There’s a lot to be said about food, and people are speaking up.
From cookbooks to magazines, cooking shows and food blogs — it is clear we have an appetite for not just eating food, but seeing, hearing and talking about it as well.
Maybe it’s just me, but when conversations take a direction toward food, things get a lot more interesting. People always have something to contribute when the topic is food: a nostalgic memory of childhood breakfast, a favorite restaurant or the abundance of lettuce growing in their garden.
Aside from conversation, visual mediums for food — such as cookbooks and websites (and food columns like this one) — provide us with knowledge to fill our foodie cravings, yet require time that is often hard to come by.
Thank goodness for podcasts.
Now we can listen and learn about the world of food in a completely hands-free manner. Although they will never replace the pleasurable sensation of reading, podcasts are a smart and enjoyable way to multitask.
Build your kitchen confidence and culinary vocabulary during your walk home from class or bide the time on the stationary bike. Occupy your auditory universe with food. Download a podcast and feed your inner foodie.
Spilled Milk
A show where hosts Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton eat it all, and we just get to listen. Yet somehow they make it fun. Each week is a new topic, with a walk down memory lane, lots of laughter and an occasional hint of sexual innuendo.
The Sporkful
Dan Pashman is more than a foodie — he is an eater. His podcast, The Sporkful, invites listeners to ask questions about food and eat with dignity. I’ve learned about the holiness (literal and spiritual) of bagels, the proper way to slice a sandwich to yield the best mouthfuls and the difference between pizza and flatbread, although it is completely subjective.
America’s Test Kitchen
This podcast is a complete meal. It packs kitchen tips, product reviews and expert wine advice. Each weekly episode also explores a new culinary topic — including an interview with some amazing food guru — and answers listeners’ questions on kitchen conundrums. And the host, Christopher Kimball, has one of the most enjoyable radio voices of all time. That alone is enough to make me return for more.
NPR Food Topics
Not all news is worth listening to — unless it is news on food, obviously. Catch updates on what’s going on in the world with food. Find out who’s currently fighting with the Food and Drug Administration, why we should be eating crickets and much more.
Bon Appetit
Anyone who loves Bon Appetit magazine but hates to pay for the subscription should listen to this podcast. It’s a weekly dish of all things new and noteworthy in the food scene, all from a rotating potpourri of chefs, restaurateurs and other passionate foodies. Hear how the pros braise meat and mix cocktails. Go forth with newfound knowledge and become a master in the kitchen.
Grace Kerfoot can be reached at [email protected] or @gracekerf on Twitter.
