Showing results by narrator "Jim Coleman" in All Categories

Food is all encompassing: how we buy it, store it, and celebrate with it. On today's show, we'll look at our relationship to food, from simple bananas to an unusual place to dine where the waiters are visually impaired and you eat in the dark. A cultural psychologist examines how we perceive what's on our plates, and we'll hear about "The Short History of the American Stomach". And, if you think you'd like to win the Pillsbury Bake-off contest, hear how one woman took the prize.

Fall ushers in the last of the garden harvest--and after a fast paced summer, we're returning to slow, autumn cooking. So, today's show is a little autumn stew - a few ingredients, some cooking techniques and time spent in the kitchen. Ingredients like tomatoes. Heirloom, of course. We recall a conversation with Paula Wolfert about slow, Mediterranean cooking. And if you think wine education has to be formal and stuffy, you haven't seen Gary Vaynerchuk.

There's nothing like getting in the kitchen to cure mid-winter blues. Homemade stocks and soups are great to put away in the freezer for when you don't feel like cooking in warmer weather. And long simmering steams the windows up a bit and adds a welcoming aroma to the house. Today's show features Michael Ruhlman on stocks and Grace Parisi on sauces. We'll also talk to Danny Meyer about being a restaurateur. Also, the history and fate of one of the most popular fruits. Plus seven tips to a longer and healthier life.

We've got a dragnet out - for hot food finds! The Hungry Detective shows us how to investigate the foodie scene. And, while we're hot on the trail discover Brazil. Cool down with a trip to Iceland and a new vodka. Or maybe a dish of gelato. Green Tea is top of the list for both hot and cold beverages. And if you are still hot on your pledge to lose a few pounds, we have tips for cooking tofu. Plus, Our Lady of Weight Loss.

Etiquette and eating. Everybody always has questions. On today's show we'll try get some answers, as well as a little etiquette history. We'll also find out what happens when things go wrong in dinner disasters. Then, travel around the world with dumplings. But we won't stop there. Our journey continues along the spice trail of the Indian Ocean. We'll visit with a scientist who has reviewed the health benefits of red wine, and talk to a baker about the essentials of a very special chocolate blend.

So, you're on a picnic this weekend. Take a look at the table. We have so many different influences on our cuisine. On today's show we'll take a look at what America eats. Josh Ozersky, our Mr. Cutlets, says there's one food that is categorically American -- the hamburger. And if it is grass fed and raised on the prairie, then even more so! Discover an unpublished WPA project with Pat Willard as she traces the meals and foodways of this writer's project.

It's time to spice things up a bit! We'll follow our own spice trail, beginning with the history of three influential spice cities. Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi reveals how to layer lots of flavors. Plus her secrets for staying model thin and still eat those celebrity chef meals. Later, learn how to make amazingly light vegan cupcakes. Discover chocolate with Clay Gordon, and the world's most expensive coffee.

Food can show you the world. It can be about geography, politics, and culture - and sometimes it's just about what tastes good! But each of these things has boundaries. Today's show explores some. We'll have a scientific look at foods that can be one person's delicacies and another's "yuk". We talk to Lidia Bastianich about the changing boundaries in her childhood and regional pasta. Raymond Sokolov has 101 vegetable ideas and a look at the many regional cuisines of India.

If you are in the mood to grab your passport, or just want to think about faraway places, today's show takes us to some unusual destinations. We'll go to Tasmania for an exotic honey. Then, a big jump to France to explore the style of King Louis XIV. Discover the lure of Indonesia, plus life on a European houseboat, foods of the southwest, and our monthly wine recommendation.

Whether you're a full-time chef, an interested hobby cook, or just have to get dinner on the table, there's always room for inspiration! On today's show we'll look at teachers, mentors and friends. We begin with Alice Waters talking about the development of her food philosophy. Bobby Flay and Jonathan Waxman weigh in on their mentors. And if you've ever used a cookbook by Julia Child or Marion Cunningham, you'll enjoy their legendary editor, Judith Jones.

Passover and Easter are coming up. On this show, finally learn how to prepare the perfect hard boiled egg! The author of What Einstein Told His Cook 2 provides the scientific secret. Discover how one Jewish family kept Passover traditions in rural Scotland and then journey to the land of olive oil and honey for a taste of foods of biblical times. Also, find out how a millionaire built a town out of chocolate and left a legacy for troubled youth, and more.

Opening Day of Major League Baseball...it's almost a national holiday! With a new season in full swing, it's a good time to take a look at fresh starts everywhere. America's favorite pediatrician, Dr. Brazleton, gives parents some advice on using breakfast to the fullest advantage. And one woman's answer to divorce was to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia... not a bad way to start a new life! Anya von Bremzen stops by to talk about "The New Spanish" cuisine.

What does hunger mean to you? We all know physical hunger in varying degrees, of course. But hunger can be a longing for home and the food that represents it, or a quest for knowledge about a subject. It's a big word, hunger. On today's show we look at its many forms. We begin by comparing a week's worth of groceries of 30 families around the globe. Then, we take a look closer to home and see how rising food costs are affecting America's poor.

We're honoring all the dads out there today. So whether you're a dad, have a dad, or think you'd like to be a dad, join us for a toast to fathers! Italian winemaker Angelo Gaja talks about tradition, innovation, and ushering in the fifth generation to this venerable business. We'll hear from a family who took a nine-year-olds' diabetes diagnosis and created a business to make life easier for other diabetics. And if you have a culinary quandary, James Peterson has the answer to at least 484 of them.

Today we're having a little midsummer night's fun! We'll take an insider's romp through the crazy restaurant business with John Delucie. He's the chef/partner of New York's famed The Waverly Inn and tells quite a tale in his memoir, Hunger: The Story of Food, Desire, and Ambition. Plus, it seems the culinary gods can be cruel. France, once the Mount Olympus of cookery, is getting a bad rap these days.

Today's show is a tribute to farmers, starting with a visit to the Pennsylvania Farm Show earlier this year. It's a big expo with just about everything farm related you can imagine. Our favorite? Tractor square dancing! We'll taste some artisanal cheeses from Vermont Butter and Cheese, stop by Shelburne Farms educational center, and visit the research and development farm at Burpee Seed.

If you eat out or use prepared foods - and who doesn't - you have to navigate the nutritionals. There are mine fields everywhere. Today, we'll discover amazing swaps that save fat and calories from the co-author of Eat This Not That. Michael Pollan defends our food supply and why we may want to reach deeper into our pockets for our next meal.

Sugar plays a starring role on Valentine's Day, but it's also a big part of our every day lives. We'll discover how we developed our famous sweet tooth. Our guest is Wendy Woloson, author of Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America. Later on the show; if you want to impress your Valentine this year, the hip gift isn't fancy gourmet chocolates. It's a blast from the past: retro candy!

No doubt you are in the throws of the holiday entertaining. Want to make your life a little easier? Make a cheese platter! Terrance Brennan stops by to offer some tips. Later we hear about Chinatown's dim sum and Corrine Trang offers curries from around the world. The Registered Dietician known as the "digestive diva" helps us with some common tummy troubles. For our holiday story, the son of a famous writer reveals how he left a life of privilege and learned how to be happy. Plus, visit Shelburne Farms, discover the world of flexitarianism and tips for cooking for a crowd.

Time can be a great ingredient. On today's show we talk about aging...from wine and sausages to father-son relationships. We'll also talk with Delilah Winder about soul food, a cuisine that has been handed down from generation to generation. Her Mac-and-Cheese recipe was deemed "the best" by Oprah. Plus, Graham Kerr's healthy life on the road and more.