When Nadiya Hussain competed on The Great British Bake Off in 2015, it seemed like all of Britain — from self-proclaimed #Nadiyators to the prime minister — was rooting for her. Since then, she’s hosted TV shows, written best-selling books, and become a household name in the UK. But the transformation we focus on in this conversation is the one that has taken place within her. She talks with Dan about growing up in a British Bangladeshi family where no one baked, developing recipes based on the food she ate as a child, and speaking up about racism and sexism in food media. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

To say that hydration is an invention is only a slight exaggeration. Water bottles have become a crucial accessory — a status symbol. How did that happen? This week we bring you an episode from our friends at the Slate podcast Decoder Ring. They investigate how bottled water transformed itself from a small, European luxury item to the single largest beverage category in America. It took savvy marketing from brands like Gatorade and Perrier, who pushed the idea that dehydration was a pervasive problem to be solved. Today hydration is a wellness cure-all, but the science doesn’t exactly match the marketing. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Just as summer is really starting to heat up, so is the classic debate: Is a hot dog a sandwich? We revisit one of The Sporkful’s most popular episodes — one that has come to define Dan’s career (and still dominates his Twitter mentions). In front of a live audience in 2015, Dan staked his bold claim that the hot dog is indeed a sandwich, while comedian and ersatz judge John Hodgman argued the opposing position. Nothing was off-limits in this tense face-off: the Earl of Sandwich, hinged buns, New York State tax codes… So who will come out victorious?//

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Which kind of stove do you like better: gas or electric? This debate, and the ad campaigns that have fueled it, have been raging for over a century. While more people in the U.S. today have electric, gas stoves have won the battle for prestige -- chefs prefer it. But now, the gas stove is at the center of a much bigger fight about climate change, as gas companies use the gas stove to try to ensure their future. Sporkful producer Andres O’Hara explains, then tries to convince Dan, a gas stove loyalist, to try a different way of cooking. Hint: It uses magnets. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We open the phone lines to settle your most contentious food disputes this week. Eliza wants to wipe her oily hands on her bare legs — is her boyfriend Connor right to object? Then, Natalie thinks she’s entitled to half of what her husband Josh cooks, even though he’s generally hungrier. What’s the fairest way to divvy up meals? To answer these questions, Dan enlists the help of Drew Magary and David Roth, the extremely opinionated co-hosts of The Distraction podcast and co-founders of Defector Media. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Growing up as a Black kid in Chicago, Dr. Marcia Chatelain says she learned more about Black history from McDonald’s than from her fancy prep school. Now, as a professor of history and African American studies, Dr. Chatelain is exploring the role that McDonald’s has played in Black communities since its founding in the 1940s. In many places, McDonald’s has been a community hub and a pathway to business ownership for Black entrepreneurs. But it’s also been a tool for those seeking to preserve segregation. We dig into the chain’s complicated legacy. Plus, Dan and his family stop in at a very special McDonald’s on Long Island.  

This is the second part of our two-episode series on McDonald’s. Make sure to check out last week’s episode about the couple who hacked the infamous McDonald’s ice cream machine. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

McDonald’s ice cream machines break down so often that it's a meme. Enter Jeremy O’Sullivan and Melissa Nelson, two entrepreneurs who thought they'd hacked a solution — until McDonald’s told its franchisees not to use it. This week we talk with Jeremy, Melissa, and Andy Greenberg, the Wired reporter who first broke this story of ice cream intrigue. (This is the first of two episodes featuring stories about McDonald’s. We’ll have more next week!) //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez was 18, he was sent to prison for the first time. When he arrived, the other incarcerated men wanted to know if they could trust him — so they handed him a plate of cheesy tacos, and got to know him over that shared meal. From there, Goose learned all kinds of prison cooking tips, including how to use razor blades to boil water and the recipe for a coffee drink called a “Cadillac.” This week Goose shares some of the recipes from his cookbook, Prison Ramen — and the harrowing story of how that title dish saved his life. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Tom Colicchio bristles at the idea of a “celebrity chef.” He’s also the lead judge on Top Chef, one of the most iconic cooking competition shows of all time. This week we ask Tom: What role should TV play in a chef’s career — and does a chef need to go on TV to be successful? Plus, we talk about the future of restaurants, our national food supply, and how to solve the restaurant labor shortage. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

At 32, Ayesha Curry has built a food empire. She’s written cookbooks, hosted food TV shows, released a cookware line, and opened restaurants. Her cookbooks are influenced by her Jamaican heritage, her teenage years in North Carolina, and raising a family today in the Bay Area. This week she talks with Dan about her advice to young entrepreneurs, why people still underestimate her, and how she really feels about cooking with her kids. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.