Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio

We explore the whimsical world of Irish baking with Cherie Denham. Plus Madison Avenue veteran Jeff Swystun shares the little-known history of food advertising; we cook up Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings in Tomato Sauce; and Alex Aïnouz is on a journey to make the world’s best roasted chicken. Get this week’s recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings in Tomato Sauce here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Pete Wells, former New York Times restaurant critic, joins us to look back on his most infamous reviews, plus why he blasted Guy Fieri’s Times Square restaurant but loved Señor Frog’s. Photojournalist Kate Medley reveals why some of the best food in the South is served at the gas station; we make Cantonese Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef and Potatoes; and Chris and Sara Moulton answer listener calls. Get this week’s recipe for Cantonese Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef and Potatoes here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio is produced by Milk Street, in association with GBH Co-Founder: Melissa Baldino Executive Producer: Annie Sinsabaugh Senior Editor: Melissa Allison Senior Producer: Sarah Clapp Producer: Caroline Davis Production Intern: Marisa Orozco Production Help: Debby Paddock Additional Editing: Sydney Lewis Audio Mixing by Jay Allison at Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole Massachusetts Theme Music: "Hang Tan" by Toubab Krewe Additional Music: George Brandl Egloff

Bees solve puzzles, have distinct personalities and play with balls like a puppy. Zoologist Lars Chittka reveals amazing new discoveries about the mind of a honeybee and what a bee’s consciousness means for us humans. Plus, we investigate the mysterious phenomenon of bee heists; Sylvan Mishima Brackett, chef-owner of Rintaro, shares the secrets to perfect hot spring eggs and ruby grapefruit jelly; Alex Aïnouz searches for the perfect paella; and we bake Basque Country’s burnished cheesecake. (Originally aired February 15th, 2024.) Get this week’s recipe for Basque Style Cheesecake here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Irina Georgescu joins us to relive her and Chris’s journey to the heart of Transylvania. We discover the world of Romanian breads, snack pies, sour soups and folklore. Plus, archaeologist Brendan Foley explores a 15th-century shipwreck and uncovers a king's medieval spice cabinet; Alex Aïnouz reimagines deviled eggs; Cheryl Day returns to answer baking questions; and we make Irina’s recipe for Meringue-Topped Cake with Cherries. Get the recipe for Meringue-Topped Cake with Cherries here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Alice Waters thinks David Mas Masumoto’s peaches could change the world. Today, Masumoto shares his search for the perfect peach and the shocking family secret that changed the history of his farm. Plus, we chat with Nichole Accettola about Scandinavian baking, from cinnamon knots to rye bread, and we learn the language of strawberries. (Originally aired February 1, 2024.) Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

This week, we’re looking at the pioneers of food television. Emeril Lagasse reflects on his unlikely start at the Food Network, how he’s different from his on-screen persona and why he just opened his first Portuguese restaurant. Plus, Michelle T. King tells the story of Fu Pei-mei, Taiwan’s first cooking TV star, our very own co-host and food TV star Sara Moulton answers caller cooking questions, and Adam Gopnik weighs in on the spectacle of Iron Chef. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Tamar Haspel of the Washington Post is here to share 10 truths about food that nobody wants to believe. From diet soda to organic vegetables to one overlooked fish, nothing is sacred. Plus, Amanda Herbert brings us inside history’s wildest dinner parties; Adam Gopnik reveals what your drink of choice says about you; we make Thai Coconut and Chicken Soup; and Cheryl Day returns to take your baking calls. (Originally aired February 29, 2024.) Get the recipe for Thai Coconut and Chicken Soup here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Richard Hart is here with the hottest takes in bread baking and sourdough—why he doesn’t care about your old sourdough starter, what everyone gets wrong about supermarket bread, and why the bread in Paris is, well, lacking. Plus, antique bookseller Don Lindgren reveals the history of community cookbooks, J. Kenji López-Alt discovers the perfect way to cut an onion, and we make Turkish Crescent Cookies with Spiced Walnut Filling. Get the recipe for Turkish Crescent Cookies with Spiced Walnut Filling here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

This week, we taste the sweeter side of Mexican cuisine with chef Fany Gerson. Traveling from Mexico City to Veracruz to Oaxaca, we explore regional confections like chili-flavored paletas and guava and cheese doughnuts. Plus, we take a seat at the Noir Bar with writer and television host Eddie Muller, who infuses classic cocktails with a cinematic twist; Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett of “A Way With Words” unpack the history hidden in your spice cabinet; and we prepare a very crispy Korean Fried Chicken. (Originally aired June 2, 2023.) Get the recipe for Korean Fried Chicken here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Kim Severson of the New York Times predicts the biggest food trends of 2025—from dirty sodas and whiskey ketchup to the new supermarket and the ingredient of the year. Also up this week, we get a lesson in southern Thai cooking from Nok Suntaranon, we make Bread Dumplings in Broth, Adam Gopnik examines what happens when we quit the foods we love, and Christopher Kimball and Sara Moulton answer our first caller questions of 2025. Get this week’s recipe Canederli in Brodo (Bread Dumplings in Broth) here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

