Dave’s back and right into the weeds: rebuilding the legendary Flaming Jägerdemo, why modern rotovapcontrollers finally saved bartenders’ wrists, and how to keep a Japanese-style whisky highball lively with a little poly-dextrose science. Along the way we detour through lifelong zucchini trauma(and the rare preparations that redeem it), eggplant lore, and the eternal martini question—stirred, shaken, or thrown.

Plus, Nastassia’s LA dinner parties just got tapped as Esquire’s Best—and yes, there was a fruit omakase.

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Chef Jeremy Fox joins Dave, John, Quinn, and Jackie Molecules for a rollicking Cooking Issues session that jumps from kitchen hacks to personal reflections. Fox, in New York fresh off the release of his new book On Meat, talks through the craft behind charcuterie, confit, scrapple, corned beef, merguez, and even buffalo deviled eggs.

Dave kicks things off with a story of wiping out on an oily UN-Week bike lane, before diving into Fox’s world: the terrine he made for his own wedding, the art of hoshigaki persimmons, why corned beef sometimes wins out over pastrami, and the surprising virtues of scrapple. Fox explains why he avoids crosshatching duck breast, how to keep confit submerged, and what it takes to crisp potato skins properly.

The conversation widens to food culture and kitchen life: Chengdu rabbit heads, the misery of warm lager, Belgian frites technique, kitchen safety horror stories, and the bittersweet reality of closing Birdie G’s. Along the way we get clever hacks (butter-knife weights for sous-vide rolls, parsley-green fat in terrine), a defense of warm scrapple with maple syrup, and Fox’s thoughts on larder staples that make weeknight cooking easier.

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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.