Hi all. Sorry about the delay, whoever produces this podcast needs to get his sh** together. Anyway, here's the new episode, culminating Jesse's recounting of his NYC trip, but with lots of dirty jokes and swear words.
Time Stamps:
2:30 On the Great Joey Chestnut
3:55 On to Chuck Norris (Funny Story)
6:00 More Hot Dog Talk than is Normal, Even For Us
14:14 On Mister Happy, Bygone Sushi Master
15:16 Meditations on the Intensity of Cooking at a High Level
16:58 The Rest of Jesse’s NYC Trip
17:42 Jesse’s First Real Restaurant Meal, and on Being Jaded
21:00 Xian’s Famous Foods
27:03 Ernesto’s
40:30 An Anchovy Tangent (The 2 Amy’s Story)
42:12 TK Finds His Anchovy Compound, and the Guys Descend into Chaos
47:37 Nobu (Jesse Gets Serious, and Waxes Philosophical)
58:20 The Nobu-Peru Connection, and a Hasty Outro
Hi guys, another episode, finally! The internet quality was bad, so there's some glitching, but Jesse tried his best to edit the worst of it out. Still, this is not our best-sounding episode. (When we finally DO have a best-sounding episode, we'll let you know.)
Time Stamps:
2:09 Tarver’s Nightmare Gig
14:41 Winkies, Schmekels, and Nozzles
15:54 Jesse’s Bartending Beat-Down
17:10 On Tiny Spider Crabs
30:30 What TV NOT to Watch on Acid
31:54 Jesse’s Mushroom Experience
34:22 Jesse’s NYC Trip Part 1: Bubbie’s
36:36 NYC Part 2: Daniel
39:03 A Digression on Bread Service
42:54 The Best Dish in NYC
50:57 Jesse’s Embarrassing Shoe Story
53:02 Tarver and Nate Talk Artichokes … and Mutual Esteem
Tarver couldn't make it, so Jesse and Nate planned something special. Wait, no they didn't, they just spitballed on random topics. The guys discuss sending food back, brick oven bread, cookbooks, and a particularly virulent strain of culinary misinformation.
Time Stamps:
2:34 Nate’s Christmas Calendars
5:09 Nate’s Science Experiment (Mesophillic Cheese Culture)
7:03 People Like Grilled Cheese
9:42 Kenny Shopsin
14:37 Uncle Bucks
15:10 Huff’s Question on Sending Stuff Back
36:19. The Guys’ Actual Advice for Dissatisfied Diners, Sort Of
41:26 On Food Poisoning Fears
44:35 Nate’s Pop-Up Pizza Oven, Which Devolves Into a Discussion of Jesse’s Mom’s Xmas Gift Buying Habits
50:16 The Absurdity of Fondue Sets
51:50 Whittingstall’s Oueuvre
58:00 Signature Dishes that Matter
1:09:28 The Ultimate Nomenclature Controversy Question: Sorbet v. Sherbet
Hi everyone! We got TK in the house today. We didn't have a ton of time, so we just had a conversation about weird food, and everywhere that topic took us.
Warning: Some of the jokes get a little raunchy on this one, even for us.
Time Stamps:
1:00 Nate Reveals a Funny Compliment he Received
3:35 The Boys Get Down to Business
3:40 Nate’s Mildly Racist Kim Chee
5:20 Kimchee Tuna Tartare
7:07 Oldest Food the Guys Have Had
13:57 Eating Insects
16:00 Jesse Confuses Lionfish and Scorpionfish\
18:50 On Rays, Catching and Cooking
28:50 Natto, and Why Tarver Hates It
34:21 Durian Fruit
35:55 The Taleggio Story (Funny)
42:21 Around the Horn, 1 More Weird Food Each
43:26 Nate Ate Dehydrated Scorpion
43:23 Tarver Ate Testicles
45:27 Jesse Ate Raw Horse
49:19 Red Stag Venison
54:00 Jesse’s Insane Pop Tart Idea
Hi guys, we didn't really have a plan for this one, so we went to the mail bag.
