Our Sponge Situationship

Welcome to Salt Pig! We really like cleanliness. We really like the earth. Why can’t we find things that clean well that don’t spread microplastics or live forever on the bottom of the ocean? We discuss all the disposable cleaning implements in our lives—primarily paper towels and all variety of sponges—and how finding alternatives that fit our fastidious natures and finicky “sensitive senses” seems impossible. We don’t like to smell a sponge two rooms away. We don’t want to touch a cold bloated dishcloth in the bottom of the sink. We like a single paper towel to anchor a cutting board. Sue us. But answer us this: Who is your house decides the sponge has lived its last day? We have theories. Discussed in this episode:A short video that shows how paper towels are madeSafe, the Todd Haynes movie starring Julianne MooreNo Impact Man, the documentary about a family who experimented with having no negative environmental impact for a yearSwedish dish cloths—the Wirecutter reviewThe TED talk you didn’t know you needed: the best way to dry your handsDye-free Sponge DaddyKatie Button’s new book Spanish AccentLukas’ Honeypatch Squash and Fennel SaladAsk American Cleaning Institute: How to clean a sponge?Instagram | Substack

Welcome to SALT PIG! What do our dishes say about us, as individuals and as a society? Turns out quite a bit. Why do we “save” china for the right occasion? Are shallow bowls the new dinner plate? Is matchy-matchy necessary, and does it require “good” napkins? Do we like eating from the same vessels our ancestors ate from? When it comes to china/ceramics/dishware, we have questions, we have preferences, we have opinions—though honestly we are still unsure what actually differentiates china from ceramics from dishware. Bonus talk: heirloom Pyrex, traveling with trunks, and consuming lemon balm versus lemon verbena. Discussed in this episode:Martin Sorge’s lemon verbena shortbread (from Great Bakes)Iced tea from Heidi SwansonChristmas Tree by Spode All about buttercup squashInstagram | Substack

Welcome to SALT PIG! This week, we count the ways that we love our freezers. So many uses, so much convenience, so little extra space. We ponder mysteries like where did all the frozen pureed squash go? What is freezer debris and where is it coming from? Do people actually freeze stock in ice cube trays? And more. Plus, this week’s double cliffhanger: Did Lukas dress up for the Rocky Horror Picture Show and did Ellie successfully pick her new cabinet’s lock? It will be hard to wait to hear what happens next….Instagram | Substack

We are so thrilled to be back for season 2 of SALT PIG! We’re kicking things off by talking about a favorite autumn tradition (at least for us): making pesto from all the basil in the garden, which we freeze to eat all winter long. Turns out making quarts of pesto at a time has a fair share of complications! How do you properly dry a trash bag of basil? Why do we require multiple appliances? How much olive oil do you need, really? (The answer, annoyingly, is always “more.”) The good news is that it always tastes good, even if you don’t properly defrost it. And over the winter we forget about our pesto-making problems just long enough to get excited about doing it again next year. Plus, tune in for some hot takes on peeling almonds!Discussed in this episode:Pesto 101 via Claire DinhutTypes of BasilTrapanese Pesto (Oops, Ellie was wrong: Trapanese traditionally uses fresh tomatoes) Pesto Rosso via David Lebovitz (This is the one with sun-dried tomatoes) Cottage Cheese GnocchiPesto Beans (NYT Cooking, gift link)Instagram | Substack

Welcome to SALT PIG! How's your summer going?? Today we’re sharing a bonus episode, in which Ellie and Lukas check in from opposite sides of the northern hemisphere. Between the constraints of our short-term kitchens and lots of fun new ingredients and places to shop, we’re feeling inspired and invigorated. And getting away from home is providing plenty of healthy perspective on some of the New York/American antics that we’d otherwise barely be aware of. We’re also including a re-release of one of our earliest episodes, in which Ellie shares a chicken stock disaster and we both wax poetic about our dishwashers. Hope you're staying safe, healthy, and having a blast this summer! We can’t wait to re-connect in September, when we kick off season 2 of SALT PIG.Instagram | Substack

