I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to podcasts. No matter what time of day it is, I need something playing in my ears to either keep my mind preoccupied while I’m doing dishes or to drown out the noises in my office while I’m working. If I didn’t have podcasts I would probably have a shorter attention span because of distractions, or I’d be less likely to actually finish doing the dishes on a regular basis. I listen to podcasts of all different kinds. Some of my favorite podcasts are about food and cooking, books and writing, health and wellness, or life and home. Today, I’ll be talking about my favorite food and cooking podcasts.
Whether they walk through recipes, and talk about home cooking, or cover a wide range of topics, and leave my laughing out loud, food and cooking podcasts help get me through long, boring days at work and beyond. Here are 5 that I’m loving right now:
- Local Mouthful. Hosted by Joy Manning (editor of Edible Philly as well as many cookbooks) and Marisa McClellan (from the Food in Jars blog and books), Local Mouthful promotes “living the good life in Philly and beyond.” They discuss local Philadelphia restaurants, farmers markets, and other local haunts, as well as places outside of the Philadelphia region. So, even if you aren’t local to the Philadelphia region, you should still tune in. They always talk about what they’ve been cooking recently in their own kitchens, as well as their recipe writing/testing adventures. It’s one of my absolute favorites.
- The Splendid Table. You’ve probably heard of The Splendid Table, but if not you definitely need to be tuning into their podcast. Hosted by Francis Lam (), this podcast covers a multitude of food-centric topics. One of my recent favorites was their episode devoted to the legendary cook and cookbook author, Edna Lewis. I learned so much about Ms. Lewis as well as garnered a multitude of ideas for food essays, recipes, and blog posts of my own. I find Francis’ voice so soothing, and his laugh so infectious, that I often listen to episodes more than once to make sure I’m really absorbing everything. Please tune in, and if you can, donate to them today.
- Spilled Milk. Spilled Milk is different from all of the other food-related podcasts on this list. Hosted by Molly Wizenberg (from Orangette and Delancey) and Matthew Amster-Burton (a veteran food writer), this is truly a comedy show with a nod to the food world. Every episode centers around a different food category (e.g. Nectarines, Shokupan, and Margaritas, etc.) and they make and eat the food “and you can’t have any.” This is not a show that will supply you with new recipes to try, but it will definitely make you laugh, reminisce about your past through a food lens, and think about the history of food, all while being incredibly entertaining. Clocking in at around 30 minutes per episode, it is so easy to binge-listen to these episodes. Since they cover a new food/category every episode, it never really gets boring. Please, go listen to them now!
- Milk Street Radio. You may remember Christopher Kimball from his days at America’s Test Kitchen, but this podcast is wholly different in both range of topics covered as well as the overall tone. I’ve always found Christopher Kimball a little pretentious if I do say so myself, but I find him really engaging in this podcast. Instead of touting the “essential” or the “perfect” recipe for something (as America’s Test Kitchen does [which annoys me to no end, but we can talk about that another time]), he interviews chefs and other people in the field of food to talk about their own cooking, both in their home kitchens and beyond. There is also some interesting journalism from other creators highlighted on the show, which helps to break up the podcast nicely. One of my favorite segments is the call-in section, where listeners ask all types of questions (like how to make the perfect brownies or make gluten-free substitutions, etc.). His co-host for this segment is Sara Moulton, who I just adore. I long for the days of the Food Network before all of the competition shows where all you could watch were such gems as Sara’s Secrets and Cooking Live, but I guess that her segment on Milk Street Radio will have to do for now. I really do implore you to give it a try; I did and I’ve found that I really like it!
- The Food Chain. The Food Chain podcast takes a look at the “business, science, and cultural significance of food” as well as how food ends up on our plates around the globe. This podcast is fairly new to me, but the episodes I have listened to so far really have me interested to continue my binge-listening. It is produced by the BBC (who can do no wrong in my Anglo-obsessed eyes), and they’re taking the conversation about food out of the kitchen and into the minds and hearts of all types of people.
If you listen to any of the podcasts above, what are your favorite episodes? Are there any other podcasts that you think I should be listening to? Tag me or message me on Instagram (@bookishkitchen #thebookishkitchen) or leave a comment below! I love to hear from our followers.
