to pickle a watermelon, the history of borscht and why pigs' ears are so deliciously crunchy. Plus, we meet NASA rocket scientist and whole-hog pitmaster Dr. Howard Conyers; Dan Pashman tells us how to achieve snacking perfection at the beach; and we share a recipe for Taiwanese Grilled Corn.Get this week's recipe, Taiwanese Grilled Corn: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/taiwanese-style-grilled-cornWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: Go to masterclass.com/MILK for 15% off your Annual MasterClass All-Access Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 7, 2020 • 51min
Andrea Nguyen Flees Saigon in April 1975 and Brings Vietnamese Home Cooking to America
Chef Andrea Nguyen, author of "Vietnamese Food Any Day," discusses her early life in Vietnam, Hostess fruit pies and why chicken stock is better with an apple. Plus, we chat with filmmaker Andrew Rodgers about Kinder Surprise, a chocolate egg that’s beloved worldwide but illegal in the United States; we make a simple dump-and-bake Lemon-Almond Pound Cake; and our Paris correspondent, Alex Aïnouz, explains why a good croissant is straight, not crescent-shaped. (Originally aired April 19, 2019.) Get this week's recipe, Lemon-Almond Pound Cake: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/lemon-almond-pound-cakeWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: Get your first month free on select KiwiCo crates at kiwico.com/MILK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 31, 2020 • 51min
Al Roker Cooks Up a Storm
Al Roker cooks for Daniel Boulud, talks about on-set disasters at the “Today” show, explains why sandwiches are his go-to conversation starter and wonders why Goofy wears pants but Pluto doesn’t. Plus, we dive into the world of pies and baking competitions with Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin; we get a lesson in the language of leftovers from Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette; and we present a recipe for a sweet and tangy Austrian Plum Cake.Get this week's recipe, Austrian Plum Cake (Zwetschgenkuchen): https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/austrian-plum-cake-zwetschgenkuchenWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: Go to masterclass.com/MILK for 15% off your Annual MasterClass All-Access Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 24, 2020 • 51min
Nailed It! Nicole Byer Bakes Funny
Comedian and “Nailed It!” host Nicole Byer breaks down the art of improv, making it in the world of comedy and how to host a baking competition show when you know nothing about baking. Plus, we chat with Karl De Smedt, manager of the world’s only international sourdough library; J. Kenji López-Alt gives us a crash course on the best homemade fried rice; and we learn how to get a good char on Catalonian-inspired grilled vegetables.Get this week's recipe, Spanish Grilled Vegetables (Escalivada): https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/spanish-grilled-vegetables-escalivadaWe 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/radiotips Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 17, 2020 • 51min
Lidia Bastianich's Family Table
Lidia Bastianich grew up under Tito's communist rule, escaped to a refugee camp in Trieste and finally made it to New York City, where she learned to love Spam, Jell-O and Wonder Bread. She talks about the early years on her grandmother's farm, where she slept on a corn-husk mattress, ate pig's blood sausage and fresh fig jam, and realized that the secret to happiness is having less, not more. Plus, we learn about turkey skin ice cream with Salt & Straw's Tyler Malek; discuss the ethics of cooking lobsters; and make molletes. (Originally aired June 14, 2019.)Get this week's recipe, Molletes: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/molletes-sandwich-beans-cheese-salsa-lunch-mexico-picklesWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: Go to masterclass.com/MILK for 15% off your Annual MasterClass All-Access Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 10, 2020 • 51min
Machete Makes Tacos: Actor Danny Trejo on Prison, Hollywood and Nachos
Hollywood star and restaurateur Danny Trejo shares his culinary inspirations and his most memorable stories—for example, how he used to act out “The Wizard of Oz” to help him stay sane in solitary confinement. Plus, Gena Renaud of Yume Confections teaches us about the art of wagashi; Alex Aïnouz dives into the world of meatballs; and we roast a chicken the Nigella Lawson way.Get this week's recipe, Coriander-Roasted Chicken: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/coriander-roasted-chickenWe 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/radiotipsThis week's sponsor: Save $400 on a Sleep Number 360 c4 Smart Bed, now just $1299. Only for a limited time at Sleep Number stores or sleepnumber.com/MILK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 3, 2020 • 51min
Oysters, Clambakes and Grilling Run Amok
We chat with Mike Wiley of Eventide in Portland, Maine, who tells us how to shuck an oyster, the rules for the perfect clambake and his favorite often-ignored fish. Plus, we talk with chef and poet Omar Tate, who explores Black American culture and literature through food; Dan Pashman explains why he thinks grilling is overrated; and we find a fix for flavorless tomatoes.Get this week's recipe, Tomato-Herb Salad with Sumac: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/tomato-herb-salad-with-sumacThis week's sponsor: Go to masterclass.com/MILK for 15% off your Annual MasterClass All-Access Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.