This week it's the one recipe that can make all the difference: stock. Author Michael Ruhlman guides us through the steps to creating that essential elixir that, when well made, can turn a new cook into a good cook, or a good cook into a great one. His recipe for Basic Brown Veal Stock gets us started. Michael's new book is The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen.  Jane and Michael Stern chomp down on the "Pastraminator" at the All-Star Sandwich Bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One person says yams, another says sweet potatoes, one of them is wrong.

Los Angeles Times food and wine journalist Russ Parsons, author of How to Pick a Peach cracks the confusing codes behind yams and sweet potatoes and leaves us his recipe for Sweet Potato Puree with Hazelnut Soufflé Top. Historian Ken Albala talks beans-all 18,000 varieties in all their confounding glory. Ken is the author of Beans: A History. Zak Rosen celebrates 100 years of Faygo pop, the beloved quirky beverage from Motown. Susanna Short, author of Bundt Cake Bliss, talks the come-back gâteau and shares her recipe for Pine Nut and Chili Bundt with Chili Glaze.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• January 26, 2008 (originally aired)
• January 31, 2009 (rebroadcast)