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Dave Arnold, with Jean and Joe Hazen, runs a tight, New-York-only, “No Tangent” session—clearing the inbox and dropping hard technique. Dave details a successful Westphalian pumpernickel shortcut (from ~2+ days to a single shift) using controlled enzyme rest and pressure-cooking in wide-mouth pint jars. From there the crew debates the only correct patty-melt bread (rye), cheese choice (Swiss vs. American), and why English muffins punch above their weight. They hit chutney’s disappearance from American fridges, flatfish eye migration (confirmed), and the axolotl-as-food oddity. Listener questions cover freeze-dried fruit ice cream, pairing cocktails on prix fixe menus, induction with 5-ply pans, espresso-tonic nucleation, lactic-acid math for brewers, hot cocktail service, yuzu preservation, brand-specificity in recipes, flour tweaks for pizza, and carbonated dairy constraints. Quick shoutouts land on Manhattan Special, myrrh and schisandra infusions, and next week’s guest, Joshua McFadden.

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Dave is joined in studio by chef Alex Kemp, a Quebec-born, Philly-based chef and co-owner of multiple neighborhood restaurants, for a wide-ranging hang about food, restaurants, and questionable late-night decisions. Alex talks about growing up between French and English Canada, separatist grandparents, and how he and his wife juggle two restaurants, a third on the way, and a nine-and-a-half-month-old.

The crew ranks fried foods (why french fries and perfect fried chicken rule, and why tempura and hand-pulled noodles might be overrated), gets specific about schnitzel, fish and chips, fried okra, shrimp, and ketchup loyalty, and admits that Heinz is untouchable. They detour into hot dogs, pears as the heartbreak fruit, heritage apples, apple butter, and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking.

A caller from Dublin asks about lobster bisque: how long to cook shells, why over-extraction goes chalky, fortifying stocks in short passes, using gelatin, and whether enzymes like chitinase are worth the trouble. Dublin also brings “spice bags” and proper Guinness into the conversation. Jack checks in with a North Korean restaurant story and the table debates whale, monkey, and one-and-done Guinness's.

Dave and Alex close on old-school French technique, why real seasonal menus are a logistical nightmare, and the pleasure and pain of running truly market-driven neighborhood restaurants.

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