Jennifer comes out of podcast hibernation to talk about Thanksgiving with Meredith Heuer on her back porch in Beacon, NY, which is the closest they can come to cooking together in a kitchen during this very different holiday season.

"How do I make my food taste better?" Salt, fat, and acid are the seasoning trifecta. Most people know that salt makes food taste better, as well as a dollop of butter, but "acid" is perhaps the least understand of the seasoning tools in the home cook's kitchen. But it is the most magical. Find out how to add just the right amount to make your food sing out for joy. Listen in.

"Which are the best cooking fats, and which should I avoid?" and "How bad is Pam cooking spray, really?" Ah, fat! The wondrous ingredient that brings flavor and lusciousness to food. But the topic of "fat" also fill home cooks with questions, mainly about how to choose between the good ones and the bad. Jennifer breaks it all down to size for you. Listen in.

Chef John Scoff hails from Charleston, South Carolina, where he was the executive chef of a low-country bistro before coming to his senses and joining Home Cooking New York's teaching team in 2005 (he was following his then-girlfriend, now-wife who was moving north for a teaching job). His most sought after class is Southern Brunch, so I asked him to share some of his signature takes on this Southern classic.

Jennifer delves into the differences between Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (aka "the king of cheeses") and regular Parmesan cheese, and what you should know when making the choice. Find out why it's worth the centuries-old hype and the price tag. Have a question you want answered on a future SIDEBAR episode? Follow us on Instagram @homecookingny.com and DM us your questions! ---- "Sidebar" is the bonus content of the Kitchen Radio podcast, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you can keep finding the answers to your burning culinary questions.

Brooklyn, New York Erica Wides is one of our school’s beloved chef-instructors and the host of “Funny People Making Food,” a YouTube series that follows her attempts to teach comedians how to cook. Since Erica teaches our Handmade Bagel Workshop, and I’ve never attempted to make one from scratch, I thought it was time to remedy that hole in my repertoire and have her show me the ropes. I’ll happily gloat that the bagels we made were at the very least, on par with some of the best bagels I’ve ever eaten. I also created a signature bagel using some add-ins from Erica’s well-stocked kitchen, which I am surprised that not in rotation at every bagel shop. You’ll want to hear all about that. Listen in. 

"When Should I Use a Nonstick Pan?" Tune in as Jennifer breaks down the do's and don't's of nonstick cookware: 1) what foods you should always cook in a nonstick pan, 2) how to clean a regular pan so it washes up like a nonstick surface, 3) what are the better brands of nonstick cookware, and 4) why browning your food is a good thing. ----- "Sidebar" is Kitchen Radio's bonus content, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Email her your own question to jennifer@homecookingny.com for a chance to have your question featured on a future episode.

Joe Dizney learned how to make gumbo from watching his grandmother cook batches of it in her 1950s Louisiana kitchen. Now he makes it out of his own kitchen on special occasions (or whenever he has a poultry carcass lying around) using the same, well-worn cast iron skillet his grandmother used. In this episode, Joe shows Jennifer how to make a proper Cajun roux and how to temper it before adding it to the simmering stock (to minimize its “Cajun napalm” quality), which Joe seasons with his own blend of “leaves and seeds.” Jennifer also learns a thing or two about sassafrass leaves, okra, and the trinity of black, white, and red pepper.

"When should I cook with convection?" -- Sarah F., Beacon Tune in as Jennifer simplifies what daunts many a home cook: the convection oven setting on their oven. Learn how a convection oven works, when to use it, and why it isn't as scary as you think. Have a question you want answered on a future SIDEBAR episode? Follow us on Instagram @homecookingny.com and DM us your questions! LUCKY LISTENERS! Use code "KitchenRadio25" to get 25% off Jennifer's award-winning cooking-class-in-a-book: "Six Basic Cooking Techniques: Culinary Essentials for the Home Cook," based on the most popular cooking class at the cooking school. If you like listening to this podcast, especially the "Sidebar" episodes, then you'll find a lot to love in this book. ----- "Sidebar" is the bonus content of the Kitchen Radio podcast, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you can keep finding the answers to your burning culinary questions.

Wappingers Falls, New York Margot is tired of predictable flavor of the Indian food she makes at home, and wants to learn how to make a curry that will really knock her socks off. Her husband Josh is a newfound vegetarian, so we decided to cook up a batch of chana masala, a richly-spiced chickpea and tomato curry that has a secret, sour ingredient that will help Margot brighten up all of her future Indian dishes.

"How long do dried spices last?" -- Daphne, Rhode Island Tune in as Jennifer talks through all the do's and don'ts of storing dried spices in your kitchen, and how to increase their longevity. Have a question you want answered on a future SIDEBAR episode? Follow us on Instagram @homecookingny.com and DM us your questions! LUCKY LISTENERS! Use code "KitchenRadio25" to get 25% off Jennifer's award-winning cooking-class-in-a-book: "Six Basic Cooking Techniques: Culinary Essentials for the Home Cook," based on the most popular cooking class at the cooking school. If you like listening to this podcast, especially the "Sidebar" episodes, then you'll find a lot to love in this book. ----- "Sidebar" is the bonus content of the Kitchen Radio podcast, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you can keep finding the answers to your burning culinary questions.

Meredith and I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen together over the years. We briefly had a radio show called “Chewing the Fat” on our local station, where we’d talk about what we cooked for dinner that week. Riveting stuff, folks. She also photographed my last cookbook, “Six Basic Cooking Techniques.” She originally wanted to learn how to cook liver for this episode, but I simply couldn’t get excited about that. So we settled on lamb, which I am very excited about. Listen in.

