(S9 E2) Get ready to drink your meal! That's right - you heard it here first - and it's not what you think. Meal-flavored cocktails are amongst the wildest trends predicted for 2024. Rick and Kate give you a quick review of 2023 trends before launching into the highlights of '24. Get ready to review your frozen food section as changes are coming. Be prepared to enjoy "small luxuries" (in both senses of the word). Do you have the right appliance to trend with the rest of the country? And exactly how will you encounter buckwheat? Also, up for discussion is a couscous meal and a feast including... wait for it... meat chips!
Fly me to Chicago: Rick Visits Kate
(S9 E1) To celebrate the launch of season 10, Rick flies to Chicago so he and Kate can kick things off right. On the menu is an at-first weird, but ultimately tasty, roasted cauliflower and arugula salad. Also, a New Year's Eve dinner at a tasty Italian restaurant, and a brunch at a Chicago institution are things you won't want to miss. Have you ever tried Ina Garten's caramelized onion dip? Have you ever gone to Costco on New Year's Eve? Well they did, and they have the 411. A mushroom soup and a dinner prepared by a friend are up for discussion in the What I Ate section.
Lentil up: types, tips, and favorite recipes
(S8 E22) Find out why this 8000 year old plant is still popular today. Versatile, healthy, and affordable, it can be the side dish or the main star of your table. They can serve either as the star or supporting player in soups, stews, fritters, salads, chilis, burgers, and curries. Also they are replete with spiritual meaning. In the Jewish culture, lentils are an important food whose round shape symbolizes the cycle of life. In Arabic culture lentils are asassociated with prosperity. Many other cultures attach significance to lentils as well, including Italian and Hungarian people who consumed lentils on BBC New Year's Eve to being about wealth and prosperity since they can be shaped like coins. Whatever your draw is, Kate and Rick talk about the different types of lentils, and also provide some amazing ways to prepare and consume them. Also on the discussion block is a carrot, leek, and miso soup and a carbonara pizza.
What we ate: wonton ravioli, slaw, and sausage casing
(S8 E21) Rick and Kate have another fun and informative chat about what they have been cooking and eating lately. Share their pride in clearing out their fridges and freezers while making delicious meals out of random leftovers! Learn about the South Indian dish curd rice, and the North Indian dish lasooni palak. Do you know how to make a decent pizza crust out of freaking quinoa?! Listen in and find out, friends!
Full of piss and vinegar: Kate and Rick get acidic
(S8 E20) You probably have at least one bottle of vinegar in your cabinet... and if you are similar to one of the podcast hosts, you might have 15. What exactly is vinegar and what are its uses? Kate and Rick have the 411 on this important and transformational item used in many dishes for millenia. How is it made? What is it made of? Are there a few vinegars everyone should have in their cabinet? Tune in to find out. Also, in the What I Ate section there is a visit to a DC restaurant run by a famous chef from Hong Kong, and a dish nostalgically referred to as "chicken thing."
No bad apples: Eye on this bountiful, hardy treat
(S8 E19) Do you know how many varieties of apples exist?! It's probably way more than you think. Rick and Kate are here to help you break down this delicious and ubiquitous fruit, and share their favorite tips. Where do apples come from? What can you do with them? Which varieties are best suited for what application? Sweet, savory, or both? Listen and get inspired. The What I Ate segment also includes an inspiring left-over dinner and a lentil "cacciatore."
Getting cozy: The flavors of Fall
(S8 E18) A recipe for an amazing corn chowder starts off the Fall flavors episode, and you don’t want to miss the special trick that creates the flavor profile. Kate and Rick cover all things Fall, from the flavors to “sweater weather,” to a quiz from the producer that covers statistics on falling. This episode has it all: figs, apples, pears, maple, chai. Oh, and if you're looking for pumpkin spice, check our back catalogue for a previous episode all about that wildly popular flavor!
