On a “holiday” themed episode of Cooking Issues, Dave rides solo as Nastassia is in the comforts of Southern California. Nastassia does join by phone while Dave answers some interesting questions from listeners. Tune in to find out how short ribs are affected when prepared using low temperature cooking techniques, how to make homemade fizzing tables, why hot ice cream never really works out and how to best prepare a Christmas goose. This episode was sponsored by Tekserve & their E-Waste events in January 2011. For more information visit www.tekserve.com/recycling

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This week on Cooking Issues, Dave addresses the growing concern over Nastassia’s lack of on-air time and Nastassia responds with…well, a little bit more on-air time than usual! Dave finished last week’s question on egg substitutes, and also ponders what pigs milk might taste like. He also explores rice cooking techniques, coffee extraction and nixtamalization. Tune in and find out why in the world Dave wants to become a Mexican grandmother one day! This episode was sponsored by Tekserve & The Lower East Side Ecology Center’s “E-Waste Events”. Find out everything you need to know about recycling your old electronics by clicking here!

An 1836 lithograph of tortilla production in rural Mexico.

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It’s official! Dave will be eating raw food for a week after making a public bet last week that nobody could find raw chocolate that doesn’t taste horrible. There was some debate as to what could actually be considered raw chocolate, but make no mistake about it – Dave is no welsher. Tune into this week’s episode of Cooking Issues to learn why TIC Gums is such a an awesome company and what Thai Red Lime Paste is made out of. This episode was sponsored by our good friends at S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. For more information visit www.surryfarms.com

Raw Cacao

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Are Dave’s classes really worth taking? Are Heritage turkeys really that good? Is it possible to infuse alcohol with Dr. Pepper? These are some of the questions that Dave and Nastassia fielded this week on Cooking Issues. Tune in to hear Dave’s hilarious Thanksgiving story involving a smoke filled house, and find out what Twist n Sparkle is good for. This episode was generously sponsored by 360 Cookware. For more information visit www.360cookware.com.

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This week on Cooking Issues Dave and Nastassia take on a set of Turkey-day related cooking issues. Learn how to make the perfect stuffing as safely as humanly possible, why we shouldn’t ignore our rich history of hanging birds before cooking them, and how a physics student used a bar of chocolate and a microwave to measure the speed of light. Plus: someone threatens to cook Dave over a certain racoon-related jpeg. This episode was sponsored by Cabot Cheese of Vermont, Dairy Farm Family owned since 1919.

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This week on Cooking Issues Dave and Nastassia attempt to reach out to a community of listeners with cooking issues. This week they talk Szechuan peppercorns versus Szechuan buttons, what to do and NOT to do with Xantham Gum, and how to minimize the tannin-y acrid overtones of some homemade walnut liquor. This episode was sponsored by Cabot Cheese of Vermont, Dairy Farm Family owned since 1919

Szechuan peppercorns

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This week on Cooking Issues Dave and Nastassia return to US soil to tackle more listener queries from the phone and the computer. Learn some surprising secrets to getting velvety, home-ground meat without bone chips. Learn why consumer-level vaccum sealers often can remove more moisture than the professional-quality variety. Learn about the “Narun Barun” pear, which smells and looks like quince. Finally learn why vegetarian marshmallows represent the “holy grail” to some food enthusiasts, and how these marshmallows might one day materialize. This episode was sponsored by 360 Cookware.

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This week on Cooking Issues Dave and Nastassia call-in from London’s Heathrow Airport for a special lay-over edition of Cooking Issues. They take calls regarding quinine: the phosphorescent, mildly dangerous, highly versatile bittering agent; sous-vide BBQ, and whether or not it will taste “smokey”; and making bitters, and what the best alcohol to use is. Finally Dave recounts a blood-soaked incident in a high-end London eatery involving birds, bullets, and brains. This episode was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

Photo: London Heathrow Airport – Where Dave and Nastassia likely were during the recording of this episode.

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On today’s Cooking Issues, Dave and Nastassia answer your e-mails and take calls from both sides of the Atlantic. Listen to learn the rich history of American country ham, the magical properties of sodium alginate, how to build your own vacuum pump, and the centrifugal secrets of Dave’s Banana Justino. This episode is brought to you by Edwards of Surry, Virginia.

Image: American Country Ham from S. Wallace Edwards & Sons

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This week on Cooking Issues Dave calls in from Berlin to join Nastassia in-studio. Together they take your calls, take a look at the past week’s emails, and discuss making and storing simple syrup, fashioning ice lenses (by hand) to start fires, why your brain needs salt, and cast-iron stick reduction. Finally Dave described some all-too-recent misadventures at the airport in Dusseldorf. This episode was sponsored by Acme Smoked Fish: a culinary mainstay in NYC for over 55 years.

Photo: Dave’s possible location for this week’s episode of Cooking Issues

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