Time Stamps:
:30 We begin with a tribute to Scott ‘Razor Ramon’ Hall
4:14 Nate Introduces Ray Finkle, his Einkorn Wheat Starter
8:33 Nate’s Cabbage Proclamation
10:24 Jesse’s Sad Story with a Funny Punchline
20:17 Listener Question #1: Knife Brands Recommendations
21:40 Jesse and Nate’s Knife Go-Tos
28:13 The Diamond Steel Issue
32:55 On Quentin Middleton
37:14 Steven’s Charcuterie Question
38:17 How to Create the Protein Web
40:40 Aged vs. Fresh Charcuterie
42:00 How to Make Sure Your Pate is Cooked Properly
42:45 On Aromatics in Pate
44:44 Heat Management is Paramount!
45:09 Take Good Notes!
47:00 Michael’s Training/Management Question
47:30 Leading By Example
48:42 Breaking the Jerk Cycle
50:52 The Crab Salad Story
53:17 The Value of Empathy
53:50 Orange-Lemon-Orange
55:00 Help People Find their Role
1:00:09 Jesse’s Passive-Aggressive Final Thought
1:03:00 The Towel Story
1:07:11 Michael’s Real-Time Menu Request!
Hi guys, no Nate this week, so Jesse and TK ATTEMPT to talk about cookbooks, but lose the plot for a while first. No technical discussion this time, just a bunch of chatting about various aspects of chef culture.
1:02 Jesse’s Charleston Wine and Food Hot Take
2:35 Tarver and Jesse’s Beer Crushing Vendetta
5:10 On Restaurant Week
8:36 Jesse’s Chopped Audition Story, Amid a Broader Discussion of Top Chef
13:11 Why Iron Chef is the Best Competitive Food Show
20:19 TK on the Overriding Positivity of the Great British Bake-Off
21:12 Jesse’s Bobby Flay Confession
25:05 Tarver’s Vegas Adventures
25:20 Tarver and Jesse’s Roku Coincidence
29:00 On Robuchon’s Potato Puree
30:14 Gagnaire’s Was Overrated!
30:47 On Skydiving
34:02 The Guys Get On Topic: What We Look For In Cookbooks
35:16 When Recipes Don’t Work 42:22 Pie Crust Talk
52:17 Beauty Counts in Cookbooks… But Pretentiousness is a Thing
58:21 On Michel Bras’s Legacy
59:53 On the Importance of Photography in Cookbooks
1:07:00. A Cookbook’s Duty of Safety
1:16:36 The McDonald’s Fries Conversation
Hey all, TK got back from the UK, and he is telling all!! This episode is basically porn.
Note: At one point, TK refers to a place called 'Sea to Sea,' where they are known for dry-aging fish. The restaurant is actually called 'The Sea, The Sea.' We apologize for any confusion.
Time Stamps:
:30 The Pre-show. Thoughts on vodka and country pudding
7:55 A look behind the Hot Dogs and Caviar curtain
8:37 Jesse finally counts it in
11:44 Tarver’s Fat Duck stage
15:39 The Big Fat Duck Cookbook
18:47 Do they still make Bud Ice??
20:12 Dry Aged Fish
28:04 A new anchovy snack
29:44 Dinner
37:12 JUMP CUT
38:24 On unscrupulous fish vendors
40:13 Abundant Seafood
41:52 How to be a chef
42:48 Caviar and Burrata
44:44 The iconic Dinner dessert
48:26 Harrod’s
49:49 The Fat Duck
50:28 Bartender talk
52:34 Tarver rhapsodises about Fergus FUCKING Henderson 1:06:02 The Fat Duck
1:12:00 On culinary Lister-mint
1:15:45 Ikoyi
1:19:06 Crab Fat
1:25:00 Michelin Theory, and 11 Madison Park
1:32:00 The Fried Rice Thing
1:35:22 Jesse’s Burrito Theory
1:37:48 Jesse and Tarver’s 2 lunches
Okay, y'all. We are calling this episode Time Warp Tuesday, because Jesse is an idiot, and produced the episodes out of order. Anyone that pays attention to the NFL playoffs will notice that, so there's no sense in trying to hide it. Anyway, apart from that, we have a spirited discussion of food cost, and then share our best chilli tips. Enjoy!
