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This is a special ‘snack’ edition of Ingredipedia for Easter where we free ourselves from the shackles of talking about an ‘ingredient’ and talk about a specific type of food: Easter eggs! It’s a quick one fact battle! Weirdly, we both kind of gravitated towards Cadbury Creme Eggs. Em compares them to their ‘poor cousin’ the Darrell Lea Nougat Egg and sees how this nostalgic egg performs in a toasted sandwich, while Ben channels his former breakfast news host career and puts together a Cadbury Creme Egg news bulletin for the ages. Follow along on Instagram or TikTok to see the unhinged visuals of what we mention on the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you know if something will taste incredible? Three little numbers on the back of the packaging: 621 (aka flavour enhancer 621, aka monosodium glutamate, aka MSG)! We go deep and ask the big questions like: is MSG safe? And more importantly, does it work on hot cross buns? We also cover its links to racism and how to use it best in cooking. Then things get a little weird and we get a bit obsessive about the best corn chips and Ben adds MSG to martinis. Follow along on Instagram or TikTok to see the unhinged visuals of what we mention on the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you team flat-leaf or curly parsley? Dani Valent is a writer, eater, traveller and cook who is single-handedly bringing back curly parsley (and we’re kind of on board). Dani writes delicious articles about food in The Age and also hosts hospitality-podcast Dirty Linen, which recently clocked 500 episodes, which is an incredible achievement. We spoke to Dani about sourcing the recipe for a decadent cheesecake with one whole kilo of cheese in it while in Europe; writing a beautiful Persian cookbook (Salumati) with Hamed Allahyari and how to know which chocolates to buy ahead of Easter.  This episode is part of our Ingredipedia Bites rapid-fire interview series (basically a guise to snoop inside our favourite foodies' kitchens). Main ingredient-based eps are released every other week. Follow us on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia) to see visuals of our weird and snacky food pursuits.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The smooth and crunchy battlelines have been drawn. This is a peanut butter fight for the ages! Em explores the weirdest peanut butter pairings to see if anything can surpass the ultimate combo of peanut butter and banana; tries some peanut butter hacks including one involving a McDonalds Cheeseburger; and re-creates a vintage peanut butter recipe from 1901. In the other corner, Ben looks into the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches links to (of course) military history; finds out if peanut butter really is banned in Russia; and gets to the bottom of exactly how Elvis liked his fried peanut butter-based sandwiches.  Follow along with Ingredipedia on Instagram or TikTok to see the unhinged visuals of what we mention on the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wanted to know what sausage king and food reviewer Paulie V prefers to put on his sausages? Or know what his favourite chilli sauce is out of the 100+ he has in his home? In this rapid fire interview we interrogate Paulie V about all these things and more (like chips and chocolate). If you want more Paulie V after listening to this, we also spoke to him about the sausage cooking/eating specifics in our sausage episode and you can also follow him on Instagram (@paulievvlogs) or YouTube (@paulievvlogs). This episode is part of our Ingredipedia Bites rapid-fire interview series (basically a guise to snoop inside our favourite foodies' kitchens). Main ingredient-based eps are released every other week.  Follow us on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia) to see visuals of our weird and snacky food pursuits.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As far as we (well, Em) is concerned there’s only one god-tier lemon squash in Australia and it’s not Solo, Kirks or whatever Lift is called these days (Sprite+). Find out what it is, and the — frankly disgusting — reason you may need to reconsider the lemon wedge in the neck of your Corona or lemon slice atop your cocktail. That and more (like almost burning down the studio) in your podcast feeds now, lemon heads. Follow along with Ingredipedia on Instagram or TikTok to see the unhinged visuals of what we mention on the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the best snack to eat while DJing? What are some elite-level Japanese snacks? We find out from Andrew Levins (ok, known to all as Levins) who you've definitely heard DJ at music festivals across Australia and digested his food-related articles across the Sydney Morning Herald, VICE, SBS and the Good Food Guide. He was the founder and head chef of legendary late-night diner The Dip and published two cookbooks. Let's raid his kitchen!  