🍿 This Week’s Snack:

Kolsvart Candy Fish: https://www.kolsvart.com

1. Sour Blueberry
2. Elderflower
3. Black Currant + Raspberry
4. Sour Raspberry (tasted like Luden’s: https://www.ludens.com/sore-throat-remedies/wild-cherry)

📝 Things Mentioned:

• Chef’s Knife Speed Review: https://youtu.be/C8ms3VOZyhg?si=LmX93y76FMm07N67
• CPM MagnaCut Steel: https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/03/25/cpm-magnacut/
• Cult Flav Site Update: https://cultflav.com
• Epicurean Edge: https://www.epicedge.com
• Steelport 8” Chef’s Knife: https://www.steelportknife.com/product/8-carbon-steel-chef-knife/

MagnaCut Knives Tested

• Doberman Forge Chef’s Knife: https://dobermanforge.com/products/8-magnacut-gyuto-chef-knife-1
• Aura Calafia Chef’s Knife: https://www.auracalifornia.com/collections/calafia-chef-knives

AEB-L Knives Tested

• Bradford: https://bradfordknives.com/culinary/499-10568-chef-knife-AEB-L-Steel.html
• Goettig Nakiri: https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=109099

Damasteel RWL34

• Acre Forge Macrum: https://acreforge.co/collections/macrum

Our Recommendations For Most Home Cooks

• Hedley & Bennet Chef’s Knife: https://cultflav.com/products/hedley-bennett-chefs-knife
• Acre Forge Macrum: https://acreforge.co/collections/macrum

❓Questions

If you could commission a custom knife for yourselves, what would it be like? - Grant

• GoldVein by Kamon GV No.2 for $54,650: https://eatingtools.com/products/goldvein-by-kamon-gv-no-2
• Sarah’s Mac Che’f series: https://cultflav.com/products/mac-725-chef-series

In the world of small-run or custom knives, do you see a price range where performance, craftsmanship, and cost all align before the benefits start diminishing? - Lim

• Sarah’s Santoku: https://cultflav.com/products/hitohira-180mm-santoku

What are ya’ll’s thoughts on using the “right” knife for the job versus the knife I’m “comfortable” with? - Emily

• Who the hell is Christopher Kimball? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Kimball

🔪Specialty Knives with Eytan Zias

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eytanpdx/?hl=en
• Co-Founder & Bladesmith at Steelport: https://www.steelportknife.com/
• Founder & Sharpener at The KnifeHouse: https://knifehouse.com/

Thanks to Eytan for letting us into Steelport and playing Absolutely Rank! Thanks to Grant, Lim and Emily for asking us questions! Thank you for listening! As always, if you’ve got a question, you can post it in #going-off or call 424-419-3528.

See you next Sunday!

• Balo Raw Kombucha
  • 💥 Strawberry & Fennel: https://www.sunsetculturesla.com/product-page/strawberry-fennel-flower-raw-kombucha
  • 💡💥 Cherry Fig Leaf: https://www.sunsetculturesla.com/product-page/cherry-fig-leaf-raw-kombucha
  • 💥 Passionfruit Makrut Lime: https://www.sunsetculturesla.com/product-page/passionfruit-makrut-lime-shrub-soda

• Website: https://justinesnacks.com/category/recipes/blog/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justine_snacks/
• “Justine Cooks”: https://justinesnacks.com/the-cook-book/

• Alex Beggs: https://www.alexbeggs.com
• Casey Elsass: https://www.instagram.com/caseyelsass/

“If you were cooking for your partner for Valentine’s Day with limited tools, and traveling to see them, what would you make that could check all the boxes for Valentine’s Day?” - Sabina

• Justine’s soft plug for her Rosemary Orange Cake: https://justinesnacks.com/?s=rosemary+orange+cake
• “Foodheim” by Eric Wareheim: https://cultflav.com/products/eric-wareheim-foodheim

“I was wondering if you had any favorite vegan or accidentally vegan recipes?” - Elizabeth

• “Mission Vegan” by Danny Bowien: https://cultflav.com/products/danny-bowien-mission-vegan
• Bryn plugs Justine’s "‘Nduja But Not" recipe from her new cookbook
• Vegan Coconut Lentil Soup by Claire Saffitz: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/vegan-coconut-lentil-soup
• Justine’s favorite leftover dish — Kabocha Squash & Fennel Soup: https://justinesnacks.com/kabocha-squash-and-fennel-soup/
• Bryn’s favorite — Oil Tteokbokki by Paik Jong Won: https://youtu.be/CQZyh-OszCo?si=v46voKfMX-s0YW2Z

Thanks to Justine for coming on the show! Thanks to Sabina and Elizabeth for submitting questions! Thank you for listening! As always, if you’ve got a question, you can post it in #going-off or call 424-419-3528. 