Time Stamps:
1:39 Jesse Hates Football
5:35 Chef-Bitching, Specifically Jesse’s Waste Rant
10:40 Jesse Thinks 16*12 is damn near 100. Wow.
17:20 Cleaning is Discarding
18:54 Why Being an Angry Chef is a Sub-Optimal Strategy
20:55 It’s Okay to Have Standards
23:50 On Utilization
27:40 Your Diners are Probably Cooks, Don’t Piss Them Off
30:30 Restaurant Cost Accounting, and Why It Matters
33:30 The Chilli Talk
34:08 On Chilli Dogma
38:33 The Origins of Chilli
39:00 The Purist Principle
40:18 On Frito Pie
41:15 An Amusing Non-Sequitur
42:36 Secret Ingredients in Chilli
47:47 Jesse Hates His Mom’s Cooking. Like, a Lot
50:35 Jesse’s Quick and Dirty Hot Dog Chilli
53:43 Jesse’s Insane Short Rib Chilli (Work in Progress)
56:50 Insta-pots are Awesome (and Air Fryers Suck)
1:00:14 A Quick Note on Beans
Hi guys! New episode, sorry it's late. With Nate and Jesse both working, it's been harder to maintain the illusion of a schedule, but we'll keep cranking these out, as long as all 60 of you keep listening! We discuss several small topics, from football party snacks and Meat Loaf, to cruel nicknames, and how to shop for cheese and olive oil.
Time Stamps:
00:57 On Nicknames (Multiple Funnies)
12:44 Jesse’s New Dessert Drink: The Iceball Slide
16:42 How Name-Control Works
20:00 The Guys Veer into Olive Oil
28:02 A Shout Out to the Late, Great Michel Richard
29:30 The Great Meatloaf Discussion
31:53 On the Interesting Properties of Pork Protein
33:53 On Filler in Meatloaf
36:44 Seasonings and Flavorings
41:05 How Many Eggs?
42:07 How to Check Seasoning
44:03 Bacon Wrapping, and the Parchment Trick
46:46 Jordan’s Meatloaf-Mayonnaise Trick
48:18 Time to Talk About Super Bowl Snacks, Starting with Dips
48:49 Brun-WOW
52:19 Definitions of Pimiento Cheese and Bagna Cauda
55:15 Bread Bowl Dips
56:06 Helluva Good Dip
57:06 Jesse’s Wife’s Family’s Cocktail Weenies
58:36 Nate’s Trash-ass Artichoke Dip
1:00:00 What are the Seven Layers in Taco Dip?
103:12 A Heartfelt Goodbye to DD Pecker’s
Hi everyone! TK is back, and his daughter is on backing vocals. The dudes discuss pancakes, among other things.
Time Stamps:
1:46 The Nate Burns His Melon Story
5:41 On the Ansul System
8:46 On Wood Ovens
11:37 The AMAZING Drago’s Oysters
12:45 Agege Bread from Nigeria
14:14 Bao Bread, and a Crazy Bread Rant
17:0t6 Tarver’s Brilliant Recipe Naming Convention
18:30 Tarver’s Wok Method, He’s Super-Excited
19:30 Jesse’s Linguistics Theory
20:42 Tarver Goes All Hippie, and We Discuss Chinese Food
24:38 We Attempt to Pivot to Pancakes, and Get Sidetracked By Injeera
27:45 The Guys Finally Get Around to Pancakes
29:10 On Acid Balance in Baking
31:48 Jesse Goes 6th Grade Chemistry Teacher
33:30 On Different Flours
36:40 Jesse’s Pancake Quest
38:06 Tarver Drops Some Pancake Science
40:14 Jesse’s Humbling Pancake Experience
40:50 Abelskiver Talk, and the Wizard’s Cookbook
45:16 Back to Jesse’s Humbling Pancake Experience
47:48 Jesse’s Pancake Recipe (Not Perfect!)
