This week: Suitcases full of contraband. A smuggler who writes poetry in jail. And the chance to make thousands of dollars in one night. Reporter Otis Gray brings us the story of America’s eel fishing boom—and what happened when it got out of hand. Plus, Kenji López-Alt discusses the surprising science of salting scrambled eggs, and we make kefta in a creamy tahini sauce.

Get this week’s recipe for Baked Kefta with Tahini here.

Listen to Otis Gray’s “Sleepy” podcast here.

Music in Otis Gray’s piece is by Blue Dot Sessions.

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

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This week, we get a seafood masterclass from one of the world’s greatest chefs, Eric Ripert. He also explains why sauce is the hardest technique to master and reflects on the moment he decided to change the way he ran Le Bernardin. Plus, Milk Street’s science editor, Guy Crosby, joins us to answer our most pressing food science questions, and we uncover the true origins of Chicken Kyiv. (Originally aired October 19, 2023.)

Get this week’s recipe for Chicken Kyiv 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

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BraveTart is back! Stella Parks is here to set the record straight on baking. From buttermilk to pie dough, Parks reveals what can go so wrong and how to get it right. And we’re not done with the sweets yet: We also get a taste for real Vermont maple syrup with veteran sugarer Peter Gregg, we take the anxiety out of baking with blender cakes, “A Way With Words” explores the sticky history of honey, and Cheryl Day returns to answer your baking questions.

Get this week’s recipe for Blender Cake here.

To read more on Stella's interview, visit our blog.

Stella Parks image credit: Sarah Jane Sanders Webb.

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

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We interview Jason Wise about his film “Somm: Cup of Salvation,” which tells the story of winemaker Vahe Keushguerian, who smuggled ancient grapes from Iran to make the first Persian wine in over 40 years. Plus, food scientist Anwesha Sarkar explains how she built a 3D-printed human tongue to study food texture; we cook up the original Spaghetti and Meatballs; and Adam Gopnik shares what’s new with wedding food—from the delightful to the downright absurd.

Get this week’s recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs 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

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Chef Carla Hall is here to change the way we think about soul food. Plus, we explore cooking with cannabis; Adam Gopnik tells us how to cope when our favorite restaurants close; and we serve up Sweet Fresh Corn Pudding. (Originally aired May 17, 2019).

Get this week’s recipe for Sweet Fresh Corn Pudding 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

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This week, it's all about food inventions and innovations. Nicola Twilley reveals the secret history of refrigeration, from ingenious fridge designs to Rwanda’s pioneering “coldscape.” Plus, meat scientist Chris Calkins invents new cuts of steaks, and Dan Pashman wonders if the food tech takeover is actually a bust. Finally, we share a recipe for the pope’s spaghetti.

Get this week’s recipe for Spaghetti with Prosciutto, Parmesan and Peas 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

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Falcons are smart, fast and lethal––but they can also be a farm’s greatest defense against losing an entire harvest. Master falconer Alina Blankenship tells us about protecting fields of grapes and blueberries with her flock of highly-skilled birds, from the falcon that operates like a jet-fighter to the hawk that patrols crops like a bouncer. Plus, Kim Severson reports on Gen Z’s “milk shame” and what the dairy industry is trying to do about it; Alex Aïnouz pursues perfect creme brûlée; and we learn to make a vegetarian Carbonara where you won’t miss the meat. (Originally aired July 20, 2023).

Get this week's recipe for Zucchini Carbonara 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

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Journalist Adam Iscoe takes us inside the underworld of restaurant reservations. Plus, Viola Buitoni teaches us about weeknight Italian cooking, Adam Gopnik shares Mark Twain’s favorite American foods, and Cheryl Day returns to answer baking questions.

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.