• Brami Lupini Beans - chili and lime is the best flavor
• Wok Review that inspired our strong opinions this week: https://youtu.be/p1k3iRAvnn8?si=XlOz8ck-JEl1MMAQ
• The Tucci Cookbook: https://cultflav.com/products/stanley-tucci-the-tucci-cookbook
• Cutting off the ends of the steak story - The Pot Roast Principle
• Khao Soi recipe YouTube video
• Sqirl's Milk Jam Menu Item
• Lil Sagna X Recipe
• Lil Sagna X YouTube Video
• Thanksgiving ramen recipe
• Curry Pan in short crust from Budonoki
• Sarah's birthday cake recipe inspired by Tucci's traditional flaky cake
• Sarah's cookie recipe - her first recipe
• Matty Matheson's third cookbook review on YouTube
• Anne Geddes - she's still at it!

"What is your 'only weird if it doesn't work' thing in the kitchen?" - Drew

• Sarah's Cheese Gloves
• Bryn's Mayo recipe
• Bryn's Hollandaise recipe

"Do you have some all time favorite foundational cookbooks that you'd recommend? And do you have any plans to review classic cookbooks?" - Zach

• The Flavies
• Sandwiches of history
• Anti-chef
• An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey
• Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish
• Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
• Sarah's Review of Start Here on YouTube
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
• All Under Heaven by Carolyn Phillips
• Flavorful Origins on Netflix

If you’ve got a question, you can post it in our #going-off channel or call 424-419-3528

• Coq au Vin reference recipe
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Sarah roasts Bryn by saying he'll add a balloon like Mike Bagale
• Pav Bhaji
• Ropa Vieja
• French Onion Soup
• Pao de queijo (but Bryn actually meant Dadinho de Tapioca)

Thanks for hanging out with us and thank you to Drew and Zach for asking some great questions. As always, if you’ve got a question, you can post it in #going-off or call 424-419-3528.

THINGS MENTIONED:

• Tochi popcorn (try the Ube flavor) - https://tochisnacks.com/products/tochi-popcorn
• Red Dye #3 Ban announcement Jan 15, 2025 - https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-revoke-authorization-use-red-no-3-food-and-ingested-drugs
• What's the Delaney Clause? - https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-82-3
• Who's supporting the ban? - https://www.cspinet.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/Red%203%20petition_24%20Oct%202022_FINAL%20%281%29.pdf
• CSPI is publishing sensational articles - https://www.cspinet.org/press-release/red-3-fda-petition
• Consumer Reports Advocacy Efforts - https://www.consumerreports.org/issue/food-safety?INTKEY=I000G0000
• What is EWG? - https://www.ewg.org
• Sprinklegate - https://www.npr.org/2021/10/15/1046348573/sprinklegate-sinks-a-u-k-bakerys-top-sellers-after-topping-is-found-to-be-illega
• Yoga mat chemical in bread - https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/06/286886095/almost-500-foods-contain-the-yoga-mat-compound-should-we-care-keep
• Eating PTFE to lose weight study - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4928218/#:~:text=There%20is%20strong%20evidence%20supporting,extreme%20inertness%20of%20the%20material.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT:

• "I desperately need help explaining to my granola boyfriend that seed oils aren't bad. Any chance you guys can super break this down? I know you already touch on oils a bit" - Kristen
• P.s. Kristen or Dyyylan if you're reading this, please know that we're just joking about breaking up. Please don't take our jokes too personally. We're sure Dyyylan (not his actual name) is a lovely person.

As a reminder, if you want to ask questions, go post em in the #going-off channel on cultflav.com/community or call 424-419-FLAV (that’s 424-419-3528).

