In an extended conversation with host Francis Lam, Southern food historian John T. Edge (The Potlikker Papers) discusses the different influences that two southern icons, Colonel Harland Sanders and Mahalia Jackson, had on the popular fast food of the region – fried chicken. Read more about Mahalia Jackson’s fried chicken legacy at Southern Foodways Alliance website.

Host Francis Lam talks to Will Guidara about what defines great service, Joe Yonan finds meatless smoking options with Project Smoke author Steve Raichlen, and Corey Lee tells Francis about his new "covers" restaurant. Plus, Melissa Clark gets a refresher on low-alcohol summer drinks from Spritz co-author Talia Baiocchi. And Lisa McManus from America's Test Kitchen talks about their recent review of espresso machines; she tells us about the winners and gives some advice for marking the perfect espresso drink at home.

Host Francis Lam pulls apart some common food myths with Doc Willoughby from America’s Test Kitchen. We learn about the Scandinavian idea of hygge and how this concept of coziness influences the region's food with Copenhagen chef and writer Trine Hahnemann. Contributor Melissa Clark talks to Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy about Burmese cuisine and the tea-eating culture of Myanmar. And Ole G. Mouritsen joins us to talk about an often overlooked element of cooking - mouthfeel.

Host Francis Lam talks to food historian Jessica Harris about her life among African-American icons in 1970s New York City, part of her new memoir My Soul Looks Back. We head into the kitchen of Talde with chef Dale Talde for another in our ongoing segment The Key 3. America’s Test Kitchen’s Jack Bishop brings us the interesting results of a bagged popcorn taste test. And we look at "trash cooking" with Scraps, Wilt + Weeds cookbook authors Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong.

Host Francis Lam talks to chef Samin Nosrat about the four elements you need to understand to make your cooking sing. She is the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking. Emily Kaiser Thelin brings us the story of legendary food writer Paula Wolfert and her struggle with memory. Thelin is author of the new biography Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert’s Renegade Life. Dan Souza of Cook’s Science brings us an update on the culinary world’s hottest ingredient, cannabis. And Tom Scocca exposes the controversy surrounding caramelized onions.

Chris Schonberger, editor in chief of First We Feast, joins us with an insider’s view of the problems surrounding modern food journalism. We learn how the "Vietnamese Madonna" opened a California sandwich shop, and we look at the newest rage in greens -- sea greens -- with Barton Seaver, author of Superfood Seagreens. America's Test Kitchen shares the technique for making perfect, super-fluffy baked potatoes. Plus Lucky Peach's Chris Ying explains how to cook sausage, and Floyd Cardoz shares a curry perfect for weeknights.

Guest host David Leite talks to Dr. Drew Ramsey about the connection between food and mental health, journalist Lisa Morehouse reports on Chinese food at the Mexican border, and we dig into the freshly fermented gherkins, dill and fragrant sunflower oil of Olia Hercules' childhood in Ukraine. Her new book is Mamushka. America's Test Kitchen doubles the crunch with North Carolina Dipped Fried Chicken. Plus, why musician Kelis Rogers, author of My Life on a Plate, attended culinary school.

In this episode of The Splendid Table, we are looking at food from faraway places with host Francis Lam. Top Chef contender chef Sheldon Simeon talks cooking the home food of Hawaii. Francis recalls a trip to the remote Faroe Islands and the efforts of chef Leif Sørensen to bring fine dining to an area known traditionally for a subsistence diet. Contributor Melissa Clark explores the rise of British food with Aleksandra Crapanzano author of The London Cookbook. And we find unexpected hospitality in a refugee camp in Calais, France with journalist Shane Mitchell, author of Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World. Plus, America's Test Kitchen is serving up the perfect poached egg.

What do we talk about when we talk about food? We talk about life, the fuel that keeps us alive and the spirit that makes our cultures live and breathe. We talk about what we want, what we long for, or sometimes, just what we need to get by. In this episode: conversations about the appetites of the legendary writer Jim Harrison, about the women who made American food writing before anyone called it "food writing," a look at Buddhist cooking in Japan, and with a brilliant musician on the complex ways food and music affect us. Plus, five keys to making perfect pasta!

Francis Lam celebrates his first full episode as the new host of The Splendid Table with the return of The Key 3 and great guest interviews. Francis visits with historian Adrian Miller, who shares stories of the influence and support that African-Americans have provided throughout American history by way of the White House kitchen. His new book is The President's Kitchen Cabinet. Pho may seem like an ancient or long-standing traditional dish from Vietnam, but that's not the case at all. Pho is actually a fairly recent dish, inspired by the cross-section of both Vietnamese and French cultures. Andrea Nguyen, author of The Pho Cookbook, brings her experience and insight on the dish to the show. For The Key 3, Francis visits chef Amanda Cohen at her NYC restaurant Dirt Candy to learn about her must-make dishes: leftovers sandwich, risotto, and her own Chickpea Tomato and Rosemary Soup. Plus, America's Test Kitchen discovers a treasure trove of premium extra virgin olive oil, and are all too happy to share their findings.

Writer Rowan Jacobsen goes deep undercover to discover the otherworldly powers of tea while visiting a group of tea connoisseurs in Montreal. Longtime Hawaii resident and The Poke Cookbook author Martha Cheng discusses the history and evolution of her state's classic raw fish salad dish. Chef and Food Network host Simon Majumdar decides to become an American citizen, but not before visiting every state in the union to learn more about the people who make our country's food heritage so rich. He tells us about his many adventures and his book inspired by the journey Fed, White, and Blue. Plus, America Test Kitchen reviews a full line-up of muffin tins to fine the perfect one for your kitchen.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper shares her retirement announcement with The Splendid Table listeners and welcomes new show host Francis Lam. Writer Lisa Napoli investigates Ray and Joan Kroc, the power couple behind the beginning of the McDonald's empire. Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine take their wonderful online food show The Perennial Plate to Ireland, where they learn about turf-smoked salmon and find themselves in unique situations with chef Katie Sanderson. Tucker Shaw from America's Test Kitchen shares his team's tips for keeping your sink, sponges and refrigerator safe and sanitary. Plus, YouTube sensation Hannah Hart on how she unexpectedly created a online community with My Drunk Kitchen.