51:12 Hide the Beer Can
A short episode, with no real agenda. Tarver is back! We answer reader questions, talk about HR, and discuss funny expo calls.
2:11 Reader Question: Best Ways to Cook Octopus
3:00 Fun Expo Calls
4:52 The Ethical Issues of Eating ‘Pus
8:10 On Baby Octopi
10:22 Why Octopus Gets So Tough
12:31 What’s Up With Appalachian Cuisine
17:07 Brunswick Stew Vs. Burgoo
21:36 Books on Appalachian Cooking (and other Southern Cooking)
26:04 Revisiting the Issue of Hostesses
28:44 The Dreaded Ascended-Hostess Manager
32:44 Tarver’s Brilliant, Next-Level Solution to the Ascended Hostess Problem
34:38 The Moto Story
Hi guys! Nate and Jesse have an impromptu discussion of issues in the restaurant business. There is some immaturity sprinkled in to lighten the mood.
Time Stamps:
1:30 Jesse’s Jackrabbit Filly Experience
6:07 Jesse’s Constructive Criticism
9:22 The Indaco Incident
12:44 Fine Dining Versus Casual
14:35 On Overcommunicating
18:36 The Emeril’s Incident (and Nate’s Fish and Cheese Interlude)
22:17 How Servers Size Up Diners
29:02 The Spookiest Charcuterie Plate in Charleston
31:41 The Hostess Problem
36:14 The 492 Service Pivot
39:50 The Guys Get Introspective
41:11 On Different Ways to Mitigate Food Cost
45:15 The One Metric that Matters
46:54 On Manipulating Food Cost Percentages
49:18 Why Hors D’Oeuevres are Crucial
51:12 Pharma Dinners!
54:16 What Happens When Your Loss Leader Is Your Best Seller
56:30 Why Fine Dining Is Hard
57:50 Why Hotels Help So Much
1:00:00 TK’s Really Mean Bibb Lettuce Prank
1:00:36 Jesse’s Totally Reasonable and Justified Nate-Scare Prank
Hi guys! First, we discuss spice blending, and the total lack of decent resources on the subject. Then, we get into whether it's OK to make your employees work on Christmas (a fraught topic, every year.) Finally, we discuss some of our hits and misses over the years on our Christmas menus.
Time Stamps:
1:00 The Story of the Mouth of the South
3:54 Listener Question: Good Books About Spice Blending?
6:46 Madras Curry
9:30 Nate’s Hail Mary Recommendation.
12:22 Jesse’s Insane Spice Research Idea
16:13 Reverse Engineering
17:52 The Spice House
20:00 Back to Curry Powder and Vadouvan
21:55 On the Dual Nature of Cinnamon
23:43 The Biggest Difference Between Nate’s Cooking and Jesse’s
27:00 Restaurant Cooking on Christmas
31:28 The Fiscal Evils of a Special Christmas Menu
32:04 On Reservations and Tickets
33:19 People REALLY DO Eat at Restaurants on Holidays
40:42 Heather’s Gingersnap Cookie
41:49 Nate’s Great-Grandma’s Spiced Chocolate Cookies
42:50 On the Feast of Seven Fishes
43:57 On Italian Seafood Simplicity
45:47 Jesse’s Feast of Seven Fishes Dish
49:50 The Difficulty of Getting Rid of Leftover Turkey, and the Worst Charcuterie Plate EVER
52:20 On the Once-a-Year Potato Puree
55:25 On 86’ing Specials and Why That’s Not a Bad Thing
56:22 Jesse’s Xmas Dessert Fail
59:32 The Tale of the Dreaded Minty Sanchez
It finally happened! The Guys got together and talked wings, including explaining the INFAMOUS Jordan Moore method! Also, goofy conversation, and the Boner Game! (Explicit, natch.)