FOLLOW HYDROXIDE!

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hydroxide?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hydroxide.foodscience
• Cameo: https://www.cameo.com/hydroxide?utm_source=talent_undefined&utm_medium=talent_social&utm_campaign=profile_share&utm_content=dynamic_profile_card_new&_height=982&_width=1512&%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=1372706244231321495&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXL9NLTsxNzddLzs%2FVT9UP9arwLU0xtkgKTLKPL89MKcmwNTQ1NFKLz0jNTM8osbW0MFKrK0pNSy0qysxLj08qyi8vTi2yDU5MSyzKBAAKZWreUwAAAA%3D%3D

THAT'S IT!

Thanks for watching the show! As a reminder we have a community page on our website where you can chat with folks about this epsiode over at https://cultflav.com/community. Check it out.

THINGS MENTIONED

• Nada Moo intro: https://nadamoo.com
• Kat Ensign gave a middling review of a restaurant in San Francisco called Hamburger Project where she referred to their food as “good, not great”: https://nypost.com/2025/01/04/us-news/chef-geoffrey-lee-quits-restaurants-after-spat-with-influencer/
• Internet Shaquille: https://www.patreon.com/shaq
• Peinao Review: https://youtu.be/Zkfb9aTyNpo?si=E-NQ0R8wHQYcBIQI
• Peinao DMs: https://ehhb6mu6qg.ufs.sh/f/1GCkiCEkTCfJkJ1VBblAtTarEy1wQDbfd80nmRXBV94gFscC
• There are plenty of reviewers out there who rely on brand partnerships to stay afloat: https://prudentreviews.com/partnerships/
• Matty Matheson review where people said we were biased: https://youtu.be/3ByP2I5fYDA?si=0ESdH1Y4HPxL8moM
• “Why Academics Stink at Writing” by Steven Pinker: https://grad.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Why-Academics-Stink-at-Writing-1-2.pdf
• PubMed aggregator disclaimer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/

HOW TO BE WRONG ON THE INTERNET

1. Honesty.
   Getting something wrong isn’t inherently bad because you can learn from it, but if it seems like someone’s actively lying or purposefully twisting the truth — that’s unacceptable.
2. Show your work.
   Cite your sources, talk through your logic for how you got to the conclusion you did.
3. Don’t get too invested in being right.
   The more indignant you are, the more defensive you tend to get AND the bigger target you paint on your back for people to try to prove you wrong. Which means you will very likely be proven wrong and it will be more painful to learn from it rather than digging in further.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
"How do you use pork shoulder?"

• Kimchi Raikkonen: https://cultflav.com/recipes/kimchi-raikkonen
• David Chang-style Bo Ssam: Just coat it in brown sugar and salt, then roast it for a few hours til it falls apart. Roll it up in lettuce with some rice and ginger scallion sauce.
• Pulled pork sandwiches are fire, Sarah actually wrote a phenomenal homemade Carolina-Style bbq sauce recipe designed SPECIFICALLY for pulled pork sandwiches called None Too Bright that we used to sell: https://cultflav.com/recipes/none-too-bright

"What do you use cabbage for?"

• I said green cabbage, but napa or savoy are very good for my akira tareyama recipe: https://cultflav.com/recipes/akira-tareyama
• Sai Krok Isaan is one of our absolute favorites which is a northeastern thai-style sausage that is easy to buy frozen, tastes amazing, and is often served with chopped cabbage, sliced red onion, ginger, and peanuts: https://grocerythai.com/Cured-Pork-w-Rice-(E-Sarn-Sausage),-Champ
• Chakalaka, which is like a South African cross between kimchi and chutney is great on a grilled cheese. We made that for our In Bibi’s Kitchen review a while back: https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9781984856739
• I’m also a sucker for a salted cabbage salad with sumac, which Dune, one of our fav lunch spots here in LA tends to put on everything: https://www.dunekitchen.com

"TF is a lime leaf?"

