No Tangent Tuesday: Melons, Spinal Tap, and Restaurant Red Flags

In this episode of Cooking Issues, Dave and the crew dive into wide-ranging conversations spanning fruit obsessions, culinary technique, and the realities of running restaurants. The show kicks off with upcoming travel plans to Cologne for a Jägermeister demo, followed by a spirited debate about melon varieties, including the Bonnie melon and the elusive true cantaloupe.Other topics include:Excitement (and confusion) around the new Spinal Tap sequel, with cucumber-related deep cuts.Basil and mint gelato experiments using a Ninja machine versus traditional blanching, and the tradeoffs between flavor brightness and oxidation.A lively roundtable on early warning signs for failing restaurants—menu overhauls, partner conflicts, front vs. back of house struggles, and the burnout of opening staff.Social media’s role in modern food success stories, from French dip lines in NYC to the “must be nice” mentality in kitchens.Listener questions on dry-aging pork, carbonation system design, calcium treatments for vegetables, and substitutes for elusive yuzu juice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Cooking Issues, Dave and the skeleton have a discussion covering multiple food topics. The group discusses regional hot dog culture, casing preferences, topping standards (such as New York’s onion sauce), bun design, and service logistics. Other topics include:Labeling and naming issues around cheeses like brie and mozzarella, including product authenticity and consumer perception.Buffalo milk cheese and comparisons with cow and sheep milk products.Technical breakdown of the milk-washed “Tea Time” cocktail, including casein interaction with polyphenols and vegan alternatives for emulsification and foam stability.Use of gum arabic and xanthan gum for emulsification in acidic environments, with a request for specific follow-up data to refine recommendations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave recaps his LA trip, featuring improvised foie gras torching, duck breast mayhem, and an under-equipped kitchen in the Hollywood Hills. Back in the studio, the crew debates the social status of ketchup, and builds a functional model for a Kai Ten–style cheese and meat restaurant, complete with rotating washed rinds, seasonal breads, and curated condiment plates. Plus, advice on reheating sous vide pork chops without ruining them, the rediscovery of a molasses rye cookie, and a PSA for money people who show up late with menu feedback. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edward Po of Edward’s Aged Meats joins Dave Arnold and the crew to dive deep into the science, business, and flavor of dry-aged meats. They discuss aging protocols, goat and mutton flavor development, pork chop technique, and how Edward turns unwanted longhorn cattle into premium steak. Plus, the crew covers their favorite pasta shapes, dry-aging gear for home use, and the quirks of older meat flavor profiles.Edward breaks down the differences between bagged vs. open-air aging, and explains how mold and bacteria impact flavor.The team discusses the optimal dry-aging times for beef, pork, and goat—and how age, breed, and fat type influence texture and taste. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave and the crew welcome Ed Cornell, renowned pastry chef and co-owner of Café Tropical in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Ed, formerly of DC-based Milk Cult, discusses his transition to LA, the evolution of Café Tropical as both a bakery and community hub, and his innovations in yeasted doughs and soft serve. The conversation ranges from donut techniques and soft-serve mechanics to mutual disdain for bad blueberry muffins and the surprising connection between carp bait and boba-making. The team also dives into Ed’s community outreach via Feed the Streets LA, his thoughts on donut fryers, and how he replicates French crullers at scale without compromising texture. Classic Cooking Issues tangents include pre-Raphaelite surgery photos, cake cone discourse, and donut reheating strategy.Highlights:Ed Cornell explains how Café Tropical balances artisanal baking, ice cream production, and acting as a local community center with 12-step meetings and food relief programs.In-depth breakdown of donut production techniques, including choux-based crullers, soft-serve stabilization, and the challenges of maintaining quality in frozen fried pastries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Kim returns to Cooking Issues to discuss his new book Instant Ramen Kitchen and immersive food venture Infinite Table. In an episode that zigzags from molè rituals in Oaxaca to the atrocities of airplane omelets, Peter joins Dave and the crew for a marathon of food philosophy, gadget nostalgia, and weaponized pronunciation.• Mole and Memory – Peter recounts filming with Karina Santiago in Oaxaca, capturing her mole negro process in 360° video, and recreating the experience for guests at Infinite Table with emotional results and no psilocybin.• Ramen Realism – From detailed tasting notes on Top Ramen vs. Sapporo Ichiban to riff recipes like carbonara-ish cheese bombs and bacon chashu pinwheels, Peter makes the case for instant noodles as both everyday staple and creative canvas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chef Sam Yoo joins the crew for a freewheeling conversation that veers from pancake engineering and Korean fried chicken techniques to the realities of running restaurants post-pandemic. The founder of Golden Diner and Golden HOF breaks down the logistics of high-volume brunch, dry-aged steak precision, and operating a new concept in the same space as his parents’ former restaurant. The team also covers everything from vacuum-fried steaks to risotto starch hacks and late-summer berry dreams.• Diner to Dynasty – Sam walks through launching Golden Diner and converting his parents’ former Midtown restaurant into Golden HOF, a Korean pub and steakhouse hybrid with upstairs-downstairs service models and dual menus designed for post-pandemic dining patterns.• Pancakes and Porterhouse – Sam unpacks the precise workflow behind Golden Diner’s viral honey maple butter pancakes, explains the reasoning behind Korean fried chicken’s glassy crust, and shares how his team cooks a porterhouse steak with separate zone timing to nail both the strip and filet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Booker and Dax collaborator Rebecca Palkovics returns to the studio for a loose and wide-ranging discussion that covers restaurant PR, vintage ice cream freezers, Sly Stone’s legacy, and fried tortilla technique. With no guest chef in the hot seat, the team slips into classic Cooking Issues chaos, fielding live calls, reminiscing about busted van tours, and detailing the sensory nightmare of hot dog water.• Fryer Survival 101 – Dave and caller Jacob from Des Moines dissect the maintenance, filtering, and storage of commercial deep fryer oil, especially in shared kitchen settings. Plus, a bonus rant on tortilla chip texture and a defense of gas fryers.• From PR Myths to Zoo Tears – Rebecca gives a candid breakdown of when restaurant PR makes sense, why good messaging starts internally, and how misaligned expectations tank ROI. Also covered: orangutan sadness, Flappy’s nachos, and the horror of cryo-fried fish.