00:54 The Boner Game
3:40 Introducing Jordan Moore
10:26 Nate’s Thoughts on Buffalo Wings
15:05 Refinements on Buffalo Sauce
17:02 The Legend of KY-Jelly
20:04 Pressure-Frying
23:30 Jesse’s Home Deep Frying Method
26:11 The Guys Get Confused About Brine
31:53 Jordan Moore’s Wing Method
35:55 Tarver’s Wing Method
41:34 The Question of the Double Cook
42:10 A Digression About Fries, and then Chaos
47:39 Jesse Waxes Romantic About Peckers
53:10 Ranch Sucks! Thoughts on Blue Cheese
Hi guys! The much-discussed wing episode has been postponed again, so Nate and Jesse do a deep (and totally improvised) dive into the world of meatballs.
1:12 The Warrior Story (The Second-Most Pissed Off Sheree’s Ever Been at Jesse)
3:28 The Red Velvet Cake Incident (The Most Pissed Off Sheree’s Ever Been at Jesse)
6:10 Nate’s Key to Meatballs: Not Too Much Meat!
9:55 The Three Meat Blend
12:40 Nate’s QUOTE OF THE YEAR
13:54 Jesse’s Notion of Culinary Black Magic, and the Alice Waters Vinaigrette Trick
19:20 Back to Meatballs: Panade
20:58 Nate’s Ricotta Trick, and Fundamental Meatball Ratio
25:49 The Secret of Juliette’s Meatballs
28:01 Tech Talk on Salt and the Protein Matrix
31:20 Sausage Rules the Wasteland
34:30 Nate Bodily Drags Jesse Back onto Topic
37:10 The Dried Oregano Debate: Teach the Controversy
41:06 To Sear or to Roast?
43:32 Nate’s Italian Wedding Soup
46:50 Azerbaijani Meatball Soup
48:55 On Lamb Meatballs in General
54:07 On Kefta, and the Power of Mint
57:25 Nate and Jesse’s Diverging Paths
Hi everyone! This was a FUN one! Sorry it took 2 weeks to come up, Jesse had some technical issues with his macbook last week (JESSE SMASH). But all is well, and we're back in business.
Also, Jesse would like to apologize in advance for his state, the only time he and Nate could find to do this was after a social function that left Jesse somewhat worse for wear. This wasn't exactly a Cocktail Hour episode, but homeboy was a little loose. Listen up at 3:08 for an epic belch. (All jokes aside, it's getting harder and harder to find time we are both off, since Nate works mornings and Jesse works nights, but we are getting creative. If we have to cut an episode after a night out, you'll just have to deal with the consequences of Jesse, just like everyone else does.)
So anyway, we went into the mailbag and answered a few questions. We got into the best way to cook a steak for home cooks, we gave a little gravy boot camp, and we answered a really fun question from alert listener Tim Lillig about the possibility of making a Reuben pie. Oh, and Jesse blindsides Nate with an Iron Chef-style challenge that was patently ludicrous. Have fun!
1:50 The First Question: How to Best Cook a Steak
3:08 Jesse’s Epic Beer Belch (You Have Been Warned)
4:00 How to Buy a Steak
6:38 The High-Low Principle
8:14 The Tempering Principle
10:14 Jesse’s Method (The Fine Dining Butter Baste)
12:30 The Flipping Controversy
14:47 On Digital Thermometers
16:50 The Importance of Carryover Cooking
18:55 2-Zone Grilling
20:16 The Second Question: What Are Some Great Gravy Tricks
20:30 Great Gravy Starts with Great Stock
24:20 The Grocery Store Chicken Trick
25:49 The Wondra Solution
28:39 Kitchen Bouquet is the Dirty Secret
30:27 Korean Soy Sauce
34:24 Jesse’s Crazy Iron Chef Game
41:55 Tim’s Insane Reuben Pie Question
52:35 The Spaghetti Incident
Hi all! A continuation of last week's Jesse and TK special, featuring Tarver's daughter Henley on backing vocals. Recorded on location at the playground, if you want to know why the sound quality is a little wonky. Note! Listen to Part 1 before you get into this one. It's a two-parter, and the previous episode has a lot of necessary context.