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The Eyes Have It: It’s potato time
(S8 E17) Where do they come from? How long have they been around? And what are they good for? Kate and Rick bring you the 411 on everything potato. Which ones are good for potato salad? How do you make the perfect baked potato? From fried to boiled, mashed to roasted, puréed to flaked, there’s a lot of versatility in these little tubers. Their producer stops by with a quiz on this tasty crop, and one of them may be bringing some really bad spud jokes.
What We Ate: Full episode about our latest delights
(S8 E16) Rick and Kate have for your listening pleasure a full extended episode of What They Ate Last Night! Learn some tasty recipes and surprising tips as they discuss recent successes (and not-so-much-successes) from their cooking and dining. Do you know what you can do with leftover whey if you make your own paneer or ricotta? How about knowing when flour is past its prime? Apparently making one's own green and yellow curry pastes is possible and not even that hard. Also included are tips for making your own pesto and various uses for green beans.
FITP (Part Two): Hibiscus cheese, Old Bay Gold Fish, and a fake priest
(S8 E15) Kate and Rick are back with part two of their summer Flash In The Pan series focusing on food news and trends that are always interesting, mostly amusing, and sometimes scary. From the rise of savory cocktails to a new flavor of Kit Kat, to one of our favorite product lines possibly going bankrupt, they have it all. Did you know there is a chef banning vegans from his restaurant? What copycat snacks are being cracked down on by the FTC? And how will the English people be hit in the wallet this year? Up for the digesting in the What I Ate section is an Italian style farro and a Senegalese peanut stew.
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FITP: (Part One) Chains making changes, price gouging, and probably cannibalism
(S8 E14) It’s that time of the year when we bring you the latest and most exciting trends and news stories. Kate and Rick keep their fingers on the pulse of the food world to deliver you surprising and ridiculous hot topics. Find out how the creators of South Park are trying out the newest model for paying servers, who has created a spoiled food detector, and why a renewed ancient fad in China may be hard to swallow. This is only part one of two parter. Up for discussion on the What I Ate section is homemade orange shrimp and kung pao tofu.
Let's Go Out: Dining Al Fresco
(S8 E13) Ahhh…the great outdoors! Summer is here and it brings to mind hiking, biking, walking and…eating outside! Along with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, it also means there is no better time to think about meeting your friends in the fresh air of summer. What dishes are the best to prepare (or buy) to make your outdoor dining experience memorable? Fancy picnics may have originated so hunting parties could get a protein boost before battling the animals of the estate, but no animals were hurt in the recording of this episode. So, whether you will be dining outdoors at restaurants, or the wilds of someone’s yard, Rick and Kate have tips and techniques to keep you safe and satiated. Also, a chicken chili and a pea and wasabi dip are on the menu for discussion this week.
Tik Tok viral recipes: Does trendy = good?
(S8 E12) Get ready for a rundown of food trends rocking Tik Tok! From the legendary "Tik tok pasta" to cloud bread, from corn ribs to a sushi bake, some fun (and not so fun) things people are making popular. Kate and Rick bring you some of the most interesting ideas, as well as some odd ones. They share the ideas they would try, and also the suspicious ones that seem like fails. Are these trends helpful, necessary, or simply entertaining? Also up for discussion is fancy-schmancy afternoon tea, and a homemade Maa Ki Dal.
The Humble Oat: Mighty and Nutritious
(S8 E12) Oats are one of the most nutritionally rich and widely available grains to help us manage our diet. Kate and Rick talk about the many uses for this ancient grain in your diet. Should you use rolled or steel cut oats in overnight oats? How do you use them in ice cream or oat milk? How about bread? Have you had savory oatmeal? These versatile seeds contain soluble fiber and antioxidants which support several systems in the body and have other health benefits. Also up for discussion in the What I Ate section is a special type of mayo on a tomato sandwich, and a butter bean (aka lima bean) curry.