Instagram: @levinsonline This episode is part of our Ingredipedia Bites rapid-fire interview series (basically a guise to snoop inside our favourite foodies' kitchens). Main ingredient-based eps are released every other week.  Follow us on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia) to see visuals of our weird and snacky food pursuits.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wanted to know the secrets behind the Bunnings sausage sizzle? Or why we call sausages "bangers"? How about how to cook the perfect sausage according to the sausage king PaulieV (@paulievvlogs on Instagram and YouTube) who reviews hundreds of sausages a year? Ok, well surely you want to know what a 'battered sav' actually is? In this episode Ben also shares his nostalgic recipe for "after school lap cheong" and describes the next place you'll absolutely want to stay on holidays (assuming you love sausages as much as we do). Follow along on Instagram or TikTok to see the actual visuals of what we mention on the show (warning: it's not always pretty ESPECIALLY when it comes to battered savs). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andy Hearnden is a chef who's killing it on TikTok (@andy_cooks), with some of his cooking videos hitting over 30 million views... each. In this quick interview he shares his favourite snacks (including a squishy little biscuit from across the ditch); what to keep in your freezer to impress people at a moment's notice and what hunk of meat has spent 14 months in his work's fridge. We loved chatting with Andy! He's such a genuinely lovely guy and we hope you enjoy listening. This episode is part of our Ingredipedia Bites rapid-fire interview series (basically a guise to snoop inside some of our favourite foodies’ kitchens). Main ingredient-based eps of Ingredipedia are released every other week. Follow us on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia) to see visuals of our weird and snacky food pursuits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crack open a cold one and find out why women had to stop brewing beer in the Middle Ages (it’s witchy); how to make cheap beer taste better and indulge in our little World Cup of Beer game to see which country drinks the most beer. Em spent a long time investigating her favourite first beer and where it is now and Ben made delicious beer nuts with beer (it’s the beer ep, ok!?) We also drank pickle beer because it’s delicious (and also because it’s the beer ep, ok!?).  This is our first episode back for 2023. Follow along on Instagram or TikTok to see the actual visuals of what we mention on the show (warning: it's not always pretty hehe). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: this episode may send your blood sugar levels skyrocketing. Proceed with caution. This is one of our favourite episodes from the past... while Ben and Em take a short break over summer. We'll be back next week with a fresh new ep! This one is all about sugar where you'll find out the mind-blowing Tic Tac loophole; where the term "sugar daddy" comes from; whether Roll-Ups are really "real fruit flat out"; why sugar comes in cubes; and what the best afternoon slump snacks are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's one of our fave eps from the past... reheated while Ben and Em take a short break over summer. This is the tea ep where Em discusses whether teabags and milk should ever cross paths; we make some interesting tea-based bevvies including matcha beer and something called "gunfire"; explore the invention of iced tea; deep dive into the tea (ok and food) served at yum cha; and rank caffeinated drinks based on their likelihood to send you spiralling with anxiety all night long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s one of our fave eps ever… reheated while Ben and Em take a short break over summer.  This is the mandarin ep where Ben makes a questionable pizza decision reminiscent of school bags; Em goes deep on how to choose the best mandy; and they’re both wrong about how to actually pronounce it. There’s also talk of fancy "meat fruit" and '90s TV commercials. Plus maybe mandarins are they key to treating your insomnia?!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please enjoy one of our favourite episodes of all time, reheated while Ben and Em take a short break over summer. This is our banana episode where we recreate a somewhat NSFW recipe (it's a CANDLE, ok?!); explore the origins of fake banana flavouring and 'ghost bananas'; see what we can learn from monkeys; find out how funny slipping on a banana really is; and some other weird stuff from the depths of the internet. Oh and here's a pic of the banana candle (ok, ok... dick) that Em made. This episode was originally published on 24 Feb 2016 (so the pop culture references to Neighbours are up to date. The TV show definitely hasn't died and come back to life since recording.). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No biggie, just Chef of the Year Julian Hills (chef and owner of Navi) telling you the ins and outs of what he eats on toast and the best thing in his freezer. (If you have a bag of dumplings in your freezer you can now officially say you eat like a chef.) We loved sitting down with Julian at Yarraville fine-dining restaurant Navi to chat about why we should be eating more wild pests, how to make white asparagus taste cheesy and how to get the good balsamic vinegar from Italy.  This episode is part of our Ingredipedia Bites rapid-fire interview series (basically a guise to snoop inside some of our favourite foodies’ kitchens). Main ingredient-based eps of Ingredipedia are released every other week. Follow us on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia) to see visuals of our weird and snacky food pursuits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ll leave listening to this episode with a banging Christmas ham glaze recipe and knowing exactly how long you can safely eat the leftovers for into 2023. We also delve into less widely loved ham products such as devilled ham and the dreaded Primo Scrambles (oh and Spam, but check your privilege on that one). Ben fires up the “ham cam” to check in on a famous ham from history. To see photos and videos from the episode follow Ingredipedia on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karina Serex supplies the best restaurants in Melbourne with ice-cream, but what lurks in her own freezer? Ben and Em find out in this super speedy interview with the genius behind Sundae School Ice Creamery (and who used to run Tuck Shop Take Away and was also a pastry chef at The Fat Duck). You’ll also hear her incredible pancake topping idea utilising a Violet Crumble and hear about an unhinged flavoured chocolate that still has a place in her heart. Oh and her expert ice-cream flavour pairing idea that will be a game-changer for your summer. This episode is part of our Ingredipedia Bites rapid-fire interview series (basically a guise to snoop inside some of our favourite foodies’ kitchens). Main ingredient-based eps of Ingredipedia are released every other week. This episode pairs well with our ice-cream episode. Follow Ingredipedia Instagram: @ingredipedia TikTok: @ingredipedia Twitter: @ingredipedia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does the greatest topping of all time – Ice Magic – still stack up? Cup or cone? Why do all ice-cream trucks play that one song? Will Magnum’s Seven Deadly Sins range ever come back? What’s the correct Cheezels to sugar ratio when making Cheezels-infused ice-cream? Who is Typhoid Mary and why was she such an ice-cream loving grot? So many ice-cream related questions are answered in this sweet episode. Plus, in a welcome change of roles, this time Ben is the one seeking therapy on the podcast as he faces his fear of baking with a simple two-ingredient sandwich-cakey thing. To see photos and videos from the episode follow Ingredipedia on Instagram (@ingredipedia) and TikTok (@ingredipedia). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this short, speedy interview we find out what the oldest thing in fellow food podcaster Lee Tran Lam's fridge is and a heap of other delicious tidbits. Her favourite condiment – a soy sauce made by a local Sydney brewery has us particularly intrigued! We're big fans of Lee Tran Lam's podcasts including The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry and the recent Culinary Food Archive podcast so we were very excited to find out what lurks in the depths of her freezer and what she eats when she's running low on time. Follow us to see what we eat throughout the week from Lee Tran Lam's suggestions: Instagram: @ingredipedia TikTok: @ingredipedia Twitter: @ingredipedia Our regular ingredient-based episode will be up next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Em and Ben chat about why steak and red meat is seen as masculine and end up constructing a famous burger from the “Dude Food” era out of toasties, McDonalds, some deep-fried treats and a few extra bits and pieces. Staying on the McDonalds train (what did you expect, wagyu?) Em and Ben explore “pink slime” and whether it’s really in our Big Macs, hot dogs and other meaty treats.You can vote for who you found most interesting on Instagram (@ingredipedia). We’ll also share a photos from the recording so you can see the burger we Frankensteined together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.