Listen Now

Season 2 ends with a baker's half-dozen of last looks. The books are: [Secret] Sauces Back Pocket Pasta The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Cooking Burma Superstar Give a Girl A Knife The Science of Cooking WD-50  The Level Teaspoon's home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  

With little more than some rice- and soy-based pantry ingredients and maybe a bit of seaweed, you too can bring Japanese cuisine to life in your kitchen.  In this episode, a longtime cooking teacher shows you how. The Level Teaspoon's home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

What's the next best thing to traveling the world and eating everything under the sun?  Getting someone who's already done that to give you the recipes. The Level Teaspoon's home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

A baking book, coming on the end of the longest string of successful cookbooks from one restaurateur that I can think of.  Pull out the mixer and preheat the oven! because it's raining cookies. The Level Teaspoon's home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

She practically invented the food blog eleven years ago, from her tiny Manhattan kitchen, and in 2012, her first cookbook shot to the top of the charts.  Can lightning strike again? A second outing from one of the food blogosphere's best-loved voices. The Level Teaspoon's home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

One hit after another, in a smart new release from an author better known for her behind-the-scenes work in the food world.  The Level Teaspoon's new home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

After a series of recipe-testing flops and misfires in the Level Teaspoon kitchen, the week's third cookbook delivers...in more ways than one. The Level Teaspoon's new home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

My turn to have a go with the hottest kitchen appliance like, ever - and to sift through the teetering pile of cookbooks seeking to capitalize on its success for the one I like most of all. The Level Teaspoon's new home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

A second venture from a New York chef with a famous name and a fearless way with flavor.  The question of the day: if it works in a restaurant, will it work in your home kitchen? The Level Teaspoon's new home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

In which I finally get to tell you about a book I've been dying to share since February.  Ready your marrow bones and rock your stock pots, because this one is truly phenomenal.* [*Cue straining sounds as I hold myself back from resorting to the most overused pun in kitchendom.] The Level Teaspoon's new home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

In which I share with you a very hot new release associated with a certain magazine, a certain pair of spectacles and a certain bow tie. The Level Teaspoon's new home on the web is here:  www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

In which I share with you the very best ice cream book from all of 2017... You can find the recipe for the swoonworthy malted vanilla ice cream with chocolate pretzels, available to patrons, at my website: www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon  Come visit and see what's cooking!

Greetings, Level Teaspoon listeners!  Season Two is around the corner! There will be a new format for the show, AND - drumroll - the Level Teaspoon now has a Patreon page with special features for subscribers.  Yes, there will be a weekly cookbook giveaway! and much more, which you'll hear about it in this short season intro.  And you can come visit at www.patreon.com/levelteaspoon.  See you in September! And meanwhile don't forget - measure carefully, but always season to taste!

 KIDS' COOKBOOKS recommendations:   and [not mentioned on the podcast but also worth considering for younger kids]:              Jane Kelly was a senior manager and CEO in the music and TV industry in the UK. Her career kicked off working for the independent record label Stiff Records, then starting the first music TV station in Europe and later running one of the Virgin Group companies. In the late 90s she started and ran a website business selling cookbooks. She loves to cook though is cursed (blessed?) by a family of fussy eaters whereas she will happily eat everything (which is probably also a curse). Jane lives near Boston, Massachusetts and has two adult children, both in college. This week's test cookbook #1:   Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Kitchen Victories, by Julia Turshen (Chronicle Books)   This week's guest #2: Pete Baker is the Kitchen Manager at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre Massachusetts.  He spends much of his time on food and drink related activities including bread baking and pizza making in a homemade outdoor wood-fired clay oven, keeping bees and chickens, and tending to a very large vegetable garden and small orchard as well as foraging for mushrooms. He also is an avid home brewer. This week's test cookbook #2: Bread Illustrated: a Step by Step Guide to Achieving Bakery Quality Results at Home, by America's Test Kitchen Episode 15 Music "Holiday 2," by Dave Depper "Pixelland," by Kevin MacLeod "Darxieland," by Kevin MacLeod "Avareh," by Mamak Khadem Episode 15 Sound Effects Lethbridge Sounds, and others hosted at freesound.org, soundbible.com, and looperman.com, as well as my own recordings. The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra Hear it all on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or find it by searching for "The Level Teaspoon" any other podcast service you may use!

