Arielle Johnson, bitters enthusiast and flavor chemical collector, joins Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez in the studio for this week’s episode of Cooking Issues. Listen in to hear Dave talk about his mashed potato nightmares, and why a swinging bucket centrifuge is the ideal centrifuge for a home kitchen. Want to cook a burger in seconds? Try ohmic heating! Later, hear answers to questions about the food safety considerations of re-using soda bottles for carbonation. Dave, Arielle, and Nastassia...
Apr 16, 2013•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 123
Today on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold hopes to make your cooking life a beach. Nastassia Lopez calls in from the beautiful beaches of Rhode Island to talk with Dave about the new Booker and Dax Searzall. What does it sear? Everything! Learn more about the safety logistics of their new contraption throughout this installment! Dave talks with some callers about pH and pickling, as well as pizza steels and their ability to stand up to uneven heat. Is it safe to use gases from paintball canisters to ...
Apr 09, 2013•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 122
Find out some alternative uses for transglutaminase on this week’s episode of Cooking Issues. Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are answering listener questions on topics from first aid to Salamander broilers. Listen in to hear how hard water affects the cooking of vegetables, and learn how you can simulate hard water with calcium hydroxide. Can transglutaminase be used to seal wounds in humans? Learn how to use pectin to preserve the shape of berries in pancakes and waffles, and find out more abo...
Apr 02, 2013•50 min•Ep. 121
Dave shares his love for gas burners on today’s episode of Cooking Issues! As always, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are in the studio to answer listener questions about all things food. Listen in to hear about a recent scandal in Denmark where pork was found in shawarma! Dave and Nastassia read off a few more name suggestions for their new torching product, as well. Tune into this episode to learn more about creating smokey, umami flavor in vegetarian dishes! Lastly, Dave wraps up the episode ...
Mar 26, 2013•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 120
Pop Rocks, vinegars, nanoparticles, and eggs- we’ve got it all on this week’s Cooking Issues. Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez begin the show with a official response from S.C. Johnson about sous vide cooking in Ziplock bags! Later, hear about the possibilities of savor Pop Rocks and open-fermentation fruit vinegars. Should nanoparticles in food a safety concern? Dave hears back from listener about some new and interesting egg peeling techniques. Can harissa sauce be made shelf-stable without the...
Mar 19, 2013•47 min•Ep. 119
Fermented saliva, quail eggs, jello wrestling, vermouth cocktails, kombucha, pressure cooking, fermented milk and bad accents are all a part of this week’s episode of Cooking Issues. Tune in as Dave Arnold does his usual routine of answering more questions than you can keep up with in under 60 minutes. No question is off limits, and Dave is on top of his game this week. Have a question for the show? Call us at 718-497-2128 every Tuesday at 12pm or email [email protected]. Regulars an...
Mar 12, 2013•51 min•Ep. 118
Can’t get your dragons beard candy soft enough? Want to use avocado in a sous vide recipe? Do any of these questions make sense to you? If so – you’ve found the right show. Tune into another wild and wacky episode of Cooking Issues as host Dave Arnold plows through food-tech questions from listeners covering a wide range of topics. This week’s show is extra special, as friend of the show Joel Gargano is in studio performing the Cooking Issues theme song live on-air! Today’s program was sponsored...
Mar 05, 2013•58 min•Ep. 117
We’ve got a pork-filled episode of Cooking Issues this week! Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are back again, and they’re talking about the many uses for country ham. Tune in for Dave talking about country ham has a seasoning meat as opposed to a central protein. Hear callers ask Dave about smoking and cooking a pig head using low-temperature techniques! Other topics include vacuum distillation, and the uses for Wondra flour! Dave wraps up the show with some dessert suggestions. Learn about non-d...
Feb 26, 2013•54 min•Ep. 116
Can you make high quality bread with bread machine? This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia “The Hammer” Lopez are talking low temperature, vacuum machines, and more! Find out if bone-in meat actually affects flavor, and learn if you can use your bread machine for low temperature cooking. What types of vacuums make for better food quality? Later Dave talks about the benefits of culinary school, and find out how to improve your culinary skills at home. How can you keep your leftove...
Feb 19, 2013•51 min•Ep. 115
Pick perfect apples, find uses for your cheese rinds, and learn more about distillation on this week’s Cooking Issues! Tune in to hear Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez talk about different textures and acidity levels in apples. How does the shape of a glass affect the drinking experience of certain spirits? Find out about bloom strength in gelatin, and hear Dave and Nastassia talk cut-rate cheese emporiums. Dave also talks about blending and distilling botanicals in a rotovap. Learn about fossili...
