The Splendid Table

This Splendid Table Sides bonus podcast features an extended interview with Shane Mitchell, author of Far Afield. Contributor Shauna Sever talks with Mitchell about her global travels with photographer James Fisher to document stories of hospitality for the book. The discussion includes more details of their visit to a refugee camp known as The Jungle in Calais, France. Shane Mitchell also gave us her recipe for Mullah Robe, a lamb and yogurt stew inspired by a dish made for her in The Jungle by a Sudanese refugee named Rasha.


Broadcast dates for this episode:

• April 12, 2017

Mexican chef Enrique Olvera joins us this week with a conversation about modern Mexican food. His new book is Mexico from the Inside Out. Melissa Clark talks to Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard, authors of Koreatown: A Cookbook, and Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, gives us a primer on scallops. Plus Gary Nabhan explains Tucson's new UNESCO designation: City of Gastronomy.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• April 1, 2016 (originally aired)
• March 31, 2017 (rebroadcast)

What do we talk about when we talk about food? We talk about life, the fuel that keeps us alive and the spirit that makes our cultures live and breathe. We talk about what we want, what we long for, or sometimes, just what we need to get by. In this episode: conversations about the appetites of the legendary writer Jim Harrison, about the women who made American food writing before anyone called it "food writing," a look at Buddhist cooking in Japan, and with a brilliant musician on the complex ways food and music affect us. Plus, five keys to making perfect pasta!
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• March 24, 2017

We talk to Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein about her intriguing book, The Dirt Cure. Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, explains why lamb tastes like lamb, and Bee Wilson has come to believe that changing what we like to eat is the real key to tackling the obesity crisis. Her book is First Bite. Plus Katie Parla, co-author of Tasting Rome, on Rome's changing cuisine and The Sporkful's Dan Pashman on dining out in a wheelchair.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• March 18, 2016 (originally aired)
• March 17, 2017 (rebroadcast)

Managing Producer Sally Swift guest hosts this week’s show. Nopi's Yotam Ottolenghi explains his latest cookbook. Food critic Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post talks about selecting the top 10 food cities in the U.S. We get a primer in making yogurt with Cheryl Sternman Rule, author of Yogurt Culture. Lynne talks with rapper/poet Dessa about taking her food convictions with her on the road. America's Test Kitchen's Jack Bishop is back with the results from a vegan mayonnaise tasting. Plus, 20 techniques that we've learned from guests that we still use in the kitchen today.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• February 19, 2016 (originally aired)
• March 3, 2017 (rebroadcast)

Writer Rowan Jacobsen goes deep undercover to discover the otherworldly powers of tea while visiting a group of tea connoisseurs in Montreal. Longtime Hawaii resident and The Poke Cookbook author Martha Cheng discusses the history and evolution of her state's classic raw fish salad dish. Chef and Food Network host Simon Majumdar decides to become an American citizen, but not before visiting every state in the union to learn more about the people who make our country's food heritage so rich. He tells us about his many adventures and his book inspired by the journey Fed, White, and Blue. Plus, America Test Kitchen reviews a full line-up of muffin tins to fine the perfect one for your kitchen.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• February 24, 2017

Lynne Rossetto Kasper shares her retirement announcement with The Splendid Table listeners and welcomes new show host Francis Lam. Writer Lisa Napoli investigates Ray and Joan Kroc, the power couple behind the beginning of the McDonald's empire. Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine take their wonderful online food show The Perennial Plate to Ireland, where they learn about turf-smoked salmon and find themselves in unique situations with chef Katie Sanderson. Tucker Shaw from America's Test Kitchen shares his team's tips for keeping your sink, sponges and refrigerator safe and sanitary. Plus, YouTube sensation Hannah Hart on how she unexpectedly created a online community with My Drunk Kitchen.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• February 10, 2017

Guest host Melissa Clark of The New York Times heads up a big show this week when we launch a new monthly partnership with America’s Test Kitchen. The premise? Good cooks are not born, they are made. Molly Birnbaum, executive editor of Cook’s Science at America’s Test Kitchen, gives us our first lesson: how to cut an onion. Grocery stores are full of choices, or are they? Journalist Simran Sethi, author of Bread, Wine and Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love, weighs in. Matt Goulding of Roads & Kingdoms takes us deep into Japan’s food culture with his new book, Rice, Noodle, Fish. Plus Alex Stupak, author of Tacos, explains how to make tortillas at home, Sam Seneviratne, author of The New Sugar and Spice, talks spices, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper tastes six brands of apple cider vinegar.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• February 5, 2016 (originally aired)
• February 3, 2017 (rebroadcast)

There is a wonderful wide world of potatoes out there, and nearly limitless ways to cook with them. Ragavhan Iyer explores them all in his new book Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked - and Fried Too! Food writer Joe Yonan considers the hippest, new meat substitute - jackfruit - and says cooking with it doesn't come without difficulties. Although some home chefs are intimidated by sourdough starters, America's Test Kitchen's Bridget Lancaster says making one is as simple as caring for a goldfish. She invites us into her kitchen for a quick lesson. Former Culture editor Elaine Khosrova shares with us the rich history of butter. And Andrea Cherng remembers growing up in a restaurant family and talks about the importance of both Chinese and American culture to her Panda Express chain.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• January 27, 2017

What should we expect from the people who sell us food? We get an opinion from cheesemonger and food retailer Steve Jenkins. Tucker Shaw of Cook's Science reveals some new tips and tricks from America's Test Kitchen. Contributor Von Diaz talks to chef Justin Warner about his theories on flavor pairings. He is author of The Laws of Cooking, which includes the law of peanut butter and jelly and the law of gin and tonic. Walden Hill's Jennifer Milikowsky explains why she brought the European tradition of acorn-finished pork to the U.S., and Gordon Edgar, author of Cheddar, shares the cheese's history.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• January 22, 2016 (originally aired)
• January 20, 2017 (rebroadcast)