This Podcast Will Kill You Special Episode: Nicola Twilley & Frostbite
11 snips
Feb 3, 2026 
Nicola Twilley, journalist and food writer behind Gastropod and the book Frostbite, unpacks the hidden history of refrigeration. She traces the cold chain from ice harvesting to home fridges. Short takes cover early preservation methods, how cooling reshaped meat and produce markets, and refrigeration’s growing climate cost and possible low-energy alternatives.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Hands-On Ice Harvest In Maine
- Nicola Twilley recounts harvesting ice in Maine and participating in traditional ice-harvest techniques.
- She describes sawing giant ice blocks, guiding them into ice houses, and seeing that ice still used months later.
Frederick Tudor’s Ice Empire
- Twilley tells Frederick Tudor's improbable story of shipping ice worldwide despite repeated failures.
- Tudor's success showed cold's value at scale and spurred mechanical refrigeration development.
Beer Fueled Early Refrigeration
- Brewers drove early refrigeration demand because lager required consistently cold temperatures.
- Brewing's need for cooling funded the first commercial refrigeration machines.