Hand pies: portable, flavorful, and universal
(S8 E11) Nearly every culture has a hand pie, and for good reason. Rick and Kate talk about what constitutes a legit hand pie, and of course they discuss their favorites. Cornwall is famous for its pasty, Latin America for its empanadas, and Asia has the samosa and Xian Bing -- and that’s just the beginning of the list! Which country’s hand pie will be your favorite? Kate and Rick also give you plenty of info to try your hand at making them at home. Also discussed in the What I Ate section are celebrity chef Ottolenghi’s miso butter onions, and homemade pot pie muffins (that you hold in your hand...).
Umami: The Fifth Taste
(S8 E10) Umami is a word that has taken over cooking shows, recipes, and reviews all over America, being thrown around the way a chef throws salt over her shoulder. But what does it really mean? Kate and Rick explain this fifth basic taste, discuss its health benefits and composition, and give examples of how and when to use it. This word may have originated in Japan and Asian cuisine, but the taste of umami is found in ingredients and cuisines throughout the world. Often described as a savory, meaty, or earthy taste, it is a key to cooking more delicious food and it is easily available. From enhancing food, to enhancing flavor satisfaction, to lowering the need for salt, come find out all about this amazing taste. Also up for discussion is an umami-rich asparagus leek soup.
Pasta-bilities: Shapes, flavors, and our favorite recipes
(S8 E9) Get ready for a tasty episode! Kate and Rick are breaking down their favorite pasta dishes and you can almost taste it through your speakers. Rumor has it there are over 350 different shapes of pasta - how can anyone decide? Turns out they each have a particular use! Tune in to learn what shapes go best with which types of sauce. Rick and Kate offer specialized tips and techniques to make your pasta dishes even more flavorful. YWBWIALN's producer Janice also stops by with a pasta quiz for Kate. On the butcher block for discussion are empanadas and a tasty pasta in vodka sauce.
Flash in the Pan: Peeps flavored soda, a 3D printed tongue, and a foot long potato chip
(S8 E7) Kate and Rick are back with the most current and breaking news in the food world. From lab grown meat to seasonal Easter treats, their list is fun and fresh. What are the latest (and occasionally weird) beverages coming from Starbucks? Get the dirt on this year's foods with most and least pesticide concerns (known as the dirty dozen and clean dozen). Do you know how most Americans plan on eating their Easter bunny this year? And straight from America’s Test Kitchen, they bring you the hot new gadgets and devices trending in home kitchens. Also up for discussion is a chick pea and kale curry and a beautifully served Rama chicken.
Soy Excited!: Tofu, edamame, and isoflavones
(S8 E6) Soy - the good, the bad, and the tasty. What is the Harvard School of Public Health saying about this sometimes controversial, and often derided, bean? (Spoiler: it seems like a healthy choice). Do you know the many forms/uses of soy? Also, what are some simple ways you can incorporate it into your meal planning, and when should you avoid it? Also, a lengthy discussion about tofu that had never o’curd to Kate and Rick until now. You may soydom use tofu, but have you considered it as a meat replacement one day a week? Also, a breakdown of what they ate last night: classic kung pao shrimp and pork vindaloo.
How the Body Fights Diets: And Why Rick and Kate Are So Pissed About It
(S8 E5) For this episode, Kate and Rick reach back into the vault of past seasons. Do you know anyone who has NEVER had to diet? Kate and Rick do, and they are pissed about it! Dieting doesn’t work! Did you know that? Well, if not, Rick and Kate are here to break the big news stories. Join them as they share and dissect an article entitled “How Your Body Fights Back When You Diet.” This article makes Kate and Rick so angry they had to issue their first cursing disclaimer! Metabolism, genetics, and neurology all contribute to the body waging fat warfare. That innate resistance, coupled with social stigma, ultimately produces a vicious cycle between weight loss, weight gain, and despair! Oh, they also talk about that annoying concept of will power. If anyone has ever told you “all you have to do is eat like me,” or “just be stronger,” this episode is for you. And if you have ever told anyone that, or even thought it in a well-meaning way, this episode is DEFINITELY for you.