Dave is joined in studio by chef, author, and TV host Diane Kochilas (My Greek Table on PBS) to talk about her new book, “Food Stories, Love, Athens: A Cookbook,” and to dismantle a bunch of lazy assumptions about Greek cooking.

They get into the real Athens food scene right now: young chefs, post-crisis reinvention, and why the city doesn’t cook like some stuck-in-time postcard. Diane explains how Athens food culture evolved from 1970s “bourgeois cuisine” and French-influenced bechamel to the current wave of creative, ingredient-driven cooking — and why some of the old-school dishes still absolutely slap.

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Dave, Jack, Nastassia, Quinn, Joe, and a caller turn “no-tangent Monday” into a focused run of kitchen opinions and practical technique. Jack recaps China trip eats and questions the culinary payoff of hot pot vs. the social vibe. The crew debates DIY dining (fondue, hot pot), ordering strategy, and server trust, with classic Luger/Rao’s anecdotes. Quinn’s Canadian Thanksgiving menu features turkey mole and sparks a deep dive on flour-tortilla mechanics (Sonoran/White vs. soft wheat; protein, hydration, chew).

A listener calls in with a home-martini problem: freezer gin, dilution on ice vs. stirred, chilling limits, and a batching tip (stir to proper dilution, bottle with air excluded, quick-freeze before service). Lab corner hits common pain points: rotovap foam control (vacuum “kill” venting, boil-over sensors, frit/Scotch-Brite in the vapor path, bump traps), water-core apples (why it happens, flavor/storage tradeoffs), stabilizing lacto hot sauces (xanthan ≈0.25%), and walnut-butter astringency from skins (use dairy applications to blunt tannins; next time, skin the nuts). Practical notes include how to pack Scotch bonnets for travel (dry, ventilated, non-refrigerated short-term is fine), freeze-dried berries in ice cream (account for sugar/solids), and a quick cameo of Dave’s Jäger spritz spec. Carbonated-dairy troubleshooting is queued for next week.

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On this episode of Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold welcomes culinary historian and award-winning author Michael Twitty to discuss his new book The American South. Twitty shares stories of growing up with Southern food traditions, his deep research into the region’s culinary roots, and how gardening, foraging, and heritage recipes shaped his perspective on what “Southern food” really means.

The conversation ranges from okra soup, red rice, and long-simmered green beans to the history of sweet tea, sassafras, poke salad, and rice bread. Twitty explains how dishes evolved across communities—African American, Indigenous, European, and immigrant—and why understanding migrations is key to understanding Southern cuisine. He also reflects on the challenges of translating historical recipes for modern cooks, the impact of changing agriculture on flavor, and the importance of reclaiming overlooked foodways.

Along the way, the crew trades stories about Taiwan’s cocktail bars, bison steaks, and Maryland fried chicken, while diving into listener questions on how to approach historic cookbooks and balance authenticity with adaptation.

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