Ethnic/Regional Cookbook Recommendations:          This week's guest #1: Sally Ekus Sally Ekus is a literary agent and co-owner of The Lisa Ekus Group, a full service culinary agency specializing in literary and talent representation.  She represents a wide range of culinary talent, from first-time cookbook authors to seasoned chefs, professional food writers to bloggers, and internet and television personalities (and she also represented my own book, A Spoonful of Promises!).  Sally loves being the liaison between an author and their publisher, and takes great pride in guiding authors towards their dreams of publication.  Sally has a deep love of phở, anything spicy, and of course TACOS! You can follow her on Instagram @SallyEkus. This week's test cookbook #1:   Damn Delicious by Chungah Rhee (Oxmoor Press) This week's guest #2: Molly Stevens Molly Stevens is a food writer, cookbook author, editor and cooking teacher living in Northern Vermont. Her cookbook All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art (WW Norton, 2011) won a 2012 James Beard Foundation Award and two International Association of Culinary Professionals Awards. Previously, her cookbook All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking (WW Norton, 2004) also won a 2005 James Beard Foundation Award and an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award. Molly’s articles and recipes appear regularly in Fine Cooking magazine where she is a contributing editor. She has contributed regularly to Saveur, Bon Appétit, and Eating Well magazines. Her recipes and tips have also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Real Simple, Yankee, Easy Living (UK), Drinks, Real Food, and House & Garden (South Africa) magazines. This week's test cookbook #2: Taste & Technique, by Naomi Pomeroy Episode 14 Music Sunsearcher, "Latin Rhythm" "Devil with the Devil," by the Underscore Orchestra "The Lemur," by Curha The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra Hear it all on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or find it by searching for "The Level Teaspoon" any other podcast service you may use!

Baking Book Recommendations:       This week's guest: Jenny Hartin "I am the Cookbook Promotions Manager for Eat Your Books and the founder of The Cookbook Junkies, a Facebook group of 38,000 cookbook fanatics and website of the same name located here. I wrote a column on cookbook reviews for TasteBook and I write a bi-weekly column for Sunday Supper Movement. I also provide reviews for Publishers Weekly. A New Yorker for over 15 years, I moved to Colorado three years ago with my husband and son, Andrew who is 12. I am an avid cook and baker - and have far too many kitchen related items and cookbooks (4000) in my home." This week's test cookbook:   Marbled, Swirled, and Layered by Irvin Lin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) The publisher was kind enough to give us permission to reprint the recipes for Chocolate and Brown Sugar Buttercream Rolled Cake with Crushed Pistachios and Double-Chocolate Chunk Blondie Bars with Bourbon Ganache here. Episode 12 Music Songe d'Automne, by Latché Swing Morena, by Radio Jerocho and Zenen Zeferino Huervo Episode 12 Sound Effects Corsica_S,, and others hosted at freesound.org, soundbible.com, and looperman.com, as well as my own recordings. The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra Hear it all on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or find it by searching for "The Level Teaspoon" any other podcast service you may use!

Pie Books mentioned in Episode 12:         This week's guest:  Becky Selengut is a cookbook author, cooking teacher, dog wrangler, cocktail lover and comedy podcaster. She can be found at www.beckyselengut.com. This week's test cookbook:   Smashed,  Mashed, Boiled, and Baked - and Fried, too! by Raghavan Iyer (Workman Publishing) Potato-stuffed Chiles Rellenos recipe Purple Potato Focaccia recipe       Episode 12 Music 'Warmer,' by Andy Cohen Episode 12 Sound Effects reinsamba, timbre, Projects U012, and others hosted at freesound.org, soundbible.com, and looperman.com, as well as my own recordings. The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra   Hear it all on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or find it by searching for "The Level Teaspoon" any other podcast service you may use!