Feb 12, 2013•59 min•Ep. 114
Valentine’s Day is coming up; find out what to cook for your date on this week’s Cooking Issues! Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are back in the studio, and they’re tackling your culinary questions. Find out the best way to cook a savory cheesecake in a circulator! Why is espresso often served with carbonated water? Dave offers some suggestions for juicing greens, and talks about thickening hot sauce with different starches. What qualifies as true buttermilk? Dave also talks about some ways to b...
Feb 05, 2013•58 min•Ep. 113
Smoking bacon, gluing meat, and cooking in bags – Dave Arnold’s tackling it all on this week’s Cooking Issues! Tune into this episode to hear Dave talk about seasoning cast iron with cooking grade flax seed oil. Learn how to work with different ice cube sizes when shaking and stirring up cocktails! Later, Dave talks to a caller about safety and smoking bacon, and another caller about using Ziplock bags for a short rib recipe. What are the best ways to cook commercial-grade beef at a low temperat...
Jan 29, 2013•49 min•Ep. 112
Want to learn some different ways to prepare offal? On this week’s episode of Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez talk about cooking variety meats sous vide. How can you cook organ meats in a bag without having them get mushy? Dave also talks about heating elements, and discusses whether or not kombu is fat soluble. Can kombu be used effectively in brining? Dave talks about stored energy, and using a cast iron skillet as a pizza steel. Learn the science behind seasoning a cast iron p...
Jan 22, 2013•59 min•Ep. 111
How do you fry your chicken? This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold shares his fried chicken recipe and cooking techniques! Joined by Nastassia “the Hammer” Lopez, Dave is answering listener questions about the health considerations of carbonation. What is ‘duck milk’, and how can you use it in the kitchen? Dave offers some suggestions to increase heat in a smoker, and explains how to make a transparent tomato. Later, Dave talks about the many uses of Pectin X Ultra SPL in cooking applications...
Jan 15, 2013•46 min•Ep. 110
This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez talk about their experience acting as ‘fluffers’ at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Who was more popular at the festival – Dave or Tony the Tiger? Later, Dave tackles this week’s listener questions! Hear why Dave and Nastassia hate the word ‘espuma’, and learn how to use pine flavor in your food and drink! Dave talks about the differences in cooking temperatures for egg whites and yolks, and offers some suggestions for sous v...
Jan 08, 2013•50 min•Ep. 109
It’s the last Cooking Issues of 2012! Tune in to hear Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez answer your cooking questions. Listen in to hear Dave offer advice about adding color to red velvet cake, and talk about the right reasons for going to culinary school. Dave mediates a listener debate about knife sharpening; what’s the best sharpening system for your application? Dave talks about his favorite kitchen gadgets, and why people always cook a turducken wrong. Hear Dave’s newest french fry recipe! Ca...
Dec 18, 2012•51 min•Ep. 108
This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are talking gummies, meringue, studying food science, and sous vide! Tune in to hear Dave offer his suggestions for making a small appetizer that includes prawns and herb gels. Find out if food processors ruin the flavor of lemongrass. Listen in and learn more about spinning lemon and lime juice, exotic spices, and the best way to cook a prime rib! Dave answers a listener question about continuing education in food science; is it bette...
Dec 11, 2012•45 min•Ep. 107
Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez lament the world’s declining champagne consumption on this week’s episode of Cooking Issues. Dave starts the episode by reiterating the safety of liquid nitrogen in cooking applications if used by an experienced technician. Dave also goes on to explain the different stages of the freezing process. Harold McGee calls in to read excerpts of his book, On Food and Cooking ! Tune in for an expert reading on caramelization and Maillard reactions, and hear Dave and Harol...
Dec 04, 2012•47 min•Ep. 106
Did you catch Dave Arnold on CNN’s The Next List ? If you missed it, don’t worry- Dave and Nastassia Lopez are in the studio for another episode of Cooking Issues. Once again, Dave sets the record straight about liquid nitrogen use in a culinary setting. Find out where processed cheese was invented, and learn about the flavor-enhancing qualities of salt! Dave takes two caller questions: one about frying pork chops, and another about preparing stocks in pressure cookers. Tune in to hear Dave’s re...
Nov 27, 2012•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 105
Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are celebrating Thanksgiving on this week’s episode of Cooking Issues! Grab a bottle of wine, and tune in! Dave explains a few different ways to make bitters at home using high proof spirits or iSi methodology. Tune in to hear about Dave’s bionic turkey recipe, and his mother’s awesome stuffing! Dave distinguishes between stock pots and pressure cookers, and what he prefers for making stock. Listen in to hear Dave recommend sizes of stock pots and pressure cookers...