"Tell me everything I need to know about garlic." -- Everyone, USA Listen in as host Jennifer gives you the full scoop on choosing, mincing, and storing garlic, and how to get the most out of it in your everyday cooking. Have a question you want answered on a future SIDEBAR episode? Follow us on Instagram @homecookingny.com and DM us your questions! LUCKY LISTENERS! Use code "KitchenRadio25" to get 25% off Jennifer's award-winning cooking-class-in-a-book: "Six Basic Cooking Techniques: Culinary Essentials for the Home Cook," based on the most popular cooking class at the cooking school. If you like listening to this podcast, especially the "Sidebar" episodes, then you'll find a lot to love in this book. ----- "Sidebar" is the bonus content of the Kitchen Radio podcast, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you can keep finding the answers to your burning culinary questions.

Ryon is a contagiously-friendly photographer and optician, who manages my local uber-hip, eyewear store, Luxe Optique. He also doesn’t eat many meals at home, so I focused on teaching him how to make flavorful, one-pan meals at the end of the day. In order to do so, we first had to dig an old wok out of his garage, which we scrubbed and scrubbed until it was clean enough to cook up a classic stir-fry. Brought to you by Home Cooking New York, New York City's cooking school for home cooks, since 2002. RECIPE: Gingery Turkey with Roasted Broccoli + Red Onions (www.homecookingny.com/podcast-e5) SUBMIT A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE "SIDEBAR" EPISODE: Email jennifer@homecookingny.com. Thank you for listening, and do come again!

"Can I cook with extra-virgin olive oil?" -- Stephen C., Brooklyn, NY Listen in as host Jennifer gives you the full story on what "extra-virgin" actually means when it comes to olive oil, when you should use it for cooking, and when you should not. Also, find out why "olio novello" is worth the hype. Have a question you want answered on a future SIDEBAR episode? Follow us on Instagram @homecookingny.com and DM us your questions! LUCKY LISTENERS! Use code "KitchenRadio25" to get 25% off Jennifer's award-winning cooking-class-in-a-book: "Six Basic Cooking Techniques: Culinary Essentials for the Home Cook," based on the most popular cooking class at the cooking school. If you like listening to this podcast, especially the "Sidebar" episodes, then you'll find a lot to love in this book. ----- "Sidebar" is the bonus content of the Kitchen Radio podcast, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you can keep finding the answers to your burning culinary questions.

Today I am in Astoria, Queens in the home kitchen of Chef Jae Jung. For this episode, I am thrilled to play the role of student as she teaches me how to cook a proper Korean pancake, one that is featured in a new cookbook called "A Place at the Table," that highlights the recipes of the nation's top foreign-born chefs in America. Jae moved to New York from Seoul, Korea, at the age of 29 to attend the Culinary Institute of America. For the last 10 years, she has been working nonstop in the nation’s top restaurant kitchens with a pivotal stop in New Orleans -- where she found a lot of culinary similarities with the foods of her native Korea. Until this month, Jae was a sous chef at Cafe Boulud in New York City, and is now taking a well-deserved break from the culinary rat race. I was thrilled she now had the time to show me how to make this quintessential Korean dish and let me snack on her mother’s year-old kimchee. Listen in.

"What kind of salt should I cook with?" -- Julia, Los Angeles Listen in as host Jennifer roots through the myriad salts in her own home kitchen and discusses when and why to use each kind. ----- "Sidebar" is Kitchen Radio's bonus content, where host Jennifer Clair takes time to answer listeners' culinary questions in between the bi-weekly cooking episodes. Email her your own question or -- even better -- send a voice memo to jennifer@homecookingny.com for a chance to have yours featured on a future episode. 

Today I am joining Laurel Brandstetter in her kitchen in Nyack, NY. It’s a busy place that is home to her 18-month-old daughter, magician husband, and her global accessories brand, Mar Y Sol, which she runs from her third floor. Laurel wants to learn how to roast a chicken, despite being squeamish about having to deal with the honesty of a whole, raw bird. But it is that good feeling that comes from serving up a well-roasted chicken that inspired her to move past that and embrace the challenge. Listen in.

Today I am joining Sam Anderson in Beacon, New York, where we’re cooking up a batch of breakfast burritos. Sam is a writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine and the author of my favorite book this year, called Boom Town, about the spontaneous birth of Oklahoma City. Years ago, he used to join me for cooking classes back when I taught out of my kitchen in our small town, almost a decade ago. It’s been years since we’ve been in a kitchen together, but he is still an excellent student. Listen in.

Today I am joining Rebecca Miller Ffrench (yes, that's how you spell her last name!) in her apartment in New York City, where we’re whisking up a batch of kuku sabzi, a Persian baked egg dish packed with fresh herbs. Rebecca is a very talented cake baker and decorator, whose floral wedding cakes are in high demand. She loves bright flavors and learning about new ingredients, so this dish is perfect for her and a fun way to kick off our pilot episode. Listen in. --For the kuku sabzi recipe, please visit www.homecookingny.com/podcast-e1. --To learn more about Rebecca Miller Ffrench and her fabulous floral cakes, visit her at www.theupstatetable.com. --Please post culinary questions for Jennifer on our Kitchen Radio Facebook page! --Brought to you by Home Cooking New York, New York City's cooking school for home cooks, since 2002.