Something different this week: I begin my annual search for the Best Recipes of 2016. In this episode, we look at one of them: Ningbo Omelet with Dried Shrimp and Chives, from Land of Fish and Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop.   Also: assorted breakfast recipes from Rise and Shine, by Katie Sullivan-Morford, with guest Jandro Levins. Alejandro Levins is an entrepreneur, investor and consultant interested in improving our food system through innovation. His love of eating and feeding others led to his love of cooking, which he does nearly every day. You can also check out the wicked cool cheese cutter Jandro mentions in the interview while you're listening.   Episode 11 Music Underscore Orchestra, Devil with the Devil Underscore Orchestra, Blue Draggish Episode 11 Sound Effects klankbeeld and others hosted at freesound.org, soundbible.com, and looperman.com, as well as my own recordings. The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra  

    The Superfun Times Vegan   Holiday Cookbook: Entertaining for Absolutely Every Occasion, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz  (Little Brown) Turkish Delights: Stunning Regional Recipes from the Bosphorus to the Black Sea by John Gregory-Smith, by John Gregory-Smith (Kyle Books) Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking, by Masahiru Morimoto (Ecco Press)   Noteworthy titles Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Our Edible World  by Julia Rothman (Storey Press) Toast Hash Roast Mash: Real Food For Every Time of Day, by Dan Doherty (Frances Lincoln) Poole's: Recipes and stories from a Modern Diner, by Ashley Christensen (10 Speed)       This Week's Recipe Test!     Book tested:  Dorie's Cookies, by Dorie Greenspan Guest:  Kathy Gunst   Kathy Gunst is the author of 15 cookbooks; her latest book is Soup Swap (Chronicle Books). She is a James Beard award winning food journalist and the Resident Chef for NPR’s Here and Now, heard on over 450 public radio stations.       Episode 10 Music "Waunobe March,"  by Kevin Macleod "Fast Talkin'" by Kevin Macleod "Yegah Sirto,"by Ehl-i Keyif "Sevdam Olmasa Muhabbet Bagi," by Wind of Anatolia "Pyro Flow," by Kevin Macleod   Episode 10 sound effects Sound effects by TerryHancock, timlaroche,, . . .and others hosted at freesound.org, soundbible.com, and looperman.com, as well as my own recordings. The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra Hear it all on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or find it by searching for "The Level Teaspoon" any other podcast service you may use!

Episode 9 Review Titles   Lucky Peach Presents Power Vegetables! Turbocharged Recipes fro Vegetables with Guts, by Peter Meehan  (10 Speed) 1 Sous Vide at Home: The Modern Technique for Perfectly Cooked Meals, by Lisa Fetterman (10 Speed) The Indian Cooking Course, by Monisha Baradwaj (Kyle Books)     Noteworthy titles What Good Cooks Know: 20 Years of Test Kitchen Expertise in One Essential Handbook  by the Editors of America's Test Kitchen  (America's Test Kitchen) 30 Ingredients, by Sally Clarke (Frances Lincoln) Market Math: 50 Ingredients x 4 Recipes = 200 Simple, Creative Dishes, by the editors of Food + Wine (Harmony Books)   This Week's Recipe Tests!   Book tested:  Amazing Malaysian, by Norman Musa Guest:  Fuchsia Dunlop Fuchsia Dunlop is a cook and food-writer specializing in Chinese cuisine. She is the author of Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China (a collection of recipes from the Jiangnan or Lower Yangtze Region in eastern China), the award-winning Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking; Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China, an account of her adventures in exploring Chinese food culture; and two other critically-acclaimed Chinese cookery books, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, and Sichuan Cookery (published in the US as Land of Plenty).     Book tested: Sirocco, by Sabrina Ghayour Guest: Janice Telfer Janice Telfer, is a professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts and works on making better vaccines against deadly diseases in animals and humans. She has a special relationship with Persian food, and made her own triple tier wedding cake with hazelnut meringue discs interleaved with raspberry puree, white chocolate cream cheese frosting and white chocolate ivy leaves .   Episode 9 Music "Earth and Stone," by Kevin Hartnell. "Zanzibar," by Kevin MacLeod "Haratanaya Sree," by Veena Kinhal "Hackbeat," by Kevin MacLeod Episode 9 sound effects Sound effects by kokopetiyot, JanKoehl, LG, . . .and others hosted at freesound.org, soundbible.com, and looperman.com, as well as my own recordings. The Level Teaspoon's theme music: Não me touques, performed by The Bees Knees International Café Orchestra Hear it all on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or find it by searching for "The Level Teaspoon" any other podcast service you may use!