We’re joined by New York Times book critic and author Dwight Garner. He presents food quips from his favorite writers, as well as John Updike’s lunch routine and Hunter S. Thompson’s party tricks. Plus, anthropologist Manvir Singh helps us digest the world of “meat-fluencers” and their all-meat diets; A Way with Words give credit to the Old Norse words lingering in our kitchens; and we prepare a Pakistani-Style Chicken Biryani. (Originally aired January 4th, 2024.) Get this week’s recipe for Pakistani-Style Chicken Biryani 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/radiotips Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re looking back at some of our favorite moments from 2024. We’ll share the surprises—from the secret lives of vegetables, to the underworld of restaurant reservations—and the best culinary advice we received from guests like José Andres and Stella Parks. Plus, Christopher Kimball and Sara Moulton revisit the most memorable listener questions of the year. You can find our Best Recipes of 2024 collection here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s an all-out holiday hour of Milk Street Radio! We check in with French baker Dominique Ansel about how the invention of the cronut changed his life, his secret trick to a perfect fruit soufflé and why you shouldn’t buy cookies in France. Plus, author Julia Georgallis offers three tips for how to eat (and drink!) your Christmas tree; Adam Gopnik and Chris Kimball reflect on their top food books of the year; J.M. Hirsch provides a festive batched cocktail recipe; Cheryl Day answers your biggest baking questions: and we prepare your new favorite dessert: Paris Flan. Get this week’s recipe for Paris Flan here. You can find our Best Recipes of 2024 collection here. Music credits, courtesy of Artlist: Bob Hart - O Christmas Tree The BaldyBrothers - Another Blue Flint - Peach Jam Avner Kelmer - Supper West Side Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, we’re sharing an extended interview with Al Roker. Al makes his return to Milk Street to discuss his latest cookbook — a collaboration with his daughter, Courtney Roker Laga — as well as the jobs he worked prior to landing at NBC and the food he uses as a test to determine whether or not someone can be his friend. You can find our Best Recipes of 2024 collection here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al Roker is back on Milk Street with family recipes and television stories to share. He recalls celebrity-filled lunches at the NBC commissary and the holiday meal he dreamt of while recovering from surgery. Plus, Ben Mims reveals the secret history of cookies; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette of “A Way With Words” express holiday gratitude with food-themed compliments; and we prepare Cantonese Sweet-and-Sour Pork. Get this week’s recipe for Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork here. You can find our Best Recipes of 2024 collection here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, we share a few of our favorite moments about baking. Cheryl Day—cookbook author, co-owner of Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia, and now Milk Street Radio guest co-host—reveals her tips for perfect biscuits, cakes and cookies. Plus, a computer designs the ultimate chocolate chip cookie; Chris Kimball and Dan Pashman consider the muffin; and is it magic, or is it Maple-Whiskey Pudding Cakes? Get the recipe for Maple-Whiskey Pudding Cakes here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re kicking off the holiday season with Rose Levy Beranbaum and Woody Wolston in celebration of the 35th anniversary of “The Cake Bible.” Beranbaum and Wolston reveal their tricks for génoise, their secret ingredient for perfect chocolate cake and their full-throated defense of fondant—yes, fondant! Plus, we explore the delightfully strange world of food miniatures with Emily Kenway, Chris and Sara answer your holiday cooking questions, and we make Almond and Citrus Biscotti. Get this week’s recipe for Almond and Citrus Biscotti here. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we go behind the scenes of French restaurants with writer and former waiter Edward Chisholm to experience the chaotic rush of Sunday brunch, discover where waiters go on their time off and find out what happens to your food before it reaches the plate. Plus, we investigate a street food mystery in India with journalist Barkha Kumari, Adam Gopnik gets in a pickle about fermented foods, and we make the Moroccan beef and chickpea stew harira. (Originally aired December 9, 2022.) Get this week’s recipe for Moroccan Beef, Tomato and Chickpea Stew 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/radiotips Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our annual Thanksgiving special, and we’re dedicating the hour to solving your toughest problems. Jet Tila has ideas for reimagining vegetable side dishes, Cheryl Day solves the issue of overflowing pies, Christopher Kimball defends mini marshmallows on sweet potato casserole, and much more. Plus, we’ll get a Thanksgiving poetry reading from Adam Gopnik, find out how to make a turkey in just two hours and hear about our listeners’ most unique holiday traditions. 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/radiotips Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madhur Jaffrey joins us and shares memories from mountain picnics in the Himalayas, her favorite way to enjoy a mango and stories from her career as a film and food star. Plus, we make Turkish-Style Flaky Flatbreads and journalist David Johns tries to find out—could ice cream actually be good for you? (Originally aired November 9, 2023.) Get this week’s recipe for Turkish-Style Flaky Flatbreads 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/radiotips Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.