Welcome to SALT PIG! After analyzing all sorts of home-cooking topics over these last 22 episodes (!), we marvel at how often we neglect certain basics and niceties when cooking day in and day out. As cookbook professionals, we are devoted to the details of our clients and our work; but when left to own devices, we can really phone it in and forget/refuse to make cooking as pleasant and fulfilling as it can be. So for our SALT PIG season finale, we explore if there's a way to make putting dinner on the table more of a practice than a task. What tiny, easy acts make a nicer experience for ourselves? Do we have the brainspace and time to prioritize joy and ease in the kitchen? Is there a price to “treating” ourselves to the right piece of equipment or a little extra care and attention? Being intentional just may be the secret (ingredient) to everything.Happy summer, pals! We are taking a break until September. Write us and let us know what you’re up to. We’ll be back for season 2!Discussed in this episode:Chicken cutlets dredged in Preserved Lemon Paste Jenna Helwig’s interview with Greta PodleskiLukas’ Snacks For DinnerThe SALT PIG Lentil Salad MatrixAlice Medrich’s melted butter tart crustFull circle to our first SALT PIG episode: Food Waste vs RecipesInstagram | Substack

Bean tribe, unite! This week, we have a very special guest joining us: Steve Sando, founder of everyone’s favorite heirloom bean company Rancho Gordo and author (or publisher) of nearly a dozen books on the topic. We get philosophical: What is actual simplicity in cooking (and can it exist in cookbook publishing)? We get genre-bendy: Is there a connection between making fashion choices and eating beans? And of course we get very deep on the specifics of bean cookery: pre-soaking, brining, blending, and what to do with the liquid gold that is bean broth. Plus, Steve’s ultimate no-fuss dinner-party finale: Pockys and Amaro? Yes, please!Discussed in this episode:Caballero BeansPineapple VinegarLukas’ Smoky Confit’d Beans with Olives, which is one of the most popular Rancho Gordo Bean Club recipes OF ALL TIMEThe Rancho Gordo Bean Club (sorry, there’s a waiting list!!) The Rancho Gordo Cooking with Clay Facebook Group The movie The Taste of Things, on our to-watch list nowRancho Gordo Gift BoxesAlso, Steve is on Substack! Instagram | Substack

Sometimes having people over can be kind of stressful. But as they say, you have to make the community you want, right? And we want dinner parties. We share the successes, the mishaps, the too-small chicken pot pie, the desserts to remember. We debate if it’s better to apologize for your own shortcomings or just zip it and hope no one notices. What can be done to make an evening no-fuss, tasty, and, most of all, fun for you, too? We have thoughts! Plus more strategies to get your spouse to bring leftovers for lunch. Discussed in this episode:Lots of people eat chive blossomsSnacking Cakes by Yossy ArefiNora Efron on Lee Bailey and the “Rule of Four”Julia Child’s My Life in FranceAmiel Stanek’s Homemade Onion DipInstagram | Substack

Welcome to SALT PIG! There comes a time every year when we wonder: is paying for a membership at Costco worth it? Especially given the spectacle of the almost-fistfights in the parking lot, the morality of buying the world’s most giant chicken breasts, the longest lines, the tallest soft serves, the lifetime supply of Zyrtec that might expire before you can take it all, the physical grappling to fit it all in your freezer when you get home…it is truly savage. But then, after the food is all ziplock-portioned and decanted and the millions of boxes are tied up and dragged to recycling, there is a deep contentment, knowing that you might never, ever, EVER need to go shopping again. Is this just the price one pays to wild-out at one of the few clubs middle-aged people still go to?Discussed in this episode:Ellie’s Old-Fashioned Rice GratinCan the Golden Age of Costco Last? from The New YorkerThe olive oil we both buy: Terra Delyssa organic extra virgin olive oilLukas’ favorite Costco treat: WhispsInstagram | Substack

Welcome to SALT PIG! This week, we are pushing back against the enshittification of Big Food and talking about what veggies are growing on Lukas’ roof and in Ellie’s backyard. Turns out homegrown food has a wide range of highs and lows: mistakenly planting the proliferative yet dull-as-rocks banana pepper, the verdant joy of clipping your own herbs and lettuces, the diverse findings of chili pepper experiments, and the horrifying, nightmare-inducing girth of a lost cucumber from 2012. Plus, can a ferment get too fermented, or is Ellie just a ninny?Discussed in this episode:Pale in Comparison: What to Know about US Butter (via Radio New Zealand)The Enshittification of Big Food (via Mike Lee) Lukas’ fermented hot sauceLukas’ soupy orzoInstagram | Substack