Nov 20, 2012•48 min•Ep. 104
On this week’s episode of Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are joined in the studio by Piper Kristensen of Booker and Dax. Tune into this episode to Dave answer some questions about the oven spring when making bread at home, and different factors that determine quality of bread. Learn how spices and brine enter and flavor meat. Dave also talks about dairy coagulation, and how to prepare cod milt! Low temperature cooking, hydrogenating, and fermenting – Dave and the crew are tackli...
Nov 13, 2012•46 min•Ep. 103
Welcome to yet another episode of Cooking Issues. Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are in the studio post-Hurricane Sandy, and are talking about the storm’s impact on New York City. Dave is without power, and so are so many other people in Lower Manhattan, the Rockaways, Brooklyn, and Long Island. Later, Dave suggests a few Cambodian cookbooks and pressure cookers. What is the best way to apply sous vide techniques in a food truck? Dave talks about the differences between home and commercial refr...
Nov 06, 2012•48 min•Ep. 102
Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are back after last week’s celebration for another installment of Cooking Issues! This week, Dave troubleshoots a rotovap that’s been working in dry ice and acetone, and talks about his experiences with cryo-shucking. Later, Dave talks about the best way to keep vinegar flies away from your homemade fermented foods. Hear how you can use hormone treatments to keep flies from breeding in your kitchen. What is the main difference between waffle and pancake batter? Da...
Oct 16, 2012•58 min•Ep. 101
Welcome to the 100th episode of Cooking Issues! To congratulate Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez, HRN’s own Patrick Martins, Erin Fairbanks, and Michael Harlan Turkell stop by the studio and pop a bottle of Prosecco! To start off the episode, Dave addresses a recent tragedy involving cocktails prepared with liquid nitrogen. Tune in to hear Dave talk about the inherent responsibility involved with using liquid nitrogen, and why liquid nitrogen is just a tool like a knife or a deep fryer. Later, Da...
Oct 09, 2012•54 min•Ep. 100
CNN is in the studio filming Dave for “The Next List” on this week’s edition of Cooking Issues and Dave has a full mailbag of questions to answer. From making ice-cream at home with a Carpigiani to hydro-colloid experimentation, Dave’s got the solutions to all of your issues. Learn more about different types of fats, low temperature cooking techniques and more. What would it take for Dave to punch somebody in the face over food? How does fracking affect ice cream? How can you make sure not to ru...
Oct 02, 2012•44 min•Ep. 99
What do you do with a pig head? Why don’t more people like scrapple and haggis? Want more tips on food preservation? You’re in the right place! Tune into another hilarious and information-packed episode of Cooking Issues hosted by Dave Arnold. He takes listener questions on everything from coffee infused cocktails to the poisonous nature of Indonesian candle nuts. Find out why Dave thinks there will be an explosion of immersion circulators on the market soon and his advice for smoking a whole ch...
Sep 25, 2012•48 min•Ep. 98
Though he’s late to the studio again, Dave Arnold is back for another hilarious and jam-packed episode of Cooking Issues. We’ve got calls from Memphis, stories of crazy fruit trees and advice for making herb mayonnaise. Find out why Nastassia’s preferred title is “heir apparent” and hear an awesome recipe for chlorophyll butter, used to coloring sauces green. Learn more about artisanal cheese in America, handling chili peppers and oxidation in vermouth and fortified wines. This program was spons...
Sep 18, 2012•39 min•Ep. 97
Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez are back from Harvard to help you in the kitchen on this week’s Cooking Issues! Dave is gearing up to visit some world-class orchards across the pond with Harold McGee, but not before answering some listener questions. Hear Dave talk about the differences between the Nomiku and the PolyScience immersion circulators. Learn why Dave is a “margarine hater”, and why butter has no set melting point. Later, tune in for some centrifugal talk, why clarification always lea...
Sep 11, 2012•49 min•Ep. 96
Dave Arnold is back from Colombia, and is joined again by Nastassia Lopez for another episode of Cooking Issues. Dave and Nastassia start off the the show by talking about different tropical fruits and thickeners. Dave revisits the homemade gummy candy topic with a listener response. Tune in to learn more about starch molding and gum arabic! Later, Dave offers some rethermalizing tips to ensure food safety and fresh flavor. Did you know that cephalopods are some of the smartest creatures in the ...
Aug 28, 2012•45 min•Ep. 95
Dave Arnold is heading to Colombia, but not before another episode of Cooking Issues. Dave and Nastassia Lopez start the show off talking about making and preserving cocktail cherries at cellar temperatures. Tune in to learn about the proper balance of sugar, alcohol, and calcium to maintain the structure of the cherry! Later, Dave answers a question about texture in homemade sausage, and how fat is instrumental in determining how a sausage holds up. How can a homebrewer infuse a coffee flavor i...
Aug 21, 2012•51 min•Ep. 94