Chef Suzanne Cupps of Lola’s NYC joins Dave and the crew for a wide-ranging conversation about her culinary evolution—from a math major with zero kitchen experience to leading her own restaurant in Manhattan. They dig into the reality of building a restaurant, fried chicken technique, and the rigors of fine-dining criticism, all while celebrating Lola’s recent inclusion in the New York Times Top 100.• From Aiken to Anisa – Suzanne shares her journey from boiled peanuts and George Foreman grills in South Carolina to formative years under Anita Lo and Michael Anthony. Her unexpected path to professional cooking included stints in hospitality HR and six years learning every station at Anisa.• Lola’s Layers: Cabbage, Cornbread, and Crispy Chicken – Cupps explains how Lola’s menu balances Asian and Southern influences with seasonal precision. Highlights include grilled Conehead cabbage, a blue cornmeal dessert with whipped buttermilk, and a signature Filipino-style double-fried chicken with fermented Fresno hot honey.

This week on Cooking Issues, Dave welcomes back Matt Sartwell from Kitchen Arts & Letters for a special “Classics in the Field” episode. They dig into historic cookbooks, from Mrs. Marshall’s 1890s ice cream innovations to early 20th-century Russian preservation techniques involving millet, pig bladders, and cellars. Dave recounts recent culinary misadventures—including purging a pantry, misidentifying whiskey as tequila, and investigating black garlic from the early pandemic era—while fielding listener questions about ancient wheat, Spinzall butter math, sturgeon spinal cords, and more. Plus: a deep dive into American barbecue lore, McGee’s nut superiority, and how Star Trek IV changed the whaling conversation forever.Deep Freeze and Dairy Experiments – Dave and Matt explore Fancy Ices by Mrs. Marshall, dissecting her unconventional custards, starch-thickened ice creams, and patented rapid-freezing contraptions from 1890s England.Pantry Purges and Questionable Bottles – The crew shares horror stories and small victories from cleaning out ancient ingredients, including black garlic, forgotten miso, and mystery whiskey in fancy tequila decanters.