Time Stamps:
1:58 Tarver’s Soup Course
11:13 Jesse’s Fish Course
23:14 Tarver’s Bread Service
24:55 The Guys’ Collaborative Meat Course
41:00 Jesse’s Cheese Course
52:45 Tarver’s Dessert Course
Hi guys,
Nate had a family commitment this week, so TK and Jesse went it alone, and did something new. We designed a 7 course tasting menu in real time, live, with zero prior discussion. It took a while, so this is the first half. Head over to hotdogsandcaviar.blogspot.com to have a look at links and menu copy.
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!!
Time Stamps:
2:50 Themes and Parameters
8:43 A Brief Interlude for Tarver’s Best Hot Dog
11:02 The Guys Get Down to Business
11:10 Tarver’s Hors D’Oeuvre Course
28:39 The Woodlands’ ‘Oysters from Cold to Hot Dish’
30:36 Back to the Hors Course
48:34 The Only Good Thing About Colonialism
1:02:43 Jesse’s Fish Course
Hi all! The guys had drinks and discussed eggs. For, like, a while. We managed to pare it down to about an hour and a quarter. We had SO MUCH FUN doing this one!
Time Stamps:
1:00 The Tale of Chilo ‘Fes’ Costa
6:20 Alex M’s Listener Question: What Do We Think of Roy Choi
20:05 Tarver’s Grilled Cheese Trick
23:50 The Guys Get Into the Topic du Jour
26:00 The Voodoo Story
28:05 Back to Eggs Again
30:44 Getting into the Details of Royale- Creme Brûlée, Etx
37:21 Tarver’s Double Boiler Method
40:19 Nate’s Extra Yolk Trick
41:44 The Jesse Variant
43:32 Jesse’s New Method
45:40 TK Shoots on Marco Pierre White
48:30 The Buffet Question
50:32 TK’s Insane Pressure Cooker Trick
52:45 The Quay Induction Burner Trick
53:45 TK’s Egg White Tofu Trick
54:47 Jesse’s Gribiche Vendetta and the Peeled Grape Story
58:40 Jesse Reveals his Hypocrisy
1:01:16 TK Pisses Off Nate Shapiro
1:05:00 The Guys Get Into Fried Eggs
1:05:40 Michelin 3-Star Fried Eggs
1:09:27 On Basting and Steaming
1:11:00. The Egg in a Basket Debate
Hi all! Here's the second part of the first ever Hot Dogs and Caviar Cocktail Hour. I think I still might be hungover. Trigger warning (specific to Tarver's mom): there's a fair amount of profanity in this one. I try to keep a lid on your baby boy, but I'm just one man, and today was past my editing skills.
Time Stamps:
1:58 Tarver’s French Laundry Story
10:42 The Ramen Discussion Begins- with Tampopo
12:52 On the Impact of Dave Chang
17:26 On Cultural Differences and Pavlovian Conditioning
20:08 Tarver’s Dan Dan Noodle and Chile Crisp Rant
32:09. On Industrial Cooking Smells
35:11 We Are Hardwired to Want BBQ
39:23 A Shout Out to Jordan Moore
40:33 The Guys Get Back to Ramen
41:36 The Ramen Fundamentals
47:28 Nate (Predictably) Gets Into the Science
50:37 The Ramen Otaku Issue
53:53 Lemon Salt!!
54:37 Schmaltz!
55:46 The Molleux Egg Method