The Sporkful

In the fourth and final part of our special series Ask Mimi, legendary food critic Mimi Sheraton shares her thoughts on the etiquette of free food samples, ballpark eating, and how ice cream should be scooped. Then comedian Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR's Ask Me Another, gets Mimi's advice on dealing with a picky eater husband. Plus, Mimi offers final words of wisdom for living and eating well. Today's sponsors: Go to ChosenFoods.com/Sporkful and use promo code sporkful to get 50% off your...

Emily and Patrick are past the honeymoon phase. Now they have to learn to work together, if they're going to be together for the long haul. They get advice from Dan and food writer Nicole Taylor, who returns to ride shotgun, face The Lightning Round, and follow up on a conversation she and Dan had years ago. Today's sponsors: Go to Babeths.com and enter promo code SPORKFUL18 for free shipping on all samplers or your order of $50 or more. Go to BobsRedMill.com to add Vanilla Protein Powder...

In this special bonus episode, Dan talks to a dairy farmer about why cows wear fit bits and the best way to drink a glass of milk. This entire episode is sponsored by Undeniably Dairy. To hear more stories about dairy farmers, visit UndeniablyDairy.org/Devoted.

Cincinnati chili does not get a lot of love around the US. It's known for its sweetness, sometimes made with chocolate, and served over spaghetti. But as Dan learns when he travels to Cincy, this midwestern specialty has roots that span centuries and continents. Plus, an unlikely love story between a chef and a city. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to ChefSteps.com/Joule and get $15 off a Joule Sous Vide, using the promo code...

Legendary food critic Mimi Sheraton discusses sex and marriage, including the two times she eloped. Plus, Dan's mom calls in for advice on how to deal with Dan's dad's strange addiction to Subway sandwiches, and chocolatier Jacques Torres joins Mimi and Dan to debate the merits of frozen Milky Way bars. Today's sponsors: Go to Babeths.com and enter promo code SPORKFUL18 for free shipping on all samplers or your order of $50 or more. Go to Sonos.com to learn more about starting your smart...

Sam Kass shares stories of his time as the Obama family’s chef -- cooking on Air Force One, smuggling special ingredients in to the White House, and creating a dish that came to be known as 'lucky pasta'. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to Mailchimp.com to sign up for free and see how Mailchimp can grow your business. Go to SunBasket.com/Sporkful to get $35 off your first order. Go to ThirdLove.com/Sporkful to get 15% off your...

What judgments do we make about a restaurant's food based on how the people working there look? Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to BuildABear.com to learn about all the fun ways to celebrate birthdays at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Go to Casper.com/Sporkful and use offer code SPORKFUL to get $50 credit toward select mattresses. Go to SweeTango.com/Sporkful to find a grocer near you.

In part two of our special series Ask Mimi, legendary food writer Mimi Sheraton discusses being a working mother, eating alone, and mac and cheese. Plus Dinner Party Download's Brendan Francis Newnam stops by to argue against brunch. Today's sponsors: Go to Bona.com to join the BFF group and get coupons and exclusive offers on your favorite Bona products. Go to BuildABear.com to learn about all the fun ways to celebrate birthdays at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Go to ChosenFoods.com/Sporkful and...

Dan sets out on a mission in which he attempts to take three actions to alleviate his guilt about food waste: compost, spice up his leftovers, and figure out what expiration dates actually mean. Will it make him feel better? Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to ChefSteps.com/Joule and get $15 off a Joule Sous Vide, using the promo code SPORKFUL (case sensitive). Go to SweeTango.com/Sporkful to find a grocer near you. Go to...

Samin Nosrat, author of the bestselling cookbook "Salt Fat Acid Heat", joins Dan to talk about feeling like an outsider, sexism and pretentiousness in food, a controversy about a spoon, and the finer points of toast. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to BuildABear.com to learn about all the fun ways to celebrate birthdays at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Go to NationsPhotoLab.com/Buzzbooks and use promo code SPORKFUL to get a free Buzz...

In this special four-part series, legendary food writer Mimi Sheraton offers advice on food and life to live callers and celebrity guests. This week Mimi covers critical mothers, edible weed, and grandparenthood with comedian Maeve Higgins and Radiolab's Robert Krulwich. Today's sponsors: Go to Bona.com to join the BFF group and get coupons and exclusive offers on your favorite Bona products. Go to BuildABear.com to learn about all the fun ways to celebrate birthdays at Build-A-Bear...

The Food Network star joins Dan to talk about the best way to eat popcorn, the relative merits of forks and knives, and how his divorce changed the way he cooks. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to ThirdLove.com/Sporkful to get 15% off your first purchase. Go to ThriveMarket.com/Sporkful to get 25% off your first purchase and a free 30-day trial.

We follow one family’s complicated relationship with Jell-O. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to SweeTango.com/Sporkful to find a grocer near you.

Comedian Tim Dillon takes Dan out for lunch in Tim's home town on Long Island. Tim talks about why this place is so important to him, why rich people don't care about food, and what the founding fathers would have said about the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to SweeTango.com/Sporkful to find a grocer near you. Go to ThriveMarket.com/Sporkful to get 25% off your first purchase and a free 30-day trial.

Dan travels to Palm Desert, California, to ring in the Jewish sabbath with a group of seniors the way they do it every week -- at the fast food chain Wendy’s. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to Casper.com/Sporkful and use offer code SPORKFUL to get $50 credit toward select mattresses.

Dan's wife Janie and their kids Becky and Emily join the show to solve listeners' food-related relationship issues and dilemmas. "I don't love talking into a microphone," Janie says, "but I do have opinions." Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to SunBasket.com/Sporkful to get $35 off your first order. Go to ThirdLove.com/Sporkful to get 15% off your first purchase.

The flavor chemist who created Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza and the McDonald's McGriddle talks about the science of burger cooking and the correct sequence for burger toppings. Today's sponsors: Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to BuildABear.com to learn more about all the fun ways to celebrate birthdays at Build-A-Bear.

The host of the Netflix cooking competition show "Nailed It" tells us about her love of raunchy humor, the commonality between comedy spaces and restaurant kitchens, and the time her aunt sent her an Easter dinner in the mail. Today's sponsors: Go to BeyondMeat.com/Sporkful to find a retailer near you. Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes.

Dan's dreams come true when he visits The Simpsons writers' room to talk about the role food plays on the show, and behind the scenes. Plus, Simpsons creator Matt Groening explains how new technologies have changed the show’s food jokes. Today's sponsors: Go to BeyondMeat.com/Sporkful to find a retailer near you. Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes.

Why does eating alligator seem more manly than eating chicken? Why does coffee seem more manly than tea? Comedian and actor Michael Ian Black tells us how his sense of masculinity and his body image issues affect what he eats. Plus he and Dan bond over life as suburban dads. Today's sponsors: Go to BeyondMeat.com/Sporkful to find a retailer near you. Go to BobsRedMill.com to explore their huge range of products and recipes. Go to SunBasket.com/Sporkful to get $35 off your first order. Go to...