Podcasts

"Go Fork Yourself with Andrew Zimmern and Molly Mogren"

August is the time of the year for state fairs. State fairs are known, particularly in the food world, for their unusual and up and coming trendy foods, some of which make the crossover to being trendy restaurant food. Andrew Zimmern (host of Bizarre Foods) and Molly Mogren spent this "episode" of their podcast discussing new, trendy state fair foods, how to make them, and what they tasted like. It was interesting to listen to because they talked about the background stories behind some of the booths at the Minnesota state fair as well as why some of the new foods were successful and some weren't very good. They agreed that the best and most successful trendy foods were made by people who took a lot of pride in what they produced. Unfortunately those were few and far between.

They also spent some of the podcast discussing the Elimination Diet because Molly Mogren recently tried it to determine if she has any food sensitivities and how different ingredients affect her mood/health.

Towards the middle of the podcast they veered a bit off topic, but I found myself still listening because they were able to make it feel as though it was a conversation between a group of friends. They also talked about what they are planning on making for Labor Day weekend.

They talked about a new food start-up, Nature Box, that delivers healthy, mostly gluten-free, non-GMO, zero trans fat snacks to your door. Nature Box sponsors the podcast, but it has been in other food news lately as well.

Finally, they answered listener questions such as "what is your favorite cut of pork?" and where to eat in Boston, I like this part of the podcast because you never know what you're going to learn--it's all dependent on what listeners want to know.

"The Sporkful" (Dan Pashman)

The episode I listened to is called 'The Science and Religion of Matzoh' (April 2014). It began with a quick (30 second) Old Testament/ancient history of matzoh. The episode is based on a visit to the largest American manufacturer of Kosher goods in Newark, New Jersey.

The first person he spoke with was the Vice President of Operations, Randall Copeland. Copeland is not Jewish so Pashman asked him to explain the importance of matzoh to those who don't have a connection with the religious significance. Copeland feels that it is a good substitute for other, more commercial crackers (which are typically greasier and higher in sodium).

The two then discussed the research and development process at the manufacturing plant, specifically, the science of crunch and how something can be made more or less crunchy or textured. They also spoke about the holes present all over a sheet of matzoh as well as the charred edges. The location and number of holes (docking-like with pie dough) can greatly impact the texture of the cracker. Matzoh has more docking than some other crackers. The charring on the edges also can impact taste and texture. The amount of charring is often different depending upon the region where the matzoh is made.

Pashman then spoke with one of the rabbis that oversees the production of the matzoh and ensures that it is Kosher. There are very specific guidelines and qualifications for the prep and baking so that it can be labeled Kosher and several rabbis oversee and enforce the timing, ingredients, etc. to make sure that it is not only Kosher but also Kosher for Passover. Passover has it's own rules, which I found interesting because I'm not Jewish and don't know much about the various rules and regulations that make something Kosher as opposed to Kosher for Passover, etc.

This podcast is really good for people who want to know in-depth history and details about specific food topics. Most of the episodes are based on relevant food news or events, such as the announcement earlier this summer that Hot Doug's, an iconic Chicago hotdog stand, will be closing this year, or, in the case of this episode, Passover. I thought it was really fascinating and it certainly kept my attention for the entire 30 minutes. Others in the food industry must agree because it's been nominated for a James Beard Award.