• Don't use this word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_lime

HOW TO GET ON THE SHOW
If you would like to ask us a question on the show either call 424-419-FLAV (3528) or post at cultflav.com/community/going-off

BEAN MILK CHALLENGE FEAT. RADICCHIO SALAD

• Radicchio Salad Website: https://www.radicchiosalad.com
• Radicchio Salad YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RadicchioSalad
• Radicchio Salad Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radicchiosalad/

👋Ok, that's all for this week! Thanks for watching!

p.s. We've got a community page up on our website to chat about this episode over at https://cultflav.com/community/going-off

The Flavies are a celebration of cooking and food from the year! These aren't necessarily the best thing period by some objective measure — they’re just our faves from this year. Next year, we plan to get nominations from a bunch of our favorite food creators and then ask you to vote on them so they can be YOUR favs to make it a whole thing. 

The Drink It In Award Is for the beverages that kept us hydrated through long cookbook reviews and late nights writing. We basically only drink water, coffee, tea, and alcohol, but this year, these were the standouts:

Runner's Up: 

• Mom Water - lemon and water 
• YUZUCO Yuzu Super Juice: https://www.theyuzu.co
• Sparkling Botanicals - Black Lemon Tea: https://rishi-tea.com/collections/sparkling-botanicals/products/black-lemon-sparkling-botanicals?variant=44376706646266

🏆 Winner: Mezcal Amarás Verde: https://mezcalamaras.com/en/products/mezcal-verde

The Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Award is for the snacks that we just couldn’t put down this year:

Runners up

• Gelato Boy Salted Cookies and Cream: https://gelatoboy.com/products/salty-cookies-cream
• Sambal Goreng by Bungkus Bagus: https://bungkusbagusla.com/products/sambal-goreng-bulk-jar

🏆 Winner

• bougie pringles aka The Good Crisp Company’s Potato Crisps: https://www.thegoodcrispcompany.com/collections/all

Our favorite food content…

The Wait, it got HOW MANY VIEWS Award!? Is for the food trends that took over all of our FYP pages — and occasionally our hearts. This year, there were really only two major contenders that took off on our side of the internet:

Runner up

• Turkish Pasta: https://www.tiktok.com/@anna..paull/video/7432950686737845522?q=turkish pasta&t=1736656998864

🏆 Winner

• Logan’s Korean Pickled Cucumbers: https://www.tiktok.com/@logagm/video/7404231127738748166

Getting us through it award: Is for the comfort-watch food creators who did just that. 2024 was a rough year for a lot of people and the coziness that these creators embraced made it a little better for all of us.

Runners up

• @daywithmei Mei Liao: https://www.tiktok.com/@daywithmei
• @twopeoplecooking aka Hailee Catalano and Chuck Cruz: https://www.tiktok.com/@2peoplecooking

🏆 Winner

• Jamie Tracy aka Anti-Chef: https://www.youtube.com/@antichef

The Lunchtime Achievement Award: This one's for up-and-coming food creators (somewhere around 100k followers or less) 🏆 Winner

• @hydroxide: https://www.tiktok.com/@hydroxide

The Finally, Food TV Worth Watching When You’re Not In a Hotel Room Award

Runners Up

• Delicious in Dungeon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicious_in_Dungeon
• Culinary Class Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culinary_Class_Wars

🏆 Winner

• Gastronauts: https://www.dropout.tv/gastronauts

Misen Comeback Brand of the Year Award: This is for brands who went through bankruptcy and came back and it’s designed to only go to one specific brand and it’s right there in the name.

🏆 Winner

• Misen: https://misen.com

The Wait, Wait Hear Me Out Award: Goes to our favorite innovations in cookware this year — things that really shook up a traditional formula.

Runners Up

• Our Place Always Pan Pro: https://fromourplace.com/products/titanium-always-pan-pro?variant=44381106045122
• Breville Control Freak Home: https://www.breville.com/en-us/product/bmc800
• Ninja Crispi: https://www.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system-zidFN101GY

🏆 Winner

• Strata Carbon Steel Skillet: https://www.stratacookware.com/product-page/10-strata-carbon-steel-clad-frying-pan

The Huge If True Award Goes to our most anticipated products announced for next year. Products that look truly futuristic, but we’re cautiously optimistic.

🏆 Winner

• ImpulseLabs Induction Cooktop: https://www.impulselabs.com

The Doin it Write Award Kinda like the writing category in our cookbook reviews, but extended beyond just cookbooks.

