Cooking with Bruce and Mark

Even after over three dozen cookbooks, tens of thousands of original recipes, and countless dinner parties, we've had some true kitchen and cooking disasters.

We're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. We've had food fails. Dinner fails. Even dessert fails.

Don’t judge! Here are our favorite failures: things we’ve seen, things we’ve done. It’s not pretty. But it’s life. Stuff (ahem) happens.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[00:37] Overbrined turkey

[04:15] Disastrous pie crust

[08:30] Inedible short ribs

[12:19] Roasted pumpkin with soup inside

Yes, it's true. We're supposed to like everything. But we don't. And not just ill-prepared food. We each have distinct likes and dislikes of whole categories. Strange, no? After thirty-five cookbooks and countless magazine articles, after over 12,000 published recipes. But it's true. So here's the list.

[00:43] Bruce hates root beer.

[02:35] Mark has a thing against ground beef.

[07:28] Licorice makes Bruce want to wipe his mouth out.

[09:48] Mark freaks out over toasted sesame seeds.

A while back, we started making videos for our YouTube channel. Mind you, we're super late to this game. We've had the channel for years--and done nothing with it. So we started out with an iPhone and an idea. Then we got serious.

Join us, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, as we give you a little peek at what it takes to make our YouTube videos.

Here are the segments of this podcast episode:

[00:47] The first thing: We had to build a studio and buy a decent camera.

[02:43] Then we had to decide what we were going to shoot

[05:57] Here's how we prep and swap for the shoots. What is a "swap" anyway?

[08:17] Here's a bit about scripting the shoots--which means we shoot things out of order.

[13:26] And this is the only part that really matters: editing, which falls 100% on Bruce.

What's a cookbook without photos? An old one. When we started publishing cookbooks with New York publishing houses, way back in the late 1990s, almost no cookbook was photographed. Think about the big ones. THE JOY OF COOKING? MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING? Most by Marcella Hazan? Not a photo to be seen.

These days, cookbooks HAVE TO be photographed. Readers demand it. There's lots of reasons for that, including the rise of INSTAGRAM and other image-driven social media sites. But facts are facts. And photos are cookbooks.

Join us, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, as we give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the photos for our (now) thirty-four cookbooks.

Here are the segments of this episode:

[00:42] The first thing do is decide which recipes to shoot.

[03:52] The second is to choose a good photographer. Here's what we mean by "good."

[06:46] Next come the props, the styling--what dish holds that braise or grilled entree? It's a more important question than you might imagine.

[09:26] Here's the each shot for our cookbooks actually gets created.

[11:35] And finally, what's good food photography with good food styling?

Looking to buy a new refrigerator? We've got tips and ideas.

Join us, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, as we look at some of the tricks and secrets of buying a fridge these days.

These are the main concerns you should address:

[00:41] Do you want a built-in or free-standing refrigerator?

[01:23] How much space do you really have?

[04:05] What's better: freezer on the top, freezer on the bottom, or a side-by-side fridge?

[06:25] Do you want ice and water inside or outside the door?

[09:18] How do you really tell how much space is in a refrigerator?

[12:12] How do you choose a quiet fridge?

The conclusion of a two-part series on how to buy the right Instant Pot model for your needs.

We're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three-dozen titles, including the national best-seller THE INSTANT POT BIBLE (which you can find here), THE INSTANT POT BIBLE: THE NEXT GENERATION (which you can find here) FROM FREEZER TO INSTANT POT: THE COOKBOOK (which you can find here), and INSTANT POT BIBLE: COPYCAT RECIPES (which you can find here).

In the first episode of this series, we covered some of the basics among the models. Now we're getting a little more technical, a little farther into the weeds. Here are some thoughts about IP models you might not have considered.

These are the segments of this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[01:35] Are you tech-savvy? A little wonky about your gear? Here's pot you need.

[03:52] Want even more control? If you want to control the temperature of the saute function, you need these models.

[09:52] Do you want (or need!) a 10-quart Instant Pot? Here's what you need to know.

[16:55] What about that air-fryer lid? Is it right for you? What pot do you need to use it?

Instant Pots are the rage. Have been, still are. No doubt about it. But there are so many models on the market, how do you know the one that's right for you.

We're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three-dozen titles, including the national best-seller THE INSTANT POT BIBLE (which you can find here), THE INSTANT POT BIBLE: THE NEXT GENERATION (which you can find here) FROM FREEZER TO INSTANT POT: THE COOKBOOK (which you can find here), and INSTANT POT BIBLE: COPYCAT RECIPES (which you can find here).

This podcast episode is the first in a two-part series on choosing the right Instant Pot for you. Here are the segments of this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[04:07] Are you a beginner? You need a Duo.

[05:00] What size do you need, a 3-quart pot, a 6-quart, or an 8-quart?

[06:45] Do you want to get cheffy and try out the "sous vide" method of cooking?

[09:58] If releasing steam scares you, you need these models.

[14:28] These models have indicator lights to measure the remaining time in the cooking process under pressure.

The second in a two-part series about pushing up your cocktail game at home.

We're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. We've written over three dozen cookbooks, including THE ULTIMATE PARTY DRINK BOOK (which you can find here).

In the previous episode, we walked about ingredients for better cocktails. In this episode, we move on to talk about three techniques to improve your bartending skills at home.

Here are the segments of this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[00:25] Don't eyeball it. Go for better consistency.

[03:19] If you're making an icy cocktail or even a chilled drink of any sort, chill your glass.

[06:11] Shaken vs. stirred. Ah, the old riddle. James Bond was wrong. We'll tell you why.

The first of a two-part series on how to make better cocktails at home.

We're veteran cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. We've written over three dozen titles for several New York publishers, including THE ULTIMATE PARTY DRINK BOOK (which you can find here).

In this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK, we'll offer three simple tips to make every cocktail you prepare better every time. Cocktails are not rocket science. But with a little finesse, they can be even better.

Here are the segments of this episode:

[01:46] Up the booze you use--but don't go nuts!

[06:52] Use better mixers all around.

[11:51] Improve your ice game!

Slow cookers have come in and out of vogue. But we love ours. In fact, we have more than one. We even use our Instant Pots as slow cookers sometimes.

We're cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. We've written over three dozen cookbooks for several New York publishers, including THE GREAT AMERICAN SLOW COOKER BOOK (which you can find here). That tome has over 500 recipes with every one sized out for every size of slow cooker.

Join in as we discuss how to buy the best slow cooker. We've give you the things you need to look for--and some things that are add-ons you might not expect, if you want them. We love our slow cookers. But we've upped the game with better appliances.

Here are the segments to this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[02:23] Look for durability.

[06:35] Consider the best size for your needs. 

[13:17] Look for multiple settings

[14:54] Know the facts about how hot a slow cooker can get.

[18:28] A little about safety.

[20:20] The most important feature: the lid.

[21:31] Three bonus tips for getting the best slow cooker