Runner up

• The Food of Southern Thailand (Austin Bush): https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9780393541694

🏆 Winner

• Radicchio Salad: The Zine (Radicchio Salad): https://www.radicchiosalad.com

The Fork Me Award This goes to the best recipe we made this year — that we didn’t write of course — and luckily we made all of these on camera at some point, so you should hopefully have context for all of em!

Runners Up

• Vanilla Pavlova with Cocoa and Citrus from Start Here: https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9780593320464
• Beef Rendang from Coconut & Sambal: https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9781526603517
• Soft Gingerbread Cookie from Tartine: https://amzn.to/40sCotb

🏆 Winner

• Dukkah-Crusted Lamb Rack with Burnt Honey Gastrique from Make It Fancy: https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9781668004241

Stained Pages Award This is essentially the flavor award, which, for us is the biggest deal. It’s the cookbook that had not only the most smashes for us, but the smashes that we returned to the most…

Runners up

• Veg-Table (Nik Sharma): https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9781797216317
• Start Here (Sohla El-Waylly): https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9780593320464

🏆Winner

• Make It Fancy (Brandon Skier): https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9781668004241

---

QUESTIONS

If you would like to ask us a question on the show either Call 424-419-FLAV (3528) or post at cultflav.com/community/going-off

---

5 TOOLS DESERT ISLAND 

Sarah's Tools

1. MAC 7.25" Cook's Knife: https://www.macknife.com/products/chef-series-7-1-4-utility-knife
2. BOOS Butcher Block: https://amzn.to/4h8Ix3o
3. Granite Mortar & Pestle: https://amzn.to/4gQ0eVN
4. Demeyere Industry5: 3qt Satute Pan: https://amzn.to/4jr3Dfx
5. NordicWare Naturals Quarter Sheetpans: https://amzn.to/42c7neE

Bryn's Tools

1. Smithey 7.25qt Dutch Oven: https://smithey.com/products/7-25-qt-dutch-oven?variant=43050463395997
2. Kudu Grill 3: https://kudugrills.com/products/kudu-grill-3-0
3. Hituhira Chukka Bocho: https://bernalcutlery.com/products/hitohira-nihonkou-220mm-chukka-bocho-chinese-cleaver-sk-carbon-steel
4. Sakai Takayuki 180mm Honesuki: https://bernalcutlery.com/products/sakai-kikumori-nihonkou-180mm-garasuki-carbon-steel?_pos=1&_sid=d73df13ec&_ss=r
5. Korean Earthenware Pot - Onggi: https://onggi.com/products/onggi

👋 Thanks for watching!

p.s. We've got a community page up on our website to chat about this episode over at https://cultflav.com/~cultflav/going-off

This week, we've got strong opinions about algae oil, and tangentially seed oils. We answer some listener questions about olive oil, ghee, PAM, and preventing oil splatter while cooking. Then we round it all off with an introduction to our personal ingredient tastes in the form of a "must-have ingredients" draft.

Sources

• Richard Harder and Hans von Witsch
• Global Algae Oil Market
• Algae Cooking Club Investors

Other References

• Good take from Internet Shaquille: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIKFuUnfeW4
• Good take from Dr. Jessica Knurick: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYpYrkNj/
• Harold McGee on Olive Oil: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/dining/17curious.html

If you'd like us to answer a question on the show just give us a call at 424-419-FLAV OR post at cultflav.com/community/GOING-OFF

Thanks for listening! 

You asked for more Cult Flav? Well, you got it (and if not... keep it to yourself.) 

We're starting a weekly podcast to go deeper on home cooking — whether that's exploring more of the research behind our videos, answering your questions, or even interviewing other food creators and folks who make products for home cooks.

If this is the first time you're hearing about us, hello — we've been expecting you!

We're Bryn and Sarah, and we make content and build community around cooking at home over at cultflav.com. We started all of this in 2018 and eventually found an audience through cookbook and cookware reviews because we have strong opinions, but the main one is just that home cooks deserve better than what the industry's been giving us.

See you on Sundays! 

p.s. If you want to get eyes on these sweet mugs, we'll also be posting video versions of each episode over on YouTube.